Skab Rathide, sat atop his trusty boar mount, Steelhoof, as they delved deeper into the dense forest of the Dreamverse. "We're gettin' closer, boys!" Skab called out to the dozen or so goblins following him.
He was on the cusp of leveling up to level 10 and awakening himself, and he was determined to do whatever it took to ensure his awakening went smoothly. In his quest for power, he had gathered these goblins to assist him in tracking and hunting down a weakened awakened beast—a wounded wolf whose strength could grant Skab the best possible chance for a strong talent and class.
He came across the beast recently and attacked it seeing an opportunity but the beast was slippery and would run at every opportunity, he sent out small parties of his goblins and ordered to find its trail. It was two days since he dealt with the ones who were killing his subjects, after dealing with the pair who were messing with his hunt his subordinates found the trail not a few hours later.
The beast had evaded them for two days, somehow slipping past their encirclement, Skab thought, his beady eyes narrowing in vexation. 'I be wonderin' if it has some kind of trick, eh? Dunno much 'bout these Tier 1 critters, but I know they be tough as nails and not to be messed with.'
The goblin leader had made it abundantly clear to his subordinates that they were not to kill the beast themselves. Instead, they were to corner and weaken it, leaving the final blow for Skab. "Remember, ya filthy runts," Skab warned with a cruel sneer, "if any of ya lay the killin' blow on dat beast, I'll make sure you'll never lay your beady eyes on the sun again!"
The goblins knew better than to cross their leader, so they nodded in fearful agreement, their voices trembling with fear. "Y-yes, Boss Skab!"
For days, Skab and his band of goblins had pursued the weakened awakened wolf through the forest, relying on their scout to follow the blood trail left by the injured beast. They had been close to killing it several times, but the wolf had managed to escape, leaving the goblins frustrated and weary.
Skab could feel his anger simmering, but he knew he had to remain focused. 'Dat mangy wolf, it's gonna be my ticket to power,' he thought, his eyes narrowing with determination.
Finally, after an arduous hunt, the scout came running back, panting and covered in sweat. "Boss! Boss Skab!" the scout cried out excitedly, "We's found it! We's found the blood trail that leads to the wolf!"
Skab's eyes gleamed wickedly. "Heh! Good work, scout," he cackled, his voice dripping with malicious glee. "Lead me to it!" With a kick to Steelhoof's side, he urged the boar to hasten, the goblin chieftain's heart throbbing with eagerness.
Steelhoof grunted in displeasure but complied, racing towards the weakened wolf with Skab on its back and the goblins following close behind.
As they neared the injured wolf's location, Skab clutched Steelhoof's reins tighter, his eyes scanning the forest. 'No mistakes, no room for 'em,' he thought, his chest constricting with tension. 'This is me chance to gain true power, and I ain't lettin' no one or nothin' stop me.'
They soon came upon the injured beast, its once majestic silver fur now dirty and stained with blood and leaves. The wolf was limping heavily, its body riddled with wounds that had been inflicted during their previous encounters and ones even before they encountered it. Its right eye was missing and Skab could spy a worm-like creature wriggling inside the hole of the eye.
Skab inspected the beast.
[Silver Wolf, Level 10 (Tier 1)]
The wolf tried to project strength, warning the approaching goblins to keep their distance. Its growls were low and defiant, but the pain and fear that seeped through betrayed the gravity of its injuries.
Despite its injuries, the wolf continued to growl and snarl, projecting an air of fierce defiance and strength. its ears flattened against its head and its eyes locked onto the goblins who could see the determination in the wolf's eyes, and they knew that this was not a creature to be underestimated.
The wolf's growl was a deep, throaty sound that seemed to come from both pain and anger. It was a warning, a primal declaration of the wolf's resolve to defend itself.
‘I don’t know who weakened the beast so much for me with that worm thing in its eye, but I’ll never get a chance like this again,’ Skab saw his opportunity and would not let anyone else take it. The foolish human boy and that bizarre bug elf creature had delayed his hunt for the wolf, but now everything was coming to a close.
Skab sneered at the wolf's warning, and he glanced back at his goblin underlings, barking commands. "You lot! Surround the beast, but don't kill it. I’ll deal with any numbskull who tries!" The goblins hesitated for a moment, glancing fearfully at each other, but with a snarl from Skab, they reluctantly charged towards the weakened wolf, their fear of their chieftain's wrath outweighing their fear of the beast.
As Skab and his goblins closed in on the wolf, he couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of satisfaction. The hunt was almost over, and soon, he would have the power he had been craving for so long. He watched the goblins approach the weakened wolf, his heart pounding with anticipation.
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The silver wolf, seeing the goblins encircling it, let out a defiant snarl. It knew it was cornered, but it wasn't going down without a fight. The goblins hesitated, remembering the looks of despair on the faces of some of the goblins when the wolf killed them in previous encounters. They didn't want to attack the tier 1 awakened creature, but they also didn't want to face Skab's wrath.
"Move, you worthless sacks of bones!" Skab roared from atop Steelhoof, striking one of the goblins with the handle of his weapon. The goblin yelped in pain and terror, and the others hastily obeyed, hurling themselves at the wolf.
