Chapter 41: Goblin
Submit to me.
“Nyet!” The dryad spat, glaring up at me with green eyes, half her face and body deformed from the explosion that claimed her kingdom.
You. Are. Mine!!
“Poshel ty!”
Mine!
“YA nikogda ne ustuplyu!”
SUBMIT TO ME!
“YA ispol'zuyu tvoy trup, chtoby vyrastit' iz nego rozy!”
Alright… that's not working. Time for a new strategy I guess.
Submit to me please?
The dryad glared at me.
Hey, at least I'm being polite. I guess I don't have enough gym badges or something.
“Idi ubey sebya-”
Suddenly Slimey shot off, snatching the dryad off the floor with her elongating to wrap the Dryad and emulate a gorgon.
“HOW DARE YOU DENY THE GIFT OF SERVITUDE LORD HIRO HAS DEIGNED TO BESTOW UPON YOU!” Slimey screamed, her mouth unhinging to brandish serrated teeth that encircled the dryad's head. “IF YOU WON'T SUBMIT! YOU HAVE NO PLACE UNDER OUR LORD'S GLORY!”
Slimey. That's enough.
The Slime retracted her mouth, her head snapping in my direction.
Let her go.
Slimey shifted to a green color momentarily but did as ordered.
Good girl. I sent, Slimey suddenly turning pink before wrapping around my body and resuming her humanoid form on the throne.
“My Lord, why not throw it into the composter? Surely we'd get more use from this riff raff than if we were to accept it into our ranks.” Slimey offered, glaring at the dryad with disgust.
We have a use for her Slimey.
“But-”
That's enough.
“Yes. Lord Hiro. My apologies for my insolence. Would you like to crush one of my cor-”
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
Turning my attention back to the dryad, the former enemy guardian was proving a tough nut to crack.
Bound in web and slimes, my monsters were having to constantly dissolve the creature as for it not to regenerate. Considering the state of its injuries and how spry it was, I could only imagine what it would be like at full strength.
A considerable threat.
Fine. I sent. If you won't submit, torture it is then.
“Khm?" The dryad replied as a pair of goblins entered my throne room.
Off you go.
“Zhdat'!” The dryad screamed, dragged off by the goblins to be tickled until she broke. “ZHDAAAAAAAAT’!!”
Bye bye.
With that taken care of for the time being I focused my gaze on the sound of a loud clang ringing through my domain and a sobbing sound.
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“It's all gone!” Ayaka screamed, dropping the legendary sword picked clean of the black substance that came from my body. “Gone! Gone! GONE!”
Hmm. Now that I think about it, that black stuff is just the water I shot out… is there something inside me that's making that goo?
I opened up my system menu as the Spider began to shake and stomp.
Now that I think about it, water squirt got less and less black the more I used it. Maybe theres-
“LOOOOOORD HIRO!!!!” Ayaka cried.
The spider suddenly appeared beside my throne, kowtowing to me.
“Lord Hiro! Please! You must give me more! Just a taste! A small taste! A little itty bitty taste!” Ayaka pleaded. “I'll do anything you ask of me!”
And we're back to this again.
“Pathetic.” Slimey replied.
Recover from your injuries and regain your strength. Do this, and I'll reward you.
“Y-y-you promise?”
Of course. When have I ever lied?
Ayaka let out a chittering sound, wanting to refute but holding her tongue.
Now behave. I sent, ordering her back to her corner as more dead goblins were dragged in by Hector and the hunting squad.
Speaking of goblins, with twenty of them under my command it was time to form a troop. There were enough of them for lance or a platoon, but not enough for a company.
Organizing them into an effective unit wouldn't be too hard, but getting them armed properly and trained would.
Hmm.
Looking over the inventory of weaponry neatly stacked in a corridor of my chambers, I had roughly about twelve spears, twenty swords, nine hand axes, and fifteen kite shields in various stages of disrepair and five bucklars. There was also a great shield but it was doubtful any one of my goblins would be able to wield it.
