Glo

Glo stabbed forward with his spear, the rain twisting around his attack. He brought the spear back, then struck forward again. His movements were precise and sharp, the force of his stab shifting the wind and water around his weapon.

Many of the other goblins practiced next to him, but none of their stabs were as sharp as fluid as his.

He practiced that same movement again and again, for hours, the rain completely forgotten in his mind as he worked to perfect the one movement.

He thrust forward again, his entire body flowing with the movement. This time, something changed, something inside him roaring with the strike and flowing through his weapon.

The rain parted with his stab, briefly bringing a quiet to the clearing. Then the rain hit the ground again.

Glo took deep breaths, his body exhausted from the exercise.

Another High-Goblin walked up to him, water dripping through the furs he wore around his body.

“Elder Oltak!” Glo said, planting the butt of his spear into the ground. “It is good to see you.”

“General Glo.” Elder Oltak gave a slight bow to the other goblin, his speech polite. “One of your warriors said you wished to speak with me.”

“Yes!” Glo walked towards one of the tents, the Elder following behind him without comment. “I hear that one of the wolves challenged Risha.”

“Yes… they did, but-”

“But your orc friend stood in for her.” The sound of the rain echoed loudly on the leather canvases of the tent. Glo smiled as he wiped the rain from his brow. “I’d like to hear what happened from you.”

Elder Oltak hesitated for a second. Glo was a strange anomaly to many of the Elders. He didn’t say much in their meetings, but everyone knew that he supported RIsha without question The warriors who trained under him followed him loyally, and any attempts by the Elders to control the warriors were stopped harshly.

Still Elder Oltak respected the younger goblin. He clearly had a good head on his shoulders and was fiercely loyal to Risha.

So Elder Oltak explained exactly what happened from his perspective, including the provocations of the Kobold leader.

Glo’s constant smile was unreadable, but Elder Oltak detected a sharpness in his gaze that ignited a small ball of fear in his stomach. When Elder Oltak finished, there was silence except for the pitter patter of rain on the leather tentroof.

“I’ll tell you Elder, I was unhappy to hear that there was an orc among us. WIthout Risha’s protection, I would have tried to kill him myself.” Glo paused, his smile turning dangerous. “But it seems that he has his uses. Thank you for sharing with me, Elder.”

Elder Oltak looked down, “He is a good creature.”

Glo nodded. “I believe you.”

A goblin warrior stepping underneath the tent caught their attention. “Glo should see this!”

Glo smiled. “Thank you Elder. I look forward to seeing more of you!” He turned away from the Elder and followed the excited goblin.

The goblin warrior led him over to a large group of goblins. It took a second for Glo to make his way through the crowd, but eventually his gaze joined the others as they watched in awe. Risha twisted around the strike of Klu the Orc, only for him to berate her on her footwork as he easily landed a light strike with his wooden sword. Risha didn’t give up as she continued to charge the orc. .

Glo watched for a long time, enraptured by the fight. Risha was outclassed in every way, her every movement predicted as Klu danced around her with the grace of an orc who had seen countless years of war and fighting.

Something hardened within Glo as he watched the fight. He still wasn’t strong enough, he needed more. They had to push harder in order to win their freedom from the orcs. Glo had to become faster, better. It wasn’t enough.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Glo turned around and returned to where he’d been practicing with his spear. Several goblins followed him and Glo smiled wide, a spark of recklessness showing.

“Glo doesn’t give up.” Glo stabbed forward, while the other goblin warriors watched. “Glo will win!” He stabbed forward. “Glo won’t stand back.” Forward. “Glo will protect Risha.” Forward. “Glo will kill all the orcs.”

Every goblin around him picked up their own spears, and stabbed with him. Their movements becoming one.

Shyanne

Shyanne held her head in her hands, her gaze staring into the marble walls of her throne room as if they held the answers to her many worries.

The soft taps of two feet hitting the floor alerted her to a guest. She shifted her gaze, meeting the eyes of the Grand Mother of the dark elves.

Maya held her gaze for a long moment as neither of them spoke.

“She’s planning something.” Maya said.

Shyanne raised an eyebrow. “She’s always planning something.”

“Yes, but her flock is moving. They’re searching for something.” Maya frowned. “I think they’re preparing for another crusade.”

Shyanne tensed at the word. “I thought her attention was being kept to the southlands.”

Maya shook her head. “The humans there are falling, and the dragons keep to their neutrality. I worry for Cala.”

Shyanne closed her eyes for a long moment. “I’ll send reinforcements to the southern kingdoms, force her attention back.”

Maya shook her head. “No, it’d be too obvious. Send supplies through my people in the Kelforn mountains. A few of my mages and warchiefs won’t draw too much of her anger, plus she already dislikes me.”

Shyanne let out a weary sigh. “I’ll contact your men.” Shyanne paused. “You think she’s searching for something? Could it be…”

“I hope not. But we both know how she sees monsters. She’s already killed a Grand Mother once, she won’t hesitate to do it again.” Maya’s grip tightened on the knife at her belt.

“No. She won’t.”

Klaz’zks the Spider Queen

Klaz’zks looked down on the two spiders in front of her. The water flowed off of their chitin as they held their heads low, their feet stabbed into the mud where they ended in claws. The cold white fur of the snow spider stood out in contrast to the forest green and brown that was the trap-weaver spider next to her.

“I don’t like the smell of the wolves.” The snow spider said, her feet tapping against the muddy ground. “It reminds me of death.”

There was silence except for the rain until The Spider Queen spoke, “They are an unknown. While I may have argued for them, I do worry. Make sure we keep extra watch over our slumbering sisters.”

Both spiders tapped their legs in agreement.

The Spider Queen moved her legs across her web as she lowered herself to the ground. “How do the preparations go?”

“We’ve been working together with Elder Roa and the other spider-goblins.” The Trap-Weaver spoke, “We prepare a battlefield several miles East in terrain that suits us.”

The spider queen tapped her legs in excitement. “Soon, we will be surrounded by the blood of the orcs. It will be a glorious day of feasting.”

The two spider tapped their legs in agreement.

The Spider Queen continued, her movements growing more frantic, “They will know the wrath of the enslaved! They will taste our poison as they shrivel from the inside! They will know the name of the one who made their deaths a certainty. They will know of Grand Mother Risha.” The light of fanaticism could be seen in all eight of the Spider Queen’s eyes as she looked down on those beneath her. “Go. Prepare for the feast of orcs.”

Third Chief Loklok

The orc chieftain watched on with a cruel smile as another orc bled out before him. Every season, there were those who thought they could challenge him. Every season, he enjoyed chopping them up and seeing the life drain from their eyes.

The orc chief raised his head to the sky as rain started to fall, poking holes in the snow and washing the blood away from his ax.

The orc chief's second, an old and weathered orc motioned for two other orcs to take the body away.

“You fight as well as ever.”

“HIs life force flows through me.” The orc chief smiled wide. “His blood mixes with mine and I become stronger. The other chiefs should fear me.”

The orc chief turned his attention to the ground where the snow slowly melted under the rain. A thoughtful expression rested on his face.

“It seems that the snows are melting.” He raised his eyes to match the other orc’s own wise eyes. “I’m tired of waiting. We begin our march tomorrow. I hunger for the taste of High Goblin flesh.”

“Yes chief.”

The orc chief through his ax into the dirt and walked off to his tent, a wild grin marring his face.