Chapter 59: A Bloody Welcome
Murg lay motionless beneath a thick patch of tangled bushes, every muscle in his body locked so tightly that even breathing had become difficult. Beads of sweat rolled slowly beneath the scales on his forehead despite the cool forest air.
The assignment had been painfully uneventful for almost two weeks. His duty had simply been to observe the southern approaches alongside his dire weasel, report anything unusual and otherwise enjoy the peaceful scenery stretching across the Evergreen Forest. More often than not, he spent his shifts perched high among the branches while his companion wandered the undergrowth sniffing for danger.
That peaceful routine shattered the moment the dire weasel’s ears flattened. The beast had frozen without warning and its nose twitched frantically.
Then it bolted beneath the undergrowth and pressed itself flat against the earth.
Murg had never seen it behave like that. Trusting the instincts of a creature that had survived countless hunts, he abandoned his perch immediately and slipped into the nearest patch of dense bushes just moments before distant footsteps echoed through the forest.
What he saw next chilled his blood.
"No..."
His pupils shrank at the sight of the goblin army.
"What the hell are they doing here....They’re two weeks early..."
His breathing became uneven as a thought thundered in his mind.
Had the prisoners lied?
Had everything Lan’ka suffered to extract from them been false?
"Bastards..."
He clenched his dagger until his knuckles turned white.
Remaining hidden, Murg watched the goblin column advance through the forest. Every instinct screamed at him to retreat immediately and warn the colony, but the enemy was already between him and Vaal’kor. Moving now would guarantee discovery.
All he could do was remain perfectly still.
When Grash and the six elite riders finally passed his hiding place, Murg went so far as to stop breathing entirely.
His heartbeat thundered inside his ears. Then Grash suddenly pulled his mount to a halt and the massive boar snorted heavily.
His head slowly turned straight toward Murg’s hiding place.
"I smell a damn rat."
The words made Murg’s heart nearly stop.
His entire body flinched involuntarily.
’No... There’s no way...’
His thoughts became frantic.
’There’s absolutely no way he actually knows I’m here...’
He desperately clung to denial. Unfortunately, denial lasted only another heartbeat.
"Yep. It’s definitely a rat."
A cheerful voice suddenly spoke directly behind him.
"And damn... he stinks."
Buzz!
Murg’s blood ran cold. Without thinking, his body exploded into motion.
Swoosh!
He spun violently while drawing his dagger in the same motion, slashing backward toward the voice with every ounce of strength he possessed.
His blade cut nothing but empty air.
His eyes widened as Tal’s shadow looked over him The young goblin simply stood there smiling as Murg’s slash passed his previous location.
"Bastard!"
Murg roared. He immediately reversed his grip and lunged again.
Swoosh!
His dagger shot toward Tal’s throat.
Bam!
Everything suddenly stopped and Murg blinked, his body refused to move. Confused, he slowly lowered his gaze.
A sword protruded completely through his chest. Bright red blood poured steadily down the blade before dripping onto the forest floor beneath him.
"Bleh..."
Blood flooded from his mouth and pain arrived a heartbeat later.
His knees buckled.
Tal casually wrapped one hand around Murg’s throat before lifting him completely off the ground as though he weighed nothing.
"You’re pretty quick but not quick enough."
He grinned.
Without another word, Tal swung his arm.
Bam!
Murg’s body flew across the forest path before smashing violently against the ground. He rolled several times, leaving a crimson trail behind him before finally stopping only a few feet from Grash’s enormous boar.
His limbs twitched uncontrollably and his vision blurred.
"So.. Do we kill him now or later?"
Tal rested the bloodied sword across his shoulder while smiling toward Grash.
Bang!
Brox immediately smacked the back of Tal’s head with enough force to make him stumble forward.
"Oww!"
Tal clutched the rapidly swelling lump on his head. His sword slipped from his fingers before embedding itself in the dirt.
"You idiot! Chief said he stinks."
Brox glared and pointed toward Murg.
"So why’re you throwing him closer?"
Grash ignored the exchange completely. He slowly stepped down from his mount before approaching the barely conscious kobold.
Murg attempted to crawl away but his body refused. Grash crouched beside him. Without saying a word, he extended one claw before calmly carving several intricate runes directly into Murg’s forehead.
Fresh blood streamed down his face and Murg could only groan weakly. Every attempt to resist ended with another violent cough that sprayed blood across the dirt.
Grash finally finished carving the final rune before quietly studying his work.
"Don’t worry."
His voice remained strangely gentle, almost comforting.
"I’ll be sending your entire worthless colony to accompany you soon. You won’t be lonely."
Murg’s eyes trembled.
Lucy silently dismounted before handing Grash a thick rope. He accepted it without thanks.
One end tightened firmly around Murg’s neck and the other was secured to the thick muscular tail of his striped boar.
"Let’s go."
He climbed back onto his mount and the riders simply urged their beasts forward once again.
Murg screamed.
The rope tightened violently before dragging him across the rough forest floor. Sharp stones tore into his flesh while broken branches scraped across already ruined scales, leaving a widening trail of blood behind the advancing goblins.
His desperate cries gradually weakened into pitiful whimpers. Yet nobody looked back.
As Grash’s hunting party advanced deeper into the southern forests, every unfortunate kobold they encountered suffered the same fate.
Each was overwhelmed within moments before Grash personally carved the same strange runes across their foreheads. Each received a rope around their neck and was tied behind one of the massive striped boars.
By the time the six riders emerged from the forest and reached the foot of the familiar hill overlooking Vaal’kor, every mount dragged a broken, bloodied kobold behind it.
The crimson trails stretched across the earth like grotesque ribbons marking their path toward the colony.
High above, several kobold sentries stood watch atop elevated wooden platforms overlooking the southern approaches.
One narrowed his eyes at the sight of several mounted figures and huis expression immediately changed.
"Goblins!"
He slammed a heavy wooden mallet against the warning drum.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The deep sound echoed across the valley before being answered by horns farther within the colony.
Within moments, warning calls spread from post to post as the entire southern entrance erupted into frantic activity.
Deep within his hidden training chamber, Ka’z remained focused on carving another complex array across the stone wall. His claws moved methodically from one rune to the next while mana flowed steadily through the formation.
Then the warning drums reached him.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
His claws froze and silence filled the chamber. A slow frown spread across his face as he turned toward the cave entrance.
Ding!
A familiar chime echoed inside his mind.
[New Mission Unlocked: Protect The Colony From Grash And His Group.]
[Special Reward: A unique reward will be granted for every member of Grash’s elite group successfully killed.]
Ka’z stared silently at the floating messages. MThen his gaze slowly hardened.
"They’re here.. But they’re far too early." he muttered quietly.