How To Use Console Commands

Chapter 12

Of all the experiences that Payton had ever thought he’d have in his life, rallying thousands of people to march on a city and take down an establishment through war and conquest was definitely not one of them. Making any sort of speech was out of the question but thankfully, he had both Kalastraad and Durandal for that. The newly re-crowned Goblin King had done his speech and it was now Durandal’s turn to bring the reality of a military conflict to the gathered people.

Kalastraad parked himself beside Payton, both of them standing on the balcony of the Homestead as Durandal continued about the possibility of loss and injury.

“Are you sure you do not want to say something?” asked the former-Speaker. “You look like you have much to say.”

Payton kept his lupine features still as he spoke so as not to attract the attention of anyone in the crowd. From the balcony, the streets of Avergreen were packed people both soldiers ready for war and civilians eager for a resolution to the conflict that had mired them for about a month.

“It isn’t that I have something to say,” he responded softly. “More like I feel like I should say something.” He resisted the urge to avert his gaze. “Believe it or not, this is kind of my first time leading an army to war.”

Kalastraad chuckled softly. “To be fair, few rulers would charge into battle alongside their own soldiers.”

“To be even fairer, few rulers would be the Dark Lord.”

He got a small smile from the Goblin King for that. “True. Though from what I have heard, you have been more than happy to subvert the norm and challenge the establishment. I am excited to see where your vision leads us.”

That’s the thing. I don’t really have a clear vision.

I know what I want – freedom of Lexcia from the grip of the Readers – but what will that look like?

What will this province look like after we dethrone Faoster?

Sensing his discomfort, Kalastraad said, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Payton answered guardedly. “Just really gave voice to what’s been concerning me all this time. What comes after.”

“After?”

“After the battle. Gobhood will need a ruler. The province will need leadership. I honestly can’t do it because I’d like to keep up the offensive. Orphan isn’t going to take this lying down and I need to move to the next Listener as soon as possible.”

He got a deep chuckle from Kalastraad for that.

“What?” Payton asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No. You just show overwhelming confidence that you are already thinking about what the world will look like after your victory as opposed to how the battle will pan out.”

His cheeks went redder than usual from embarrassment. “Well… I have confidence in my troops. In the people I trust.”

“I can see that. Perhaps then you can have confidence in me? Let me lead the province.”

He lifted his gaze towards the taller Goblin.

How is it that everyone seems to be taller than me!?

“Really? You’re willing to take that responsibility?”

“Provisionally,” Kalastraad said, holding up a finger slightly. “At least until you come up with a better system.”

“What? Why?”

“I have lived long enough, Your Dark Lordship. I may impart my wisdom to the people around me and I may help lead this new land you are building but my soul cries out for release and the day that I can finally rest.” A soft smile touched his lips. “I will admit, a part of me is excited to see what will come next and to see the world that you are creating but at the same time, I feel I have overstayed my welcome.”

Oh fuck. Not another Inferiorix-level suicidal nutjob…

“Please don’t tell me you’re itching to be killed like Inferiorix.”

The Goblin King shook his head very slightly so as not to attract the attention of the crowd. “Nothing so extreme. It is just this… feeling that I have staying on this world for far too long and I am ready to move onto the next. It is like… my life is a Grimoire. It has been filled to the brim with my accomplishments and achievements to the point where one has to write in the margins and between lines to fill in what else I am achieving. I fear doing anything more grand will cause the book to explode.”

I suppose that’s one way of looking at it… His biography did take a bit of time to go through. Then again, I didn’t see a character limit.

Or maybe because he’s a Speaker, that character limit was broken.

“I suppose I can understand that,” Payton rumbled softly, nose twitching. “What’s keeping you here apart from this battle?”

“My gratitude towards you, for one. And the other…” A wistfulness entered the Goblin King’s voice. “I wish to reconcile with Aldurin. I am sure he will be devastated with this development and he only tried to save me from myself when he inadvertently cursed me. Even if we end up killing one another in the effort, I want him to be at peace.”

That’s really noble of him.

“Do you love him?”

Kalastraad laughed softly. “I honestly do not know. I suppose I do. He has been a constant in my life for centuries since I was cursed and I do not think I could live in a world without him. But is it the traditional form of love?” The Goblin King tilted his head to the side as the crowd let out a roar and the soldiers began banging their weapons against their shields. Whatever Durandal said had riled them up. “I don’t think so. I do not think I could stand to share the same bed with him or even enter him during intercourse. Not after what he’s done.”

Damn… I don’t know how to describe that.

I don’t know how I could live like that.

“Sounds like you got wrapped up in your own little system,” Payton said bitterly.

“This world is full of such systems.” Kalastraad chuckled softly and glanced over to Payton. “In fact, I think I have a piece of advice to you concerning your vision of the future.”

Payton’s ears perked up, eager for any guidance on the matter. “Really? I’d be happy to hear it.”

“I once heard an adventurer tell me this. You can build the perfect system to be idiotproof all you want. However, the world will just make an even bigger idiot.”

It took a second for Payton to digest those words.

And it made him grin.

“That helps. Thank you.”

******

One hundred and seven thousand able-bodied men had heard the call of Gobhood. Of the one hundred and forty-three thousand. Faoster Goblincaller was not impressed. Two weeks after what was being called the 'Purge of the Wastes', the Listener of Goblins had been informed that every warrior that would come had arrived. 'Apologetic' messages had arrived from the outlying towns claiming that they could not send any troops. Some gave up the excuse that they had to defend their own walls should the Dark Lord come for them while others had the gall to outright declare allegiance to the Dark Lord. Those that allied themselves with this 'Payne Red' were those that lived closer to Kalastraad's Wastes or Avergreen.

That didn't matter.

From what his scouts reported, the Dark Lord's approaching army was barely twenty-thousand strong now that other towns had thrown their support for them. In sheer numbers, Gobhood had the advantage. What worried him was the presence of the Level 100 goblins that Kalastraad had amassed. He had allowed his wayward Speaker to act like a beacon for any goblins that escaped the influence of his Speakers. Because of their Horde Strength ability, any goblins would eventually be drawn to Kalastraad and brought into the system of peace he had established. That was how he had saved both goblinkind and humans at the same time.

And now, for some reason, all those goblins had decided to follow the Dark Lord. He feared for Kalastraad and held a silent vigil for his distant friend the day he had heard the Wastes had been changed. Such a drastic change could only be brought about by the death of a Speaker.

Now the Dark Lord was coming for him.

His Speakers reported on each of their battle preparations while he sat on his throne. Moving an army of twenty-thousand warrior would take more than the week or so it'd take to travel from Avergreen to Gobhood on foot. They still had time.

"... scout report that the approaching army is still two days away," finished Nevaught. "Since they took the round-about route to avoid the forest, they lost a lot of time. We can only hope that they are running low on supplies so that they will be pressed to breach our walls as soon as possible to loot our stores. They will be careless."

"I've already taken the liberty of poisoning some of the stores close to the outer walls," Aldurin said. "Naturally, none of this is going to any of our own citizens. Our own -"

There was a loud crash and the doors to his audience chamber burst open. A ragged soldier still carrying grime from the road rushed over, nearly collapsing onto the lush, green rug as he knelt before Faoster.

"Milord..." panted the young man. "The Dark Lord's army! It's here!"

Faoster was instantly attentive. "What? How!?"

"I... I don't know, milord! They were just... suddenly there!"

Faoster cursed and immediately grabbed the immense greatsword sitting by his side, Highorde. Already dressed in his battle armor, the Listener of Goblins charged out of his throne room, flanked by his Speakers. Barking for his goblins to fetch him a horse, by the time he emerged into the courtyard of his castle, there were already five strong war horses waiting for him. He mounted his trusty stallion as easily as one would slip on a tunic. Together with his Speakers, they raced through the streets of Gobhood. It still took them the better part of an hour to traverse the entire city to get to the outer walls. By then, their mounts were exhausted so he released it into the care of a goblin and rushed up the stone steps of the wall.

What he saw as he crested the top left even him in awe.

The soldier had not been lying. Just outside of range was the vast army of the Dark Lord. They were well organized. Hundreds of warriors were sorted into perfect squares with banners raised, both emblems he didn't recognise. He had to laugh softly, however, at the absence of any siege engines.

"Foolish," he rumbled softly, striding towards the edge of the towering wall of Gobhood. "How do they expect to breach our walls without any sort of siege equipment?"

"Perhaps," Hagden began, a vicious grin on his features, "they have something planned. How very interesting."

He ignored the enigmatic statement and watched as two riders came forward. One of them was what appeared to be a tall, muscular goblin dressed in regal armor and a golden circlet around his brow. The other was a brutish orc hefting an enormous, black axe over his shoulder.

