Umtha sat on her throne, looking through the interface at the state of her goblin stronghold. Thus far, she had accomplished much, building as strong a fortress as she could. It would hold out against direct physical threats, but it was weak to magic and those means that were more subtle. Their enemy was a master of subtle, preferring to quietly deal with a foe so that few, if any, knew it even happened.
She had a number of changes in mind to help strengthen the defenses to deal with rogues or magical means of entry. It would all help, but it was ultimately pointless if Heather was caught outside the fortress. That could only be managed by extending the defenses to the graveyard, something she didn't think Heather would agree to.
Perhaps she could create a fast response force that could rush out to collect Heather when danger arrives. Something that could be stationed near the tower or be fast enough to reach the graveyard in less than a minute. It would require mounts of some kind, and a quick look through her options showed a number of large birds, wolves, and even giant boars. None of these would be a good option knowing what they were up against. Many player classes allowed a person to soothe, control, or outright dominate animals, and mounts could be turned against their riders.
After that realization, she sent for the one person she felt could help with the situation, and he arrived a short while later, looking around as if confused.
“You wanted to see me?” Legeis said as he approached the thrones.
Umtha looked down on the goblin player who preferred the more traditional appearance of her people. He was barely four feet tall with extremely long pointed ears and a slightly oversized nose. His skin was an olive green that looked waxy in the magical light. He was covered in belts and straps holding dozens of the gadgets common to goblin engineers.
Umtha dismissed her interface and rose to consider her options. If there was one thing she had learned from Heather, it was that sometimes it was better to break the rules than play within them.
“I need your help with a project,” Umtha began. “And I need your skills as an engineer.”
“You got tons of engineers running around here,” Legeis replied. “Why not have them work on whatever it is?”
Umtha expected that question and had to explain her position. Half of her goblins were, in fact, NPCs, and the other half were players from her world. They had a very different mindset than that of the human players, and that mindset held them back. She often saw that humans who played goblins displayed a level of creativity and imagination that her people lacked. She had plenty of engineers, but only Legeis was from the human world, and his armor golem demonstrated his imagination.
“Alright,” Legeis replied as he lifted his goggles. “What did you need?”
Umtha explained her plan to create a mounted unit, but how animal or monster mounts were unreliable. She wanted mechanical mounts that could not be controlled by spells or powers.
“You want me to build you a mechanical mount?” Legeis asked.
“No,” Umtha corrected. “I want you to imagine and then design it. Then, you can show my engineers how to build, and they can do the bulk of the work.”
“Huh,” Legeis said as he thought about the woman’s strange request. He scratched at one long ear while trying to decide how best to tackle the project putting his ingenuity to use.
“Does it need to be able to cross the swamps?” Legeis asked.
“No, but it needs to be stable on steep ground,” Umtha replied. “Heather is intent on building her city in the mountains, and the roadways could be cut off.”
“So you want to be able to cross over the rough ground,” Legeis replied. “You really are taking her safety to heart.”
“Heather is everything to me and us,” Umtha insisted as she turned to look at the huge tapestry that hung behind her. Her eyes settled on Heather as she sorely wished the crown had helped her remember. “I won't see her lost again. We goblins weren't ready to fight such a war last time. This time we will be armed, organized, and well directed.”
“Are you sure this war is coming?” Legeis asked as he climbed the steps to stand beside the evolved goblin that was now much taller than he was. “I mean, she's doing a pretty good job of hiding what she is.”
“People already know she is a necromancer,” Umtha replied.
“But nothing has happened,” Legeis argued.
“Nothing has happened because humans are greedy,” Umtha said distastefully. “None of your people will share the secret for fear they might lose the reward. But Moon knows, and so does that priestess that attacked her tower. She also boldly declared herself a necromancer the day she rescued me. For all we know, those fools overheard it before they escaped. We can be assured that everyone who does know is working in secret to find and capture her, and sooner or later, the secret will get out.”
“And you think this fortress can protect her?” Legeis asked as he gestured to the stone walls.
