The party trudged through the swampland. Once more, the wizard lagged behind as he struggling from stepping in the potholes. In front of him, the gnome brothers skipped from dry turf to dry turf. Leading them, Ivy, the goblin princess, aggressively stomped through the murky waters and cut through clumps of grass and dirt with her knees. She neither avoided nor fell into the swamp, but instead imposed her own will over the misty domain.
“Are we there yet?” Ini asked as he finished a jump, only for his brother to answer.
“Yeah, are we there yet?”
“For last time, yes! Almost there, be patient little ones,” the princess yelled as she tossed random clumps of turf at the gnomes, who narrowly avoided them with their skips and jumps.
“Feisty one.”
“Yeah, I can see why Figwit likes her.”
“Hey!” the wizard cried out from the back as he forced his knees from the damp water. “You two better do something about this swamp water when you build your park.”
“Oh, we will. Got it all figured out. In here.” Ini tapped the side of his hat.
His brother continued. “Yeah, but first we need that goblinpower and labor. Speaking of which,” Ono jumped to match Ivy's position, “why are these goblins so far out here? If they are your guards, why weren't they ... you know, guarding you?”
The princess shoved the gnome back. She trudged through the swamp, responding as the bottom of her dress continued to absorb the dirtied waters.
“Goblin guard are not like normal guard. Less discipline, get bored quickly, especially if all they do is guard shack day and night.”
“Ah! So they left you! Deserters!” Ono answered before a clump of turf landed square into his mouth, causing him to collide with the wizard's stomach.
“No, goblin guard stay. They just ... drift a bit, find ways to amuse selves. If I ever need help, they would come to protect me.”
“So you can't just order them to come work for us, huh?” Ini asked. His jumps were beginning to lose momentum.
“No. Again. Goblin guard not normal guard, there is a few things they will do if I order but this that you ask, is not guard job. I can talk to them, but is gonna be you who needs convince them. Make it seem like something fun they can do to distract themselves. Boredom is biggest enemy in this country.”
The gnome brothers pulled themselves back up to speed as they smiled at their resolve and confidence. “Good thing we are here then.” Ono said.
“Is it?” The exasperated wizard asked as he got closer to the party.
The princess slowed down as she climbed a small hill that had suddenly sprouted from the mist.
“Of course Figwit, because ...”
“Nothing is impossible for a pump!” the gnome brothers said as they once more made their signature “V”-shaped pose, a pose that was broken when Figwit pushed them into the water.
“Hey!”
“What gives?”
“Oops, my bad,” the wizard said with a slight smirk.
“We are here,” Ivy said in a somewhat reluctant tone, beckoning the rest of the party upwards. As they moved up the hill, the grand spectacle of the goblin guard came into view.
#
The mist lifted, revealing a carved-out depression. Water and mud had been shoveled from the swamp, creating dry embankments from which goblins jeered at a spectacle below.
Below the swamp's waterline was what could only be described as a great racetrack. It was a square-shaped arena of sand and stone that was surrounded by sharp turf walls. At the bottom, where the walls and racing ground met, the corners were shaped into carefully designed ramps of dirt.
In this great pit, a handful of goblins raced and battled against one another, charging headlong in a mock joust atop small self-propelled vehicles that sputtered and expelled smoke that mixed with the greater swamp.
“Dragon's tongue!” Ono said as he gazed at the marvel of goblin engineering in the arena.
“What are they doing?” the wizard asked as he watched the charging goblins collide with one another. Their small propelled vehicles and sharpened sticks broke when goblin met against goblin, and the resulting bruises and concussions only served to raise the cheers of the crowd above. Applause, yells and jeers flooded the arena.
“They are fighting boredom,” Ivy admitted with a smile as she looked proudly at the ingenuity and martial display of her cohort.
Behind her, the gnome brothers carefully studied the designs of the vehicles and their fighting. Ini perked up up, saying, “Goblin Jousting ... now there's an idea.”
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“Oh, I know what you are thinking, brother,” Ono retorted as he took out a notepad from his hat and wrote down their newfound attraction idea.
“Attention!” a goblin at the edge of the hill screamed out. Suddenly, all stopped and looked toward the hill where the goblin princess stood. “Crown on floor!”
The goblins all stood up. Even the riders and fighters in the arena dropped their weapons and stood, proudly holding their fists to their heads.
Every goblin in unison screamed at the top of their lungs, “Heir of Wolfsbane! We who fight salute you!”
The party looked at the goblins in awe, and with the authority, grace and manners of a true princess, Ivy waved her hand and spoke. “At ease, my loyal green guard.”
The goblins relaxed but did not dare to return to their revelry. Instead, their attention remained fixed on the princess as they wondered why she had come, and with two gnomes and a human in tow to boot.
In a loud and imposing voice, she began to speak. “My loyal guard. I call upon you for task, but not one of fight.”
The goblins murmured among themselves.
One spoke out. “Oath only for fight and protect. We are shield and sword, not hammer and shovel.”
The goblin guard nodded and cheered in agreement until the princess made a hand gesture and they fell silent. “You sit here, all day you fight and battle boredom. I have need of your sword to fight against our poverty. To make a kingdom new.”