"Is that the Dark Lord?"

"No," Hagden replied. "I do not recognize either of them."

"It's Kalastraad..." gasped Aldurin. "I... I can sense his energy... That is our Speaker!"

The proclamation and subsequent surprise from the Emerald Mage caught the attention of nearby troops and they began muttering amongst one another.

"What do you mean?" hissed Faoster. "I thought Kalastraad was... indisposed."

"Two weeks ago he was exactly as we had left him but..." The Mage trailed off as the two riders stopped near the moat of the city. The tall goblin lifted a glistening, black sword. The moment it left the scabbard, the weapon's blade began emitting a soft, green light.

Hagden leaned forward, grinning broadly - almost insanely. "Amazing... That weapon is imbued with the Soul Element! Spectacular!"

The Soul Element. One of the Master Elements. Incredibly difficult to forge. While it did not offer any unique abilities on its own, it granted a great boost to raw statistics and came with the dangerous ability to drain the statistics of those that it struck.

"My name is Kalastraad Du'Miren!" bellowed the tall goblin. "I was once a Speaker of Gobhood! Centuries ago I attempted to slay the last Goblin King in all of Lexcia and was cursed by one of my fellow Speakers! I lived for hundreds of years partially merged with the very Goblin King that I sought to kill! I became the ruler of what you now know as Kalastraad's Wastes, trapped in a body that was not my own and in a fate that was not my own making! Today, I come to you because I have been freed! Freed by the Dark Lord Payne Red!"

Out of nowhere, a wolf Grigori appeared between Kalastraad and the unnamed orc. The grey-furred wolf looked like no warrior Faoster had ever seen. Still, the boy stood with a proud, regal bearing and oozed confidence. Dark Lord or no, this pup was sure about his role.

"That's him!" Hagden exclaimed. "That is the Dark Lord."

And it seemed that even his Speakers were well aware. A glance from face to face revealed that each of them knew something about the wolf's role. Either they had encountered him before or had an inkling. Regardless, they had omitted this fact to their Listener and their Savior. He would have to reprimand them later.

"My name is Payne Red," announced the wolf, his voice carrying well even up to the top of the walls either through magical means or some natural gift. "I am the Dark Lord. I have come not to destroy you all but to free you from the shackles of a society ruled by an elite few. An elite few that decides whether you live or die, what course your life takes and purposefully leaves you content with what you have never encouraging you to want more. The same elite few who has conspired and manipulated to cling on to the power they have while unwittingly trapping themselves in the same prison they created for the rest of you!"

Faoster leaned towards one of the archers nearby. "Shoot him."

The soldier drew an arrow. "As you wish, milord."

"The same elite few that have done exactly the same thing over and over again for thousands of years believing themselves to infallible while their own sanity is slipping between their fingers!"

The archer let loose the arrow. Faoster allowed himself a smile. The 'Dark Lord' slain by a mere arrow. It would certainly break the army.

Thud.

His eyes boggled as the arrow bounced harmlessly off the wolf's brow.

Everyone saw this. He could feel the unease creeping throughout his troops.

"Lexcia has been exactly the same for the past thousands of years!" the Dark Lord continued. "Have you never wondered how it could be better? You may be content but how can you be anything else when you do not know anything else? When all information and knowledge is hoarded by those in power! I swear to you, as the Dark Lord I will establish an Adventurer's Guild! An organization outside my own control charged with promoting every adventurer that reaches the same level requirements as long as they can pay a flat service fee! This goes the same for all of you who wish to bear a name! Gather the funds and come to the Adventurer's Guild! Bear a name and start your own adventure! No need to rely on a Speaker, Listener or Reader to take notice of you!"

"That's insane!" sneered the Goblin Knight. "It will never work!"

"Oh but it might," snickered Hagden. "There is so much potential in every single person. He is merely tapping into that."

"For those of you who do not wish a life of adventure, why be restricted to the same life for the rest of your existence? Why must you live in the Flourishing Walls because that is where your ancestors lived? Why not travel beyond the lands of this province? Why must you eat the same thing over and over again day in and day out because that is how it has always been! How do you know things are good if you've never had anything else!?"

That seemed like a dig an Daronllier. Faoster noticed the Head Chef had covered his face with his hands, making his expression unreadable.

"Why rely on a decision of the few to determine your own destiny!" shouted the Dark Lord. "Take your own destiny into your own hands and drive your fate as you want it! You are not mere pawns in a game between giants! You are the heroes of your own story!"

Faoster shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He strode forward, resting his armored hands on the battlements.

"My name is Faoster Goblincaller," he bellowed, opening his eyes and glaring down at this lupine Dark Lord. "I have ruled these lands for hundreds of years and you have the audacity to question my deeds? If I were not successful, how would Gobhood have stood all this time without incident?"

"Through lies and deceit!" shouted the Dark Lord. "How many of your people know that the famous Gobhood Stew is made out of goblin meat!?"

That gave him pause. That secret was kept closely between himself and his Speakers. Few knew about it outside of that. One of the reasons Orphan never ate it himself was because of this mere fact. It was a mistake, however, to show any sort of hesitation as the eyes of his troops fell on him. Daronllier was still masking his shame. Doubt quickly spread through his rank.

"How many of your people knew that Kalastraad was alive and maintaining a kingdom of goblins for your to harvest far to the north?" continued the Dark Lord. "How many knew of the Emerald Mage's experiments to merge human and goblin together in a desperate attempt to cure Kalastraad? What about the attempts of the Greensmith to free goblins so that he could harvest their organs, endangering your own citizens? The cruel forms of discipline your Goblin Knight inflicts not only upon the goblins under your care but also your soldiers!"

Faoster threw his gaze left and right, first at his Speakers and then the soldiers manning the wall. Many of them had either heard one of these rumors or were even a victim of one of them. It took him all of a second to realize that the Dark Lord had begun his campaign long before he had reached their walls.

"All of this was happening under your care, Faoster!" shouted the wolf. "You call this peace? I call it a distraction from the horrors you were committing! Do not be scared, people of Gobhood! Now is the time for revolution! Let your voice be heard! It is time to right these injustices and install a new order! An order where you can walk your own path without needing the approval of someone like Faoster Goblincaller!"

The impassioned speech boiled the Listener's blood. But it was the lack of response from his own troops that soothed the roiling fury in him. A dark smile touched his lips as he spread his arms wide.

"An impressive display of oration, Grigori. Pity you do not possess some gift to control our minds with your mere words. My troops, my city remains loyal to me. I saved them. I saved this land. I saved all of Lexcia from the goblin menace. There was a time when goblins were used as a cautionary tale against naughty children but now, they are all functioning citizens of my world! These 'wrongs' you claim? Mere fabrications! Either you have been lied to our you are the liar!"

He pointed down at the audacious Grigori. "I will give you only one chance to surrender yourself. Do so and I shall spare the rest of your army for this so called 'revolution'. Otherwise, I will bring on the full might of Gobhood down upon you!"

Then, he lifted that same hand over his head, ensuring that everyone saw as he snapped his fingers. A bright green rune circle bearing the sigil of Gobhood appeared over the small delegation. Green-coloured lightning sprang from the runes, striking in a circle around the three men. In the wake of each strike, a towering, porcine goblin rose.

"Goblin Lords..." breathed a nearby soldier. "Level 80 at the least!"

"Our Lord Listener barely broke a sweat!"

"Crush the Dark Lord!"

Twenty of the high-ranking goblins, completely obedient to the Listener, lifted their enormous axes, their armor glistening in the afternoon sun.

The Dark Lord twitched an ear and absently waved a paw through the air.

All twenty Goblin Lords turned black from head to toe and were immediately blown off into the wind as a cloud of black dust.

Even Faoster stared in awe.

The jeers of his soldiers immediately died down when the Dark Lord leveled his paw in the direction of Gobhood's trademark gates. With a simple twitch of his fingers, the enormous, black gates crumbled to dust, exposing the waiting army on the other side. The rest of the walls still stood between them but one of their major defenses were suddenly gone.

"I shall throw back your very same offer, Faoster," bellowed Payne Red. "Surrender peacefully and this will not have to be bloody. Any who would lay down their weapons and surrender to my troops will be treated mercifully. Otherwise, we will begin this battle in earnest and I swear to you, Faoster, you will lose."

The Listener leaned forward, grinning darkly. "Bring your worst, Dark Lord! I saved this nation once! I will save it again!"

Boom!

The explosion came from somewhere... behind him. He scoured the skies, looking for any sort of projectile. There were no trails of fire or smoke. Yet, as he turned around, he could see a dark cloud rising from within his city.

"Well, isn't that convenient?" laughed Hagden. "I couldn't have timed it better had I tried!"