“I only need it to delay them,” Umtha replied as she turned to look at Legeis. “I will rush her and the others to the city underneath us, then across the deep tunnels so far away she will never be found.”
“What if they trap her in the city, and she can't get here?” Legeis asked.
“That is why I want the cavalry,” Umtha replied. “But I will try to convince Heather to let us dig tunnels to link her city to here. Then we can smuggle her out and execute our plan.”
“Hey, if you're going to make a tunnel that long, I think I know a way to make a train-like system to help move people and materials rapidly,” Legeis offered.
“Do you see why I value your mind?” Umtha said with a smile. “You think of things we wouldn't. Your world's unique experience has given you a wider breadth of vision.”
“Maybe,” Legeis said with a shrug. “I appreciate how hard you are working to protect her, but I don’t understand why you tricked your way into her marriage.”
“I was told to do it,” Umtha sighed and sat on her throne. “By Hathlisora. She said I needed to give her the crown to trigger her memories. I admit it didn't have to be on her wedding day, but I thought it best if she was the goblin queen. Now she can put the goblins to use directly, and we can fight more effectively for her.”
“And that’s all you wanted?” Legeis asked.
Umtha's ears went up at his question as she leaned back on the throne and tried to look resolute.
“I have made my feelings clear,” Umtha replied. “I do care about her.”
“What about what happened between us at Blackbast’s temple?” Legeis asked. “Was that all part of your plan?”
Umtha's mouth fell open as she was reminded of her little fling outside the cat woman's temple. Legeis had been on hand to scratch an itch, and she had taken advantage of the moment.
“I did that because of the mood Blackbast's temple created. It stirred a need in me, and I thought you wouldn't mind filling it. I didn't mean for that to suggest I wanted a relationship,” Umtha stammered.
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Legeis said with a wave of his hand. “I kinda figured you weren’t looking for any kind of commitment. But this thing with Heather did come out of nowhere.”
“I had to keep my feelings hidden,” Umtha insisted. “Besides, not only was I unable to explain myself clearly, but Heather has resolutely rejected the idea that she is Hathlisora. Moreover, she has no memory of our relationship, so it was hardly going to help by trying to advance it.”
“I see your point,” Legeis admitted and paused for a moment. “But where does Viylah come into all this?”
“What about her?” Umtha asked as she felt a slight irritation.
“I'm just saying she claims to have come to the swamp with a lover. I didn't hear the story firsthand, but Frank explained it to me, and he thinks that lover was Hathlisora. He's pretty sure if Heather went to Viylah with the crown on, she would recognize her.”
“She had never stated her lover was Hathlisora,” Umtha said irritably.
“Hey, I know she has never said it, but common; who else could it be?” Legeis pressed.
Umtha struggled to think of an answer, but after a moment, she knew he was right. This Viylah claimed to be a lover of Hathlisora, yet Umtha had never heard of her. Umtha thought about her own relationship with the woman who used to hold her hand and cry on her shoulder. Hathlisora had shared details about her relationship with Kevin and the subsequent conflict they found themselves in. She talked about her plan to escape and promised to bring umtha and all the goblins with her. They spent hours talking and sharing their dreams, so why would she keep Viylah a secret?
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“I don’t have an answer,” Umtha said at last. “But I admit it has me worried.”
“Eh, I wouldn't let it bother you too much,” Legeis said with a wave to dismiss the topic. “I will get to work on something you can use for a mount. If you get Heather to agree to a tunnel, I will design you a rail system too.”
“Thank you,” Umtha said and waited in silence as he showed himself out. Once he was clear, Umtha stood up and looked to the banner again to see all the people who were part of Heather's life. Umtha was willing to accept them all, but somehow, deep down, she felt Viylah had no place in the picture.
Dressed in her flowered gown, now modified to fit her new taller form, she made her way to the edge of the graveyard. She paused at the east gate, staring into the mists that drifted across the mossy cobbled road. She knew Viylay was a shapeshifter like Jaina and had taken up residence in the graveyard, pretending to be one of the larger mausoleums. It seemed odd that the woman would just sit in one place, waiting patiently like some kind of predator. By all accounts, the woman had pretended to be a cabin in the swamp for years, having little to no contact with anyone she could speak to. Umtha saw that as unnatural as she would be starved for social contact a week into such isolation.
