Chapter 761: The Demon Demands Souls (Patreon)

Pip had been in the village when he and the other goblins witnessed the power of the man who called himself the Demon King. The demon had seized him by the throat. After that, everything happened too fast. Pip was taken to his father’s tent and stayed close throughout the conversation, barely able to breathe. He served tea, offered food, and did everything he could to avoid drawing attention.

Before leaving, the Demon King made one thing clear: he would not tolerate another attack on him or anyone from his tribe. If he had to come back, he would no longer be interested in talking.

As soon as he was gone, Pip’s father summoned the village elders.

“Did you see his power?” Elder Tovo asked.

“We all saw it. There was nothing we could do.”

“There never was,” said Boggy, Pip’s father.

Pip stayed silent and watched. That was his role as the village’s future chief: listen, learn, and remember every word.

“That demon destroyed everything in the blink of an eye,” another elder muttered.

“Then we rebuild,” Boggy said. “We have to rebuild.”

The Great Spirit hovered nearby as a small sphere of glowing green light. It floated in silence, too weak to communicate the way it once had.

“We’ll warn the other four villages and deliver his message,” Boggy continued, his voice low and grim. “Because now there’s something in this forest far more terrifying than the spiders.”

They spent the next several days rebuilding. Mog, who oversaw the village’s defenses, scouted the most dangerous parts of the forest and confirmed the Demon King’s claim. The paths were safe. The spiders that had once ruled the treetops and blocked the routes were gone.

Before, reaching the other villages meant traveling through passages carved into trees, cramped tunnels, and hidden caves. Now, in theory, the goblins could walk freely across the surface. Even so, no one dared explore the new paths. No one except Pip. He had always enjoyed fishing far from the usual spots. He knew the spiders usually stayed in the trees. If he was careful, kept quiet, and didn’t draw attention, he could reach stretches of river where the best fish hid. His father had always praised his skill as a fisherman. So had Nim.

A week after the Demon King’s visit, messengers began preparing to leave for the other villages. Pip was walking through the village with his father when they passed Mog, who was helping rebuild the wooden wall. Not that the wall could have protected them from the Demon King.

“Now that the forest is safe, we can explore the other lakes,” Pip said. “We could gather seeds from those trees too. Start growing crops somewhere with better soil.”

Boggy shot his son a stern look.

“Pip, the forest’s only been ‘safe’ for a few days, and you already want to go exploring? Don’t fall for that demon’s lies. He’s not on our side.”

“We nearly starved when the soil died over the last few seasons. And we always run low on food when the fish migrate to the southern lakes. Now we can prepare better for winter.”

“Son, I know you like exploring. I was your age once, and I was just as reckless.” Boggy sighed. “But you haven’t been through what I have. We’re staying in this part of the forest, just like we always have. We’ve survived plenty of winters here.”

“But even the Great Spirit came back.”

“The Great Spirit is still very weak. Its voice can barely reach us. And I don’t trust the Demon King.”

That night, Boggy summoned Mog to his tent.

“Mog, you’ve been given a very important task. You understand that.”

“Yes, Elder Boggy. I’ll travel to the other villages.”

“The five goblin chiefs haven’t gathered in one place since my grandfather’s time.” Boggy’s voice dropped. “And now I’m the chief who has to bring them together.”

Mog nodded.

“Go. Deliver the message to the other chiefs. We need to decide what we’re going to do about the Demon King.”

A few more days passed. Mog should have reached the nearest village by then, but no message came back.

Pip was returning from an outing with Nim, Tovo’s daughter and his best friend. The two walked along the riverbank while she hopped from stone to stone, balancing a small wooden bucket.

“What do you think the elders are going to do?” Nim asked.

“I don’t know. But we obviously can’t fight the Demon King.”

“He really is terrifying.”

Before long, Nim had filled most of the bucket.

“Are you going to keep fishing, Pip?”

“I am. I want to go farther out.”

“I won’t tell anyone. Same as always.” She smiled. “But bring me back a special fish.”

“What makes a fish special?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

Pip thought about that. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It will when you find one.” Nim stepped past him, still smiling. “Come back before dark this time.”

“I always do.”

“You almost always do.”

“I’ll be back.”

They said goodbye, and Pip continued along the riverbank. It took him several hours to reach the edge of human territory. The path was difficult, but from the top of a tall tree, Pip could make out the Demon King’s home in the distance. There were other humans there. Pip could see much farther than the other goblins, a gift he had inherited from his mother.

After watching for a few moments, he climbed down and brushed the leaves from his clothes. He had visited that place several times over the past few days. His father suspected nothing. Everyone knew Pip often spent hours fishing, and he always came back carrying something useful.

The southern lake wasn’t much farther. If he found the fish that spawned there, or even seeds from the trees along its shore, his father might finally admit the trip had been worth the risk.

“Maybe I should visit those distant lakes this time...”

His father had forbidden him from going that far.

Pip hesitated.

“Better not. Not today.”

He would find Nim’s special fish another day. Pip started back. Grabbing several vines, he swung between the trees and passed one of the Great Tree’s enormous roots. There, he saw for himself that Mog had been right. The spiders really were gone. Pip stared at the scars left by the battle. The forest should have felt safer without them. Instead, it felt empty.

“I wish I had enough power to do that.”

He descended a slope and continued through the woods. It took him a while to realize just how quiet the forest had become. No birds called from the branches. No insects buzzed beneath the leaves. There wasn’t even the rustle of small animals moving among the roots.

Pip slowed. A little farther ahead, something dark moved between the trees.