Faoster's eyes widened as he turned towards the man whom he thought was his best friend. "Hagden... you...?"

The mad stare he got from the Greensmith was not something he had ever seen on the bearded man. "Who else, Faoster? Who else would want to see every goblin killed instead of being used as cheap labor? Who else would orchestrate the Dark Lord bringing Kalastraad's goblins to Gobhood's doorstep while simultaneously preparing his own loyal troops to raze the city to the ground!?"

Hagden let out a triumphant laugh, turning towards the Dark Lord and nearly hurling himself off the wall as he leaned forward. "You did well, wolf! I honestly did not think you would succeed! I thought I was sending you to your death when I sent you after Kalastraad at the same time that Aldurin and Daronllier had gone to the Wastes! And yet here you are! With every last goblin in the world gathered for one last battle!" He threw his head back, turning his manic laughter towards the heavens. "No matter the winner, every goblin will be dead! All of them dead!"

The Goblin Knight roared, rushing towards the smith. "Hagden!"

Faster than his appearance would suggest, Hagden flung something on the ground which immediately exploded into a burst of smoke.

"No, no, Nevaught. Not yet. I have still much to do. Kill me if you want but I will not die until every last goblin lies dying at me feet."

The Goblin Knight swatted at the smoke but, as expected, the Greensmith was already gone.

Faoster shook with fury. One of his Speakers had turned against him. Two if he counted Kalastraad. He turned a baleful stare at the Dark Lord who watched him with a pitying stare.

"It still can end peacefully, Faoster," yelled the wolf. "Drop your weapons and we can bring Hagden to justice. He sought to manipulate me too but I will defy him by making sure that the goblins are freed and given the same rights as humans. We can save them. All of them."

That sent the Listener's blood boiling all the more. "No! No one will save them but me! I am Faoster Goblincaller, Listener of Goblins and loyal Vassal to the Reader of Summoning, Orphan! I am the chosen savior of goblinkind! Only I can bridge the gap between goblins and man!" He pointed an accusing finger at the Dark Lord. "You are nothing but an anarchist hiding his destructive motivations behind a noble cause! You will get nothing from me! Draw your blades and prepare your army! You will be nothing more than a bloody smear on these walls!"

The Dark Lord sighed and shook his head. "Very well, then. I tried."

The orc beside him lifted a horn to his lips. The rallying cry of the Dark Lord's army rang across the plains and their dark troops began marching.

Faoster lifted a hand. "Archers!"

"Wait!" cried the Head Chef. "Get off the wall! Now!"

He hesitated... and noticed that the Dark Lord had turned a paw directly at the wall.

"No..."

******

_ _

_ _

"Delete."

A large section of the immense, white wall immediately blackened. The soldiers on the battlements screamed and cried out in terror as the very ground beneath their feet dissolved into a dark cloud that could do nothing to support their weight. Dozens of men tumbled to the ground. Payton noticed both the Goblin Knight and Faoster using their supernatural skills to catch as many men as they could and drop them on the ground with as little harm as possible. The Emerald Mage fled and the Head Chef of the Greenworks was nowhere to be seen. A horn sounded on the side of the defenders and Payton couldn't help but admire the irony that he was now on the side the attackers when not so long ago, his troops were the ones defending themselves from Gobhood.

I wonder if Orphan is going to come in at the last minute and try and win the day.

"Lord Red?" Kalastraad prompted.

"Right," Payton responded, lifting a paw into the air. "SetLoc."

There was a sudden thundering noise like someone had struck an enormous drum or the sound barrier was just broken. Behind him, an immense Tower of Dominance appeared stunning the defenders. Blue lightning arched from the crystal and immediately sought out the soldier Durandal had allocated as a 'Commander'. This particular Commander, a low-Level hero that had joined their ranks, held up a banner in one hand. The banner was emblazoned with Kalastraad's emblem but also flew the white and black of the Black Halo Alliance. At its very tip was an Ephemeral Attunement Rod. The moment the Commander - leading the charge - arrived close to the Tower, the slammed the banner into the ground, clutching onto it as every bolt of lightning spewing from the crystal focused upon it.

Confusion amongst the ranks of the defenders provided them the precious three minutes needed for the Tower to fully synchronized with its Commander. The moment it did, a tremendous wave of force exploded from the crystal. It was a visible ripple of blue energies that blasted outward from the gem. Gobhood's enormous, white walls shuddered as the wave washed over it and the defenders. Several of the weaker soldiers were thrown back, some even off the wall. Others fell to their knees as the effect of the Tower immediately began restricting their abilities.

As always, Durandal's plan had worked.

The distraction of the crumbling wall had provided them the needed time for Payton to summon one of the many Towers of Dominance that had been built back in the Wastes and was thus far unbound to anyone. Carlisle had mentioned that while moving a tower after it had been bound to someone was possible, it would take much longer than three minutes to get claim dominion over its surrounding territory than if it was synchronized on location. That initial shockwave was also another weapon that they could use to their advantage.

Faoster's guards were starting to reassemble and they positioned themselves in front of what had once been the gates, shields up as a horde of goblins and rebels charged. Those on the walls let their arrows fly. There was no order in their attacks. Desperation pushed them. Durandal had organized the troops so that there was someone with some form of defensive magic was spaced out between every few people. Those very same people erected glistening white shields over their heads, deflecting as many missiles as they could. Some got through and Payton winced as he saw some of his men fall from a stray arrow. Field medics quickly went to work bringing those that had fallen back to the fight under their own shields.

A few brave archers tried aim for him directly. Kalastraad waved his sword through the air, conjuring a protective bubble around them. Mere arrows could not pierce the defenses.

"They'll start using magical arrows soon," Ghorrend warned.

True to his words, an arrow wreathed in fire smacked into barrier. There was one wrapped in dripping, green acid and another encased in ice that shortly followed. The shields of his Black Halo troops wavered against the slightly more powerful projectiles.

"I'll take care of that," Payton announced. He turned his gaze towards one of the guard towers. "Delete."

Screams erupted from the tower as it blackened and flaked off into nothingness. The Gobhood troops tried to flee as far as they could down the steps before the entire tower disappeared beneath their feet. He turned his gaze towards another section of wall and with a wave of his paw, it vanished as well. Another flank was suddenly open. He opened two more holes in their defenses, forcing the defenders to split their attention amongst the four flanks.

Tartarius came riding in on a horse. The rest of Payton's personal guard was with him. "You know, it's almost feels like cheating!"

"Don't get overconfident," warned Kalastraad. "They still have the advantage of numbers and -"

BOOM!

There was a tremendous chorus of screams as dozens of Black Halo troops were hurled fifty feet into the air while wreathed in bright green flames.

"... the Speakers."

"That's the Goblin Knight," Ghorrend growled. An explosion rocked Gobhood deep within the city. "And that's Hagden."

Durandal reigned in his bucking horse, the poor mare spooked by the sudden screams as another dozen or so Black Haloes were thrown into the sky. "Stick to the plan. We're leaving the frontal assault to you, Kalastraad."

"I will be the focus of their attention," agreed the Goblin King. "Do what you must."

"Let me know when you need me," Ghorrend said with a nod. "I'll join the fight."

Payton nodded as the four members of his party dismounted and placed their hands on his shoulders. He pulled out his Grimoire and flipped to the page that had the sketch and location of the inn they had stayed at when they had first visited Gobhood.

"SetLoc."

The sounds of battle were pushed into the distance as their surroundings were immediately replaced with the familiar setting of wooden walls and itch mattresses. The door was wide open and a woman came rushing by. She froze the immediately she saw them. Payton recognized her as one of the inn’s workers.

"Find somewhere to hide," he said, striding past her.

He led the way down the steps of the inn and back out into the streets. The citizenry had boarded up their homes and closed up their shops in anticipation of the battle but many were still watching in awe as the first wall of the Flourish Walls had collapsed within seconds of the battle. Soldiers on horses were already charging past them, screaming for everyone to hurry to the second wall.

Payton led the way to the very arena that Tartarius had earned his audience with the Goblin Knight. In a time like this, no one was in the mood for blood sports or entertainment.

"SetLoc."

The sky split open and another Tower of Dominance appeared at the very center of the arena. Somewhere in the distance, Hagden's saboteurs continued to spread their chaos. The Tower acted not only as a beacon for his own troops but also as a means to demoralize the Gobhood defenders. Their superior numbers meant nothing if Payton and his elite group could weave through their ranks with ease.

The appearance of the Tower would not go unanswered, however.

Within minutes, a group of Gobhood soldiers came charging down the streets. They froze upon seeing the five Grigori in front of them.

"Level 16 on average," Payton reported, sweeping his gaze across the thirty or so soldiers. "Be careful. Tartarius, Axter, Rav, we'll make the opening volley."

