Chapter 29 - We Are All Friends Here

For a band of over a thousand goblins they sure kept quiet. Sure, there was some noise and rustling, but that was nothing compared to what I was expecting. Communication was mostly done through hand signals.

Jek’jon traveled with us. Scouts would randomly approach him to deliver some kind of status report through quick hand and body motions. Gr’ex approached me as he could see the confusion on my face.

“Goblin sign language or Gutterspeech as it is commonly called.”

“Why is it called that?” I asked.

“Simple, goblins are the bottom rungs of society. Many races consider us only fit for the gutters and latrines. As we have a decent birth rate, most Dark forces use us as fodder for their armies.” Gr’ex explained.

Jek’jon approached as he heard our conversation. “They throw our race in large numbers at their enemies, if thousands die, they do not care, as long as it weakens or breaks the enemy lines. It is a rather miserable life.”

“We have discussed some of this before.” I commented.

“Yes, it is just important you understand our four clans are some of the smaller of the goblin race. Some clans have spent generations under one Dark Lord only to be traded like some commodity for some political favor or dark machination.” Hal’ex chimed in.

“How many clans are there? Oh, and can someone teach me the language?” I asked.

“There are hundreds of clans at least. We do not know all of them, only the ones in our world or are known through stories and legends. And to answer your other question, we would be more than happy to teach you the language, you would be one of the few non-goblin leaders who bothered to attempt such a thing.” Jek’jon answered.

“New world, new leadership. I welcome the chance to learn something new from my allies.” I stated.

The goblin chiefs all looked at each other and smiled. Gr’ex was the one to speak up. “I can start to show you. See the angle and position of the scout’s fingers? That is telling us low risk, no one spotted for one span. Then...”

Gr’ex explained as Jek’jon chimed in periodically as a new scout would return to report status and they would use that as a chance to learn more. We continued on that way for a few more hours until we finally arrived at the cabin.

Two men I recognized from the groups we had saved were on duty and very cautiously pointing their rifles our way. I believe Ann and Melody told me their names were Mitch and Gio. They were in their early twenties or very late teens and had been friends since grade school, according to Melody who was one of their teachers.

“Halt! Don’t you move goblins!” Mitch called out.

Friends since grade school I could respect. Getting a weapon pointed at me, most likely one of Paul’s stash, therefore one of my own guns pointed at me did not sit well with me.

“Put the guns down boys!” I replied as I approached.

It was dark out with only the stars and limited lighting from the compound to illuminate the area.

“Who goes there?” Gio said as he squinted in the dark.

“It’s Shadowalker, you know, the one that owns this place!” I said with a hint of irritation creeping into my voice.

Mitch spoke up. “Step into the light, but don’t you try anything funny! We already radioed for backup.”

I took a long audible sigh as I tried to remind myself these were just people who were scared at a giant goblin force at their doorstep. “Ugh.”

I slowly took a few steps forward. Gio shined the flashlight he had on me. The thing nearly blinded me. “Ahh!” I raised my hand up to block the light in my eyes.

The quick motion seemed to startle Gio, and he shot his rifle. I could try to dodge out of the way, but I had droves of goblins behind me. If the goblins got injured, even by accident, could end very badly and put a strain on the fragile alliance I was trying to build.

That left me the only option, I had to take this shot. Of course, that didn’t mean I had to take it at full velocity. I moved just enough to take it in the shoulder, but I also used Gravity Momentum Manipulation to slow the piercing round as much as I could. It still punctured my shoulder but missed bone and more importantly didn’t hit anything vital.

Still hurt like hell. “You son of a... you shot me!”

Jebediah came out just as I was taking the hit. He looked disheveled, most likely having been woken up when they radioed for back up.

“What the hell are you doing shooting at Shadowalker you idiot boy!” Jebediah said as he bopped Gio on the head.

“Owe! That hurt!” Gio complained.

It had the effect though of easing tensions of the two men. However, it did not settle the goblins down.

Different goblins cried out in anger. Several drew weapons and nocked arrows.

“How dare he attack his Dark Eminence!”

“Kill the traitorous huemons!”

“Yes, kill the traitors!”

I raised my uninjured arm. “Enough! It was an accident. The boy will be disciplined won’t he Jebediah!”

‘I should’ve cast my new spell to get some practice with it and the fact it would’ve avoided this situation. Going to have to turn that spell into a new habit to keep it active at least once a day.’ I thought as I grimaced.

