How To Use Console Commands

Chapter 14

"My Lord Listener!"

The soldier came charging into war room, drenched in sweat but nonetheless bearing a bright smile. Faoster looked up from the countless parchments and papers littering the table. He had been glued to his seat for hours, poring over the reports and giving orders. His city was barely holding on. The loss of Faoster's Wall had struck a blow to troop morale. Word of vast defections were also rife as the families of those trapped behind enemy lines sent word that they were being well taken care of and even evacuated out of the battlefield. The Dark Lord was not playing by the conventional rules of war. He was playing with the hearts of his foes as much as facing them out on the field.

Some good news would be welcome.

"What is it, boy?" Faoster demanded. "Make it quick."

The soldier snapped to a salute, unable to keep himself from grinning. "The traitor Speaker, Hagden Hoblood has been killed."

That was good news indeed.

"How?" he demanded, keeping his composure.

"Your plan worked, sire. As you suspected, the enemy went straight for the Lush Markets and worked their way to the Greenworks. There was, of course, a small contingent that actually included Kalastraad that had sought to attack the Greenworks directly."

Kalastraad! It would have been divine intervention to hear that both the traitor Speakers had been killed in the ensuing conflict.

"The barricades you had set up along the way led both Hagden and Kalastraad to one another," continued the soldier. "There was a battle but Hagden came out the victor through some intervention from the Emerald Mage."

That was not welcome news. Faoster had suspected that both Daronllier and Aldurin had betrayed him to some extend and that was why he had sent them both away. Daronllier was a bleeding heart and currently feeding the masses from the Greenworks. Aldurin had been languishing away in his Verdant Gardens. It was too much to hope that both would remain there without causing more trouble.

"And?" the Listener pressed.

"The Emerald Mage captured Kalastraad and spirited him away somewhere. Hagden was engaged by the Dark Lord. They fought extensively. The Greensmith created some sort of enormous mechanical machine with six arms that razed much of the Lush Markets. He even tried firing at the palace but only managed to strike the outer wall."

Faoster hadn't been concerned with that attack. It had just grazed one of the walls of the palace and hadn't done extensive damage. It was also one single attack. If successive strikes came, he would have been more concerned. But they were at war. Stray strikes could occur anywhere.

"Their battle ended with the Greensmith defeated," continued the soldier. "His body was not recovered. The Black Halo Alliance retrieved it and appear to have burned it."

Unsurprising. The same had happened with the Goblin Knight. On some level, Faoster was appreciative of the Dark Lord for giving the Speakers a noble burial. Most insurgents and rebels would have been publicly humiliated first. Likely stripped down naked, hoisted in some public place and covered in honey until the carrion got to them. To treat enemy leaders with such reverence spoke of a noble heart. A soft one but noble nonetheless.

"What about the soldiers that fell?" he asked. "The Dark Lord isn't resurrecting them or something as preposterous as that, is he?"

"No, Lord Listener. The Dark Lord does not seem to have that power or if he does, he is not using it. A doctor amongst their ranks is taking down the names of the fallen and they are burning the corpses at night in a giant memorial before they go about their celebrations. The names of the fallen are being carved into the towers that the Dark Lord erects."

Clever. If and when they took back the city, Faoster's troops would be somewhat hesitant to tear down those constructs because of the sentimental value they posed. No matter, he would just have them disabled before leaving them in place. Maybe they could even be turned to the defense of the city in the future. The tower's ability to somehow weaken his troops to the point where they couldn't carry their own equipment was a devastating ability.

"Thank you," Faoster said, waving at the boy to leave. He rolled up a parchment and quickly poured some emerald green wax on it before stamping it with his seal. "Take this to the General guarding my tower," he said, holding up the scroll. "Tell him to open it immediately and utter the words 'Kobolde Asterii'."

'Kobolde Asterrii," repeated the soldier, taking the scroll. "At your wish, My Lord Listener."

Faoster smiled at the boy. "Then go and get yourself some mead. You deserve it."

A look of relief washed over the boy's features as he nodded and hurried off.

When he was alone again, Faoster tented his fingers. A flash of doubt crossed his mind as he wondered whether or not he should recall the boy and get that scroll back. He hoped he wouldn't have to use Kobolde Asterii as this news was mostly good. Hagden's fall meant that they could now focus on their enemy...

... or could they?"

Aldurin's apparent cooperation with the Greensmith was the turning point.

"I will do everything I can not to use it," he told himself. "Pray that I will not have to use it, Payne Red. For your sake and this entire Province."

******

Contrary to its name, the Greenworks was more akin to the high end of town. The houses and buildings were far more elaborate and well-constructed. There were far more floral decorations and leafy avenues. The roads were not merely made of simple cobblestone but almost looked like they were well-crafted marble slabs. Homes were many times bigger than the wood, stone and plaster townhouses of the other districts. These had front and backyards. If Payton were to compare it to anything, the Greenworks were more like the suburbs whereas the Flourish Walls and Lush Markets were more like the downtown metropolis.

It came as a surprise, however, that when they approached one of the large gated entrances of the district, the soldiers there opened the gates wide open for them and offered to escort them to the Head Chef. Durandal wisely asked the majority of the army to continue to securing the other, bigger districts while the small party of the Dark Lord advanced into the Greenworks. The Alliance knew that the moment another Tower of Dominance appeared, they were to charge the district.

A few blocks in the district, however, Payton’s heart immediately broke.

Oh hell...

Those displaced by the battle were crowding the streets. They shied away from him, their once-opulent clothing tattered and torn. Men, women and children were all huddled for warmth as they looked on his terror at the five Grigori escorted by their own soldiers.

"You big meanie!"

An rotten apple came flying out from his left, smacking his left shoulder.

"Hey!" Tartarius roared, turning towards the little boy that had thrown it. "You little brat!"

The boy immediately hid behind his mother's dirty, orange dress with the woman protecting her child. The soldiers did nothing as the rhino stomped over.

"Please! Have mercy, my lords!" pleaded the woman. "He's just a boy! Scared and hungry!"

"Big deal!" Tartarius roared. "When I was his age, I was scared, hungry and earning a living wage! I was being beaten every day of the week so I'd learn the consequences of my actions! He should too!"

Payton clasped a paw against the rhino's shoulder and gently pushed him back. He held out the apple towards the boy. The bruised and partially rotten fruit had an 'edibility' statistic of 1 out of 20.

"SetEdibility," he said. The boy's eyes widened as the bruises vanished, replaced by shiny, ruby-red flesh and its crushed parts immediately healed over. "Here."

The boy, willful as ever, grabbed the apple and took a bite out of it before his mother could protest. The surrounding refugees watched in wide-eyed awe, just waiting for the boy to keel over and die from poison. But the kid just let out a loud cry of pleasure and began eating the apple in both hands.

"Is that all you have to eat?" Payton asked, regarding the mother. "You look famished."

Her eyes were cast down. "Yes, Dark One."

"It's just been a couple of days since the battle begun. Where are all your supplies?"

"We never had to keep more than a day's worth of food and supplies. The goblins got everything for us."

Seriously? Everyone in this place was so spoiled that they barely have any basic survival instincts or common sense!

I should just leave them to starve so that they'll learn...

Payton sighed softly and waved a paw through the air.

I started this war. Even if they were really stupid by my standards, they were alive and happy. I brought this sort of misery upon them.

I'm not going to be like Daronllier or the Speakers. I won't coddle them into stagnation.

A large crate suddenly appeared in front of him, standing about waist high. The woman jerked back in surprise and so did the others around them.