"Kill the Grigori!" shouted the soldiers.

Thwack!

The man balked as an arrow jabbed into his shoulder. Ravenus was already notching another arrow before the soldier could recover.

"Surrender to the Dark Lord!" bellowed the bat, his voice mimicking that of the Goblin Knight. Payton had almost forgotten about Ravenus' inherent ability to mimic any voice he had heard once. "Lay down your weapons and you shall live!"

"Don't listen to his trickery!" shouted the leading soldier, likely their captain. "Attack!"

SMASH!

Icy spikes shattered against the man's helmet, immediately knocking it off. The soldiers grit their teeth and made to charge only for three of them to immediately be swept off their feet by an enormous wooden ballista bolt. Tartarius grinned as he mounted another bolt into his portable siege weapon and prepared to fire. Swords appeared over Payton's shoulders and immediately shot forward. The barrage of projectiles from all four of them gave the soldiers pause Their attacks were still lower in level. One or two stumbled as they were overwhelmed but the others closed the distance quickly.

That was when Durandal shone. The boar drew both his greatsword and longsword, sweeping his blades left and right to fend off the attackers. Payton immediately switched tactics, sweeping under the boar's thick arms and triggering another macro. Goblinfalls sprang up from beside him, slashing through the air in 'X' shaped swings. Blood sprayed in all directions from his sudden attack. Even before the swords completely vanished, he summoned the wind-infused blade, the spinning tornado sweeping forward and pushing some of the soldiers back.

"Close in on him!" bellowed the captain.

Bad move.

Blade Barrier!

Eight instances of Goblinfall appeared around him, all floating horizontally in the air about waist high. They immediately orbited him in a quick circle, slicing into men's abdomens before vanishing. Those that managed to escape injury were slashed across the back by Durandal or skewered by Tartarius.

"Fuck!" bellowed the captain. "Regroup! Re -"

Thwack!

Ravenus' arrow found the man's left eyeball. Regardless of level, that kind of attack was fatal and the captain fell to the ground. The soldiers broke ranks, immediately thrown into a panic. They turned to leave.

"Ice Wall!"

True to Axter's command, a wall of ice sprang up behind them, blocking their initial escape route.

Just to ensure they didn't pose any further danger, Payton set the durability of all their weapons and armor to zero. Their spears and heavy breastplates immediately rusted and shattered, leaving them in only loin cloths.

"I am the Dark Lord Payne Red," he announced, looming over them. "You are now my prisoners." Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed all their reference numbers and immediately used SetLoc on them to teleport them into the dungeons of Kalastrad's palace many miles to the north.

An advance team of Black Halo soldier came running in a short while later. They were bloodied and there were only five of them. There should've been twenty.

"Are you alright?" Payton asked, using ResetCharStatus to heal them all.

"I am sorry, milord," panting the soldier. "Only the five of us managed to break through the defenders. The Commander... he... He fell..." The man held up the banner. "I managed to grab this, however."

Damn. I know it was naive to think we wouldn't lose anyone but I still hoped.

"Don't worry," Durandal assured. "You're the Commander now. Ready yourself. The moment you activate the Tower, you can bet Gobhood soldiers will try to attack. We'll stay with you until reinforcements come."

The man nodded and thanked Durandal. He stabbed the flag into the middle of the street. As before, the Tower made a spectacle of activating. Blue lightning lanced out in all directions, setting rooftops afire and shattering windows. The sky even seemed to darken as the sole man was attuned to the Tower. Halfway through the ritual, Gobhood soldiers came charging in front another street. An arrow thudded harmlessly against Payton's impenetrable God Mode.

"Here they come!" he shouted.

Axter swung his paws across the ground. A thin layer of ice swept across the cobblestones, sweeping up towards the soldiers. Those with melee weapons barely managed to keep their footing. The archers fired but Payton physically put himself between the arrows and his soldier working hard to attune himself to the Tower.

Let's try this...

SpawnItem.

Goblinfall appeared immediately in front of him, blade pointing upwards.

SetSize!

To the utter shock of everyone around him, the sword grew to ten times its size, rising above the coliseum behind him and even rivaling the tower behind him.

SetLoc!

With that command, the sword immediately swung downward. The soldiers dove for cover, leaping away form the blade but not all could make it in time. They disappeared beneath the massive sword's blade and the dust it kicked up.

Delete.

The huge sword vanished a moment later, the horror on the soldiers' faces plastered permanently on their faces.

I think I'll call that one 'Titan Blade'

The deep humming of the Tower behind him reached its climax and with a resounding boom, it activated fully. The area of dominance spread, claiming another swathe of Gobhood for themselves and applying restrictions to the defenders and slowly tipping the balance towards the Black Halo. It didn't take long for other members of the Alliance to come charging in to reinforce the Tower. Payton teleported the remaining soldiers into to the dungeons, trying not to think about the bloody smears his attack had left.

Their lives ended defending their beliefs. I can't fault them for that nor will I resurrect them. They wouldn't and didn't show that kind of mercy to my soldiers.

They wouldn't have shown me that kind of mercy.

Alongside his personal guard, he made his way through the streets of Gobhood. When some space allowed it, he summoned another Tower of Dominance and defended it while a Commander made their way to him and claimed the area. The increasing restrictions being placed on the defenders soon began wearing on the defenders. It was by the fifth Tower that the horn of retreat was sounded.

'Kalastraad, that's not you, is it?' he asked through the Guild Chat.

'Not at all,' came the pleased reply. 'They are retreating. Faoster fled a while ago but the Goblin Knight just sounded the retreat.'

'How are our troops?'

'Bloodied but in excellent spirits. Our losses are acceptable but I'll have a better idea by day's end.'

Payton exchanged glances with his friends. 'We can't let the Goblin Knight just retreat and fall back to the Wall of Vines. We can claim this sector but he'll have more troops that are fresh for the battle so long as they are under his leadership. We're proceeding with the next phase of the plan.'

His closest party members placed their hands on his shoulder and he immediately brought them to the doorstep of the Goblin Knight's manor. The magnificent structure was untouched in all the chaos. That had been Durandal's plan. No siege weapons. Catapults and fiery projectiles would only spread chaos all over Gobhood's streets and potentially cause blockages in their advance. They needed to conquer Gobhood quickly or risk Orphan appearing.

Payton lifted his paw into the air.

"SetLoc."

With a boom, a Tower of Dominance appeared before them, standing like an enormous insult to the Goblin Knight. This particular district didn't actually serve any tactical advantage to the advancing army. The buildings were purely residential and far from the battle itself. It would take a good length of time for anyone to reach them that wasn't superhuman. But it was right in the middle of the Goblin Knight's territory.

"That'll get his attention," he announced. "Now lets -"

"What are you doing!?"

Payton turned towards the manor. A young man who looked rather drawn stood at the door. He was dressed fully in customized armor and had the look of an adventurer about it... were it not for the fact that he was missing a right arm. By the looks of it, the injury was not fresh. He couldn't see the stump but there was no blood on him or his armor.

"I am -" he began.

"Verinas?" Tartarius began, striding forward. "Verinas Ebonblade? Jesus Christ! What the fuck happened to you?"

The man barely managed to reach for his thin sword and pull it out, leveling at the rhino with a shaky hand. "S - S - Stay back! I'm warning you!"

"It's me! Tartarius Blackhorn. I..." The rhino hesitated. "I'm actually a Grigori in service of the Dark Lord. Always have been. You..." His eyes widened. "Motherfucker... He did that to you, didn't he?"

"Tar," Payton began. "Who is he?"

The rhino stepped ahead of the rest of the group, clutching his ballista tightly. "He is the winner of the unnamed tournament. Had dinner with me and the Goblin Knight when we first came here. He got a name for winning."

Him? Did he lose an arm during the fight?

"Y - You can't be Tartarius!" shouted the ragged-looking man. "He was not a Grigori!"

"Kid, it is me! I was wearing a magical ring that disguised me as a human during the tournament!" His eyes went down to the stump poorly hidden by the soldier’s armor. "Did... Did the Goblin Knight do that to you?"

Verinas protectively hovered his sword over his missing limb. "I... I talked out of turn to a Speaker..."

"What!?" The rhino stomped a foot hard into the ground. "Just for fucking talking back!? The fuck!?"

A low, deep, threatening voice came from behind them.

"I would not expect agents of chaos to understand the cost of discipline and order."

Payton turned as the Goblin Knight strode down the road. He was alone but his towering physique in the full plate armor was more intimidating than if an entire army had approached them. Blood splattered the black and green armor but he showed no injury. His features were hidden by the winged helm that was vaguely shaped like a snarling goblin's head. In his right hand he held an enormous tower shield emblazoned with the emblem of Gobhood. In the other was a three-headed mace with each head shaped like a spiked, screaming goblin's face with ethereal green fire burning out of the mouth and eyes.