Straightening her dress, she made her way into the graveyard, giving the various undead a wide berth. Despite her time with Heather, she still felt a little unnerved around such things. However, that feeling was nothing compared to how she felt about Viylah. The woman could be anything and could flow like living water, dissolving what she touched. That uncertainty made her skin crawl, but she was determined to meet this mysterious woman and feel her out.
Umtha made her way down the path between the tombstones, heading for one of the larger mausoleums. She looked all around, wondering if the woman was already watching her or if she had some idea who she was. She boldly approached the doors of the building and paused just before climbing the steps.
“Hello?” Umtha called rather than risk touching those doors.
“Hello there,” came a friendly voice from behind.
Umtha turned rapidly to see a gray shape rising from the very stone of the walkway. It rapidly took a human shape and solidified until a pretty woman with dark hair stood before her.
“You must be Umtha,” Viylah said with a smile. “Quinny told me about you.”
Umtha's hands tensed as she felt vulnerable. She had no idea what Quinny had told Viylah about her or how much she knew about her relationship with Heather. This meant she had to be very careful with her questions or risk alerting Viylah to her intentions.
“That is my name,” Umtha replied. “I am told your’s is Viylah.”
“You are correct,” Viylah replied with a smile and made a funny twirl as if to relish her name. “So what had brought you to my hiding place?”
“I just realized I hadn't met you yet,” Umtha replied. “Hannah and I are good friends, and I thought we should meet since she invited you to stay here.”
“Oh, do you prefer to call her Hannah?” Viylah asked. “I am not sure she likes that name.”
Umtha realized that the woman knew Heather's true name but was still in the dark about her secret appearance. She tried to appear relaxed and explained that she used Hannah out of habit. Heather didn't want people to know her true name, so Umtha avoided using it, even in private conversations.
“Oh, I suppose you never know if a rogue is about or somebody is watching with magic,” Viylah said with a nod as if to approve of Umtha's choice. “So, let’s call her Hannah then.”
For a moment, Umtha wondered if perhaps she was being paranoid. Thus far, Viylah seemed polite and agreeable, with an almost playful nature displayed in her little spin. Viylah then waved a hand and caused the ground near umtha to rise up, shaping into a bench for her to sit on.
“Please, sit,” Viylah suggested as she walked with her feet never leaving the ground, her body seeming to flow across it.
Umtha felt a knot grow in the pit of her stomach but to refuse would be rude, so she carefully sat and watched as the woman raised a chair of her own to sit across from her. She stared at Umtha with eyes that had no color, then slowly became blue as if the woman couldn't decide what she wanted them to look like.
“So you are the queen of the goblins?” Viylah asked.
“I am a tribal queen of one small tribe,” Umtha explained. “We have a town in the hills, but several other tribes have come to expand it, so I suppose it appears unusually large.”
“Oh, Quinny said something about you having tons of goblins in a city someplace,” Viylah replied. “I just assumed it meant you were Queen of them all.”
Umtha twitched as, once again, Quinny had conveyed too much to this mysterious woman. It also bothered Umtha that Viylah would believe Umtha was the queen of all goblins. By definition, Umtha was a tribal queen, but the title of the goblin queen had only been evoked once before. It happened in the war with Kevin when the goblins swarmed to aid Hathlisora and had never been used since.
“A lot of people think that,” Umtha said to downplay the situation. “I have built an impressive fortress-like building, though. I guess it can make people feel that a huge goblin army waits inside. The truth is, I wanted to impress Hannah.”
“I see,” Viylah said. “So, how long have you known Hannah?”
“A long time,” Umtha replied. “We became friends when she saved me from a raiding party of players. She was only level one when she did it, and I have been her friend ever since.”
“She managed to run off a group of adventurers at level one?” Viylah said with a bit of surprise. “How did she manage that?”