"Inside this crate you'll find the supplies to make camp," Payton said sternly. "Tents, firewood, flint and even some uncooked food. If you want to survive this war, you'll learn how to survive without goblins and make your own shelter and food."

As he turned around, he quickly summoned the same supplies from the Guild Stash, copying them across the street.

'Hey! What the hell!?' Carlisle cried through the chat. 'Who's raidin’ our supplies!? We need those damn things fer our men!'

Curious how the architect’s accent came in through text as well. He had to wonder if the man thought with his accent.

'I am,' Payton answered calmly. 'There are people here in the Greenworks that need it more than we do.'

'Yer seriously givin’ it to them? Why? They could turn on us at a moment's notice!'

'Unless you intended to kill everyone in the city yourself, Carlisle,' Ichika scolded, 'I suggest you start making requests to replace the supplies. Supplies, I might add, that you take no part in gaining. Everything is created by Lord Payton. It is his right to do with it as he pleases.'

Payton could feel the architect grumbling even though nothing was said. He returned to his escort while summoning the crates along the street. The citizens torn from their homes gingerly regarded the crates, opening them and looking utterly puzzled what to do with the tents, pots, pans and raw food that they were given. Some of them seemed to have some inkling of what to do. There were raw rations in the boxes that would stave off hunger until they figured it out.

The party approached the large restaurant that was perched on the waterfront of Gobhood. The name 'Greenworks' was plastered over the entrance. A line of people overflowed past the doors and wound through the street. Everyone in the line looked starved, destitute and defeated. They barely shuffled aside as the Gobhood soldiers escorted Payton to the doors and stared in bewilderment at the crates appearing behind the Dark Lord and his retinue.

The soldiers paved a way through the crowd into the restaurant itself. The sound of pots, pans and fire rose from the kitchen. Daronllier, drenched in sweat and with heavy bags under his eyes, was inspecting every dish that came his way. The Head Chef was all alone. The goblins that must have been his sous chefs had long abandoned him.

People were crowded over at tables, devouring their meals hungrily before being ushered away by soldiers the moment they finished. They were quickly replaced by others with food arriving mere moments later. How Daronllier managed to maintain the kitchen all by himself while the entire restaurant was packed with diners was a baffling mystery.

The Head Chef of the Greenworks noticed them and barely offered a weak smile as Payton approached. The Speaker's statistics were dropping. Exhaustion and hunger were two constant ailments under his health bar. He was literally taking constant damage while his base stats suffered penalties from lack of sleep and overwork.

"Come to finally kill me?" asked the Head Chef, weaving through the many stations in his kitchen. "I ask that if you do so, at least let me finish feeding the hungry or find some way to sate them before dealing the killing blow."

"You're all alone?" Ravenus asked, softly. "What happened to all your workers?"

"The moment the Goblin Knight died, any that I had trained had to be killed. They were about to tear into my diners. Those that came from Kalastraad orchestrated their own departure the moment the siege began."

"When was the last time you slept?" Payton asked, watching the Chef set out three dishes all at once. A soldier immediately came and carried them off to a table.

"Soundly? Back at the Wastes before we met. But the last time I shut my eyes was the night before the siege began."

That's three days ago... Damn... He's running on empty. Even for a Speaker, he's constantly taking damage from this. I don't think any ordinary person would be able to keep up this pace.

It'd be really easy to kill him...

"You know you're just making things worse by doing everything yourself, right?" Payton accused. "You can't keep this up. It may not be today or tomorrow but I could literally just leave you now and in less than a week, you're going to drop dead from exhaustion."

"I have no choice," snarled Daronllier. "I told you before back at the Wastes. I will not let people die because I failed them."

"You've already failed them," Ravenus said softly, turning his gaze out into the dining room. "You're not going to be able to feed everyone. On our way here, we saw people eating rotting fruit to survive. They hadn't eaten for days. The line is so long that people have given up any hope of getting in here. All you're doing is prolonging their suffering."

WHAM!

For a moment, Daronllier stopped, the large cleaver in his hand shaking against the chopping board. "Then what do you suggest!?"

Payton exchanged glances with Ravenus and then with Axter. With a nod, all three of them leapt over the barrier separating them and the kitchen. Payton went towards the sink and proceeded to wash his paws while Axter started inspecting some of the kitchen tools. Ravenus grabbed a mop and began cleaning the floors.

"What are you doing?" Daronllier asked, stunned.

"You're the genius Head Chef," Payton replied, flicking his wrists free of water. "Surely someone of your caliber can teach some amateurs how to make some basic dishes to at least feed people. Nothing fancy. Just enough to see them through the siege."

"You... You would...?"

"Not just us." Payton pointed at the three guards who had escorted them. "You three. You're not doing anything now right? Get in here and help us."

The soldiers looked dumbfounded and then turned towards the Head Chef in surprise. With a simple nod, the men dropped their weapons and entered the kitchen.

"I guess we're playing chefs now," sighed Tartarius, clapping Durandal's shoulder.

"Not you two," Daronllier said. "You're too big for the kitchen. You'll only get in the way. You'll help deliver the food."

The rhino gave the Chef a sour look. "I feel like I should be insulted but I'm weirdly okay with this."

"No 'secret ingredient either'," Payton said sharply.

Daronllier's eyes widened. "What? But we have next to nothing else!"

With a wave of his paw, a juicy, well-marbled raw steak suddenly appeared right in front of the chef. Daronllier's lips quivered as he ran his fingers across the smooth, red flesh.

"I... I haven't seen such a beautiful cut of meat in such a long time... I've been using... that for so long that... that I forgot..." He glanced towards Payton. "Where did you get this?"

Payton smirked softly and he began checking their supplies. They were running low on potatoes. It was a simple matter of grabbing one, obtaining its reference id and then replicating it a hundred-fold to fill the bags. "Axter managed to procure one for dinner one day. I committed it to memory." He lifted the Grimoire he had and tapped it lightly. "What ingredients do you want? Beef? Pork? Chicken? Fish? I can't guarantee that they will be the best quality in the world but I've got a pretty big list."

A new spark entered Daronllier's eyes and seemed re-energized. "Some of each, if you would please. Most of my recipes can have their proteins substituted with any of those."

"You got it, Chef."

Axter moved up beside Daronllier. "I have some skill with food. I will be your sous chef."

With a quick nod, the suddenly much more populated kitchen began going about their tasks. The soldiers had some points in their cooking skill so they were able to do basic tasks and Payton still had memories of when he used to cook his own meals so he was able to help. The best part came when Daronllier finished a dish and Payton was glad to see that it was a single reference number. Payton immediately began cloning it much to Daronllier's shock and surprise.

Suddenly, they were pumping out food very quickly much to the joy of their customers.

Tartarius and Durandal grabbed big armfuls of food, sometimes even carrying them in some of the crates created by Payton and taking them out to the people. After about an hour, however, Payton decided to change things up.

"You three," he said to the three soldiers. "You're done. Get three of your own comrades to come in here and take your place."

"What are you doing?" Daronllier demanded. "We were doing well."

"Yes but it's just us," he answered, leveling his gaze at the Head Chef. "We're going to make sure to train everyone on how to cook so that the pressure isn't just on you." With a wave of his paw, several sacks of supplies appeared in front of the three stunned men. "Once you find three replacements, go down a few blocks. Set up a kitchen and start cooking. If you start running out of supplies, let me know and I'll make you more."

None of them moved.

"Uhm... Forgive the impudence, Your Magnificent Malevolence," mumbled one of the soldiers. "But... couldn't you just make the food like you've been doing instead of having us cook...?"