Jebediah nodded. “Yea it’s clear these two aren’t ready for prime time. I take responsibility on this one Shadowalker.”

Then he turned to Mitch. “Go fetch Ann quick! We need her healing fast!”

Mitch didn’t hesitate. Anywhere was better than here, especially as he drew a weapon on the owner of this compound, the very same man who saved his life. He worried about his best friend and knew he had to hurry and get Ann.

“Get inside and make yourself scarce. By the looks of those angry goblins, I’d keep your distance too.” Jebediah ordered.

Gio turned in my direction. “I’m so sorry sir! Please forgive me!”

“I said get boy!” Jebediah said as he kicked Gio in the rear to get him moving.

Jebediah sighed. “Sorry son, I thought they might at least be ready for night duty.”

I held my bleeding shoulder. I could feel my minor healing effect slowly and painstakingly push the bullet. By my guess in a few hours, it would be moved enough that I could probably pull it out myself. “It’s fine, but I suggest we establish better protocols so as to not get our allies accidentally killed.”

Jebediah nodded. “That’s fair. I see you have made a lot of new friends. Might be a bit tight. I imagine several will be a bit unnerved too.”

I turned to Gr’ex. “Get them settled on the second sub-level. Most of the humans are on the first level and the goblins being near the crafting areas would probably be more beneficial for them anyway.”

“Agreed.” Gr’ex said before turning to face the rest of the goblins. “Follow me inside. Stay together and do not touch anything unless instructed to do so!”

Ann came rushing out with a look of concern on her face.

“They said you were shot!” Ann said as she rushed to my side.

Some of the goblins instinctively moved to intercept her.

“She is our healer. Let her through.” Gr’ex commanded.

This seemed to cause the goblins to hesitate enough for Ann to get through to me.

“At least they are protective of you.” Ann commented as she examined my wound.

“They have committed themselves to help us in the upcoming battle against Bone Mar... OWE!” I started to say before she stuck her fingers into my wound.

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“Oh, quit being a baby. Ah, there... got it!” Ann said as she pulled out the slug from my shoulder.

Ann looked at the porch then back at me. “That bullet should’ve done far more damage. You or one of the goblins must’ve done something to reduce the impact. The velocity alone should’ve shattered your shoulder bone at a minimum. Plus, the wound seemed to be healing quite fast.”

I stared at her. Ann stared back. I just smiled.

“Fine! Keep your secrets. Let me heal this so you can stop bleeding on me.” Ann said in frustration as she cast healing magic on my shoulder.

Ann’s hands started to glow as she held the wound together. Light filled the area as I felt warmth across the shoulder and arm. When she pulled her hands away, the wound was gone.

“Ahhh! That feels great. Thank you.” I said in relief as I rotated my shoulder and not feeling any pain.

“I still can’t believe I can do that. So many emergency room surgeries I assisted to be able to heal wounds in seconds that normal wound take weeks.” Ann commented.

“It is pretty impressive. How do you feel about being a battle medic? We don’t have many healers and it could mean the difference between life and death for more than one person trying to get them back here in time.” I replied.

Ann looked uncomfortable. “You make a good point. I can’t deny what I can do could make all the difference. Give me some time to think about it.”

“Of course. I understand the fear. You would have dedicated guards to protect you as best they could. According to Donut, my friend Laraaq found another healer that is willing to join the fight. Worst case we try to make do with one if that is your decision.” I commented.

“I’ll let you know beforehand. I should go see to my other duties. Melody is doing a lot with our survivors, but I think they are getting restless.” Ann said before she headed back inside.

Rather than immediately go inside I took a seat on the porch. Jek’jon came out shortly after. “I figured you would be resting, your Dark Eminence.”

I turned to the upbeat goblin chief. “I will in a moment. I just wanted to enjoy the relative peace of the outdoors for a bit. I was planning on grabbing a few hours’ sleep at some point. Are you heading back to your camp?”

Jek’jon nodded. “Yes. We still have to keep up the ruse until you are ready or us to attack.”

“Tomorrow will be our last day, I think. My friend should arrive late tomorrow or early the following day. We will attack once they arrive.” I stated.

“I will inform my clan. We will be ready when you give the signal.” Jek’jon bowed and left.

