Chapter 766: The First Dark Goblin (Patreon)

Luke had won the battle. Angie intended to make sure he won everything that came after it. She stood farther back, hidden among the trees.

“Lord Moon is... incredible,” Joseph said in awe.

At Luke’s request, Angie had brought the leaders of Otto’s village, along with the goblin leaders and their sons. Luke had shown them his strength; now it was her job to decide how best to use their fear.

As they watched the battlefield from a distance, she studied their reactions. Joseph looked impressed, while Cecilia seemed caught between shock and disbelief. Caleb was trying to hide a mix of fear and concern. The concern was easy enough to understand. The rest wasn’t.

The goblin leaders were afraid, but not exactly of Luke. They were more afraid of what they might have already done, whatever disrespect they had shown before realizing what he was capable of. They had always feared him. Now they understood why.

Her wisdom skill helped her read emotions and intentions, but Angie knew it wasn’t infallible.

“Lord Moon...” Boggy said, his voice trembling. “He could have wiped us out whenever he wanted.”

“With very little effort,” Fenn added.

Angie smiled where none of them could see.

Just as I thought.

"Angie, it’s me, Luke. Your true name is Uriel."

Her lord’s message arrived through the [Message] spell. The spell used the same generic voice for every message. As a precaution, Angie had suggested that he always begin with a code phrase.

"Take them back. Norn already captured a few orcs for me."

Angie gave a subtle nod, then looked at Cecilia.

“I think we should leave. Lord Luke only wanted you to see that you’re safe and that you no longer need to worry about the orcs. You can return home now.”

“O-of course,” Caleb said, trying to hide his nervousness. “He has... my thanks.”

They climbed into the wagon Theron had brought for them.

“I’ll walk with you,” Angie said. “I’m sorry you had to witness that. But after seeing what Rosemark’s army could and couldn’t do, I thought you deserved to know who was truly capable of protecting your village.”

“Lady Angie,” Cecilia said.

The shock on her face had hardened into determination.

“Thank you. I owe my life to you and Lord Luke.” She glanced back toward the battlefield. “Everyone in the village needs to know what happened here.”

Good. Fear was far more convincing when it came from someone people trusted.

The wagon began to roll, and Angie walked alongside it with her spear in hand, guarding them while continuing to study their reactions.

Joseph wanted purpose. Caleb wanted Cecilia. Cecilia wanted safety for her people, but that wasn’t all. Her sister was dead, leaving Hannah in Otto’s care, and Cecilia had already lost one member of her family. She would do almost anything to make sure her niece wasn’t next.

That made her more than the village’s future leader. She was also the surest path to Otto. If Angie won Cecilia’s trust and kept Hannah safe, Otto would follow. They all wanted different things, and each desire gave Angie another way to control them. She only needed to figure out where to pull.

“If Nyvma had fallen...” Otto murmured. “All those orcs would have attacked us.”

“We would’ve ended up as fertilizer, Otto. Or food for those monsters,” Joseph said. “I told you. The kingdom doesn’t care what happens outside the capital. And don’t forget, without Lord Luke, we would’ve been dead weeks ago.”

The wagon continued down the road as Angie smiled to herself.

They’ll crawl to him now, then carry the story to every village they know. Serve Lord Luke, and you eat. Serve Lord Luke, and your children live.

Humans liked to dress obedience up in prettier words, but that was all it ever came down to.

***

By the next day, the goblin leaders had seen exactly what Luke was capable of. He had already shown them what power looked like. Now he was going to offer them a piece of it. Luke met with the goblin leaders and their sons in the castle hall where the Core was housed.

“As you saw, even the human soldiers couldn’t handle that orc army,” Luke said. “I want to know something. If all five goblin villages joined forces, could you have beaten them?”

“A-against the orcs?” Merrik asked.

“No,” Fenn said with a nervous laugh. “We’ve lost to smaller forces.”

“Not even if all five villages came together and prepared in advance, knowing the attack was coming?”

“Lord Moon, the humans had armor, horses, and battle experience,” Fenn replied. “We wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“But did you run when the orcs invaded your villages?”

