Chapter 46: Short Life.

Sitting within his den of filth and rotting blight corpses, Shag-Ulkr growled, his mood sour despite the disembodied goblin leg in his mouth.

“B-bosssk! Whak iz wronk?” One of Shag’s warband asked, the small yet brave creature attempting to placate the irate beast.

“Wong? Nuttins wong ya git! Get me some more grub, Geple!” Shag-Ulkr snapped, throwing the goblin leg at the puny goblin boss named Geple. “N make it Uni meat!”

The goblin quickly fled, taking with it a group of its kin.

“Grrrr.” Shag-Ulkr let out, smashing the side of his throne in a fit of rage. “Who do ye dink eh is, tellin me mah own hume is yous.”

Shag-Ulkr slouched down in his chair, the nine-foot tall orc resting his hand on a weathered knuckle beneath the light of a glowstone.

“I gettin too old fer da stress.” Shag-Ulkr grumbled, his eyes drifting across his audience chamber that had dozens of goblins milling about.

“Then how about we help you get some rest.” A silky voice reached out, caressing his mind.

“WHO?! WHOG?!” Shag-Ulkr stood up, blood-shot eyes wide with rage at the taunt.

“Me.” Out of the shadows, a human appeared, one wearing nothing but a black dress. No armor. No weapons. Merely a yellow thing in her hands as she approached with a wide smile.

Shag-Ulkr licked his lips. It had been awhile since he last saw a human. Nevermind tasted one! But for one to walk into his lair! And a beaut at that!

The orc rose from his throne, a wolfish grin on his face as his body welled with hunger and lust.

“Disgusting.” The human said, casting her green eyes on Shag-Ulkr with a look that made him feel…

Shag-Ulkr froze in place, something was wrong.

The old orc clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening into fist. He hated being looked down upon and this! This woman!

“Wha du u want? Wher is Geple?”

“Wrapped up.” The woman replied, causing Shag-Ulkr’s annoyance to rise.

“Ya got some nerv hummy comin n ere alone.”

“Oh, but I'm not alone.” The woman said, a group of upright bugs… no. These were goblins, HIS GOBLINS!

Shag-Ulkr’s eyes widened, the green-skinned bug-armored goblins a far cry from his own warband.

“Wat is dis?” Shag-Ulkr hissed, his underlings rising and making noise at the green-skins in a neat formation with their spears and shields raised.

One of his warband took off, rushing the woman, the blighted Goblin hollering as it leapt into the air with lust in its eyes.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

The woman turned her head, her smile widening to impossible lengths with her jaw unhinging.

A scream was heard, but one that was cut off as the goblin disappeared.

The woman closed her eyes and dabbed her mouth, the entire cave silent.

“Y-yous no ummie! Wat is dis!?”

“This, is your subjugation. By decree of Lord Hiro, the land you tread upon is now under new management.”

“What?!”

“You will be given one chance to bend the knee. Failure to submit will be met with your organs being harvested and turned into compost to build the foundation of Lord Hiro's empire.” The woman said, a calm smile on her face as she stared Shag-Ulkr down.

“Summit? SUMMIT?!” Shag-Ulkr’s skin began to glow. “Yous com into my hom. Turn my gits against me. An DEMAN I SUMMIT?!”

“Alive or dead, either way you will still serve. Do not reject my Lord Hiro’s kindness.”

Shag-Ulkr's nose scrunched, his anger at an all time high as the woman remained unphased by his shouts.

“I AM SHAG-ULKR!” The orc roared, drawing all the goblins in his home that began to chant his name.

“”SHAG!””

“”SHAG!””

““SHAAG!””

“”SHAG!””

Shag-Ulkr let out a war cry, his bloodlust filling the air as several goblins came out, carrying with them a set of makeshift armor made of assorted metal and materials. All around the cave thumping of feet on floor sounded, along with metal on metal and anything else the goblins under Shag's command could use to make noise.

“I am Shag-Ulkr, and I sumit to no one!” The orc spat, his goblins strapping him into his war suit with one handing him his beating stick.

“Fertilizer it is then.”

The woman’s form began to shift and wiggle, her skin changing color from pink to blue as she opened her mouth to brandish rows of inhuman sharp teeth.

She took a step forward, or, almost did if not for her abruptly freezing in place.

“Shag-Ulkr was it?”

“Dat iz me!”

“Would you consider yourself a king?”

“What's dat?” The orc never hearing of that term before.

“Rephrase. Would you say you are the leader of your people?”

“Ain't no peepol ere! Only gitz an me! I am chief!”

The woman maintained her placid expression.

“Then as Chief, how would you like to fight my Chief? An honorable duel, one chief to the next. Winner gets everything.”

Shag-Ulkr turned his head sideways, the orc only a foot away from the woman holding a yellow thing yet towering over her.

“Ain what yous got I wan?”

“Treasure. Food. And…” The woman licked her lips. “Me.”

The Orc's muscles began to tighten, his carnal instincts nearly taking over. But he reigned them in. After all, he was the gitzzist of the gits. The strongest of the warband and oldest too!

“Fine tiny woman,” Shag-Ulkr huffed. “Bing yous chief. I will fight like gummies do! Wit honor!”

“”SHAG!””

““SHAG!””

““SHAG!””

““SHAG!!””

The blighted brood under the Orc's control began to whip into a mad frenzy, the goblins chanting their leader’s name over and over again.

Suddenly the woman's skin turned red, her eyes now wide and brimming with such bloodlust even Shag was forced to instinctually take a step back with the goblins quieting down.

The woman closed her eyes, her soft smile resuming once more as a green-skinned woman with shiny scales sluggishly walked into view.

Shag balked at the chieftain, the orc brandishing smile at a challenge he would relish!

He readied his beating stick, preparing to do battle.

However, the scale hummy didn't step forward to his challenge, instead, the soft skin stepped forward, placing the yellow thing in her hands on the floor.

“Wats dis den?” Shag asked, brandishing his beating stick to poke the yellow thing.

“Why don't you take a close look and find out? Maybe if your eye gets close enough it can recognize greatness.”

Shag-Ulkr crouched down, cocking his head at the thing that had unmoving eyes.

He poked it again with his stick, the yellow item letting out a high pitch squeak as the woman vibrated violently in place.

“Wats dis puny-”

And that was the final moments of Shag-Ulkr, the orc leader now a bubbling mess of black goo crowded by screams from the panicking crowd.

One and done. The yellow object on the floor unleashing its attack that blinded and melted the red-skinned monster.

"Congratulations.” The woman said, her form expanding as the blighted goblins cried in terror. “You have all been selected to serve Lord Hiro. Please resist.”