Oh shit... Mission accomplished, I guess.

"You took his arm just because he spoke up!?" roared Tartarius, flinging around and immediately firing a ballista bolt at the Speaker. "You're a fucking monster!"

Nevaught Killgreen didn't even stop to swat the bolt aside with his shield. The bolt simply shattered into splinters the moment he smacked it with his shield.

Oh damn...

"I am the monster?" replied the Goblin Knight incredulously. "Who is the one that brought an army to raze this city? Who is the one that infiltrated the city and unfairly won a tournament? Who is putting millions of lives at stake for their own personal gain!?"

"This ain't about fucking Gobhood or the cause!" Tartarius fired another bolt and again, the Goblin Knight merely swatted it aside. "This is about you ripping off a kid's entire arm for some stupid reason!"

"Is it stupid to show respect to your superiors? Is it stupid to punish insubordination? Is it stupid to expect discipline and order from your subordinates!? Verinas was a simple slab of steel that wasn't any better than a rock! Under my guidance, he would have been forged anew into the perfect blade! He needed to be bathed in the flames of the forge and beaten continuously until he could be crafted to epitomize the law and order Gobhood represents!"

The Goblin Knight stopped his advance, slamming his tower shield into the ground in front of him and positioning himself behind it.

"Gobhood represents the ultimate integration of an entire race built for nothing but chaos and savagery into a useful member of society!"

"As your slaves?" spat Ravenus, drawing an arrow. Tartarius fired off another bolt which simply shattered against the Knight's shield without causing him to budge. Ravenus' arrow smacked against Nevaught's left temple.

"Slavery is the best that these savages can hope for! Lord Faoster saved them from a life of strife and death! It is what they deserve!"

"Just like Verinas deserved to have his arm chopped off?" Tartarius snapped. "You see everyone as lumps of steel to be crafted and used! But they're fucking people! They aren't just weapons for you to forge and then use whenever you see fit!"

The Goblin Knight snarled at them and lifted his flail above his head. "I don't need a lecture on what must be done to domesticate a race that is inherently chaotic or what it takes to discipline the wild and untamed! You should all just die!"

He swung his flail forward. Big, seething, green orbs of fire sprang from the weapon. Payton immediately stepped in front of the rest of the group and swatted one of the balls aside, invoking Delete as he did so. The other balls smacked into the terrain around them, erupting into clouds of fire and sending a shockwave that forced his party members to close in around him. Before the battle, he had created a macro to use ResetCharStatus on all four of his personal guard and merely invoked that quickly, healing them instantly of any damage.

The Knight's character sheet was changing. The locks on his stats were flickering. The effects of the Tower and the smear campaign had done its job. People were losing faith in him and the triumphs of the Black Halo Alliance had started to erode Gobhood's reliance on him. As the stability of the Flourishing Walls fell, so too did the admin privileges around the Knight's character sheet. As it stood, however the defences were still far too secure for him to fully weaken the knight.

"You do not understand my process!" spat the Goblin Knight, taking menacing steps forward. "I would have used various magical spells to immediately restore his arm! He would have been fine if he fell in line!"

Axter flung his paws forward in wide, sweeping gestures. Rows of icy spikes shot from his fingertips, smacking against the Goblin Knight's shield. "So you take off his arm and then promise to repair it if he follows your orders? You brainwash him into being indebted to you even though you were the one that removed his arm in the first place, limiting his ability to seek out medical aid himself? That is twisted logic."

"It is that kind of logic that has seen Gobhood prosper for hundreds of years!" Nevaught Killgreen lifted his shield briefly into the air. "Allow me to show you what true discipline yields!"

He slammed the shield back into the ground, the metal frame creating a sizable crack in the cobblestone floor beneath him. "By the name of Orphan the Summoner, I call upon thee." The bright green rune circle of Gobhood appeared beneath him, spreading wide and shining with a scintillating light. "Manifest in this world as my guardian, my shield, my spear. Bound to my will, obey my commands for all eternity. Stand by my side and protect all that I hold dear." Five pillars of light sprang up around the Knight. "I send thee forth as my sword to enact my will. Your life is mine till your heart beats still. Come forth: Goblin Warriors!"

From the light five Goblin Warriors stepped out, each one wielding wicked, curved blades and dressed in black and green armor. Goblin Knight spun his flail through the air. The air around him sizzled as a fiery aura surrounded his immense frame, forming a sphere of green flames with heat that caused even Axter to retreat a step several yards away. Payton felt nothing as his God Mode prevented any damage.

"You should know that summoning is the most useless technique against me," Payton announced, lifting his paw towards the creatures.

The Goblin Knight grinned darkly at him. "Perhaps but it served its purpose of distracting long you enough for Verinas to act."

Wait... What!?

The telltale sound of flesh being rend by steel froze Payton's blood. Tartarius fell to his knees, this ballista loosening in his big, grey hands. Verinas' wide, mad eyes were staring past the rhino he had just stabbed with his longsword and looking straight into Nevaught for approval. The bloodied blade pierced into Tartarius' back and erupted between his ribs, puncturing a lung. Blood burst from between the rhino's lips.

"Tar!" Ravenus cried, rushing forward and immediately shoving Verinas away.

The one-armed squire let out a triumphant laugh. "I did it, Master Killgreen! I did it for you! I killed the Grigori! Shall I bring him your head? Will that make me worthy of getting my arm back?"

He's so broken... It wasn't just the arm was it? It was... more.

"You have done well, Verinas," laughed the Goblin Knight. "Now! Let us finish them!"

The boy's eyes glimmered with glee. "Of course, Master!"

KA-THWACK!

Verinas' wide eyes took on a pained edge. His mad smile wavered as his gaze slowly drifted downwards... at the enormous, gaping hole in his right flank. Far behind him, the ballista bolt that had torn through his flesh quivered against the stone walls of Nevaught Killgreen's manor.

"Thanks Rav," Tartarius grunted, lowered the ballista which was also being supported by Ravenus. He then threw a baleful stare over his shoulder at the Goblin Knight. "What now, Killgreen? Is he still worthy of your mercy? You gonna fix him up or you going to leave him to die?"

The Goblin Knight's lips twisted into a thin line. Verinas fell to his knees, reaching out with his one hand towards the Speaker. The boy was whispering something, the strength quickly fading from his eyes.

I can't stand here and watch this happen.

Payton suddenly stormed over and seized the squire's face in a paw. Verinas stared at him with half-dead eyes.

"Ma... s...ter..." whispered the boy.

"I won't let anyone suffer," Payton announced. "ResetCharStatus."

A soft green light wreathed the wounded squire. Flesh and bone immediately closed up and even his missing arm sprang back into existence from the stump that hung limply by his side. Light entered the boy's eyes again and Payton let him fall to the ground, gasping for breath.

"What the hell, boss!?" Tartarius shouted. "We had the Knight! Either he was going to admit that Verinas was nothing to him or he'd try to fight to save the kid before he died! We would've had the advantage! And, yo! I've still got a sword in me!" The rhino coughed up blood.

"Ravenus, please remove the sword from Tartarius," Payton said, refusing to turn around to face his subordinate or the Goblin Knight. The moment Ravenus did as he was told, he cast another ResetCharStatus on the rhino, healing the wounds. "Tar, we're not going to use people's lives and their suffering as toys in a game. All the people out there fighting for their lives and the future of this land aren't just meaningless ants that we can dismiss because they don't have names. I will treasure every life that I encounter. Even if I have to take that life, I won't let its potential go unrealized unless it is the absolute last resort!"

Only then did he spin around to face the Goblin Knight, holding up his paw with a single finger outstretched. "So I'm going to give you one chance, Nevaught. The way you're treating the goblins and your subordinates has no place in the world I'm creating. Lay down your arms and surrender. I will show mercy and even find you a place in the new order of Gobhood."

The Goblin Knight sneered at him, his handsome features twisting beneath his helmet. "False platitudes and promises. You claim to value life and yet you were the one that brought war to a prosperous nation. What is your plan, 'Dark Lord'? Will you resurrect everyone the moment the battle is done? Show them your 'divine power'?"

Just like what Inferiorix did when he first conquered Lexcia...

"No. Life is not without consequences and I won't create a world where people are numb to that. That is exactly what this world is like. Hell, you've been so set in your own ways that all you see is the end result and not what it's doing to the person here and now!" He gestured at Verinas who was still grasping at his side, awed at the miracle that saw him still alive. "What is ten or so years of perfect discipline compared to a lifetime of nightmares and a broken psyche?"

"Nothing but questions you have no answers to!" barked the Goblin Knight. "My works have produced results for hundreds of years! You have brought nothing but chaos!" He slammed his mace against his shield. "Enough talk! Warriors! Charge!"

