Duval Estate.

"Finally! Some Goddamn progress!" Morty cheered as he watched the small army of dragues making their way through the forest.

Sure concentrating them all in one place meant more casualties from "accidents" between one another, it didn't matter when they were just as quickly replaced. Which meant that Morty, the sisters, as well as the Red Cap overseers were constantly stepping over corpses that weren't in really any kind of condition to be moved out of the way. Several puddles of genepools littered the area from how many died at once. Some they kept long enough to keep workers coming at a quick pace before diluting, and thus destroying, them as they moved the literal labor pool.

But it was worth it, Morty thought. Several concentrated miles of forest were already hacked and chopped and awaiting to be used back at the mansion. Sure it would be a while yet before he could turn the area into land for cash crops and food, but he needed a source of income NOW!

His little protection racket has been pretty much dead for some time now. Which means what pittance of cash he was getting from it is gone, as is any bits of metal, cloth, or other useful things that were "lost" that his men collected were now dried up as well. Apparently squeezing people dry while they're struggling to make ends meet wasn't a good idea, Morty thought as the Colonel reported several fights breaking out over collection detail.

The Colonel withdrew men when guns were brought out, apparently you could only push people so far. Go figure.

On the bright side, several of the noble goblins have claimed a handful of the abandoned stores in town as their own. Sure they had to get the Colonel to evict some squatters and a few ferals but after that the town of Somewhere had its first goblin-owned, read controlled, businesses!

Reports from the Colonel say that on top of a few stores, the Red Caps themselves have claimed one building and have turned it into a sort of barracks/garrison for the town. One of the stores is selling the lumber they've been collecting for some time now. Others are a mix-match of things. Some were selling hand stitched clothes. Others were forged bits-and-bobs. Given they were all made by goblins the quality left much to be desired. Then there was the giant glaring issue that Morty was still running into.

He couldn't sell anything.

The people here didn't have the money to be wasting on glorified trash or to afford bulk lumber, and he couldn't get a hold of anyone outside of town for several weeks now! He'd give someone a call about it if he could get a damn connection!

At least basic internet was still working, Morty thought. While he couldn't videocall anyone he could still do some basic, and important, work via online. Like ordering more heart disease for the nobles that continued to leech away at his dwindling finances, or checking on his family's businesses down in Louisiana.

His only saving grace was that the town itself was actually buying from him! Or maybe it was the Fed? He wasn't sure, but someone going by Mason came by the lumber store and bought all the lumber he had! With American cash and not weird and highly sketchy gold coins and jewels like those dwarves.

So he wasn't COMPLETELY fucked. But the sooner he could get to those deposits and start getting a bit more diversity in his income the better. He wasn't going to make the same mistake his family did and throw all, or most, of his eggs into the same basket and risk getting Dutch Disease.

But for now he was back in the black for the time being, he didn't care who this "Mason" was or what he wanted all his lumber for and he didn't care as long as he was willing to pay for it!

The head of the noble goblins/his head butler, had suggested using the collected stockpile of lumber as a gesture of goodwill to the townsfolk by building shelter and living quarters. While the idea was good and obviously had its merits, he needed income more than he needed goodwill right now.

As they neared the central part of the forest one of his bugbear scouts was helping to point him in the right direction on a map of the area along with some of the geological surveys his family had when they first came to the area looking for coal deposits.

Which led to yet another problem for Morty. The deposits were seemingly in opposite directions of each other. Which meant that concentrating the dragues wasn't going to work anymore as he'll have to split his workforce up to reach them. Which meant weeks maybe even months more of work!

Even if he had the cash to spare, he doubt he could get any of the locals to come and work for him again. He could maybe see about getting some of the new arrivals to do the job. But they were still quite wary of the goblins, even after his grand spectacle and offering of food and blankets and so he doubt they would be even more keen on working WITH the goblins on anything. The ingrates, Morty thought.

So he had two options. One was to give the dragues better, and thus more expensive, equipment and hope they don't break it, which was likely. Two was to cut through the forest with unconventional means. It would be a good chance to test his new cannon, Morty thought as he recalled seeing the cannon the goblins made. Of course it was rough and looked like it had about a 80-90% chance of just exploding rather than firing.

"Maybe I could just burn it?" Morty thought aloud as he looked around at the forest. Surely it wouldn't get THAT bad with fall rains coming and winter just around the corner... right?

Then the two sisters perked up and glared into the forest with vicious snarls.

"What has you two in a fit?"

