Risha felt the wind rush past her as the spiderling she rode on descended the cliff face.

Enemy warbeasts climbed up to meet her, only for her children to drop down on them and kill them and their riders instantly.

She felt energy flow through her as her smile grew with her bloodlust. She lifted her arms above her head, moving them through forms that felt natural, each movement flowing into the next without conscious thought..

Fire grew at her fingertips as [Shaman’s Magic] activated. The fire descended with her swarm, taking the form of a spider’s descending fangs.

Goblins, Spiders, Kobolds, and Orcs slowed in their fighting as they watched the descending flames.

The flames exploded into the ground, exploding the side of the orc army and raising a cloud of dust. Out of the dust, purple beasts skittered, their movements taking them into the still recovering orc lines.

Across the battlefield, Glo raised his spear and roared. Earth-Shaker ripped the throat out of an orc and howled in response. The goblin lines invigorated by the actions of their leaders rushed forward, pushing hard into the orc lines. They fought to reunite with their Empress, their Grand Mother.

For the first time in the battle, the orcs felt fear.

In the back of the line, Loklok the warchief met eyes with Risha.

She’d been pushed off her spiderling and bled from minor cuts that had made their way through her armor. A barely visible purple light rushed out of her in waves, healing the injuries of her children as [Mother’s Care] worked overtime.

Her sword decapitated the head of an orc, and a rush of energy flowed through her as she reached level 30.

For reaching Level 30, you gain the skill [Mother’s Ferocity]

[Mother’s Ferocity]: An embodiment of the monster Grand Mother Risha’s battlelust, Mother’s Ferocity increases your strength, stamina, and mana the longer a battle goes.

Risha laughed as her tiredness drained from her, her muscles which had ached from the battle felt flush with strength.

A purple spider’s leg shoved her back, only for the leg to be chopped off by a large ax embedding itself into the spot she’d been standing.

Risha watched in horror as a giant war spider engaged her injured daughter. Her healing aura helped, but it was a slow effect.

She moved to help her spiderling, only for a crunching sound to stop her.

She looked at the ax, where a familiar large orc had landed, the ground turning into a small crater underneath him.

Loklok looked at her with a disgusting blood filled lust. Risha hated the feeling, her stomach churning as she took the chieftain in.

“You are Risha.” Loklok grinned with madness, revealing bloodied teeth. “The other goblins didn’t taste as good as you will.”

Risha revealed her own teeth, showing all of her hate for the orc. Her eyes glowed with their own slant of insanity, high from the blood of the battle. “I’ve never tried orc-flesh before. I think it would taste too much like pig. What do you think, piggy?”

Loklok didn’t respond as he pulled his ax from the ground and swung at her.

Risha laughed as she dodged away from the strike.

The laugh stopped as a blade of force extended from the ax, cutting into her stomach. She folded in half as she was thrown back.

She landed rough, but quickly rolled back onto her feet. Her chitinous armor cracked, the piece covering her stomach falling to the ground. Blood flowed down her stomach from the slight cut that had made it through her protection. [Mother’s Care] didn’t work on Risha herself, but the cut wasn’t deep enough to cause a lot of damage.

Risha reached down to touch her own blood while Loklok watched her warily. She brought the blood up and looked at it.

“Do you see how hopeless it is, goblin?” Loklok asked.

“You look down on us, don’t you, piggy?” Risha asked. “You think we’re lesser than you.” She wiped the blood on her cheek, drawing a red line.

WIth her bloodied hand, Risha pulled out a dagger, holding it in her offhand.

“You really should know better by now.”

Risha dashed forward. The ax sliced at her, but she danced under it, [Risha’s Swordsmanship] and Klu’s lessons working together as more blades of force extended from the orc’s strikes.

Her mana flowed through her as she danced, every movement entangling itself with her energy as her mana grew.

Loklok took a step back and sent another series of slashes.

Risha felt a cut hit her arm, but didn’t stop moving as chitin fell to the ground.

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Lines of energy flowed through her sword and her dagger as she spun with them, leaving a glowing afterimage in the rain.

Finally, she moved her sword and blocked one of the strange slices of energy with her glowing sword. The blade of force was stopped, but Risha kept swinging. Her sword absorbed the energy of his strike, then sent it back towards the orc in a purple blade of force.

Loklok stepped to the side, his eyes widening in surprise as blood dribbled down his cheek.

“Thank you, piggy. That’s a neat trick you just taught me.” Risha was a bloody mess, but her smile was as strong as ever.

Loklok took another step back. Then he growled and charged towards her.

Risha met his ax with her sword, then dashed in with her dagger, drawing blood.

Loklok realized something during this exchange.

She was stronger than him.

Loklok felt fear.

He struck wildly with his ax, forcing her to back up.

