While Aurelius was concocting a plan, there was trouble brewing in the western parts of the kingdom of Gris. While Yurip held a city bordering that of the elven kingdom of Uru, thus leading to greater tolerance for the elves and other creatures, the western section of Gris was known to despise all those who were not of the goblinkin. "Lesser" beings were reduced to slaves, treated like animals without intelligence.
"This filthy fucking dirt dares to touch me?!" The hobgoblin was an outlier, known to his enemies as an aberration. He was black-skinned and twice as tall and wide as the other hobgoblins. He wore little clothing, with skulls decorating the loincloth on his waist. His hands were thrice as large as an average person's face.
Yet, a person stood before him. A normal human who neither balked nor blanched at the sight of this giant beast. He had even struck the hobgoblin, making a small scar on the side of his enemy's defined belly.
This person was known as Trayon.
He had grown up in the poorer parts of the human kingdom but managed to fight his way out of poverty by relying on his strength and wits. Trayon was not only powerful but kind, relying on his martial skill to rescue others when he was needed. The control of his mana ball ability shocked even some mages, those who understood that magical proficiency and martial skill were largely incompatible.
Trayon was like a superhero in his little town, a benevolent being who would swoop in and save the day whenever a villain needed to be beat. When he had heard the call to fight for his kingdom, he had gladly accepted.
Now, he was in front of the aberration. The troops behind him thought to themselves that he looked like an angel descended from the heavens, with light shining through parting clouds on his chiseled jaw and lighting him in all his glory. He bravely struck at the enemy and dodged when the giant hobgoblin attempted to attack. It was David against Goliath.
Splat.
The black-skinned hobgoblin crushed the puny man under one hand. Then, he laughed. It was a hearty laugh, one that made his minions behind him snicker along.
The men, the humans on the battlefield, watched, wide-eyed.
"Did you think I was fighting seriously?" The hobgoblin let out another laugh; this time, it sounded more like a chuckle. He had a deep and imposing voice that sounded like it could resound through mountains and shatter the earth beneath him. It almost had a... demonic tint to it. "I was merely playing with the man. Watching him squirm as he thought he had some little chance at winning, it was mildly amusing."
One human dropped his weapon and ran. Soon, the others followed. They were out of their minds. How could they ever be so presumptuous that they thought they could face a monster like him?
The hobgoblin turned to the goblinoid minions behind him.
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"Chase," he commanded.
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After the human city was crushed and the warriors were slain, the hobgoblin relaxed.
"Anastasia greets the Mighty One," a female hobgoblin said, kneeling before the looming entity.
"You can call your own father by his name," the black-skinned hobgoblin grunted.
"We still have to maintain appearances, Maglubiyet," she replied. After not receiving an answer, she continued. "We suffered a very marginal loss this time, with only 30 goblins dying by the time the city was conquered."
"Humph," he said. "Their families will be promptly rewarded. Indeed, a cornered lion is at its most dangerous."
"I also sent the order you gave to one of our trusted hobgoblin warriors, so the city in question will be taken soon." She shuffled a handful of papers in her hands before pausing and handing Maglubiyet one of them. "This is the hobgoblin we have sent."
"Ah," he said. "Raiden. I've had my eye on him for quite some time." The giant hobgoblin gave the piece of paper back to his daughter and nodded. "He will be an asset when I ascend to godhood."
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Aurelius flipped through the books in the bookstore. He had been studiously figuring out the Common language and was now fluent enough that simple books were easy for him to read.
"You learn fast," Rumi said, slightly shocked at how quickly the skeleton became literate.
"This isn't the first time I've had to learn how to read," Aurelius replied. "Hey, do you think an adult manticore may be in the city? This book tells people the dangers of manticores, but it also tells its reader the feeding habits and necessary diet required to maintain a manticore to adulthood."
"I'll look through the records and see who's checked out the book in the past, though I'm curious why you want to know about adult manticores so much," Rumi said, an inquisitive look in his eye.
"Because I'm going to save this city from malicious individuals who want to bring it to ruin."
Rumi scoffed. "Yeah, right."
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The city of Porus was a luxurious human city that boasted gargoyles as slaves that could destroy anything in their paths. There were bathhouses and toilets powered by advanced technology that generated magic from the electrical currents in the air. However, these luxuries were for the rich, and wealthy tourists would come from across the kingdom to indulge in these innovative items. Indeed, humans were at the peak of all intelligence, using any means to improve their living conditions and exalt themselves to a higher place in the bestial hierarchy.
A good distance away, a black-skinned hobgoblin eyed this place with avarice.
"Are the troops ready?" he asked, turning to the female hobgoblin next to him.
"As ready as they ever will be," she replied.
Maglubiyet looked into the distance and saw the rambunctious bouncing of his goblin minions. The hobgoblins were more disciplined, calmly riding on their warhorses and mentally preparing themselves for the battle ahead. Porus would not be easy to bring down, and there would be losses.
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Aurelius found it. An adult manticore. It had taken some bribing, but the goblin who was illegally holding an adult manticore finally let him through.
The size of it was breathtaking, but more than that, it was going to be a helpful tool.
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Maglubiyet knew there were going to be losses, but just how powerful was the enemy? It seemed like the right side of his army was being demolished, and was that one person causing the mess? He turned his warhorse and rode it to the right.
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"I have an idea," Aurelius muttered to himself.
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Again he attacked, and again he missed. The double-headed ax swung wildly, representing the struggle of its owner to maintain sanity.
The robed entity dodged and ducked, swiftly moving out of the way of the clumsy weapon.
The black-skinned goblin stood, bile spewing out of his mouth. His arm was chopped off, and the horse next to him was long-dead.
"Who... are you?" he asked the robed entity in front of him.
A man's voice emerged. "My name's Sol."