The Goblin Warriors immediately advanced, screeching like banshees and lifting their swords in unison. Axter and Durandal immediately jumped in front of Tartarius and Payton. Icy spears launched from Axter's paws, striking the charging Goblin Warriors and causing damage to two. The other three clashed blades with Durandal who kicked one back. The four-armed boar pushed the two he was struggling with back and quickly swept his blade down in a vertical slash. Twin blades of compressing wind launched from the slash, striking the Goblin Warriors and pushing them back while slicing into their limbs and spilling black blood across the cobblestone floor.

A beam of soft, green energy sprang from one Goblin Warrior to the other, dancing across their injuries and closing them almost as quickly as Payton's own spell.

Some sort of chain-healing spell.

Okay... If we're playing this like an MMO or a boss fight, this is his first stage. Probably going to let his minions do all the fighting while he heals. But that'd be too simple for a Speaker.

Payton eyed the Speaker, noting the presence of the fiery aura around him.

He's making it impossible to approach him with that sphere of fire. Projectiles will burn up before it gets anywhere near him and Axter's ice magic will melt before it even reaches him.

"You fucking asshole!"

The roar came from Tartarius as the rhino jumped to his feet and lifted his ballista towards the air. He fired a bolt high into the air and within seconds, a barrage of bolts came raining down around the Goblin Knight. The Goblin Warriors were immediately skewered, their screams quickly silenced with a swift death. The wall of wooden spires blocked Nevaught from view but the Goblin Knight seemed unperturbed as the bolts simply burned to ash before it even got close to him.

Tartarius was far from done, however, as he turned his ballista toward where the Knight had stood. His bolt began to glow red.

Piercing Shot. It would bypass many defenses and deal direct damage to a target. It could pierce through several opponents as well if they were lined up. The amount of armor it could cut through was dependent on how long Tartarius held the attack for.

That's why he used Arrow Rain. To block Nevaught's view so he can't see what Tar is doing.

"No!"

Payton growled softly as Vernias placed himself between Tartarius and the Knight, arms outstretched and tears in his eyes.

"I won't let you hurt Master Killgreen!" cried the freshly healed squire. "We need him! He keeps Gobhood and the hole province safe! He keeps the goblins placated! You can't kill him!"

"Get out of the way kid!" roared Tartarius. "He doesn't care about you!"

An enormous burst of green fire erupted from the circle of wooden stakes. The explosion sent spears and shrapnel of wood scattering everywhere. Axter barely had time to erect a wall of ice in front of them before the shards could slam into them. Verinas was not so lucky as several wooden splinters peppered his back and exposed skin. The boy fell to the ground, covering his head with his hands. The flames behind him coalesced and danced into a large, fiery sphere held mere inches above the Goblin Knight's lifted hand. The heat from the sphere melted Axter's wall within seconds.

"That's where you're wrong," boomed the Knight. "I do care for each and every creature that I discipline. I put a great amount of effort into conditioning them to fit into the society that our Lord Listener has crafted. It saddens me when they turn out to be ungrateful brats that spit on my efforts." He turned a proud smile to Verinas. "But you, Verinas Ebonblade, are indeed worthy."

There was a moment when Verinas tears streamed down his face and he smiled wanly.

"Your sacrifice will not be in vain."

And that smile vanished.

Tartarius let out a bellowing roar. "No!" He released his Piercing Shot. The massive, red-glowing bolt shot erupted from his ballista with a deafening boom. It zoomed past the prone Verinas, the poor squire realizing too late what just sped past him and leaping up to try and stop it.

He's devoted... Down to a fault.

CRACK!

The bolt crashed against the Goblin Knight's tower shield, never even making it past.

"Fuck!" Tartarius roared.

"SpawnItem. SetLoc."

Suddenly, another red bolt appeared in front of Tartarius' ballista and immediately shot towards the Goblin Knight. The Speaker showed a moment of surprise as the piercing bolt slammed into his shield, once again shattering against the black, green and gold guard.

Payton stepped forward.

"SpawnItem," he declared. "SetLoc."

Again, another bolt appeared and again, it slammed against the Speaker's shield, shattering harmlessly against the metal and the splinters burning in the searing flames of the orb above him. The metal of the bolt head melted into goo at the Speaker's feet.

Payton took another step forward. "SpawnItem. SetLoc."

Another bolt sprang forth and again, it shattered.

"What are you doing!?" shouted Verinas. "Stop this! It's useless to fight against him! Just give up!"

"You may believe that," Payton responded, taking another step until he was right in front of the squire. "Just like he said, sacrifice will not be in vain. SpawnItem. SetLoc."

CRACK!

"You're wasting your time!" roared Verinas, throwing himself at Payton. The injured squire barely had enough strength to wrap his arms around the wolf's legs. "You will never defeat him! You're just not strong enough!"

CRACK!

Payton smiled softly to himself as he spawned another bolt and sent it careening towards the Goblin Knight. "That may be true. Our levels and stats may be totally insignificant compared to a Speaker. We're mere ants compared to a mountain. But even an ant can chip away at a mountain one pebble at a time."

CRACK!

"And eventually, even if it may take centuries..."

CRACK!

"...that mountain will fall!"

CRACK!

Krrrrick!

The Goblin Knight flinched. The faintest hairline crack appeared across the top of his tower shield. "What...?"

Payton smirked. "Tartarius' Piercing Shot may not have pierced the defenses of your shield but it certainly did a number on its durability."

In that moment, the Goblin Knight realized his folly.

"Something I noticed as well," said the wolf with a growing grin. "You're charging up that fancy fireball but your fiery aura is gone. That means that projectiles can reach you now. You're vulnerable."

In that instant, Durandal launched himself forward and swing his blades upwards. Twin blades of compressed wind erupted from his swing and slammed into the Goblin Knight's shield. Axter and Ravenus cried out and unleashed their own barrage of arrows and icy spears. The flames from the fireball were intense but nowhere near as intense as his fiery shield allowing the projectiles to slam against his tower shield, chipping away at it. Tartarius joined in, letting loose his own roar and firing another Piercing Shot in tandem with Payton.

Krrrrrick!

The crack grew bigger.

With no need to be dramatic, Payton summoned the Piercing Shot bolts in rapid succession, just as fast as Axter and Ravenus were firing. The cracks on the Goblin Knight's shield was growing bigger and bigger, the durability hitting the red status.

I can't delete it or set its durability to zero immediately but I sure as hell can force it down there!

'Tartarius!' he announced through the Chat. 'G_et ready! He's going to launch that fireball soon!'_

'Shouldn't we find cover?'

'No. I'm going to force him to find something else to fire at!'

The Goblin Knight roared and closed his hand into a fist. "I've had enough of this foolishness! Perish! All of you!"

That was exactly what Payton was waiting for. The look of horror in Verinas' eyes; the squire clutching his leg tightly in fear.

Payton lifted his own paw into the air.

Titan Blade!

An enormous version of Goblinfall immediately appeared above him and came swinging downward at the Goblin Knight. Nevaught Killgreen stopped his attack and immediately changed directions, hurling the fireball straight upwards at the descending blade. Had he been paying attention, he would have realized that even if Goblinfall was the size of several buildings, it was still a Level 10 weapon. But in his moment of panic, he hurled the fireball he had been charging at the tremendous attack.

Just as Payton had planned.

The emerald fireball burned right through the sword with the ease of a fiery blade to ice. Huge globules of melted metal fell upon the ground around them. The ball soared several feet into the air, a miniature, blazing green sun that flew above all of Gobhood.

BOOOOOM!

The ball erupted, the thundering explosion shaking Payton to his very core. There was a second of silence for him to stand in awe at the tremendous flare that could have easily wiped out an entire home. Then the shockwave hit and he was blown back a step or two. The windows of the Goblin Knight's mansion all shattered and several trees lost a lot of their leaves.

THWACK!

... and the Goblin Knight was distracted by the ease of how he had destroyed the sword.

A ballista bolt embedded itself in his stomach, the metal head shattering and the wooden haft crumbling into splinters. The piercing bolt had made it to his armor since he had momentarily lowered his shield to throw the fireball. There didn't seem to be any outward damage but to Payton - who could see the Goblin Knight's statistics - he saw one point of health drop off the Speaker's bar.

This is where it begins.

Durandal roared. He slammed his greatsword against the Goblin Knight's shield. The impact of the blow knocked the cracked slab of metal away from the Knight's grip, sending it skittering across the ground. Nevaught sneered and reached for his mace. Durandal managed to get one slash with his longsword before the Goblin Knight swung his fiery mace at the boar. Four fiery orbs sprang from the swing, one catching Durandal's side just as Axter shouted 'Ice Coffin'. The boar was wrapped in an icy tomb just as the flames exploded. Durandal crashed to the ground, body steaming and slightly burned but otherwise unharmed. A green light healed any injures and he quickly scrambled to his feet, readying his blades.