Then he ran.

A purple blade went through him, and his vision began to tilt. He rolled on the ground, and looked up, only to see his body still standing.

“Like I said. That’s a neat trick.”

Those were the last words the orc heard before darkness claimed him.

Risha breathed heavily as the orc’s body fell to the ground next to where his head lay.

She looked around, a pit in her stomach growing as she took in the dead and dying around her. Many of her spiderling still fought, but the one who had saved her life was curled up next to the body of a dead war-spider it had been fighting.

Risha walked up to the body of the chieftain, then picked up his head.

She howled, drawing the attention of all the nearby fighters. One by one, the orcs realized that their chieftain was dead.

It was a crushing blow to the already demoralized force. It started with those in the back, as they turned, and started running. Soon the majority of the orc forces started to retreat, leaving their frontline to the mercy of the goblins and kobolds.

Risha looked at the retreating forces.

This wouldn’t be the end. There were more chieftains out there, and powers even beyond them.

She looked over the orcs left behind, ready to die.

“Pull back!” She ordered her spiderlings and the goblins near her. They trusted her and followed the order.

The surviving orcs stood there in surprise and fear as all over the battlefield, goblins pulled back from the remaining enemy forces. The kobolds were forced to follow lest they be left alone against the enemy.

Risha stepped forward in the quiet and wet battlefield.

“Surrender and you’ll be spared! If you fight, you will die!” Risha looked up to the cliffs, where she met Klu’s eyes. He was bloodied, and had a slight limp, but other than that looked fine.

She turned her attention back to the enemy forces.

One by one, they set down their weapons and lowered their heads.

They were defeated.

****

Risha sat in the medical tent, while one of Tya’s assistants wrapped the many cuts all over her body. Her [Mother’s Care] skill spread over the whole tent, healing all of those inside and aiding the healers. It wasn’t too big a drain on her mana, and thanks to her frenzy skill, she wasn’t lacking mana in the first place. She’d told them not to waste mana on her cuts, since not many of them were serious.

Around her, were the surviving Elders. Of the sixteen Elders that had accompanied them, five were dead. Most of them suffered injuries, and only eight were well enough to join them. Glo lay down in a bed next to her, wrapped in bandages. He was awake, thankfully. It had been a close thing.

Klu stood to her side. Across from them, Earth-Shaker sat with Sun-Chaser slightly behind him..

“You are a fool, little goblin.” Earth-Shaker’s words had every goblin glaring at him, even those who agreed with his point. “We cannot trust orcs. They are honorless creatures meant for war and little else. You should kill them while you can.” He looked up to Klu, who stared back emotionlessly.

“Many orcs were once goblins.” Risha said.

She had no love for orcs, but she knew that she had to be the one to fight for them, because she knew that no one else would.

She glanced at Klu.

Not all of them were deserving of death.

“I forgave your people for the village they slaughtered.” Risha couldn’t stop herself from baring her teeth as the images of the dead goblins were pictured in her mind. “You of all people should know that not all the creatures of a race are the same.”

“You needed us.” Earth-Shaker growled. “You did not forgive us.”

Risha narrowed her eyes. “Your people have been welcomed, and I would gladly accept you as one of ours. I don’t do that lightly.”

“You are a fool. I will not fight with an orc lover.” Earth-Shaker bared his teeth. He looked at Klu, “Does he lay you at night, little goblin? I could lay you so much better.”

Risha wanted to cut his throat, to draw his blood with her teeth.

She wasn’t the only one that felt that way as Klu’s hand grew pale from its grip on his sword.

Risha stood up, feeling the pain of her many cuts. She looked down on the kobold, despite the difference in their size. “You are a coward, who would rather insult me than challenge me.”

Earth-Shaker stood up, his size pushing against the edges of the tent.

“Risha is no fool.” Risha growled. “And I won’t fight with a coward who sends his men to their death rather than fight me himself. Go, if you want. But do not insult me.”

Earth-Shaker calmed himself, then smiled. “Kill as many of the chieftains as you can before all your people die without us. Follow, Sun-Chaser.”

Earth-Shaker turned to leave, but Sun-Chaser didn’t move.

“No.”

Earth-Shaker paused.

Sun-Chaser turned to Risha, then bowed until her forehead touched the floor. “Please, Grand Mother Risha. Fight for us.” Her voice broke at the end. “Please.”

Risha met the eyes of Earth-Shaker. The large black wolf-like creature was twice her size, but Risha understood that this was a moment which could change the course of her people.

“Earth-Shaker.” Risha said. “I challenge you for the right of alpha.”

There was a long pause as Earth-Shaker slowly took in the room.

His eyes landed back on Risha as a low growl shook the entire tent.

“You will die like the lowly creature you are, little goblin.”