As I watched Jek’jon disappear into the brush, I reflected on how crazy my life was. I’m in the actual apocalypse or at least the clear start of it. I live in a compound that doubles as a fortress. I’ve befriended a goblin which led me to now have four goblin clans under my banner. For that matter, I needed to design a banner. Several hundred survivors were rescued. And most importantly, my best friend should be here in a day, give or take a few hours.

After that moment of self-reflection, I stood and headed inside, locking the door behind me. I took the elevator down to the lowest sub level. I didn’t want to disturb Alice and I found the place oddly comforting. I was so tired I almost forgot to distribute my stat points. Luckily, this wasn’t 26 stat points in all attributes but just 26 points to put somewhere. I put all 26 points into Intelligence as I knew growing my mana pool was critical. Feeling a rather impressive migraine coming on, I let the bliss of sleep take me.

I awoke a few hours later. With just a few hours of sleep I felt much better. It made me wonder if my high Constitution had anything to do with it.

It didn’t take me long to head over to the second sub-level to check-in on the goblins. I swear that goblins are part clown. I had no idea how they figured out where to put everyone. The second sub-level was rather large, and it did have some areas for storage that the goblins converted into living quarters as best they could. Somehow over a thousand goblins were in this sub level. They were everywhere but they kept to the second level.

I found Gr’ex and Hal’ex talking with a few of their clansmen when I approached. “How is everyone settling in?”

The two goblin leaders gave me a hesitant look. “What’s the problem?”

Hal’ex spoke first. “It is not a problem per say. Most of the Crawler clan had to set up topside. The giant spiders were not as comfortable in such a small space.”

“That’s not a big deal. We just have to know the area and tell the human survivors where to avoid.” I replied. I could not see the issue.

Gr’ex spoke next. “My grandmother is only telling part of the story. Some of our people, specifically the Crawler clan went to explore the first sub level...”

“And? Out with-it man!” I ordered.

Gr’ex looked at his grandmother and shrugged his shoulders. Hal’ex chimed in. “The huemons got a bit startled at the sight of goblins and may have panicked a bit.”

“A bit? They lost their damn minds when they saw a few of the giant spiders... and...” Gr’ex interrupted.

“Again, let me ask, and what? Just cut to the chase!” I said in frustration. ‘I mean how bad could it be.’ I thought.

“The giant spiders may have taken their loud gestures and quick movements as aggressive... so they started shooting their webbing at several. The goblin riders had to do everything they could to prevent their mounts from sinking their fangs into them once their prey was bound. It’s instinctual.” Hal’ex explained.

Gr’ex spoke up. “The huemons are still working to cut their people free. The spiders mucked up the passageway between sub floor two and sub floor one as a precaution. Last I saw Jebediah threatening to shoot anyone who tried to retaliate.”

I face palmed. “Well, that’s going to set us back on getting everyone working together when the fighting starts. I best take my elevator upstairs and come back down that way if the passage is clogged.”

I started to walk away before turning back. “Get the passage cleared out and I expect to see Tan’don, the Crawler chief, without Lucile by my side to sort this out in an hour.”

I did not wait for a response and just turned and walked to my special elevator entrance.

I entered the first level to a cacophony of voices.

“How can we sleep or rest when we know spiders the size of horses are just below us!

“They were going to eat me!”

“I still have spider webbing in my hair!”

“Burn this whole unholy place down! It’s the only way to ensure the spiders are killed!”

“Yes, cleanse it with fire!”

Then I heard Melody’s voice. “Hold on everyone! I share your sentiments about spiders, but freaking out won’t help anyone!”

And then I heard Jebediah’s sound voice of reason. “Anyone who tries to burn this place or pull anything like that will get shot... period!”

As I turned the corner, I saw at least fifty people all huddled together. Some had bits of what I assumed was spiderwebs in their hair or on their clothes. Some people were still being cut out of their bindings.

Those that could stand were. I even saw a few people I knew were ‘numb’ or ‘lost’, whatever my people were calling them. Apparently, the spider ‘attack’ as they were calling it had woken some of them up.

‘Silver lining? Guess we will see.’ I thought before I interjected myself.

When Jebediah noticed me, I saw a look of relief on his face. It was clear the man wasn’t bluffing about shooting some people.

“What seems to be the problem?” I asked.

Everyone turned to me. Many had looks of anger and frustration, but I could feel the undercurrent of fear that was driving it.