His answer came in the form of a truly GODAWFUL stench! Like some unholy mixture of body funk and rotting meat! Morty looked towards where the cloud of stink blew in from and could see several forms lumbering through dark gloom of the trees, and right towards them.

The dragues panicked and ran as they caught sight of the creatures while the goblin Red Caps barked and rallied the guards into a defensive formation as they aimed their muskets at the approaching figures while the sisters made a quick, and thick, wall of muscle between whatever it was and Morty.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Morty was surprised when the dozen or so figures stopped just short of the large clearing they were in. The creatures stomped and growled and snarled from the gloom. Morty could only tell that they were about the same height as the ogre sisters but were lankier.

The Red Caps barked an order and a wall of musket fire cracked throughout the clearing and into the group of strange creatures, shredding bark from trees and earning a few cries of pain from the monsters as the musket balls connected to flesh.

Morty watched as one of the creatures was brave enough, perhaps from rage or pain, to enter the clearing. Only to back up as a bumpy gray hand was all he could catch before the beast retreated into the gloom. But that wasn't the end it would seem.

The creatures looked between the clearing and the brave one among them. Then a equally bumpy hand of another stretched out and held for a long moment, as if waiting for something. But when nothing happened, the monsters laughed and began to emerge from the dark and into the perpetual dreary light of Somewhere.

They were as tall as the ogres were, maybe taller if they didn't slouch. But while they were solid masses of fat and muscle, these creatures were lean around their lanky arms topped off with large calloused hands that ended in thick fingers tipped with yellowed and grimy claw-like nails. A protruding gut centered their stony gray frame on top of two squat legs that they hobbled forwards on. Their feet were huge and warty and had those same disgustingly yellow toenails that seemed to have fungus growing on them! Their bald bulbus heads could only be described as "dim-witted". Protruding overbite of rotted teeth, pug-nosed and beady eyes that seemed to perpetually squint at them as they entered the brighter area, two dinky ears that seemed too small finished off the grotesque figure of the creatures that hobbled towards them in a almost shuffle like charge given their stumpy legs. They used a grimy cloth to cover their sensitive bits that Morty wasn't sure if it had always been that dark color or not.

Orga roared and charged ahead as the Red Caps whipped the goblins into reloading while Urga stayed close to Morty to guard him from the creatures. His scout wasn't no slouch either and charged along side the ogre as she wadded into the fray.

The ogress bellowed as a meaty fist smashed into the ugly face of monster with a sickening mix of crunch and squelch. The bugbear leapt through the air and landed on one of the creatures and roared as he jerked and yanked until the bulbus head was severed from the unsightly body in a mess of gore and blackish green blood.

Orga batted aside a wide swipe of a gnarly nailed hand, the bone snapped and the beast roared even as she yanked the limb clean from its owner and proceeded to use said limb as a makeshift weapon against it. Beating it down to the ground until the arm was nothing but pulp before sending down a mighty stomp upon the head of the creature.

The goblins weren't doing so good however as three of the horrid creatures slammed into their ranks, sending several flying with large back-handed swipes even as disgusting nails disemboweled others. The Red Caps bellowed orders to keep them from routing altogether and charged with raised saber and a crack of pepper pistols towards the monsters even as the remaining goblins fired off a few quick shots before charging after their commanders, intent on skewering their enemies on their bayonets.

Morty was more than a little distracted to say the least, one second he was planning on getting back in the black. Now he was in the middle of a combat zone! Then there was the stench, did he mention that already? It was horrid. Absolutely rancid that his eyes watered when one got too close to him and Urga.

He didn't really have to worry though as the ogress made short work of the warty gray thing. Slamming a balled fist onto the head with a splat as the body flopped forwards towards Morty.

"God! They smell worse dea-AAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Morty totally didn't scream like a little girl as a calloused gray arm latched itself to his fine pants.

His girlfriend/bodyguard was quick in smashing the arm into mush. Though even the twitching hand and fingers still seemed like they were inching towards him! Wanting to save a bit of face, Morty stomped his expensive shoes onto the hand. But it didn't do much other than probably stain them in stink and whatever foulness was on the thing. He would have to burn them, and these pants, he thought as the remains quickly turned to mush.

Brief scare that he may or may not have peed a little from aside. Orga and the bugbear were battering the monsters soundly. But the goblins were all but gone save for a small handful of them. The Red Caps were in pieces as were most of the guards. Those surviving were only just barely keeping them at bay long enough for a few in the back to pop-off a couple shots. One found its mark into the eye of one of the creatures while the rest pelted into various places in their thick warty hide.

