The Commander of the Goblin Army perched atop his large, wolf-like mount, and surveyed the small village that lay ahead. He issued a sharp command, and the army of armored goblins surged forward with swords, spears, and axes glinting in the sunlight. Their mission was clear: to destroy everything in their path.
Bob, and the Goblins residing in the village, watched in horror as the enemy approached. He and his comrades knew they were outnumbered and outmatched, but the Goblins were determined to defend their home. Bob was determined to help his friends as best as he could. The Goblins brandished their weapons and prepared for battle.
Bob activated the Rolodex, and the roulette wheels manifested in the air in front of him and did their routine. Bob still hadn't gotten used to the number of cards he had now, so watching the reel turn and the pictures flash by in quick succession was still quite mesmerizing to him. The reel finally settled and locked in on a zombie card. He wasn't quite sure which one until he examined it a little more closely, it was a picture of a zombie with a green mist emanating off its body. Ah, Plague Zombie. Interesting, let's see how they do against these Goblin fucks!
The multiplier reel appeared next to the zombie card and started spinning. After the reel flashed through the numbers at a speed nearly too fast for Bob to keep up with, it landed on a number and locked it in,15x.
*Oh, Damn! Getting a 15x multiplier on your first try after getting a shiny new upgrade! You really are the Chosen One!*
Bob could hear the Rolodex chuckling at him. Hey, Shut it! I have a battle to focus on, no time for your nonsense! The reels vanished and in their place appeared 15 of the most disgusting-looking Zombies that he had ever seen. They dwarfed the Goblins, and even Bob himself felt quite short in comparison to these Zombies. Much like the monster card pictured them as they had a green mist that sort of poured out of their corpses, but it hovered around them and didn't go dissipate.
The Plague Zombies let out a guttural moan as they lumbered lazily into the incoming Goblin army. These monstrous zombies terrified the Goblins, but they were well-disciplined and maintained their formations as they fought back. The plague cloud generated by the Zombies dispersed into the attacking Goblins, infecting them with poison that caused damage over time. The Goblins that it infected had a yellow tint appear on their green skin. Even poisoned, the Goblins, fought on desperately trying to kill the nasty creatures.
The Commander, flanked by a squad of goblins riding smaller, wolf-like creatures, broke off from the main force and circled around to attack the village from the rear. Bob quickly realized the danger and raced to defend the village, a handful of soldiers and mages following his lead. They formed up on the rear wall readying their attacks.
As the Goblin Army continued to fight the Plague Zombies, the sky filled with arrows and javelins launched by the defenders. The mages, too, unleashed their spells, sending bursts of magical energy hurtling toward the enemy lines. But the attackers were equally well-armed, and soon, projectiles and spells began raining down on the defenders and on the Zombies with deadly accuracy.
The Commander and his squad arrived at the rear of the village, attacking with brutal force. The mages on both sides engaged in a fierce magical duel, creating massive explosions and waves of fire that illuminated the darkening sky.
Despite their courage, the defenders were struggling to hold their ground. The Goblin Army was overpowering them, their numbers and skill too much to handle. But just when all seemed lost, something unexpected happened.
A group of goblins emerged from the mountains, armed with nothing but rocks and clubs. They charged toward the invaders, their faces contorted with fierce determination. Bob and his comrades watched in awe as the goblins charged forward, ready to lay down their lives for their fellow Goblins.
But as the Goblins drew closer, a strange thing happened. Their bodies began to grow larger, their muscles bulging with new strength, and their limbs stretched to double their normal length. Their skin turned a deep, dark vibrant green, and their teeth elongated into razor-sharp fangs. The transformed goblins, now towering over their former brethren, charged into battle with newfound ferocity.
They tore through the Goblin Armies' rear, their raw power and rage cutting through the enemy ranks like a scythe. Bob and his comrades watched in awe as the transformed goblins fought with a frenzied intensity that surpassed even the most seasoned warriors. The Goblin Army was now caught between the ferocity of these new Goblins and the infectious clouds of the Plague Zombies, all the while having arrows, javelins, and spells rained down upon them. The Goblin Army fought with all they had, but to no avail, steadily their numbers were reduced.
The Commander, unaware of the danger posed by these new foes, charged the rear wall with all his might. Spells and projectiles landed among the defenders and they returned fire with all they had. Bob watched the cooldown for the Rolodex summoning ability closely and when it hit 0, he activated it again. The reel spun, Bob didn't look because his attention was focused on the Commander's movements. It locked in the Slime card, and the multiplier reel locked in at 11x.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The 11 Slimes materialized in front of the Goblin Riders and began launching their acid projectiles and leaping at them to inflict their corrosive damage. The Goblin Commander grabbed one of the Slimes midleap and held it in his hand, smoke starting to emanate from his gauntleted hand. He looked up at Bob and yelled.