He narrowed his gaze at the man. "Do I look like your slave to produce food when your stomach rumbles?" he growled. "I am giving you the most precious gift of them all, knowledge, so be grateful! Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day! Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life! Now go!"

The men immediately snapped to attention and charged out of the restaurant while carrying their supplies.

"Amazing..." Daronllier breathed. "You speak so wisely for one so young..."

Not really. I'm pretty sure that saying is everywhere in my world...

"It's a lesson you should take to heart," Payton answered, turning back around to inspect their supplies. "Now hurry up. Your next students are going to be coming in soon. We'll train them for another hour, teach them the basics and then send them off to another sector to make sure everyone gets fed this night."

The next three soldiers arrived and just like the first, they dropped their weapons and began learning directly from Daronllier as he taught them how to cook. The Head Chef did less of the cooking himself and mostly taught. Axter was his prime example with the chimera showing incredible skill at preparing the dishes. Ravenus made sure everything was clean while both Tartarius and Durandal continued to deliver the food to the seemingly endless flood of hungry coming in.

After an hour, Daronllier nodded at Payton, indicating that the three were ready to be deployed. The same orders were given with the same supplies just about the time one of the soldiers from the first batch came in to report that they were running out of food. Payton handed them several sacks but he couldn't carry them all.

That was when one of the citizens came up to the kitchen.

"Dark Lord?" asked the woman.

"What is it?" Payton replied. "I'm busy."

"Would... would it be fine if I helped this man carry the supplies to his station?" She suddenly bowed towards him. "I apologise for my rudeness. I just... I just want to do what I can."

I think I'm getting through to these people.

Maintaining his cool, he dismissively said, "Do what you want."

She beamed and immediately grabbed one of the sacks. Others took this as a sign and grabbed the remaining bags, helping the soldier bring them back. He guessed that they were hoping to feed some of their family and friends still stuck out in the distant suburbs.

When the next three soldiers came in, they were accompanied by a handful of citizens willing to help. Daronllier looked like he was about to melt in both relief and hope. Payton quickly had to abandon any other tasks as it became a near constant task to keep the kitchen supplied while also meeting the demands of the other stations beyond the restaurant.

It seemed an impossible task but Daronllier reported that the line was easing up and they were starting to see free seats several hours later. When the sun began to set, the restaurant was empty save for the soldiers coming in and out requiring more supplies. Payton quickly made a stockpile of produce so they could come and go as they needed.

Daronllier beckoned them towards a private booth where he immediately collapsed into the cushioned seats. The poor guy looked absolutely wiped out. Half of his health meter was depleted and his stats had dropped significantly, well within the range of Level 100 adventurers but still fairly high.

"It feels like forever since I was able to rest," admitted the blonde-haired chef. He offered a wry smile as he covered his eyes with his hands. "I will admit, I was somewhat selfish when I asked you to wait for me to feed the hungry before you killed me. I believed that it would be an impossible task. Yet here we are. Everyone fed thanks to your help." He dropped his hand away from his face, staring up at the ceiling with relief. "You know... odd as it may seem... I think I am happy to die now."

"What?" Ravenus asked, utterly confused. "Why would you be happy to die?"

"Because for once, this whole city is no longer dependent on me. Or at least that much closer to no longer being entirely dependent on me."

It was true. As Payton watched the Head Chef's character sheet, the locks preventing him from altering it began to waver. People had lost their dependence on Daronllier and though they were still firmly rooted within his system, it was much weaker than before.

"I can almost believe that with the foundations you've set here, people might be able to wean themselves off goblin meat and start actually looking after themselves again. All the pressure of keeping everyone fed would no longer be on me."

"And that's enough?" Ravenus demanded suddenly. "You're finally free of your responsibilities and the first thing you're going to do is let yourself get killed!?"

Daronllier regarded them with curiosity. "Is that not why you have come here? To kill me?"

"No! We've come here to get your help!"

Payton had to keep himself from smirking at the Head Chef's stunned expression. He gently pulled back Ravenus and explained how Hagden had kidnapped Kalastraad with the Emerald Mage's assistance. While Hagden now lay dead and they were given some indication of where Aldurin had taken their ally, they had no solid leads and needed assistance getting into the Verdant Gardens.

"We were hoping you could use your influence to let us into the Gardens unimpeded to rescue Kalastraad," Payton explained. "Theoretically, we could teleport immediately into Kalastraad’s side but we have no idea what’s waiting for us and spontaneously appearing in a wizard’s tower seems like a bad idea. Hagden gave us an idea but no specifics."

"Perhaps you should have asked before you killed him," Daronnlier replied bitterly.

"Didn't really get the opportunity. We couldn't just let him walk away to cause more havoc later."

"I suppose that's fair." Daronllier exhaled loudly and shook his head. "I do know where Aldurin's laboratory is. I doubt he would have done anything right now. We would seen or felt something by now. Magic on the scale of what initially cursed Kalastraad was immense. When Aldurin cast it, all of Gobhood felt it."

"Then you'll help us?" Ravenus asked excitedly.

"I will. In fact, I'll even help you fight." The Head Chef ran a hand down his face. "After I get some sleep if that's all the same with you."

"Yeah, of course! You look bushed." The excitable bat turned to Payton. "That's okay, right? To let him rest?"

Payton nodded in agreement. "I'd like you at your best. Fights against the Speakers haven't exactly been easy or without their collateral damage."

Daronllier's weak smile faded slightly. "Back at the Wastes, you and I argued about our ideals. You questioned my ability to step outside the trap that I have created for myself. What you have shown me today is that there is indeed a way. I suppose I was just scared." He laughed softly. "So, should I survive the battle against Aldurin, I will willingly lend my aid to you against Faoster. Under my leadership, some of the soldiers will join as well."

Hmmm... Seems too good to be true.

"That's amazing!" Ravenus exclaimed, bouncing on his seat. "We'd be glad to accept! That'll keep so many people from dying!"

Not everyone was convinced. Tartarius amongst them.

"What's the catch?" grunted the rhino.

The Speaker gave him a thin smile. "Astute. The catch is simple. When it all ends, you kill me."

Ravenus was instantly on his feet, slamming the table with his hands in outrage. "What? Why would you want us to do that!?"

Daronllier's tired eyes spoke of an exhaustion that came from more than just the past few days of the siege. "I have had much to think about since we met at the Wastes. I knew what I was doing was wrong and yet I still continued on that path believing it was for the greater good. Sacrifices must be made, after all. But what you have shown me, what you have done here today, is that there are other ways. I was just too stubborn and blind to see it."

A fierceness entered his eyes but behind the fire was a tired resignation, the acceptance of one's fate. "The old world is dying. Perhaps it's been dying for a very long time. We desperately cling to the dying embers of a system that has been broken for such a long time that we desperately drown in what little euphoria we can have if only it will see us to the next day." He turned his head, looking towards the kitchen. "Working all alone, I realized this truth. We were so broken that we couldn't even last a few days before people were going hungry. I was honestly surprised there was no rioting in the streets but I suppose people are too complacent. Perhaps they'll lie in the streets dying in the hopes that their Reader might resurrect them."

"God helps those who helps themselves," Tartarius mumbled.

Having come from a similar world, Payton recognised the old idiom while the others just gave the rhino a puzzled look. It was ignored as Daronllier continued.