The silver wolf, its eyes blazing with defiance, fought back with all its remaining strength. It tore into the goblins with ferocity, killing several of them in the process. The goblins shrieked in terror, but they continued their assault, driven by their leader's commands.
Skab surveyed the battle, his eyes icy and calculating. He cared naught for the lives of his goblin minions, deeming their deaths an acceptable sacrifice for his own ascension. 'Their deaths won't be for nuthin',' he thought, a twisted grin dancing on his lips, ‘Once I awaken, I’ll ditch these feeble-minded goblins and find more suitable minions, maybe even them hobgoblins up in the mountains.’
Just as the goblins were about to close in on the wolf, its fur began to bristle and radiate a brilliant silver light. The sheer intensity of the light caught the goblins off guard, forcing them to shield their eyes. The wolf was summoning the last of its strength, preparing to unleash a devastating attack that could annihilate the goblin horde.
Skab squinted through the blinding light, trying to discern what was happening. He knew that if the wolf managed to unleash its full power, all his plans would be reduced to ashes. The anticipation of the approaching attack caused the goblins to falter, their previous bravado quickly dissipating.
However, as the wolf's power surged, the worm-like creature embedded in its eye seemed to react, burrowing deeper into the wolf's eye socket. The wolf, suddenly overcome by an excruciating pain, let out a pained howl and began clawing desperately at its eye in a futile attempt to dislodge the wriggling parasite.
The silver light that had been radiating from the wolf's fur flickered and died, leaving the battlefield cloaked in darkness once more. The failed attempt to unleash its powerful attack had drained the last of the wolf's energy, rendering it weak and vulnerable.
Skab, sensing the change in the tide, bared his teeth in a sinister grin. "What's the matter, wolfie?" he taunted, "Can't even use your fancy abilities anymore? Guess that little worm friend of yours is more trouble than it's worth!"
The goblins, seeing the wolf's failed attempt and its subsequent pain, regained their courage and pressed their attack. The wolf, now severely weakened and unable to muster any further resistance, was at the mercy of the goblin horde.
Realizing that victory was now within his grasp, Skab urged Steelhoof to charge at the wolf.
As the goblins continued their desperate attack, Skab noticed a brief moment of pain and weakness in the wolf as it killed another goblin. Seizing the opportunity, he kicked Steelhoof, urging the boar to charge into the fray.
Steelhoof grunted but obeyed, charging headlong into the wolf with a fearsome snort. The impact sent the weakened creature flying into a tree, leaving it even more injured and disoriented.
Skab dismounted, his weapon at the ready as he neared the injured wolf. "You fought well, beast," he sneered, raising his weapon for the final strike. "But it's time for me to claim me prize."
Before Skab could land the blow, however, he noticed Steelhoof charging at the wolf once more. The boar's tusks impaled the creature, ending its life in a flash. Skab's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he gaped at his mount. "You... you killed it!" he stammered, his fury rapidly rising to the surface.
He was about to lash out at Steelhoof when he noticed something amiss with the boar. Pinpricks of light began to congregate around Steelhoof, growing more intense with each passing second. Skab watched, stunned, as the light enveloped the boar, transforming it.
Steelhoof's size increased, its pelt taking on a coppery blood hue, and its tusks now bore engravings of chains. The awakening process was complete, the boar turned to face Skab, its eyes fierce and filled with newfound power.
Skab used his inspect confirming his worst fears.
[Steelhoof, Domi-Hog, Level 10 (Tier 1)]
*Warning! Steelhoof has used his talent on you*
*Steelhoof has offered you a slave pact to be his mount. Will you accept? Y/N*
“Well shit!”
Trembling, Skab felt despair wash over him as the system message appeared before his eyes. He had completely forgotten that Steelhoof was on the cusp of awakening as well. He had focused more on ensuring that his goblin minions didn't steal the kill, and ignored Steelhoof's chance at awakening. Steelhoof was offering him a slave pact, which was probably related to the talent that Steelhoof had awakened, and it was clear that the tables had turned now that Steelhoof had changed his race into a Domi-hog. Skab had lost control of the situation, and he knew that he had been bested by his own mount.
Skab's mind raced, weighing his options as he stared into Steelhoof's fierce gaze. He knew that accepting the slave pact would mean relinquishing his control and submitting to Steelhoof's will, especially a weird sounding one like ‘slave mount’. But with the tables turned and the boar now a powerful awakened beast, he also knew that refusal could very well mean his death.
For a moment, Skab hesitated, his pride and desire for power warring with his instinct for self-preservation. But as Steelhoof's imposing presence bore down on him, Skab finally lowered his head in defeat, swallowing his pride and accepting the slave pact.
*You have accepted the slave pact.*
*Calculating…*
The once-powerful goblin leader ignored the rest of the system messages, as his shoulders slumped in defeat. He didn't care about them, for he was now bound to serve the very creature he had once commanded.
The remaining goblins looked on in shock and disbelief, unsure of what their future held in this new, uncertain world.
As Skab reluctantly pledged his loyalty to Steelhoof, he couldn't help but feel a bitter irony in the situation. His ruthless pursuit of power had ultimately led to his downfall, leaving him at the mercy of the very beast he had controlled. And as he gazed into the fierce eyes of the awakened Steelhoof, he couldn't help but wonder if he should have treated Steelhoof better. Would events have unfolded differently if he had?