“Well, look at this. A lost little thing,” a voice said.

Pip froze. “S-spiders?”

A massive wolf stepped out from behind a tree. Pip tried to run, but more wolves appeared around him, cutting off every escape route. The largest approached slowly, looming over him as he trembled.

“A lost little goblin. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of you.”

The wolf drew closer. Its expression twisted into something like a smile.

“Tell me, little goblin. Do you belong to the village near the river, or are there others?”

“V-village? What village?”

“Don’t lie to me!”

A swipe of its paw knocked Pip to the ground. The wolves knocked him back and forth as he screamed and tried to shield his head. The largest wolf lowered its muzzle. Its mouth was big enough to swallow Pip whole.

“Answer me, little explorer. I’m looking for something in this forest. Have you seen—”

A sound tore through the trees. Something struck the wolf and hurled it away. Pip raised his head in terror and saw a gigantic black spider emerge between the trunks. His blood ran cold. The spiders were supposed to be dead.

“Attack!” the wolf snarled.

The beasts charged the spider. Claws, paws, and massive bodies crashed into the surrounding trees as strands of webbing shot in every direction, trapping several wolves. The spider ignored Pip and went straight for the wolves.

For one terrible moment, Pip could only stare. Then he remembered Nim waiting for him. He did not wait to find out who would win. He scrambled to his feet and ran blindly.

“Pip...”

A voice whispered through the trees.

“Pip...”

He kept running, but the voice called again, seeming to come from the trunks themselves.

“Great Spirit?”

A green sphere emerged from one of the trees and floated before him.

“The King...” the weakened voice said. “Call him.”

The sphere vanished. Pip took off again. Ahead of him, the trees seemed to pull apart, revealing a path. He followed it until he emerged near a human child.

“Hannah!” a woman shouted.

“Orc!” the child screamed when she saw Pip.

“Orc! Orc!” the other humans repeated.

Then Pip saw the Demon King. He tried to speak, but his legs gave out. He collapsed, every wound on his body burning.

“A wolf...” he managed. “A giant, talking wolf. It wasn’t alone.”

***

Angie healed the goblin, who explained what had happened as best he could. They placed Pip on the spectral beast while Luke and Angie raced through the forest.

“There were so many wolves,” the goblin kept repeating, still in shock. “So many...”

Norn still hasn’t shown up.

Luke maintained his focus on [Sovereign’s Gaze] as he ran.

“Have you located the wolves, my lord?” Angie asked.

“Not yet. But something’s happening at the goblin village.”

Ever since the goblins rejected Luke’s offer, a dark spot had covered the area around their village, an absence in the Core’s perception. It was clearly tied to how territories worked. As long as the area remained outside his domain, it would be difficult to see what was happening there.

Norn didn’t warn me about anything either.

They passed the spot where Pip had been attacked but found neither the wolves nor the spider. Luke knew something was wrong before they even reached the goblin village. The stench of blood filled the air. And there were intruders in the village. Orcs.

“My f—”

Luke clamped a hand over Pip’s mouth.

“Quiet.”

He activated the [Cloak of the Arcane Witch] and advanced. One mistake, and another goblin would die. The orcs were dragging wounded villagers across the ground and tossing them into a corner like sacks. Luke dropped into their midst, and the first orc fell before any of them understood what was happening.

He kept walking. With every step, another enemy fell. Luke was too fast. The orcs could barely follow his movements, let alone react. When it was over, he raised one hand. An invisible force dragged the corpses aside while the scattered weapons floated off the ground, clearing a path. The surviving goblins stared at him, wounded and terrified.

“Where is your chief?”

No one answered.

Luke raised his hand again, and the wreckage of the village began to float. Timber, shattered roofs, and pieces of collapsed tents lifted away, revealing injured goblins trapped beneath the debris. The moment the survivors saw them, they rushed forward to help.

Luke found Boggy unconscious, gravely wounded, and missing an arm.

“Father!”

Pip jumped from the spectral beast and ran to him. Angie followed close behind.

“Heal them,” Luke said.

He walked away. One of the orcs outside the village was still alive, and Luke intended to question him.

“Pip!” Boggy called.

The village chief had regained consciousness, though he could barely stay upright. Angie had healed him just enough to stabilize him. Many other goblins were still critically wounded.

Luke returned and stopped in front of him. “I warned you. Even the humans in the city knew something was coming.”

“Please!” Boggy tried to rise but broke into a coughing fit. “Help us. They killed the others.”

“Where is Nim, Father?” Pip asked.

“They took her. Nim and several others.” Boggy struggled to breathe. “They’re forcing the prisoners to lead them to the other villages. They said they’d kill us if anyone refused.”

Pip stared at him. He had come back without her fish. Now she was gone.

“How long ago?” Luke asked.

“Less than an hour.”

“And how far is the next village?”

“Half a day on foot.”

Luke looked toward the trees.

“Not for us.”

He watched Boggy without expression.

“That’s all you’re getting. Consider it a favor to the Great Spirit.”

“You have to help us, Demon King. They’re heading for the other villages, and then they’ll come back. Please.”

“My price will be more than you can afford.”

Boggy dropped to his knees. “Anything you want. I’ll give it to you. Even my soul.”

Luke tilted his head. “Why would I want the soul of a dying old man?”

Boggy’s expression changed. Too late, he seemed to realize Luke had never been negotiating for a single life. The goblin looked up at him, pleading.

Luke stared down at him for several seconds.

“I want the souls of every goblin.”

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