"Faoster would have us believe that Gobhood is this shining beacon of peace between goblins and humans. This magnificent jewel that illuminates the darkness. But when you look at it closely, you see everyone has so little but are so content in that little spark that they have that they cannot see just how poor they are." Daronllier's hands twisted into fists. "I can see the future you are bringing. A future where people are capable of standing on their own two feet and not solely reliant on one person to provide them with everything. There might be wanton ambition. There might be conflict. I have no doubt it would be a chaotic time. However..." He turned tired gaze back to Payton, a weary smile on his lips. "If you were anyone else, if you had opted to come to kill and not conquer, we would all be dead within a day."

"What do you mean?" Payton asked.

"You just spent the entire day feeding my people. A killer would have just stormed the place, burned everyone to the ground and used his powers to keep his troops refreshed and healed. A relentless attack would have worn down even Faoster. I was barely standing. Even Speakers need rest."

I suppose that's one tactic I could have exploited. Just keep them awake and keep them from getting any rest... I could also just keep resurrecting all those that died which would make sure my numbers always remained the same while they died.

But I'm not building the same world that Inferiorix created.

This world needs consequences and it needs to be reminded that death exists.

"But why do you have to die?" Ravenus insisted.

The Chef gave the bat a soft smile. "Because I belong to the old world. Besides, the world you're creating sees both goblins and humans existing equally, yes? Can you truly advocate for peace between the species if goblin meat can still be devoured willingly?"

"We'll outlaw the practice! We'll make it illegal."

"The law cannot change human nature," Daronllier sighed softly. "Eventually, someone will ask why they can't eat goblin meat and so long as I exist, they will be able to partake without consequence. Their actions will increase tensions between humans and goblins. You will not have peace so long as that stigma exists."

"Then... then..." Ravenus shut his eyes. "We'll make you not a Speaker!"

The Chef gave him a curious look, the grammatical stumble belying Ravenus' desperation. "What?"

"What he's saying," Payton said, gently pulling Rav back. "Is that we were able to destroy the part of Kalastraad that technically made him a Speaker. He keeps his stats but I'm pretty sure he'll age now and will eventually die. The Wastes are no longer dependent on him either. We could do the same with you. We will likely summon a Shade as a result but together, we can fight it and remove the curse of Inferiorix and the Readers from you."

Daronllier laughed softly and ran a hand down his face. "Of all the solutions I could have fathomed... no longer being a Speaker was not amongst them." He shook his head sadly. "But I cannot accept. I have lived long enough and I have spent most of that time committing atrocities that were against my better judgement. Even if you must parade me out in front of the city and have be drawn and quartered, I will accept that punishment."

Ravenus was back on his feet again. "What!? How can you just throw your life away like that!?"

"Because I have thrown away the lives of so many more for less," sighed Daronllier. "Almost every month of the year, I have made the trip to the Wastes to collect a hundred Level 100 goblins. Intelligent goblins. Goblins who had friends, family and lives to call their own. They would come to my restaurant, under this very roof. They would work for me. But as sure as the sun would rise, they would die to be served to the masses of Gobhood. There must have been some degree of torturous irony in the fact that they were serving their own kind..."

"You had to do that! You were.. You..."

Durandal gently wrapped his arms around Ravenus, pulling him back to his seat. "Easy, Rav. It's okay. He's made up his mind. We'll show mercy and -"

"No!" cried the bat, pushing away the bigger boar. He slammed his palms on the table and pointed directly at Daronllier. "You listen to me! You can't give up! This world is really messed up right now. I watched as people cheered while my fellow Grigori were executed by Orphan! Not even a block away, they were served food happily like nothing bad was happening!"

Oh shit... he saw that...?

"You're right, this world is broken," Ravenus continued. "But you dying isn't going to solve that! Didn't you just say there are other ways? You've done all these terrible things for hundreds of years! Do you think that all those lives you've taken are worth less than yours!? Maybe instead of wallowing in self-pity, make it up to all the people you've hurt by serving them!?"

Daronllier's brow furrowed. "Is my death not enough...?"

"We're not just talking about all the goblins you've literally cooked and served up!" Ravenus swept a hand in the direction of the other Grigori. "We're talking about the Grigori you've had a hand in killing for decades so that Orphan can get stronger against a Dark Lord that has never appeared! We're talking about people you've lied to to keep things as they are! This world may have been broken before you got involved but you kept it broken! Killing you won't fix it. Fixing it will fix it!"

Payton couldn't help but smile at Ravenus' spirit. He had been quite resigned to letting Daronllier do what he wanted but seeing Ravenus fight for the Speaker's right to live was inspiring.

I'd been so resigned to accepting that death was going to be a common sight that I almost forgot that I should be avoiding inflicting it as much as possible.

Thank you, Rav.

"You heard him," Payton said aloud with a smile. "You want to atone for all your sins, then do it by helping us fight and rebuild Gobhood into something far better than what it once was."

"But what about my role as a Speaker?" Daronllier protested. "Goblin meat will still be edible."

"I already told you!" Ravenus snapped. "We can take that away. It's like we're breaking the curse. Yeah, it might spawn a Shade and it'll be a tough battle but no one ever said anything worth doing was easy!" He beamed brightly, holding out his hand towards the Head Chef. "So what do you say? Will you live?"

For a second, Daronllier seemed rather dumbstruck by the offer. Then his features saddened. He gently clasped Ravenus' hand and pushed it back down.

"Those are my terms. If you want my help, you need to kill me."

'What is with this guy!?' Rav complained through the Chat. 'Why is he taking the coward's way out!?'

'Not everyone can be swayed, Rav,' Axter soothed. 'You are standing against regret and pain that has built up over hundreds of years. A few simple words won't change the course of a river that has been roaring for centuries.'

'Well I'm going to keep trying, damnit! There's already been too many people who have died because of the Readers! All of them senselessly! I don't want to have anyone else die just for the sake of it!'

Payton gently gripped Ravenus' hand. "Then tell him that."

"Tell me what?" Daronllier asked.

"Don't live for yourself," Ravenus replied, smiling back down at the Dark Lord. "Live for me. Live for everyone else. Live for The Goblin Knight, the Greensmith and everyone else that has died because of this war." His eyes shifted towards Daronllier, teary and pleading. "All of this could have been avoided if people just questioned a little bit more. You owe it to those that will remain after this is all over to live for them and guide us into the future."

Durandal snorted softly, a smile on his muzzle as he scratched his chin. "There will be discontent with the new regime. Not everyone will see the kindness of the Dark Lord and many will rebel. If we aren't able to convince either Faoster or the Emerald Mage to transition power peacefully or if they're dead, those rebels will raise their voices in protest. Unrest will probably kill more people than the war itself. It might help to have a Speaker as kind and trustworthy as you to vouch for us."

Daronllier's features grew dark. "I... I hadn't considered that."

Ravenus suddenly lunged forward, grasping the Head Chef's calloused hands. "Don't you see? If you die you'll be remembered by everything you've achieved. Your legacy will be defined by it. We'll all remember you for what you did up until the point you died. But if you live, you still have a chance to do more! You have an opportunity to make great changes! To make things better!"

The bat lowered his head, pressing the Head Chef's hands against his forehead. Small, salty droplets fell upon the wooden table. "Please. Please live. Don't let all that potential go to waste. Keep working to make the world a better place until you can't anymore. Live. Live for us. Live for all of Gobhood. But most of all..." He lifted his gaze, tears streaming down his face. "Live for yourself!"

We could all learn from Rav... I'm glad we have him in our party.

Daronllier sighed softly, a tired smile on his face. "How could I say 'no' to such a request?" He grasped Ravenus' hands tightly. "Very well. I will live."