"You think your puny slimes can stop me? I am Gorknash the Destroyer, one of Wars Chosen Generals! You will all die today!"
As he finished yelling, a vicious smile crept onto his face, as his hand squeezed and the slime exploded into essence particles. Bob was surprised at Gorknash the Destroyer's display of power, but he wasn't intimidated. Bob continued to observe the battlefield, and his cooldown timer, as the spells, javelins, and arrows from both sides flew back and forth. He ducked and dodged as he needed to avoid getting fried or skewered.
You are scanning enemies and absorbing their essence as they are defeated yes?
*Come on now Bob. How many times are you going to ask me that? I scan and consume everything I can. I'm a growing artifact, and I need all the nourishment!*
Right, right, I'm sorry Rolodex. I just want to make sure we both get as strong as possible. These fights are going to get harder as we go.
*No worries, Bobby-boy. I will make sure that you and I, together, are the strongest thing this world has EVER seen!*
Bob smiled at the crazy artifact and then fell flat on his butt as a fireball exploded on the wall where he had just been standing. Well, fuck that was a close call! Better pay more attention, Bob! He cautiously peaked over the wall and found the caster who had just nearly fried him. Bob glared at the offending mage and gave him a 2 fingered salute. The Goblin Mage saw the salute and bridled with anger. Launching more spells at Bob, Bob's eyes widened as he jumped back behind the cover the wall provided.
The Goblin Riders continued to split their attention between the walls and the slimes in their midst. The Slimes were swiftly destroyed and the Riders hadn't even lost a single soldier doing it. The defenders on the wall, however, were getting injured at an alarming rate. The Healers were running back and forth from both fronts of the war, carrying the wounded to the medical bay, where they were treated as quickly as they could be. Bob grimaced at the rate at which the defenders were being taken to the med bay and the rate at which they returned. In a war of attrition, Bob and his allies were losing. Horribly.
Fuck it. Bob thought to himself as he willed a couple of vials out of his inventory. [Bottled Fire] was in his hands once again and he smiled. He pulled back his arm and launched them one after another at the Goblin Riders. The vials of [Bottled Fire] landed among the Riders and shattered, unleashing their massive balls of fire. The Riders screamed in agony as they were engulfed in several massive explosions of fire. The screams were cut off as all the riders fell except for Gorknash.
Gorknash pulled himself out from underneath his charred mount, shuddering in pain. He had splotches of scorched flesh peppering his body, and his armor was molten, and dripping off his flesh as it burned his flesh even more. Gorknash let out a bellow laced with anger, pain, and frustration. Gorknash stood defiant and bellowed at Bob.
"You coward! Typical scum behavior, not daring to face me in single combat. I may have failed, but I am only the first of many you will face. Sooner or later you will be slaughtered like the cattle you are. War is coming and you WILL DIE!"
Immediately after saying this, Gorknash grunted in pain and spoke no more, as hundreds of arrows pierced his body. His body fell to the ground, and the battle on the rear front was won. Bob noticed the glint of a shiny object among the glittering essence that was floating up and then disappearing into the Rolodex's endless stomach. Bob jumped off the wall, absorbing the impact as best he could with a roll, he still grunted upon landing.
He got to his feet fighting through the slight discomfort from the awkward roll landing and ran to the shiny object. He picked it up and tried to identify it.
*IDENTIFYING ITEM*
*PROGRESS 1%*
*PROGRESS 1.1%*
Ok, that is going to take a while. Bob chucked it into his inventory and decided to check on the progress later. He had to go make sure the other front of this war was doing well. He ran as fast as he could around the village to the other side of the battle. Snowball leaped off the walls and sped after him barking at his heels, simply enjoying the rush of the run. When Bob arrived, his jaw dropped, what he saw was beyond belief.
The Plague Zombies and these monstrous-looking Goblins had routed the remains of the Goblin Army, they were fleeing for the mountains. Bob looked over the battlefield and saw nothing but dead goblins with essence swaying above them gently trying to float away into the ether, he noticed that a few of his Zombies were gone. Bob's observations were slightly interrupted by the phantom sound of slurping in his head. The essence vanished immediately as Bob continued to watch the remaining Plague Zombies and the other Goblins chase them into the mountains.
The Zombies continued into the mountain pass after the fleeing army, but the other Goblins stopped and bowed to the mountain before turning and heading back toward Bob. As they ran to the village walls, they slowly reverted back to the form of a normal Goblin. Bob watched in awe as his Zombies vanished into the mountain, and then awe turned to shock as he saw the transformation with his own eyes. By the time they arrived in front of Bob, they had fully reverted.
"Thanks for the assist in the battle, but what are you, who are you?"
"We are the Fang Mountain Goblins. We live in and worship The Great Mountain. In return for our service The Great Mountain bestows many boons. One of which is what you have just witnessed. I am Gromak, First Priest of the Great Mountain. I have come to aide you."