The goblins whispered as the princess continued. “My loyal green guard. I have plan, we will make new kingdom. You will never be bored again. You will fight every day—not against boredom but to build new home for all of us.”
The princess urged the two brothers forward.
“Speak friends, tell them of kingdom.”
Ono and Ini stood on the edge of the hill and proclaimed to the goblins, “Greetings, goblins and ...”
“Goblins,” Ono completed.
“We have a dream. A dream to build a great park, a kingdom. A fort, even,” Ini continued. “A keep, built with attractions, amusement, games and all sorts of wonders and time wasters.”
Below, the goblins’ attention fixed on their words.
“Yes. But we can't do it alone. We need your help. Someone to build and maintain such a dream,” Ono said.
Behind him, the princess’s expression changed to one of worry. She gestured her hand to her throat, signaling for the gnomes to stop.
Ini continued, however, even as the mood of the goblins changed to one of anger and frustration. “Yes, someone to maintain, keep order and clean the fort.”
“Oh dear ...” Figwit exclaimed. He and the princess facepalmed at the brother’s blunder. In the embankments, the goblins erupted in protest.
“We are fighters, not cleaners!”
“Not our oath!”
“Death to pointy hats!”
The princess stepped forward again, trying to regain control over her retinue.
“Stop!”
The crowd died down, although the feeling of anger still lingered as they stared at the reason for their exile atop the hill.
“Loyal green guard! You swore oath, to protect and guard me whatever happened. To go wherever I go. I now call you to keep your oath!”
“Clean and work is not our oath!” a goblin protested. Insults echoed through the arena.
“Fine!” the princess yelled, and all fell silent in shock. “Then I call new oath. I, Ivy Wolfsbane of Haretrapper, challenge all of the green guard to Oathstrike!”
A collective gasp erupted from the mass of green as the princess proclaimed her challenge.
“If I win Oathstrike, I am raising your duties from fighters to servants. If you win Oathstrike, I free you from all your oaths and service to the clan of Wolfsbane, lords of Haretrapper.”
There were a few moments of silence as the goblins pondered the offer. Then, one by one, they began to chant.
“Oathstrike!
“Oathstrike!
“Oathstrike!
“Oathstrike!
The chant grew in volume and intensity as every goblin raised their fists and joined in. The princess raised her hand in the air, and with a stern and firm expression she proclaimed to all of her guard, “So be it. Oathstrike! Green guard, choose your champions.”
The goblins in the arena retreated to the hills, and the green mob divided into groups. Arguments ensued and votes erupted into the air, with calls and cries of who should become champions.
The princess turned back to the gnomes and the wizard. Her royal demeanor deflated as she pleaded in a tired voice, “Congratulations. You are fighting for park now.”
“What?” The wizard yelled. The gnomes looked in a dazed shock to the opposite side of the hill where the mob had gathered. “You said you would be able to get them to help us, not fight us!”
“I could have, if two children here knew how to talk.” The princess looked down toward the two gnome brothers, who pasted a clueless grin on their faces. The failure of their speech had yet to register in their busy minds.
“Now I got entire safety in line. If green guard goes free, nothing will hold them. They will start looting, raiding and making clans of their own.” The princess said in frustration and moved to sit by the wizards feet.
Finally, the weight of the situation crashed down on Ono and his smile slowly vanished. “Yeah that huh, that wouldn’t be good for business.”
The wizard grumbled at the gnome’s words, avoiding their gaze as he took off his own hat to let his hair flow out. He sat down and let the princess lean on him.
Figwit sighed, giving Ivy an unsure pat on the back as he tried to reassure her. “It will be alright, Your Highness. I will do my best to help. I don't think the Amberlight judge would be too happy with bands of goblins pillaging or sabotaging the dwarf rail. Last thing I want is to end up in jail stuck with those two.”
“Oh, my star champion!” Ivy cried , a smile spread across her face as she flung her arms around the wizard by her side. “I knew you would help.”
You are most wonderful of all knights dressed in starlight,” she let out warmly, nuzzling her face against the wizard’s. He awkwardly pet her head.
“Y-yeah. Thank you,” Figwit uttered and glanced at the giggling gnome brothers behind him. “You two! This is your mess. You are coming as well!”
“Huh?
“What?”
The princess stopped, glaring at the brothers. “Yes. You two cause this, so you better help fixing.”
“What in a burning boiler even is an Oathstrike?” Ini asked.
The princess rose up and walked to the top of the hill. She gazed at the bidding and voting happening among the green guard on the opposite embankment.
“Oathstrike is base of all goblin order. Free goblins challenge other free goblins to Oathstrike, a duel. Most times ends with losing goblin being servant to winner. Oathstrike is how all great goblin clans were formed and how goblins end their tribal fightings. Loser goblins stay under clan until they do what I did, and challenge to give them freedom again.”
The party watched as the green guard raised their opposing goblin champions into the air.
“Are we gonna have to fight all of them?” Figwit asked. The thought shook him to his very bone as he watched to the mass of green goblins.
“No. Oathstrike is small duel. Each clan choose champions, no more than three. Then challenged clan picks manner of fight or contest and oathstrike is over only when all champions from one clan are gone.”
Figwit looked down at the arena. As the cold wind blew by, he admitted in a fearful tone, “It seems they are ready.”