The three goblins stared at Blake after he spoke, but the spear wielder broke first, "kianed maykw xiandr" (why do I understand human) he asks half in a panic.

"Because I am blessed by gods, now I have some questions. If you give me the answers, I need I may let you live" Blake said as he raised his halberd.

"Kianur maykw" (what human want) asked the ax goblin.

"What do you mean by slave stock?" Blake asked but noted how all of them reacted, clearly, they didn't want to tell him. "You only keep human women as slaves, right?" He watched each one assured his suspicions with a slight shift or twitch of muscles.

Blake let out a sigh then readied his halberd, "Last question which one of you knows the way to your base?" He asked then he locked on his target as each had answered in their own way. Blake smiled to himself and focused on the one he needed alive, "light prison" he said.

His word hung in the air for a second before twelve swords of light enclosed and trapped the ax wielder in the place where he stood, but Blake had not been idle as he rushed forward bringing his blade head down on the goblin spearman, cutting the diminutive creature in two. He ducked his head out of the way as a crude arrow flew at him, he picked up the fallen spear and threw it at the archer, impaling the small figure to a tree behind it.

Then Blake turned his attention to his prisoner, the goblin axeman dropped his weapon and stared mortified at the towering Blake, "Kigraa jauid rune trag nermag, jaiz haund nermag kigraa" (Kigraa was following troll's master, I only follow Kigraa for food) the goblin stammered out in a panic but honestly.

“Why do you keep human women as slaves?” Blake asked, hoping that the answer was something different than his imagination. But he kept his eyes on the goblin.

“Maykwann hiua kikann ourd talass kikqall, mayhwann warb kikqall.” (The slave stock used when females carry children, slave stock not have children) the goblin said then scrambled back a bit as Blake sucked his teeth at the answer because it was the truth.

“Next question, can goblins see in the dark?” Blake asked carefully.

“Kikyaar waie, kikquan nes waie, Kigraa waie gantt kikkrig” (mountain goblins can, forest goblins can’t, Kigraa can because he hobgoblin) The goblin said back quickly, his answers were the truth as far as Blake could see.

Blake looked at the little thing and considered his next action soon the sun will set completely, and his powers don’t leave a lot of room for stealth, there was also the fact there are slaves to rescue, and he didn’t know how many slaves these goblins had, and lastly is what to do with this one.

“Have you ever touched a human slave?” Blake asked in a hard tone.

“Uain, uainy, jaiz yanerad” (no, never, i not mated yet) the goblin said back quickly, but he was lying and the goblin shrank again as Blake sucked his teeth in annoyance.

“How many human women does your tribe have?” Blake asked after a second of calming himself.

“Iiaaddooll’ (twelve) the goblin said back.

“I know you lied about being with a human woman so that means you know where they are, so tell me.” Blake said as his hand gripping the halberd tighter.

The goblin scanned the area looking for an escape but the swords were too tall for him and bent and shifted making jumping through a gap impossible, he finally relented “Maykwann uaideral Kigraa hall, vaiabid yattes cosamerr” (slave stock is in Kigraa’s space behind a curtain in back) he said with the voice of defeat, and spoke true.

“Which way is your base?” Blake asked and watch as the goblin gave him a direction that was true.

Blake watched as the goblin hung his head, and didn’t move waiting for the next question. But Blake had all he needed and just thrust the pike point into the goblin, it twitch for a second, its hands raising to grab the shaft before going lifeless on the halberd. The magic prison dispelled as its target died.

Blake turned to face the direction they were guarding for and started to walk, his objective clear, his mission easy and his goal simple. [ok, the plan is to rush the gate bust through get to the slave area, kill any goblin inside then make my way to the passage in and attrition it for the win. but I think I should eat first.] Blake said as he made good time for about one hour and spotted a cleared-out area atop a hill where there was a crudely made walled settlement. Taking a seat between some bushes he watch the goblins on the walls, their outline clear to him even at this distance as the goblins had set up light sources all along the inside of the wall, he could just make out a slightly larger tent set up against an outcropping of rock close to the top, and guessed that was where Kigraa was, and the women he needed to rescue are.

[looks like the guards aren’t on high alert and their patrols are a bit sparser than what my instructor would find acceptable, but that just makes this easy for me then.] he thought as he stood back up after two hours of watching and eating, dusting off the food and rubbing some nearby plants and leaves on his armor and weapon. Before starting a careful and deliberate crouched walk to the walls.

As he got within arm's reach of the wall, he got up next to it and walked along the outside until he reached the poor excuse for a gate and started to carefully climb up it. Peeking over the top and saw no one waiting on the other side, not even a sentry tower or goblin on patrol, so he quickly climbed back down on the inside and made his way to the large tent he had spotted earlier, his progress slowed twice by patrolling goblins but their need for light made it easy for him to avoid, and at most hampered his low light eyesight.