Before they could celebrate, a deep, ominous rumbling shook the restaurant. Tartarius got to his feet and pushed open the nearby window.

"What the fuck...?" whispered the rhino.

High above Faoster's palace, black swirling clouds were amassing. Ominous green lightning danced between the thunderheads. A pillar of shimmering emerald energies rose from somewhere not quite at the palace but a little off from the side, the beam piercing the clouds and forming the eye of the vortex.

"Aldurin," sneered Daronllier. "It sounds like I'll have to push through my exhaustion and that rest will have to wait."

Payton had a horrible vision of the Head Chef charging into battle against the Emerald Mage. In his exhausted state, their newfound ally would die within seconds after making some heartwarming speech or maybe even executing some sort of desperation move. Even if he forced the Speaker to stay in the restaurant, during the battle they Daronllier would charge in and sacrifice himself.

All because Daronllier just promised to live.

Damnit... I just walked right in to a shonen cliche...

Well I'm not falling for it.

"Hold that thought," Payton said, holding up a paw.

'Gustav,' he began through the Guild Chat, 'Can you send me some of your best healing potions? Do you also happen to have any potions that clear up exhaustion or lack of sleep?'

'Of course,' the doctor replied. There were a few announcements on the chat indicating that some items had been dropped into the Guild Stash. 'Be careful not to rely on these entirely, however. While your body may feel refreshed, your mind will degrade if you do not get any actual rest.'

'Thanks Gustav. It's just for tonight.'

With a wave of his paw, he summoned the potions in front of him, immediately pushing the bottles towards Daronllier and the rest of his party. Curiously, the 'Potion of The Well Rested Body' looked suspiciously like coffee.

"Everyone take some," he announced, making sure to start writing down the references in question. "You too Daronllier. It'll refresh your health and get rid of your status ailments."

Daronllier watched in awe as Payton wrote in his Grimoire. "Wait... You can read?"

"Yeah? Why?"

The Speaker's jaw dropped open in shock. "Then... Then you're on par with a Reader! I... I never knew! I thought... I thought you just had amazing powers as a Grigori but... but this changes everything!"

Huh... I forgot not everyone in this world knows how to read or write.

"Let's set that aside for now," Payton said, pointing his pencil at the potions. "Take it. Then we head to the Verdant Gardens. We need to stop Aldurin."

******

Daronllier's presence made it easy for the Black Halo Alliance to quickly conquer the rest of the Greenworks and advance to the Verdant Gardens. The unruly storm of darkness helped as well. Ominous, emerald-green lightning bolts rained down on Gobhood, slamming into sections of the city and starting fires. The Alliance and Gobhood soldiers momentarily set aside their hostilities to put out the flames. This was epitomized by the presence of Faoster Goblincaller at the entrance of the Emerald Mage's tower accompanied by his Level 100 guards and none of them were attacking.

"I might have guessed you had turned on us," rumbled the Listener.

This was the first time Payton had gotten a chance to get a close look at the Listener of Goblins. For someone who was half a millennium old, Faoster struck him as the archetype of a fantasy protagonist. He was tall - naturally over seven feet tall - heavily muscled, square jaw and handsome features complimented by high cheekbones. His blonde hair was cropped short, hugging the curve of his skull while a little goatee covered the end of his pointed chin. Bright blue eyes shone beneath a heavy brow. Perhaps the only mar on his otherwise perfect features was a horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose in true anime-style.

As the Listener and lord of Gobhood, he donned a velvety, emerald green cape complete with a white, fluffy collar that hid his thick neck. Beneath it was heavy, dark green armour trimmed with silver and with arcane runes drawn across the silvery bands. One could easily assume he was the 'warrior' type but he currently held a polished, silver septre in one hand topped with a massive emerald that was clamped between the jaws of a goblin head. There was a large, gold and green dagger in his other hand and across his shoulder was was an enormous greatsword about as tall as he was with a bladed guard and a titanic greatbow made of what appeared to be moss-covered wood.

It's like he's mastered all four basic classes.

His stats are also outrageous! Two thousand each at minimum!

"I work for the betterment of all Gobhood," Daronllier stated.

"And I don't suppose it is too much to hope that you had negotiated with the Dark Lord on my behalf to deal with this menace?" Faoster asked. The Head Chef didn't reply. "I thought not."

The Listener sighed and turned towards the enormous marble and emerald tower in front of them. "I don't know what has possessed Aldurin but he has magically sealed off his entire tower and it appears he is performing some calamitous spell the likes of which I've only seen once before."

"When Aldurin cast that first spell on Kalastraad."

The Listener nodded gravely and his sharp, blue eyes turned towards Payton accusingly. "I can imagine what is going through his mind. For so long, Aldurin has been seeking some way to cure Kalastraad of his curse because he was driven by love. All he wanted was to be with his long-lost love again. Unfortunately, circumstances would not allow it."

Around them, the once lush trees that had made up the Verdant Gardens had wilted. Blackened leaves were stripped from withered branches and blew around the district dedicated to learning and education like the cold breath of death.

"In many ways, I could have had Kalastraad return here to Gobhood then perhaps Aldurin would not be so stricken with foolishness and love. However, he has always been quite willful. He sees things that others cannot. It is why I relied on him as my magical adviser and friend."

A bolt of lightning struck somewhere, starting a fire in some distant city block. There was shouting and screaming. Gobhood soldiers alongside Black Halo soldiers rushed to save the inhabitants.

"I can only imagine what he must have started thinking when he saw that Kalastraad had become a full goblin," finished the Listener.

Me too...

"His original spell fused Kalastraad with a Goblin King," Payton concluded. "So I bet he's thinking that if he can do the same but with himself instead as a target, he can fully fuse with Kalastraad and they'd never be apart again."

He got a few looks of horror from his party members. The exception was Tartarius and Axter who both looked on grimly. Something told him they both already had a suspicion.

"That was my thinking as well," Faoster agreed. "Aldurin has always been in love with Kalastraad from the moment the beast of a man entered my court and fought alongside us in the battle to secure Gobhood. They were opposites, you know. One was lithe, feminine and intelligent. The other was brutish, brawny and overly masculine. It was natural that they grew attracted." A distant smile touched Faoster's lips. "Aldurin even once asked me if I could enforce some form of mutual bond between them where they would remain exclusive to one another. Perhaps I should have seen his selfishness and obsession then but I had considered it adorable at the time."

That smile faded from his features and he regarded Payton grimly. "Had you not turned Kalastraad into a Goblin King, none of this would have happened."

It was instinct to retaliate and start bringing up all the wrongs that Faoster had brought upon Gobhood but Payton realised after the Listener had just admitted to his own faults, attacking the man's integrity now would make him the weaker party.

"Despite all my power, I have no ability to foresee the future with absolute certainty. While I can certainly do it, I refuse to force people to obey my whims unless they wish it so." Payton shrugged absently. "When I went to free Kalastraad of his curse, I gave him the option to either return to becoming human or become a goblin. He chose to be a goblin despite all my protests and misgivings. Further, I have no control over Aldurin's desires. Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that the Emerald Mage needs to be stopped. What he's doing to Gobhood is unforgivable."

Faoster smirked softly. "A Dark Lord well-versed in the art of diplomacy and matters of state. Based on legend and hearsay, one could easily believe that you are a tyrant and yet here you are showing some humility. I dare not speculate it is because you fear my power. I would rather not fight you and my own Speaker in the span of a day." He stepped aside, gesturing at the enormous, marble doors to the tower. "I assume you will want to rescue Kalastraad. To me, both Kalastraad and Aldurin are traitors and I would easily decimate this tower and bury them both beneath the rubble. You, however, have a life to save.