“She had Frank with her, and he was a bit higher,” Umtha said to hide the truth. She had no idea if Viylah knew Heather was chosen and didn’t want to be the one who revealed that secret. She played off the story to say that Frank did most of the fighting while Heather aided him from a safe distance. Umtha did her best to avoid saying anything that would raise suspicion about Heather as Viylah asked many questions. Umtha kept her composure through it all and then found her chance to ask some questions of her own.
“Why were you hiding in the swamp so long?” Umtha asked.
“Oh, didn't they tell you?” Viylah replied. “I am waiting for a friend to come back. We parted in the swamp, and she said she would come back to find me.”
“And how long ago was that?” Umtha pried, knowing the answer had to be quite a long time ago.
Viylah looked distressed as her eyes went down and her shoulders sank.
“I suppose it's been a few years now,” Viylah sighed. “I admit it's hard to be sure, considering the weather never changes, and we don't go through seasons.”
“Years?” Umtha said, feigning surprise. “She must have been very important for you to wait alone so long.”
“She means a lot to me,” Viylah replied and met Umtha’s gaze. “She is my lover.”
Umtha twitched again to hear confirmation that Viylah considered Hathlisora to be her lover. Why had Hathlisora never mentioned Viylah to her? They were close enough that Umtha would not have been surprised to find out Hathlisora had feelings for others, but the woman never once said a word.
“I understand,” Umtha said as she regained her composure. “I hope she comes back soon.”
“I am sure she will,” Viylah replied with a pleased smile.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you stand being alone for so long?” Umtha pressed. “I don’t think I could have gone a week without going crazy.”
Viylah's eyes looked pained for a moment as she hesitated to answer. She set her jaw and explained that her conviction to reunite with her lover kept her sane. Umtha wanted to ask if her lover was Hathlisora, but the woman seemed to be avoiding using her name.
“It must have been a relief when Hannah and us arrived,” Umtha said, then dared another question. “Why didn't you reveal yourself to us the night we spent inside you?”
Again Viylah looked pained, but she recovered quickly and said she was afraid to reveal herself. Most players hated mimics, and their body parts were vital ingredients in many magical items and potions. She never knew who she could trust with her secret, and until Jaina ratted her out, she would have remained hidden.
Umtha tried to weigh that response against Jaina, who was a morphic, the earlier evolution of a mimic. Jaina would one day be just like Viylah, but she didn't try to hide from the world. On the contrary, Jaina was very friendly with people and often entertained their desires. Umtha had to admit that Jaina didn't freely admit that she would be a mimic one day. She preferred to let people assume she was one of the basic shape-shifting races.
“I hope I haven't asked a painful question,” Umtha said as she stood up. “I just wondered, is all.”
“It's fine,” Viylah sighed. “To be honest, once you have been alone long enough, you start to adapt to it. A few other players came through from time to time, and of course, I ate a lot of monsters.”
“I suppose I struggle to accept how lonely it had to be because I am a tribal leader,” Umtha said. “I have had a small cluster of goblins around me at all times. That number has only grown as I have leveled, and I have grown accustomed to never being alone.”
“I can see how you would feel that way,” Viylah replied as she stood and flowed across the walkway without moving her legs. She took up a pattern of moving back and forth as if she were pacing. “But I don't have to worry about that now. Hannah has graciously invited me to live here, and I am no longer alone.”
Umtha noted how the woman seemed sincere in her gratitude and through more doubt on her suspicions. Perhaps Hathlisora never mentioned her because she was afraid Umtha would be upset. Or maybe her lover wasn't Hathlisora at all. Umtha had to consider that possibility in light of the woman's mannerisms which all seemed genuine.
“It's a shame you couldn't attend the wedding,” Umtha said absentmindedly. Suddenly Viylah stopped her pacing as her hands clutched into fists. She didn't look at Umtha as she explained the limitations of her mass and how her size would have prevented it. She admitted that Frank had agreed to let her eat his undead to regain her mass, but she felt that would take too long to recover. Umtha wondered what she meant by taking too long. Why was it important she maintain her level of mass and that returning quickly enough might present a problem? She was about to ask the question when Viylah folded her arms and turned to face Umtha with a slight smile.