He did eventually make his way to the tent, and could hear the sound of a human woman being assaulted, peeking under a side close to the sounds, he spotted a sleeping array of animal skins that had a tall muscular green skin humanoid creature and a woman, her hands bound and hair being violently pulled to the point of pain. Blake looked to where the entrance was and didn’t see anyone from inside, [sorry miss, I need to make sure I get everyone out, please hold on.] he thought as he made his way to the front and spotted a lone goblin sleeping against his spear.

Blake quickly thrust the piked point into the guard’s skull and positioned him so he looked like he was sitting next to the tent. Then he made his way in, choking on his halberd he switched it so the bladed side face him, creeping closer to the monster that had started all of this when he got in arms reach, Blake grabbed the pike of his halberd as he brought the weapon in front of the hobgoblin's throat and pulled hard in, cutting into the monster, stopping only when the creature stopped resisting.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Blake saw the woman turn to him, but he covered her mouth, “I need you to keep making it sound like you are still being attacked, I’ll go check on everyone else, nod if you understand.” He whispered in her ear and watched as she nodded, as he removed his hand she started the series of fake moans and pleas as he made his way to the curtain.

He could hear maybe three more women being violated inside and shifted the curtain to see the light situation, noticing it was brightly lit inside. He peeled back the curtain and headed in, the passage was just big enough for him but fighting in here would be impossible, as he came out the opening the three goblins were luckily facing away and close together. He readied to swing, kneeling down a bit so that the goblins were the only victims of his blade.

He gave a quick whistle and swung his weapon just as the goblins noticed the sound, “burning smite” he whispered as the blade reached the first green monster’s neck. He didn’t waste time and pulled the little fuckers away from the women. Then said in a loud voice that was enough to be heard by everyone here, “I have come to rescue you, but I need you all to stay in here until it's safe to move.” he said before pulling out his waterskin and the last of his food still in a pouch down, then worked his way over to one woman, and cut her free with his knife, “Free everyone else, and I’ll get the one outside.” he then got up and scanned the room once over to see if there were other ways in or out, luckily, he didn’t see any.

As he got outside, he spotted the bowls of food and three waterskins nearby, “Take those with you and get back inside the cave, I’ll hold here until the last of the goblins that have the will to fight is dead.” he ordered after cutting her hands free.

She reached up to him and hugged him before following his orders.

Blake looked around and decided on the dumbest idea he found for getting the goblins' attention. He walked over to the dead body of their chief and finished his earlier decapitation job, with the head secured, his mind called up something he wanted to know about, so he checked his stats and checked to see what the Solar Forge ability does, and was pleasantly surprised by its power. A useful tool for this battle, before walking back over to the main support pillar of the large tent, raising his halberd he brought the weapon down, “Power Strike” he said as he cut the pillar in a way that would make the whole tent come down and away from the passage he needed to guard, watching it cascade as he picked up the hobgoblin head again.

As the tent crumpled around him, it caught fire from the few braziers that were inside, and then a bell rang as one of the goblins on the wall notice the unfolding event, as different goblins rushed over with buckets at first but then calls about an intruder came fourth as he was spotted.

“Solar Forge” Blake said as he summoned a group of shields that hovered off the ground a foot away from him, each taking a key point blocking the path of arrows from the three towers that he could see. “Holy shield, Holy Blessing, Holy ward” he counted off as the number of armed goblins in front of him slowly grew until he lost count around fifty.

The crowd's eyes shifted from his weapon to the severed head of their leader held in his hand, to the armor he was wearing, then back to his weapon.

“I am Blake Winters, I am here to free the women behind me, if your tribe values peace at all send forth your elder, if you wish to fight then do so,” He said, noting that all the goblins seemed to be in shock that they understood him. “But remember that he was the strongest among you.” He then threw the head of their leader towards them.

They were murmurs of thinking and planning their next action until finally, an overwhelming call for revenge sounded. And Blake readied his weapon and smiled, he was hoping that they were this dumb.

He started with a wide swipe attack as the first of their line reached him “Devastating blow” he roared, making his weapon not only cut but shatter the bodies of the goblins unfortunate enough to be too close, their bodies becoming mini mines of flying bone fragments.

He swung a new attack before the goblins had enough time “Burning Smite” he roared and intentionally let the pike point cut along the tent, starting a new ring of fire just in front of him, making some of them stumble back at the new flames. A few got brave and hopped through the fire.

The first got Blake's boot to the face and then a crunching as Blake brought the boot down before swinging the hooked spike on the back into a second brave goblin as he was halfway through the flames, throwing him back into the awaiting army.

A third got in on the far side of where Blake was fighting, but he let out a wide swing with the blade, severing the little creature in half at the abdomen, bringing the weapon in close and shooting a thrust at a goblin that was thrown in by his allies, his flite intercepted in the air before he was thrown back at the army.

The next to get in do so with a friend but as they both rushed in Blake’s Halberd’s blade found them and cut them both in two as the force he could muster was far more than their frail bodies could handle, the next out was knock out of his attack by the pommel of the weapon before being impaled and thrown to the army, a demoralizing fact that they were watching comrades being literally toyed with by Blake, but he didn’t enjoy any of this, he had wished they would send an elder to negotiate, but that was too late now.