"So as a gesture of goodwill, I will let you rescue your man. You will have ten minutes before I decide to level the whole tower."

Clever. Ten minutes won't be enough to make it up that damn thing and rescue Kalastraad.

The tower had to at least be thirty floors tall. Making their way up there - even on a good day - would take them at least fifteen minutes. Not to mention they would be exhausted and fighting Aldurin in such a state would be a death sentence.

Thankfully there are other ways up there.

"I'm not going to owe you any favors, Faoster," Payton said sharply. "We will rescue Kalastraad in less than ten minutes and either bring Aldurin to justice or recruit him. Regardless, you will lose both of your prey if you do this. So I will make this offer." He held out his paw towards the Listener. "You will have all of tomorrow to rest and recuperate. We will not attack. We will not advance. Rebuild your defenses. Shore up your walls. Pray Orphan gets here sooner. Whatever you want to do. Tomorrow is yours. If you were wise, you would relinquish all the innocent people cowering behind your walls to us where they will be escorted out of the battlefield so they will not get caught in the crossfire."

It was clear Faoster did not like having his hand forced but he was not going to reject an offer of reprieve.

"How gracious of you. I feel like I am getting the better end of the deal. A day as opposed to ten minutes is hardly a fair exchange."

"Will you give me a day to rescue Kalastraad then?" Payton retorted with a sly smirk.

"I doubt the traitor will survive that long in Aldurin's care." The Listener shook his head. "Twenty minutes. You have until twenty minutes is over to rescue Kalastraad. Then I level the tower."

That's better. More time is better.

"That's agreeable." He took a step forward but was immediately pulled back by Daronllier.

"Aldurin has blocked off the main entrance with magical wards," warned the Speaker. "Likely trapped the entire way up as well. We should proceed cautiously."

Fair enough. If they could just have charged in without issue, I'm sure Faoster would have done so.

He appraised the tower, lifting his gaze slowly until it settled on the balcony high above them that faced the lake.

"What about the balcony? You think it's trapped?"

"Likely not. Aldurin always liked stepping out there and viewing the lake. No one here has any ability to fly either so it's reasonable that it'd be safe."

Payton smirked to himself. "Fly, no. But all we need is to get up there. SpawnItem. SetSize."

A large platform appeared right in front of him. Faoster's left eye twitched at the sight of the enlarged version of the Goblin Knight's shield.

"Everyone hop on," Payton announced, stepping onto the shield. Daronllier was somewhat hesitant but he stepped on board along with the rest of the party.

"SetLoc."

Using arithmetic as the input for the command, Payton slowly had the shield lift them up into the air, making sure that it was proceeding fast enough so that gravity didn't pull them back down. The soldiers around Faoster and even the Listener himself gawked at the sight of the Dark Lord floating higher and higher towards the balcony. The moment they were near the balcony, Payton stepped off and helped Daronllier down. The rest of the party did the same. Durandal pushed the balcony doors open, grunting softly as he drew his swords.

The room beyond was a study of some sort. The walls were lined with books, a broad horseshoe-shaped desk sat right in front of the balcony door. The floor was covered in an expensive rug with intricate designs and a glimmering crystal chandelier hung above their heads. There was an electric feeling in the air, an energy that sizzled and crackled since they were so close to the source of the storm.

However, the Emerald Mage was nowhere to be seen.

"Where to now?" Axter asked.

"Aldurin had a secret passage somewhere in his office that would lead to his laboratory," Daronllier said, running his fingers over the books. "He never showed me the lab or how to get in but given we spent many weeks going to and from the Wastes, he would speak of it often enough once we were comfortable with one another."

"Everyone spread out," Payton ordered, leaning down towards the desk and running his paws along the underside of the table. "See if you can find that entrance."

Durandal began stomping his foot along the rug, searching for any trapdoors. Axter pulled at books alongside Daronllier. Tartarius knocked on the stone walls. Ravenus tilted his head from side to side and then moved to the lone sconce on the wall. With his big, expressive ears swiveled forward, he reached for it and gave it a simple pull.

The nearby wall rumbled and shuddered, sliding aside to reveal a stairwell leading downwards.

"Way to go, Rav!" Tartarius exclaimed. "How'd you know?"

Their resident rogue merely grinned. "It was the only one in the room. Didn't make sense either because he's got a chandelier and desk lamp."

Damn... That's pretty astute.

"Let me lead," Daronllier said, striding forward. "He will be less likely to attack immediately if he sees a friendly face."

The Head Chef led them down the tight corridor winding down into the depths of the tower. They traveled for a whole minute before a shimmering, green light sprayed out and tickled the stone steps. Urgency drove them forward and they burst into an enormous laboratory.

Before them were various scientific and magical instruments. Tables filled with beakers, test tubes, flasks and burners were pushed aside to give a broad, open space at the far back of the broad chamber. Wires, crystals and strange instruments hung from the walls, all catching the light emanating from the enormous, emerald crystal with Aldurin hovering in front of it. Within the crystal itself, barely visible in its dark expanse, was Kalastraad. If the air was thick with magic in the office, it simply replaced the air within the lab. Payton found it incredibly hard to breathe like oxygen had been replaced with syrup.

"Aldurin!" Daronllier shouted, immediately charging forward. "Stop this now!"

The Emerald Mage, as glamorous as ever turned a haughty stare towards the Head Chef with a scowl. "Of all the people to have turned to their side, I hadn't expected you to fall so easily, Daronllier."

The Head Chef stopped several feet from the hovering mage. "Even if I hadn't been convinced to join them, I would've come charging in here to stop you! Faoster even called a temporary truce because what you're doing is insane!"

Aldurin turned back to the petrified and seemingly slumbering Kalastraad. "What is so insane about wanting to be with the man you love? I have waited centuries for this. Let me have this, Daronllier! Leave us alone!"

On those words alone, an enormous wall of massive, green crystals erupted in front of Daronllier, forcing the Head Chef to leap back to avoid being skewered.

I guess there's a reason why they call him the 'Emerald' Mage.

Daronllier reached into his coat, drawing two sharp chef knives which he held much like daggers; one in the forward grip and the other in a reverse grip. "Have you considered what Kalastraad would have to say about this?" With a cry he slashed at the crystal wall in front of him. A sharp square fell away, the crystal crumbling at his feed.

Whoa... he cut through it like it was nothing.

"Of course I have!" Aldurin caressed the massive gemstone that his lover was encased in. "He promised to come back to me the day that he left for the Wastes. Faoster abandoned him to his fate simply for being who he is! The very strength that made Kalastraad such a valued member of our party was the very reason that Faoster turned away from him when he changed his fickle mind! How could I simply leave my love to die out in the middle of nowhere amidst goblins!? This is what he would want!"

"You're delusional!" Axter shouted, striding forward. "You cannot claim to know other's thoughts or their feelings. Speaking for others who had not entrusted their fates to you is the first sign of a dictator!"

"What do you know, Grigori!" The Emerald Mage flung a hand towards the chimera. Dark green shards of crystal flung from his fingertips, flying towards both Daronllier and Axter. Daronllier swung at the spears, deflecting them as quickly as they came but some still made it past him. Axter flung up his paws, summoning an ice wall. The shards embedded themselves into the ice, one even piercing almost clearly through and coming within inches of Axter's paw.