"I am impressed," laughed Nevaught Killgreen, a savage grin on his lips. "I made the mistake of underestimating you. That shall not happen again! Face the wrath of the Goblin Knight!"

"No! Fuck you!"

The Goblin Knight barely had enough time to turn before his own shield slammed into the side of his face carried by Tartarius. The two went down in a tumble but Tartarius came out in a crouch. He seized the shield, gripping it in both hands and brought it slamming down upon the Goblin Knight's face.

CLANG!

"No more torture!" roared the rhino. "No more 'discipline'! No more 'punishments'! Fuck you! Fuck you and all like you!"

Tar... Where did this come from...?

Payton's danger senses screamed at him and he immediately triggered his 'Recall' macro. All four of his personal guard vanished from their current positions and reappeared arrayed beside him. Tartarius was momentarily confused until the Goblin Knight erupted into a pillar of flame.

"Torture!?" cried the Knight, rising to his feet. Nevaught tore the broken helmet off his face, revealing a bloodied face and one eye starting to swell shut. "If a child misbehaves, do you not discipline them? If a man commits a crime, do you not throw him into prison? How do you expect to correct the world if not with a fitting punishment in the hopes that they will be rehabilitated!?"

"You can't rehabilitate anyone if they're dead!" Tartarius roared. "All you're doing is killing the souls of those under your command and replacing them with fucking clones of yourself! You're scooping out what gives them their fucking soul and turning them into goddamn robots!"

There was a flash of confusion in everyone's faces as Payton realized no one knew was a 'robot' was.

But I know... And Tar's right.

"You're just spouting nonsense!" roared the Goblin Knight. He suddenly rushed forward, vanishing almost instantaneously and reappearing in front of the rhino, flail coming down. Tartarius lifted the pilfered shield.

SetDurability! SpawnItem!

He immediately ducked, wrapping his body around Verinas as over a dozen versions of the tower shield immediately appeared around Nevaught and Tartarius, partially embedded into the ground and standing vertically. Scorching green flames erupted in a bright pillar that shot straight to the heavens, pillar of emerald fire that outstripped even the Tower of Dominance in height. Even as he kept his eyes shut, he payed attention to Tartarius' health bar in their Guild menu. He literally kept invoking the ResetCharStatus macro, ensuring that his party member's health remained as close to 100% as possible.

"Why?" The soft croak came from Verinas. "Why save me? I am worthless... Even my Master doesn't want me..."

Payton turned his protective position into a gentle hug. "Because Nevaught made his choice. You haven't made yours. Not really."

"But I -"

"No," he interrupted, pressing a finger against Verinas' lips. "Everything you've done so far is because you hoped to be rewarded by him. That was his choice. You need to make yours."

There was no further time for debate. Tartarius was knocked back past the wall of shields, mostly unharmed thanks to Payton's furious invocation of the healing macro but still a little scorched. The shield he wore was down to half durability. Same with the shields that Payton had summoned to partially contain the Goblin Knight.

Nevaught grunted as he swung his flail in a circle and knocked the shields down.

"I cannot let any of you live!" bellowed the Goblin Knight. "You represent everything that I stand against! Chaos! Anarchy! Lack of discipline! Willfulness!" He lifted his flail into the air and began swinging the three, fiery heads around in a constant circle. "Die! Die and be cleansed from this land!"

With his other hand, he lifted a hand in Tartarius' direciton. "By the name of Orphan the Summoner, I call upon thee. Manifest in this world as my guardian, my shield, my spear."

"Get him before he finishes summoning!" Payton shouted, immediately invoking his Blade Barrage. As surprising as it was to summon two blades out of nowhere, they were still Level 10 weapons and bounced harmlessly against the Goblin Knight's armor.

"Bound to my will, obey my commands for all eternity. Stand by my side and protect all that I hold dear."

Durandal charged at the Goblin Knight, slamming his shoulder against the Knight's waist and wrapping all four of his arms around the Speaker in an attempt to knock him down. Nevaught barely budged. The rune circle of Gobhood appeared beneath him.

"I send thee forth as my sword to enact my will. Your life is mine till your heart beats still."

Ravenus leapt over Durandal, using the boar's broad back as a launching pad to send arrows sailing down towards the Knight. Again, Nevaught barely flinched. Axter wept his paws forward. Ice erupted around the Speaker's feet, quickly crawling up his body to encase him in a coffin.

"Come forth: Goblin Warlord!"

The ice around the Speaker shattered as a blistering green light erupted from the rune circle. A towering goblin as tall as the Speaker himself appeared, fully dressed in armor and wielding two enormous hammers, one in each hand.

There's got to be more, Payton realized. He knows I can delete the guy easily... so that must mean...

"It's his most powerful skill!" Verinas cried. "Storm of Taldmaar! Remember that fireball he launched? Dozens of those are going to rain down from the skies!"

Nevaught scowled at his squire. "So you would betray me after all, Vernias. I knew I should have disciplined you more harshly. Very well! Perish with the rest of them!"

Payton's eyes widened as dark clouds gathered overhead in a swirling vortex. That one fireball had been incredibly devastating. They were lucky that Nevaught had sent it into the air instead of down upon them.

He's going to level the entire town!

He looked around desperately for someway to stop the Speaker. Another Titan Blade? No. The balls were heading downward and the first one had melted right through his enormous sword. Could he just delete the balls as they came down but if there were dozens of them, could he delete them all before any of them hit the ground?

The Goblin Warlord - a Level 80 monster - roared and swung his hammers left and right, keeping any attackers away. Even Tartarius' piercing shots could do nothing to get to the Goblin Knight with the Warlord blocking the way.

Think! Think! There has to be...

Payton's jaw dropped a little in surprise.

Wait... Of course!

He held out his paw...

'Tar! Get ready!'

The rhino turned to him in surprise. "For what?" he said aloud.

Payton gently pushed Verinas away from him. "This!"

In an instant, he invoked SetLoc. Tartarius immediately vanished from view. The Goblin Warlord glanced around, confused only for the rhino to immediately reappear right behind the Goblin Knight.

"Now, Tar!" Payton shouted. "Touch it"

Tartarius didn't hesitate even if he didn't fully understand. He reached out, grasping the hilt of the Goblin Knight's mace just above where the Knight himself was holding onto the weapon. In that second, he immediately knew what to do.

"Fuck you, Nevaught!" he bellowed.

The mace in the Goblin Knight's hand turned black... and began to crumble in his grip.

All the fury Nevaught Killgreen's face was instantly replaced with shock. His eyes screamed 'Why', his open mouthed gape cried 'What' and his pale features begged 'How'. His fingers rubbed the flaking black dust just to make sure what he witnessed was real - his mace was gone.

Tartarius’ inherent skill as a Grigori; anything inorganic he touched would be turned into useless carbon.

"It's over," Payton announced, rising to his feet. The ominous storm above their heads began to clear, beams of sunlight streaking through the clouds. "You've lost."

The Goblin Knight lowered his hand and turned, his mace falling to the ground between his fingers. The sounds of battle had been replaced with triumphant cheering. The banners of Gobhood were replaced by the those of the Black Halo Alliance and Kalastraad. Flags were raised as far as the Wall of Vines with the chaos and anarchy from Hagden's rebellion still wracking the inner districts. All that territory captured and the chaos that ensued had ripped control of Gobhood from the Goblin Knight. No matter what happened, faith in Nevaught Killgreen had shattered to the point where it was unrecoverable.

"What...? No..." breathed the Goblin Knight.

With a sweep of his arm, Payton deleted the Goblin Warlord, the creature vanishing in a burst of black flakes, disappearing into the wind. Tartarius slammed a palm against the Knight's chest at the same time. The battered and bloodied armor instantly turned black, transforming into pure carbon. It flaked off the Speaker's powerful body, leaving him in nothing but a loin cloth. The Dark Lord's personal guard advanced, immediately leveling their weapons at the Speaker. Killgreen didn't raise his hands in surrender.

"Chaos wins this day," breathed the Goblin Knight. "You win. Millions of lives will be extinguished. The goblins that were under my control would all go wild. They will rampage through the streets, kill, pillage, rape... Gobhood is dead."

"They wouldn't have done that if you hadn't turned them into animals!" snapped Tartarius.

"You don't know what they were like before Faoster!"

Payton held up his paw and approached, Verinas right beside him. "Enough. We're not going to argue this point over and over again. We have our opinions and we clearly stand opposed to one another. Nothing will change either of our minds." He held out his paw towards the Goblin Knight. "All I can ask is if you will finally surrender."