“What seems to be the problem?! This is the problem!” A lady in her early twenties said as she pulled at the spiderwebbing in her hair before she continued. “I and many more of us were nearly eaten by giant spiders! Spiders, we were told, you let in here! How dare you!”

And that’s when I lost it! Losing my temper, not the best approach to defuse a tense situation, I’ll admit that. Also, not too proud of what I did, but at that moment, I didn’t care. What can I say, I’m a work in progress. I let go of my hold of my Dark Mantle.

“HOW DARE I? HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY! I DARE WHATEVER I WISH! DO NOT FORGET YOU ARE IN MY HOME! YOU THINK YOU CAN SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!” I practically roared.

Those looks of rage turned to looks of utter horror. People collapsed to their knees. Some people started to weep. I even smelled the telltale signs that several had soiled themselves.

Not gonna lie, it felt nice to bring such arrogance to a grinding halt, but I also knew it was a slippery slope, and not one I wanted to go down. I reined in my emotions and clamped down once again on my Dark Mantle ability.

The pressure on everyone vanished in an instant. Clear looks of relief were on people’s faces. I still saw some lingering looks of fear too.

I spoke calmly but held firm on my stance. “Now that everyone has calmed down, we can have a civil conversation. I understand how jarring it was to know giant spiders exist let alone come face to face with some. The Crawler clan has relocated their spiders topside, taking a spot further north for now. It is not ideal, but it is apparently necessary for now. So, you do not have to worry about seeing one of the giant spiders in the underground part of the compound, but you will have to avoid a certain section of the forest.”

I paused and let them collect themselves. Melody spoke up first. “That ability you have is terrifying!”

Jebediah was helping her to her feet. “Aye, son. I didn’t know you had something like that. Most impressive, but scarier than a hornets’ nest in your trousers!”

I smiled at the man before I continued. This time my voice was a bit more understanding. “Look, I get you are afraid. We are in the apocalypse, being scared out of your mind is a given. BUT... that fear must be tempered into something useful. Hard times create tough people. We can let this apocalypse break us or we can cling to the hope that we can carve out a home and weather the trials we most likely will endure.”

I paused and scanned my eyes over the crowd before I continued. “Anyone promising you safety with no risk of harm, or a free ride is lying to you and delusional! Without your own involvement in carving out our place we will all fall. What I can commit to all of you is as long as you don’t break faith with me, I will stand alongside you to help make our new home a reality! As much as you may not like it, we need the goblins to make that happen, and they too are looking to make this place a home. Only together do we have a chance of dealing with the Bone Marrow clan!”

Jebediah chimed in. “If you think about it, is it not better we point those giant spiders towards our enemies? This town is my home, and you will always have my support Shadowalker!”

“Thank you, my friend!” I replied.

Melody was next to speak up. “I may not always agree with your methods, but I cannot argue their results. I am here and not in a cage thanks to you. I can work with the other goblins, just don’t ask me to interact with the spiders.”

“That’s fair.” I acknowledged, then turned to the crowd.

I later learned the lady that went off on me, her name was Karen, no joke. She spoke up. “I am sorry, Shadowalker. I’m just scared and an arachnophobe. The giant spiders definitely didn’t help! But I can’t ignore that before that I have felt more secure in the last couple days than I have since this nightmare started. That’s probably why I reacted so poorly, I felt secure, and that security was threatened. Rather than complain, I need to do something productive. I will help however I can. I do know how to shoot.”

Her apology was the catalyst to get others to come around and offer their support. I had to remind myself that most of these people had lived entitled and sheltered lives ignorant of what real survival was about or how quickly they fell back on their old habits and took for granted their situation.

We had enemies in the town we wanted to turn into a community. They either helped or would fall, like so many others who have already died in this madness.

Turning to Melody and Jebediah, “Please see to getting everyone cleaned up. I’m going to go meet with the Crawler goblin chief.”

They both nodded in acknowledgement before I left. As I turned around, I saw Alice there leaning up against the wall. “You doing okay, Alice? You look a little flushed.”

Alice just smiled at me before giving me a hug and motioning for me to pick her up. “I’m fine. I just wanted you to carry me. Is it time for breakfast?”

I nodded. Survivors somewhat mollified, I headed back upstairs, with Alice in my arms, to fix some breakfast.