"I know what it means to be ruthlessly forced into servitude, forced to remain silent while someone else speaking for you and pretends that you owe them for your mere survival," spat the blue-maned chimera. "I know what it means to be oppressed, to be told you are no better than a mere ant and to be accruing an ever-increasing debt because you have no means to ever pay it back!"

The icy wall suddenly shattered. Payton instinctively made to move in front of Axter to protect him. Then the pieces of the wall turned towards the Emerald Mage, controlled by Axter's magic and immediately flung towards the Speaker.

With complete disdain in his eyes, Aldurin merely summoned another curtain of emerald, protecting both him and Kalastraad.

"What you feel and what I feel are different," intoned the Speaker. "Yes, I felt oppressed. This was a cage of my own making. I could do nothing to save the one I loved. Yes, I felt powerless. Everything I tried was met with failure. Nothing I did worked! My debt to the world only seemed to grow worse and worse and each year that Kalastraad suffered with his body fused to that monstrosity was another year I would never be able to spend with him!"

Through the crystal, Payton saw the Emerald Mage turn, eyes wide and tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. "But then... an opportunity came. The Dark Lord turned my Kalastraad into a Goblin King. I immediately realised what that meant. I wouldn't have to keep looking for a means to undo my mistake! All I had to do was commit the same mistake! Only then could we be together! Don't you see?" He held out his hands, palms facing upwards and fingers formed into claws. "Fate had deigned that I move forward. Destiny demanded that I merge myself with Kalastraad from the very beginning! I was foolish to keep trying to undo what I had done when the universe was telling me that it was not a mistake at all! This is exactly what I am meant to do!"

He's gone crazy.

"You saw what happened to Kalastraad after he merged with the Goblin King!" Daronllier shouted. "He withered away and his very blood was so saturated by magic that he couldn't live with it and it had to be siphoned from him!"

"That's exactly it! Kalastraad was always a warrior!" Aldurin's eyes drifted back to the imprisoned Goblin King. "A magnificent warrior. He was not trained in the mystic arts. But when we merge together, with my expertise and capacity for magic, we will control the goblin hordes. All the power from Horde Strength will be put to great use! We will finally accomplish what Faoster could not achieve himself!" He lifted his arms into the air, floating a little higher. "We will become the ultimate bridge between humanity and goblinkind!"

The Emerald Mage's face twisted into an ugly scowl. "And you will not get in my way! Not even you, Daronllier!"

An enormous block of emerald appeared above them and with little warning, it dropped with the force of a meteorite. Payton barely had time to activate God Mode but his heart immediately skipped a beat when he forgot that everyone else had no such immunity.

Daronllier was quick, however, and with a flick of his blades, a caustic bright green acid splashed against the emerald blocks, immediately eating them away and leaving nothing, not even a puddle in their wake. It was like the acid just ate the emeralds out of existence.

Whoa...

"There's your patented Buffet ability," huffed the Emerald Mage. "The ability to turn anything you focus upon into something edible. But over the hundreds of years, you've perfected the skill to transform that 'anything' directly into a spell."

A soft green light washed over each of the party members. A sense of invigoration and strength rushed into Payton like he had been electrocuted and now had lightning coursing through his veins.

"It's a powerful ability and one of the reasons you became the Head Chef," continued Aldurin. "But it is still futile!" He lifted a hand into the air. "Cook all you want, Daronllier! The one thing you cannot devour is time!"

Large emeralds erupted from the ground, each one containing a vague silhouette inside. The crystal coffins suddenly shattered revealing fully armored figured that seemed to be half-goblin and half-human. They were much taller than the average goblin but shorter than humans, coming about to Payton's shoulders. Each of them had a far more muscular build and their skin was a sort of pale green as opposed to the pure green of goblins. Their features were almost elfish with slightly pointed ears and fair features. Each of them wielded long, curved blades and advanced slowly.

Each was at least Level 80 and were named 'Emerald Hybrids'.

"Be careful!" bellowed Daronllier, turning to face the advancing hybrids. "Don't let their lean figures fool you! They're incredibly strong!"

Suddenly, a huge, crystal hand erupted from the ground, seizing Daronllier and lifting him up into the air. That hand surged out of a Gobhood rune circle, quickly followed by an arm, shoulder and then a twisted goblin head. The titanic crystal golem fully emerged, its semi-transparent physique swirling with ethereal energies.

"Aldurin... What have you done!?" exclaimed the Head Chef.

A cruel smirk touched the Emerald Mage's lips. "Do you think I merely disposed of all the magical energies of my failed experiments? No. I made sure to keep each of their essences to forge my Emerald Goblin here. I was hoping to use it as a contingency plan in case something were ever to happen but I suppose now is a good a time as any!"

Payton took a visible step back as he scanned the Emerald Goblin's character sheet. It had a raw strength and endurance of over a thousand! On par with a Speaker! Its intelligence, charisma and wisdom were negligible but in all other statistics, it was a match for the Head Chef!

"Daronllier!" he cried.

A flash of movement caught his gaze.

Thunk!

He froze, heart seized up in terror. The curved blade of the Hybrid was pressed against his forehead. There was no pain and no injury but it still horrified him how the creature had managed to weave its way through his bodyguards and strike him. If God Mode hadn't been activated, he'd be dead.

Holy shit!

With a growl, he seized the sword.

"Delete!"

The Hybrid immediately turned black, its form vanishing into a flurry of black flakes.

The sound of metal against metal quickly surrounded him as his party members were quickly engaged by the dozens of Hybrids. None of them had breached Level 10 and these were Level 80 warriors. If it hadn't been for Daronllier's empowering spell, they would have been shredded in an instant.

"Now with the interruptions done away with," Aldurin laughed softly. The Emerald Mage turned back towards his imprisoned lover. "It is finally time... Kalastraad... we will finally be one."

An eerie glow emitted from the Emerald Mage, encompassing him like a halo. He slowly inched forward, a magnetic pull drawing him into the very crystal that he had imprisoned Kalastraad in. His flesh merely passed through the solid gemstone.

"No!" Axter roared, desperately flinging ice shards in the Emerald Mage's direction. "You have no right! His life is not yours to toy with!"

Another emerald wall erupted from the ground, blocking their view of the ritual.

Ravenus ducked beneath the blow of a Hybrid. "Kalastraad!" he cried, reaching for the emerald. He suddenly went rigid when one of the Hybrid's blades plunged into his stomach. Payton immediately recalled the bat to his side and invoked the heal macro before too much blood was lost.

"We can't be careless," Payton urged. His eyes darted from one side of the room to the other, trying to get a lock on the unnaturally fast Hybrids. Unable to lock onto them, he couldn't invoke GetRef fast enough while they were still in his view. "We need to slow them down somehow!"

"I've got just the thing!" Axter shouted, leaping into the air and spreading his wings. "Snowfall!"

A chilling blizzard erupted from the chimera's wings, sweeping throughout the lab and gently covering everything in a light dusting of snow. The effect wasn't clear at first but the Hybrid were visibly a little slower as they ducked and weaved, trying to get past both Tartarius and Durandal - the two brawniest members of the party. That slight slowness was enough for Payton.

"Delete!"

One Hybrid flaked away leaving at least three dozen more.

Damnit! I can't keep this up.

But maybe Daronllier can!

"Tar! I need a lift!" he bellowed.

"You got it, boss!" the rhino announced, slapping Durandal's shoulder. "Leaving them to you, bud!" Tartarius turned around, cupping his hands together. Payton placed a foot on the offered platform. He was launched high into the air, giving him a perfect view of the battlefield.