“You are a curious one,” Viylah said as she flowed toward Umtha. “I have always wondered. Why do the goblins have villages at almost every spawn around the world?” Her tone was off as if the question was meant to make Umtha uncomfortable.
Umtha was taken aback by the sudden change and the direct question about the goblin's behavior. The truth was they were looking for necromancers and hoping to spirit them away before they were discovered. More importantly, they wanted Heather, and that was why Umtha led the village near where her statue was placed.
“We goblins are mostly low-level,” Umtha replied, trying not to sound nervous. “The world spawns are villages in low-level areas.”
“Oh,” Viylah said with an almost mocking tone. “But I thought most goblins were players. Wouldn’t that mean they could build where ever they wanted?”
Now Umtha knew she was up to something but couldn't place what it was. As far as Umtha knew, most humans had no idea the goblins were players and even fewer that they were from another world.
“That’s very insightful of you,” Umtha replied. “How did you know that?”
“My lover told me,” Viylah said with a smile as she leaned over to look Umtha in the eyes. “She had a lot to say about goblins. In fact, from what I understand, you goblins are looking for something or someone, perhaps?”
Umtha swallowed as she felt threatened by the woman who had her snared in her web. It was by luck that a voice called out to announce the arrival of Quinny and Breanne.
“Viylah!” Quinny called as she walked down the path with Breanne at her side.
The mimic woman smiled slowly and turned away from Umtha, waving a hand to Quinny as the two approached.
“Hello,” Viylah said with a big smile. “How are you two today?”
“We're fine,” Breanne sighed as they closed the distance. “At least until Heather wants to explore more of those caves.”
“She isn't going to want to do that for a while now,” Quinny said. “Frank wants her to focus on building their city.”
The two came to a halt just a few steps away from Umtha, who quickly stood up.
“Oh, you two finally met,” Quinny said. “I have been telling Viylah all about you and the goblins.”
“Yes, she came over to meet me,” Viylah replied happily. “She is a very inquisitive one.”
“That seems to be a goblin thing,” Breanne said as she met Umtha’s gaze. “Legeis went by earlier muttering something about you wanting something built.”
“Yes,” Umtha said hurriedly. “I should probably check in on him and see how he is doing.”
“I don't think he started yet,” Quinny said. “He complained that he would have to put his current project on hold. Something Heather had him working on.”
“Oh, did he say what it was?” Viylah asked in a very curious manner.
“Nah,” Quinny said with a dismissive wave. “Just that Heather was wasting minions if she thought this was going to work.”
“How curious,” Viylah said as she tapped at her lips.
“I want to talk to him before he starts then,” Umtha insisted. “I have a change to the idea, and I don't want him to get too far into planning and have to start over.”
“You better hurry then,” Breanne said. “Once he starts on an idea, he pours all his time and energy into it.”
Umtha nodded and went to run off but paused to turn back to Viylah.
“It was very nice to meet you at last,” Umtha said with a slight bow.
“It was nice to meet you as well,” Viylah replied with a stern look in her eyes. “Do come back later. I would love to continue our conversation.”
Umtha smiled back and then headed off, eager to be away from the dangerous woman. She walked at a normal pace, trying not to show she was rattled by what had transpired. She made her way to Heather's tower and quickly went through the doors, only pausing to take a deep breath once inside. She slumped against the wall as dozens of skeletons watched her with interest. Umtha knew the woman was up to something, and her presence here wasn't good. That she knew the goblins were watching the spawns was dangerous information. That she also knew they were looking for someone, in particular, was downright alarming. Why had she chosen to let Umtha know she had so much information about the goblins? Could it have been a warning to stop asking questions? Maybe she wanted to frighten Umtha into not looking so closely at her.
Umtha couldn't work it out, but one thing was for sure, she was going to find a way to watch Viylah and learn what the woman was really up to. Hopefully, she was just well informed, and her behavior meant nothing. But, if Viylah turned out to be a threat to her friends, she was going to make the mimic regret leaving her hiding place.