“No,” they answered in unison. “We would never abandon our people.”

“And goblins still died. Unfortunately, determination doesn’t win battles.”

Luke raised his hand. A black particle appeared above his palm, and every goblin in the room leaned toward it.

“Power does.”

Their eyes locked onto the particle.

“I won’t force any of you onto the front lines. That’s part of my agreement with the spirit. I can’t make you fight for me.”

“You don’t need to, my lord,” Fenn said. “We saw your power... your true power. You stand far above us. You have no need for our help.”

“That’s a fair assessment, Fenn,” Luke said. “But it doesn’t mean I can be everywhere at once. What happens if I’m protecting another village when more orcs come for yours? How will you protect your families?”

They fell silent.

“I’ll be honest with you. This changes a citizen’s status on the [Citizenship Card] to [Soldier].”

“S-soldiers?”

“I’m not asking you to abandon your families and fight my wars. It grants you an ability meant to protect the kingdom and everyone in it, including your families.” Luke looked at each of them. “If you accept, you’ll become a little stronger. Not strong enough to destroy an orc army the way I did, but definitely stronger than you are now.”

Illyra floated around them. Luke had already discussed the matter with her. The goblins remained silent, but every pair of eyes followed the particle. Luke had more than sixty soldier slots, enough to change the future of all five villages.

“And I should add that none of you are obligated to accept. Refuse if you want. I won’t force you. As you saw, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. That isn’t what concerns me.”

Luke glanced at the black particle. “The question is whether you want to stay the way you are.”

The goblins exchanged looks. They clearly wanted to discuss it among themselves.

“W-will I be able to rescue Nim?” Pip asked.

His childhood friend had been kidnapped by the orcs along with the goblins from the fifth village.

“I won’t lie to you. The chances that your friend is still alive are low. And this power won’t make you incredibly strong.”

Pip lowered his head.

Luke already had some information. The orcs had taken the goblins downriver by boat, intending to use them as slaves. But those orcs served a faction opposed to the Orc Lord, unlike the ones that had attacked Nyvma.

Finding them wouldn’t be easy.

“Don’t worry,” Luke said. “I’ll track them down. I want every citizen they took brought home.”

“I-I want to help,” Pip said. “I’m a good scout. I have the best eyes in our tribe.”

“It’s too dangerous. Right now, you’d only get in the way.” Luke didn’t soften his voice. “I questioned the captured orcs, so I understand their factions better now. If you die, I doubt your father will be happy serving the lord who got his son killed. That applies to everyone here.”

“I want to get stronger so I can rescue Nim. I understand what you’re saying, but I want to save her.”

“Pip...” Boggy, his father, began.

“They took her, Dad. I can’t lose someone else. Not after Mom.”

“And what are you going to do?” Ribbo, one of Fenn’s sons, asked. “There’s nothing we can do. I lost people I cared about too.”

“I’ll start by not getting in the way. By not being useless,” Pip said.

He looked at the black particle, then at his father.

Boggy grabbed his wrist.

Pip looked down at his father’s hand and gently pulled free. Boggy shook his head, but Pip had already turned back to Luke.

“Demon Lord. I accept. Make me a soldier.”

“Excellent.”

Luke placed a hand on the goblin’s head.

“Pip, don’t—”

[Pip has become a Soldier of the Dark Lord!]

The goblin began to glow. Boggy froze, staring in alarm as light enveloped Pip’s body. He took a step forward, then stopped, unsure whether it was safe to touch him. When the light faded, Pip looked different. The changes were subtle but visible. He seemed less frail. And he had grown hair.

“It worked, Lord Moon,” Pip said, staring at his hands. “I feel different.”

Luke opened the interface.

Name: PipRace: GoblinRank: FDark Rank: SoldierSkills: [Coward’s Reflex (Common)], [Pack Nerve (Ultra-Rare)], [Far-Seer Eye (Ultra-Rare)]Soldier Skills: [Trajectory Eyes (Rare)]

Luke read the new skill, then read it again.

Maybe the kid wouldn’t be useless for long.

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