Daronllier, arms pinned, was being held by the Emerald Golem. Not too far away, Aldurin had fully submerged himself into the emerald with Kalastraad. Their toes were just touching, merging together in a brilliant green light.

Not for long!

"Delete!" he cried.

The Emerald Golem suddenly shuddered and blackened. Daronllier broke free from the Emerald Goblin's grip as it weakened. Payton immediately set his own location right next to the Head Chef just as Hybrid began closing in around them. Daronllier gnashed his teeth together, flashing his chef's knives through the air in tandem with the oncoming flurry of blades, deflecting each one with godly precision.

'Everyone.'

The announcement in the Guild Chat came as a surprise, freezing Payton in place.

'Kalastraad...? How?'

'Aldurin has to maintain some level of sentience while he continued to cast the spell. Now that we are merging together, I am awakened as well. I cannot move or resist but I am awake.'

'We're coming to save you!' Axter exclaimed. 'Just hold on a few more moments!'

'No. Don't.'

Payton turned towards the hovering crystal just out of view. 'What? We can do this! We're making headway!'

'Perhaps now but Aldurin has traps beyond the emerald wall that he has erected. You may defeat his forces but the moment you cross that threshold, his other three Emerald Goblins will rise and grasp you. Then, he will entomb you in his Emerald Coffins.'

'Okay, great! Now that we know -'

'Stop, Dark Lord. There is only one thing you need to do.'

Payton's heart sank. 'No. Absolutely not! I did not save you from being a withered husk only to kill you!'

A series of horrified emojis erupted from Ravenus while everyone else remained speechless. Two of the Hybrids tried a dual attack, leaping from both in front and behind Payton and swinging their blades at him. The weapons merely thudded against his shoulders but he was too preoccupied to care.

'I understand but please, you must kill me.'

'Why!?' demanded Ravenus.

'Because I cannot live in a world without Aldurin.'

Payton's heart melted. 'Oh...I see...'

Even Ravenus realised what this meant and though it took him a few moments, he began firing off a few tearful emojis.

'Though I never told him, I love Aldurin. I love him dearly. I love that he has devoted this entire time trying to find a cure for me even though my condition was something of his own making. I love that he tried to save my life when I fell against the massive goblin hordes. I love that he would try to become one with me like this. But you and I both know that he has become unhinged. The power of two Speakers would be too much to handle and he is unrepentant of his cruelty. I don't know if I would be able to hold him back from committing further atrocities. I doubt he would fit in the world you're creating.'

'You... You want me to kill you both? Just as you're finishing merging?'

'That is when he will be most vulnerable. In the moment when victory is closest, he will let his guard down. Please.'

'No...' whimpered Ravenus.

'Quickly! Our torsos are merging. Our hearts are literally becoming one! Please! Act quickly!'

Payton shut his eyes. There was no time to debate.

"Axter!" he shouted, immediately summoning the entire party to his side. "I need your biggest, sharpest ice spear! Everyone else, cover us!"

"What are you doing?" Daronllier demanded, having not been privy to the Guild Chat.

"Kalastraad has asked us to kill him," Durandal grunted, pushing back several Hybrids.

Tartarius kicked down a couple more and flanked the Speaker. "The crazy bastard knows there are more traps on the other side of that wall. We'll never make it in time. They're almost completely merged."

"There's no more time," Ravenus wept, tears welling up in his eyes. Despite this, he was able to draw his bow and strike a Hybrid right between the eyes. "Goodbye, Kalastraad."

Axter roared, summoning a massive ice spear three times his size. Payton immediate leapt atop the projectile, his body unaffected by the cold. He pointed to where the crystal was and with a nod, Axter pulled back...

... and fire.

"ACM!"

Gripping the spear tightly and his God Mode still activated, Payton was launched through the air, passing right through the hordes of Hybrids and the immense emerald wall the Mage had created. As Kalastraad had predicted, several Emerald Goblins erupted from hidden rune circles the moments he passed through the barrier. Their immense hands lunged for him, merely passing through him and the spear without every getting a single grip. More rune circles sprang up around him, Aldurin's final trap. Emerald walls locked around him, the Emerald Coffin. It did nothing to stop his momentum and he merely passed right through.

He had all of a second to see both Kalastraad and Aldurin merged together save for their heads. Aldurin's lips were just inches away from Kalastraad's...

... then the spear passed through the emerald prison, sliding through their two merged forms...

... and he let go.

The effect of Clipping Mode immediately ended and the spear materialized.

Aldurin's eyes sprang open in shock. Their combined hearts exploded. The gargantuan ice spear pushed everything in their form outward from where it pierced their chest, bursting outward and ripping their torso in half. The Emerald Mage somehow managed to find the strength to turn his head in time to see Payton falling backwards onto the ground.

"No..."

He turned... and found his eyes locked with Kalastraad's.

"You once wished we would live as one," whispered the Goblin King through bloodied lips. "But now, we will die together."

Tears welled up in Aldurin's eyes.

"I am satisfied with that."

******

The dark storm dissipated and sunshine broke through the gloomy thunderheads. A cheer rang out from the combined members of the Black Alliance and Gobhood defenders. Outside, the tower, Faoster Goblincaller felt all the foul energies permeating the air vanish and he could not help but sigh.

"Orders, Lord Listener?" asked one of his most loyal bodyguards.

Tempting as it was to order the tower demolished, Faoster was a man of his word. Having seen the Dark Lord's power first hand, he reasoned that he didn't need to give such a powerful creature any reason to unleash such tremendous powers in an act of petty vengeance.

Besides, the Dark Lord seemed honorable.

"We retreat back to the palace," announced the Listener. "Tell the men that they are to regroup."

As he turned to leave, he paused and considered the wolf's words.

"Then send a message. Not only to the civilians but to the men. Any who wish to take up the Dark Lord's offer of amnesty are free to do so. They must leave before the sunsets tomorrow. No one is to bear them any grudges. Am I understood?"

The guard saluted. "Yes, Lord Listener."

Far from the battlefield, the goblins under the command of Kalastraad all felt the passing of their leader. Many dropped their weapons and wept. Others raged and attacked the Gobhood soldiers they were engaging with more ferocity. Some of the more senior found some of the Alliance officers and demanded to know what happened. All, however, dreaded the loss of the great Goblin King who had seen mere goblins rise all to Level 100 and live in relative peace. There would be some ambitious goblins who would seek the throne. There would be civil war.

But they would survive.

The Gobhood soldiers were no better off.

With the death of the Emerald Mage, all the scrolls that they had used to summon goblins, even if it was only as cannon fodder, immediately lost all writing upon them. Already deprived of much of the enchantments granted to them by the Greensmith, now they were barely with any equipment and any form of defence. Many retreated and many more were horrified when they heard Faoster's own declaration.

By far the most curious of observers, however, came from the lone figure standing on the opposite shore of the lake.

Orphan the Summoner tilted his head in curiosity as the magical storm vanished.

"Curious. That was a powerful spell indeed and yet it has dissipated." He tiled his head upwards. "And I see you're activating your trump card, Faoster. You do not expect to survive this encounter. Or if you do, you expect to reforge it anew. A fair assessment. You always were quite pragmatic."

One of Orphan's guards approached, bowing to him respectively. "We have the boat ready, Master Reader. We are ready to depart when you are ready."

Orphan shook his head, eyes never leaving Gobhood on the opposite shore. "No. We are leaving. We must make haste to the border."

"Master?"

"Faoster has deployed Kobolde Astarii. Should he activate it, it will be devastating for all. We need to be outside of the province before that happens."

He turned and swept his way back to his carriage.

"We leave. Now."