I focused on the spears.
Fortunately they were made of metal, allowing for a usable weapon that wasn't rotting wood.
Training a bunch of sickly goblins into spearmen didn't seem like such a bad time waster.
However the problem in itself lay in the quality of troop. I'd train peasants before, turned villagers into warriors and recruits into veterans. Inspired them to protect their families, home, and country.
But goblins? And blighted ones at that? They had no allegiances or thoughts really other than to eat, sleep, and kill.
Or, that was until I took these goblins under my command.
Much like Slimey, I could feel beyond the veil of their shell, their desires, wants and needs. But most of all, I could feel their pain from their blight.
It was dull, but there, underneath the gnawing hunger and desire to kill, a lingering torment that was more of an inconvenience to the goblin consciously but something that affected its health.
Hmm.
I sent for a goblin as Hector and the other skeletons moved the food bundles away.
Speaking of teaching.
Slimey.
“Yes Darling?”
How would you like to learn some swordplay?
“L-l-learn from you?!” Slimey suddenly turned yellow. “IT WOULD BE MY HONOR LORD HIRO!”
Try using telekinesis to summon the Dragon Slayer. I ordered, Slimey reaching out with her hand only for the blade to remain unmoving.
Unsatisfied with the result, Slimey began to turn red, her MP bar visibly lowering as she activated the skill over and over again.
It's ok if it doesn't.
“I've got this my Lord! Please believe in me!”
Of course I believe in youuuuu-aw great.
Slimey deflated again, turning into a hot pink puddle on my throne with her body vibrating rapidly.
I swear I'm never going to get anything done at this rate.
****
Pus ridden and covered in ick, a naked goblin stood before me quivering under Slimey's and Buttstalion's gaze.
I could see it's fear, it's doubt. A cannibalistic creature worried that it'd had been chosen to be consumed.
I didn't know much about golin culture but I did know that when food supplies got bad, they drew sticks to see who'd be eaten to preserve the rest of the pack.
“How dare you stand before or Lord, KNEEL!” Slimey snapped, the goblin immediately hitting the floor and kowtowing.
Slimey.
“Yes, my love?”
Screaming is a poor form of education. In the future, see to it that you take a gentler tone when speaking to the uneducated.
“Y-yes. As you wish my Lord.”
I turned my attention to the quivering goblin.
Be calm I sent, the creature going wide-eyed as I addressed it directly.
The shivering stopped.
Now approach.
The goblin stood up, its head low, walking slowly up to the stairs of my throne where it stopped.
I activated Purify, casting the energy over the goblin who began to glow and scream. Adding on to the experiment, I had Buttstalion cast detoxify whilst Slimey used mend.
A three prong attack. Unlike the formally known “Dave” the goblin didn't have the benefit of evolution.
Plus, I wanted to test if I could purify and alleviate the monster’s symptoms.
The monster’s screams bounced off my chamber's walls, it's cries, alerting all of my goblins that came out to help.
They formed a loose gathering, each goblin, slack jawed as they eyed their companion glowing with power.
Focusing on the goblin, its brackish skin began to lighten, going from brown to green, the pus and spores boiling off its body to be replaced with new green skin.
Before long, the goblin began to shake and shudder, black blood pouring out of every orifice before the ick was replaced with crimson red.
[Blighted Goblin #12-> Goblin #12]
The goblin stood in awe of its own condition, the creature staring at its arms and body as it's cohorts let out audible gasps.
On top of losing it's blighted status, the goblin gained an increase in maximum HP, MP, and even a new ability, Endurance.
Next, I sent, the goblins all snapping out of their stupor to stare at me.
“You heard our Lord! STEP UP!” Slimey snarled, sending pure killing intent across the room.
Immediately three volunteered, the goblins stepping in unison at the command to be the next in line to be cured.
I could feel it, their eagerness, the monsters a step above their other kin by virtue of their will.
I grinned inwardly, maybe there was hope yet to create a professional fighting force.