The Goblin Knight lifted an eyebrow at him. "You said you would only give me one chance to surrender. I already turned you down."

Payton shrugged with a faint smile. "Well, I guess that's why I'm the Dark Lord. I'm chaotic and can change my mind."

Nevaught Killgreen laughed softly. "I'm starting to see that. Pity. I would have liked to see the world you have made if only to see it crash and burn."

Before he could protest, the Goblin Knight threw himself at Durandal. The boar instinctively tensed and with his swords raised, there was nothing stopping Nevaught from skewering himself on the blade. It went right through the middle of his chest. Verinas lunged forward but Payton grabbed the boy's shoulders, pulling him back as the Goblin Knight slumped to the ground, clutching the sword in his hands.

"I came into this role to see Lord Faoster's vision come to fruition," coughed the Knight, closing his eyes. "I have failed and must be punished. There is no place in this world for anything or anyone that cannot adhere to the order..." He opened one eye, staring straight at Payton. "No matter whose vision of order that may be..."

Then, Nevaught plunged the sword deeper into his chest, gritting his teeth in pain as he twisted the bald and dragged it across his chest, making the wound unrecoverable. Verinas let out a dreadful cry, falling to his knees as the Goblin Knight slumped forward, the light fading from his eyes.

In the end... he would rather die as he was than change to fit the new world...

On some level, that's sad... but at the same time, really admirable.

_ _

******

"Do you feel that, Faoster?" Hagden said, spreading his arms wide and spinning in place. "That is your empire falling."

The Listener of Goblins glared at his treacherous Speaker. "Why? I want to know why, Hagden. You were my best friend. I trusted you!"

The mad smith turned towards him with a twisted smile on his face. "Why? Because you knew how much I hated goblins and yet you still decided to follow both Daronllier and Nevaught's model of using goblins instead of killing them! Do you know how maddening it was to live these centuries knowing that I was surrounded by Goblins that I couldn't kill!?"

Faoster shook his head in confusion. "What? But the age of goblin killing was over. We had defeated them. It would've been a waste to see them all -"

The Greensmith let out a mad laugh, his head rocking back and forth. "You sound just like Nevaught. How that idyllic fool poisoned your mind." He let out another laugh and spread his arms while shutting his eyes. "If you've come to kill me, do it. I don't care. No matter what happens, the Dark Lord will raze Gobhood or at least damage it to the point where Orphan will have no choice but to intervene. Without Nevaught, all those goblins are going to run amok or worse... join the Dark Lord's cause under Kalastraad."

Screams and explosions rang off in the distance. Fires were starting even in the deeper districts. He could see one such fire starting within Faoster's own castle. The Goblin Knight was dead and that meant that every goblin currently summoned was no longer bound to the Goblin Knight's 'conditioning'. They were free and now they were enacting their revenge on the very city that had abused and used them.

The sounds of chaos were a symphony of delight to him.

"Orphan will come," he announced. "Whether it is to denounce you in front of the world and agree with my point that all goblins must be eliminated or to kill every goblin anyway because you are dead, it won't matter. I have what I wanted."

Faoster was silent for a very long time.

Then he turned to leave.

"You are a sick man, Hagden," growled the Listener. "Wallow in the mess you've made. Rest assured, when this is all over, I will find you and kill you. If you are dead by the very forces you have allied yourself with, I will find your corpse and make sure it is pitched in the public square for all to see. Crows will feast on your flesh, maggots will tear at your organs and you will rot for centuries on end as a warning to any who would betray me."

"You are so confident that you will come out of this alive." Hagden lowered his arms, a mad grin on his face. "The Dark Lord may just kill you, you know."

"That dog will know his place and I will redeem myself in Orphan's eyes when I bring this so called 'Dark Lord' to him and execute him myself."

"You dream big, Faoster. Always have. As for me, I do not need to dream." He turned towards the Listener, eyes wide and mad. "I've been living a nightmare every day of my life ever since you turned this entire province into a breeding grounds for goblins. But after all this is over, I might finally be able to rest."

******

A great celebration rang out throughout the Flourishing Walls. While they hadn't breached Faoster's Wall quite yet, the last bastion leading into the inner districts would wait until the dawn. There was a lot of ground to cover and secure and the dead to be buried. Though losses were still felt, it was 'acceptable' as Kalastraad had mentioned. Many Gobhood soldiers had surrendered the moment several Towers of Dominance were activated. The overlapping fields weakened them significantly, turning the tide of the battle especially against the Level 100 goblins and the adventurers fighting alongside the Black Halo Alliance.

By the time the sun was setting, the Flourishing Walls had fallen to the Alliance and the remaining people of Gobhood were sequestered behind Faoster's walls, hiding in the Greenworks, praying in the Verdant Gardens, cowering in the Lush Markets or hunkering down in Foaster's own palace. Sounds of celebration ran out across the walls and Payton made a point to bring out any civilians or even soldiers that they had captured in the hopes that they would realize that they were now free. Altercations happened, of course. No one wanted to celebrate with the conquering forces.

Gustav had noticed that the supplies within the conquered territory had been poisoned and had advised everyone to burn the stores. Thankfully, Payton could just duplicate any supplies they needed so no one went hungry. Not even the prisoners.

At least not yet.

No one was allowed to get drunk.

They were still in the middle of a siege and Orphan was drawing closer with each passing day.

He sat down next to Tartarius in front of a giant bonfire, handing the rhino a small mug of hot cocoa.

"Thanks," grunted the rhino, taking the mug.

"You know what I want to ask," he responded.

"Yeah..." Tartarius sighed. "Look, I just want you to know that what I was before I came here doesn't matter. You're my boss now. And... Nothing's going to change that."

Payton reached forward and gently grasped Tartarius' hand, squeezing it tightly. "We can't forget who we were. That's the lesson behind the Shades, after all. We can just grow from it. I won't judge you for that life. I just want to know why you were so passionate about what happened with the Goblin Knight."

The rhino shut his eyes and sighed in relief. "It's... It's like this. Back on my Earth. I ran with the mob."

I had an inkling...

"Did you... kill anyone?"

Tartarius shook his head. "Naw. I was just a runner. Delivered messages, snuck in drugs. Shit like that. I wasn't as big as I am now. I didn't lie when I said that I worked at the gas station or how I died. You can imagine working as a gas station attendant didn't really pay well. The mob... well... they helped. That's why I was kicking myself when I died because of a fucking hold-up." He shook his head miserably. "I should've know better, you know. Probably would've done the same thing if I was given the chance. Still..."

The rhino breathed a soft sigh. "It wasn't bad, you know. The mob. We were family and shit. Had rival gangs and shit. I had this... I guess you could call him my sister. We weren't related but she looked after me when I first join as a kid. She was my older sister. She used to turn tricks and shit but I didn't care. She never did any of that for me." He rubbed the back of his neck with a soft laugh. "Probably what turned me gay. She was hot as hell but I never was interested in her. Anyway... there was this hit. Her pimp got killed and she was taken. Never gave up on her even after months. No body was found so I kind of hoped that we'd find her eventually.

"Then, a year later..."

Payton squeezed the rhino's hand tighter and he squeezed back.

"There was a raid by the cops on one of the rival gang's places. Huge drug bust. Had to be at least two million worth of coke in there. That and women they kept around. She was in there. Abused and drugged out of her mind. She became completely dependent on the shit they were pumping her with. It was so bad that she was convinced that anything they did to her was what would get her the next hit."

Tartarius squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back tears. "The bastards kept her alive for shits and giggles. I couldn't even pick her up or send her to rehab because we weren't related. The mob tried to get her though. Not because we were family or anything. Just scared that she'd spill the beans on our operations. Didn't matter to me. So long as I got her back. Didn't work that way. She was so crazy and in need of her next hit that she snatched the gun of an officer and shot the guy in point blank range. Kept screaming to get her next hit and saying that had to be worth something. The officer lived but she was shot dead for it. Never even got to say goodbye."

"Tar..."

The rhino huffed, his whip-like tail slapping around angrily. "That's what pissed me off so much about the Goblin Knight. He was the same as those bastards that used her like that. This asshole convinced everyone that all this pain and torture he's putting them through is for their own good. The hit is just so good afterward that it convinced them that it's worth it. When that fucktard started speaking about that shit... I just... I just lost it!"

Payton pursed his lips, unsure what to say. Coming from a boring life, he had nothing to compare the experience to. All he could do was just hold Tartarius.

No... This doesn't feel right.

He pulled his paw away and then wrapped it around Tartarius' shoulder, pulling the rhino into a tight hug. It took a minute but the rhino eventually leaned into the hug.

"Thanks boss."

"Anytime, Tar. Anytime."