The next group came in together, the three had hopped the flames at the same time, but Blake saw them get ready, and they were severed in halves before they even landed on his side.

The flames have now spread and made it harder for the little monsters to get close, so it was time for a bit of offense. Blake ran to the very far left of their forces and leaped over the curtain of fire, landing on two and crushing them under boot, sliding a bit as he did. But before any of them could collect themselves he spun the bladed end of the weapon in a massive swipe, catching maybe twelve in the path, “Rend” He said, making the area around him into a sudden fiesta of black blood fit for some unholy ghoul. Not that he cared as he close the distance with one goblin that was wielding a crude shield, Blake thrusting hard into the middle of the goblins guard, “smite” he said as the pike point connected with the shield making the weapon completely press through the creature and then obliterate him and the two behind him as the thrust carried through one to the next.

Blake dropped to as low as he could and swung again in a wide arch, “power strike” he said as more than thirteen goblins suddenly lost their lower bodies. Blake kicked hard back as one tried to get the drop on him, an audible crunching at the impact, before the creature was sent flying into a tower about twenty-five or so feet away, the impact destabilizing the crude structure.

Blake stood back up and looked around, noticing the rage they once had was mostly gone now, replaced by a desperation to survive. “I recommend you run to the south.” Blake said as he readied his weapon again, his arms started to feel a bit heavy but now was not the time for this, “Quick recovery” He whispered and felt the weight of this combat slide away.

He spun the weapon around and impaled a goblin that had, the aid of its friend, to be thrown at him before Blake throw it back at its allies, then he rushed in and leaped towards the middle of the enemy formation, two had the clever idea of thrusting their spears at him, so he gave them a thrust back and a drop kick to the face of the other. He again swung his bladed end of the halberd in a massive swipe around him, aiming for just above the shoulders, “Rend” he said as the weapon made contact with the first goblin and easily cut through about fourteen, creating a sudden deluge of blood all around him, the display makes those just outside of the area of his attack, fall at the monstrous force he unleashed.

Before any of them could accept this night of horrors, Blake spotted one goblin trying to organize a counter, and he rushed over with a wide swing at the goblin's chest, cleaving the wannabe leader in two, then kicking one-half hard to a tower, causing it to collapse as well. Just as the goblins around him got the idea to stab him, Blake delivered a quick horizontal slash across all of them, “Devastating Blow” he bellowed, turning his immediate surroundings into a sudden kill zone outwards from him, as the bodies of those he hit turned into a scattering of body parts and bone chips.

He notice that the fire was finally dying out and needed to do one more thing before it died completely, so again he leaped towards the far right side of their formation, landing his boots on the face of one particularly fat goblin, an uncomfortable satisfaction coursed through blake as the sound of crunching under his feet but he dismissed it as he swung wide, “Rend” He shouted and cleanly decapitated about fifteen goblins around him, before he spotted on goblin that was in just the right spot of his plan, as he rushed in, the goblin was wise enough to guard against Blake’s weapon but not Blake’s boot. As Blake sent him flying into the last tower, the impact not just destroyed the structure but provided a new coat of paint.

Just as Blake started to admire his work a goblin roared in defiance as it jumped at Blake but he simply caught the monster by the face and slammed it into the ground before raising up and bringing his boot down to finish the creature. Blake rushed to the passageway cutting his way through the throngs of goblins that were blocking his path, his halberd making easy work of the diminutive monsters. He dismissed his current solar forge shields and thought over his next construct, as he cut down the last of the monsters, he got into range and roared “Solar Forge” This time he created a tunnel just wide enough for the goblins to stand five at a time.

As he turned to face the small hoard that was left, he noted the unruly mass, and he knew he had to win. [Indomitable has reached a threshold, one hundred percent damage reduction now active] Blake blinked twice as his head buzzed at what he heard, but then smiled wide, as he dismissed his tunnel and resummoned a simple wall inside the passage to keep the goblins from entering.

“Come on you little fuckers, I am not scared of your worthless scummy weapons.” he said as he dropped his guard, finding three brave enough to try, their spear points shattering against his armor before he simply punched one and cut the other two in half, then he rushed past them and dropped into a slide and brought his halberd across the chest of about seven that stood in front of him, “Devastating Blow” he said as the blade of his halberd connected with the first one on blake’s right, creating a sudden shockwave in a large area ahead of blake as he stood up.

He stood and looked at the monsters, “My gods have made me immortal for this evening, you can all try all you like, but you will not be able to kill me.” he said as his gaze scanned the crowd, then ran at a new part of the battlefield, if you could call it that anymore, and started hacking them away…

[this will take a while…, well at least I won’t die] Blake thought as he cut down five more goblins. [compared to the troll this is almost laughable. Well i hope they give up over fighting to the death]