Morty didn't stay long however as Urga picked him up and hauled him back towards the mansion with Orga and his scout, and his cranial trophy in arm, not far behind.

"Why are we running? We're winning!"

"Trolls." Orga cursed as they ran as if that said it all.

Sure they lost some goblins, which wasn't a big loss, or even a medium one. The only thing they lost was the Red Caps, which the Colonel won't be happy with, and time as they'll have to get the dragues back to work cleaning this mess up.

Then Morty looked back at the "dead" trolls. They weren't very dead, he noted as severed arms and legs re-attached themselves to their quickly healing bodies. Whole new limbs regrew from the bloody stumps, even heads seemed to pop back out of the bodies! Upon taking a closer look at the head the bugbear had, Morty did notice that it was still blinking and glaring at them as they sprinted from the battle as the last of the goblin guards were cut down.

It was a concerningly quick process truth be told. Their fight lasted maybe a few minutes, and in about half that the trolls that seemed to be dead were now up and walking again! Then they were charging after them in their weird hobble/shuffle as they bellowed guttural roars at them.

"Go to the mansion and order them to form ranks and ready for combat!" Morty ordered the bugbear. He was the fastest of the four, er three since he wasn't actually running.

He nodded and sprinted ahead, outrunning either of the sisters as he ducked and weaved his way over leftover stumps, holes, and the odd diluted drague genepools in the ground before disappearing into the distance. The sisters either smashed right through stumps or just jumped right over. Shaking the ground, and Morty's head as they hurried towards home. They were going so fast they actually caught up and ran past the fleeing dragues! Serves them right, Morty thought. They'll either make it back towards the mansion, and be punished for running. Or they'll be ran down by the trolls and eaten.

Morty meanwhile didn't, and couldn't, really do anything but hold on to the ogre as they lumbered through the clear cut section of forest and hope they didn't trip and squish him under their bulk. Good thing though was that he was now far away from that stench!

They rounded a small incline that led them to the vast cleared area just behind the mansion. Several yards away was three lines of blue, white, and green that awaited them. A firing line of muskets awaited them as did the twin barrels of Morty's two, and so far only, cannons. One was the polished brass that had once been a center piece in his family's armory. The other was obviously goblin-made. The barrel didn't look entirely straight and the opening was wider than normal and it tilted to the left a little. He had good odds on it exploding.

The goblins barely got out of the way for the ogres to rush past. They turned up dirt as they skidded to a halt behind the safety of the muskets and cannons. They panted heavily as Morty shook off the thrill of going so fast before going to the Red Cap officers.

"Trolls are coming this way! I want them nothing but swiss cheese before I have to smell them again!"

The officers saluted before going down the several hundred strong firing line relaying orders as they took positions and waited for their enemy to arrive. Morty was rather excited. He was about to see his forces go into ACTUAL combat! Not the bum rush he, accidentally, did on the kobolds and Jeb. Or even the rushed defense just a few minutes ago. But real combat between two forces!

But it turns out waiting was boring. He had expected the trolls to rush out of the woods right behind them! But instead he was left standing there nursing a stiff drink looking at his watch. He was far less concerned than his forces that looked ready to let loose on the open ground itself!

So he about spilled his drink when the twin cannons erupted along with musket fire as they all shot at whatever emerged from the woods! White plumes of smoke filled the air so much he was surprised to see anything at all! He was actually more surprised that the goblin-made cannon DIDN'T explode!

Well... not on the first shot it didn't. But it didn't really last for a second one though as the thing fell apart from the force and crumbled into a pile of scrap right as the cannonball flew FAR over its target. As the front line fired they would retreat to the back to quickly reload and the new line would move forward and fire and then the three lines would switch from there between firing and reloading ensuring a constant rate of fire. Morty could only vaguely hear the Red Caps ordering to cease fire.

As the smoke cleared and muskets and cannon was reloaded they all saw the state of their enemies. Or what was left of the dragues that they were firing at. The cowardly things, as well as the ground surrounding them and even a few trees nearby, were utterly shredded. A tree fell down as what was left of its trunk broke.

The remaining handful of dragues skittishly looked up from their little spots of safety that wasn't hit from the musket fire or cannons. A bark from the Red Caps forced them to quickly make haste to the firing line. Where they were promptly beaten and sent towards the mansion to be reassigned duties.

Morty didn't feel bad for them, the cowards left him to die!

With that brief spat of violence done with, now came the waiting as the trolls shouldn't be that far behind them... right?