Hema clung tightly to Temate's side, much to Surrender's chagrin. She didn't like the goblins, after all they were stinky and gross and dumb. Toni asked who was best and they fought naked to figure it out! How did that prove anything! It didn't, it just proved who was strongest, or smartest.

  Whatever, she didn't like goblins, but at least these ones were smart enough to recognize Master was great. If Master wanted to keep them around, or fuck them, or whatever, that was his right as Master. Surrender considered this thought process, her mother had told her about the way gremlin's incorporate into society when they mated.

  This must be that, she was willing to accept the goblins who saw Master as he should be. She'd have to teach them to bathe properly but if they were smart enough to follow Master, so they could learn that.

  Surrender sighed and continued to slip forward, scouting ahead as was her duty and responsibility. Gief, the grumpy goblin, and Pebba, the hoppy goblin, followed behind her. That was how she thought of them, two exact opposites in personality and behavior. Yet both seemed to attempt to mimic her as she snuck and scouted.

  The fact they could follow her at all was impressive, even if she wasn't using all of her [Power]s right now. She could lose them if she wanted to but if they were gonna serve Master there was no harm to them learning. So Surrender moved carefully, both showing how to the two observers, and keeping her own eyes open.

  It wasn't far to where the goblin tribe was, just a few hours of careful travel. During that time it was pretty clear to Surrender what Hema was up to. She saw the way the one armed goblin strutted next to Master. The way she pressed her chest together and rubbed against him, smiling at him.

  Also because the other goblin's kept talking about it. Hema was the test, she had been his first named, and they weren't sure that their new chief would like goblins. So they'd decided she would attempt to seduce him and see how it went. If that worked, some of the others would take their shots.

  Goblins. Fighting and fucking was all they knew. That was the real problem. Fight, fuck, have kids, repeat. Gremlins were much better than that, each one was unique, even if they were simir in appearance. Both were various natural shades, some gremlin's even had naturally green fur.

  Not like Surrender, who had green stripes in her hair but that was from something else, not something she was born with. Hema was very pretty for a goblin, she had no particurly alluring parts to her. Her chest was moderate as was her ass. Her tail flicked slightly and cked the prehensile capability of Surrenders much longer one.

  She was a pretty shade of lime green though, slightly darker, and she had the wide face and narrow facial features of goblins. Altogether, pretty, if fairly average appearance wise, and Master had said he wanted to fuck goblins so... Hema would succeed, and Surrender would not interfere.

  Even if it annoyed her, it was Master's desire and she loved seeing him happy and serving him. It was a deep satisfaction in Surrender, one which told her she had truly bonded with Master. It wasn't a permanent thing, she knew, but so long as she always felt the love returned she knew it would continue to strengthen.

  She shook her head again, clearly it was still week if Master getting what he wanted bothered her at all. Though... She also knew Master would want her to talk to him about it, so she would when they had time. For now though she focused forward, a small cliff face was visible ahead.

  That would be where the goblins were camped, supposedly a small cavern along this stretch of cliff face. It was a strange cliff, one which jutted up a few miles in either direction. It rapidly sloped downward both towards either end, and on the other side of the cliff, leveling back out with the terrain on this side.

  It was honestly like something was taking a part of the world and lifting it up to look under it like it was a rug on a floor. Strange, but the world was full of strange things, like the Worldscar many weeks to the east of here. Or the hot water spring they'd found, a rare abnormality that her mother would have loved to know about.

  Water was hard to get in the Freeze. That was thoughts for ter though, she grumbled as she looked over the cave in the cliff face. A goblin scrambled across a branch next to her, Pebba. Gief followed shortly after.

  "Big Surrender." Pebba acknowledged her with a smile and Surrender nodded toward the cliff.

  "Where goblins?" Surrender asked the two. Gief frowned before he replied.

  "Should be here. No smoke, no fire. They not let fire go out." Gief grumbled and Pebba nodded quickly.

  "Mmm, bad sign. Go careful look or go tell Chief?" Pebba asked and Surrender considered that.

  "I go look. Gief stay watch, go to Master if bad thing happen. Pebba go to Master now, tell strange." She commanded and the two goblins nodded. Pebba darted off quickly and Surrender began to move in.

  She crept up to the cavern where the goblins were supposed to be camping. She found signs of a camp, rough tents of hide, burnt out firepits. It honestly looked like a group had abandoned the camp, which made Surrender narrow her eyes as she [Enshadow]ed herself. Goblins never abandoned camp, not without several deaths first.

  She sniffed around, things were out of pce everywhere. Signs of struggles and fights she saw now, but no bodies. Not even a spsh of blood anywhere. No weapons and tools were left behind. Surrender found the eating area inside the cave, food spilled everywhere. Footsteps were pushing out from the cave in a panic?

  Yes, something had come from within the cave. It was clear now, but what? Wolves would have left plenty of remains and signs, so would any monster she could think of. She crept carefully, her body heavily shadowed in the deep of the cave. She felt comfortable here, in the dark, in the quiet.

  Hunting. Stalking. This was her domain, she had always felt that way a bit, but as her [Power] evolved into [Wild Hunt] she felt it more deeply. As Laurel had expined, [Power]s are created by your soul, and your soul is shaped by your [Power]s. It's why her matebond had come with a new path.

  It's also what helped her track all this new information, examine the ground and see where nature was changed and how. It was exciting. It was also terrifying, because when she finally reached the back of the cave she found them.

  The bodies.

  Stripped to bone and piled up. One. Two. Ten. Twenty. Fifty.

  It didn't look like any had escaped this sughter. Yet that was only worrying, upsetting. What truly terrified her, as she heard her Master shout for her from the cavern entrance, was the muck.

  A bck ichor pooled across the bones here and there. When Master shouted it shifted, gathering around a single skull. It smiled and Surrender heard a ugh., deep and terrifying Heard bones rattle as they began to move.

  And ran.

  And behind her, the bones began to move themselves, to hunt towards the life at the entrance of the cave. A chilling ugh pushing them onward from behind.

  - - -

  "Master!" Surrender hissed as she leapt onto Temate's shoulder. "Smiling Man! Lich! Trap, Goblins dead, Bones moving!"

  The goblins around them growled as they hefted weapons and Temate frowned.

  "Everybody back, move back to the trees. Quickly." He ordered, Surrender saw the goblins eye him, Chiel shouted.

  "We run from fight?! Why run! Just dead things! Family must sleep!" He snarled.

  Temate snapped back. "No! If that Lich is here, the Smiling Man, we're all dead. Move Back, that's an [Iron Order]." Surrender felt the power directed at Chiel who stopped arguing. The tribe now of less than 10 moved back towards the trees.

  Before they'd crossed the open space the first marcher's broke out of the cavern. Small humanoids made of bone, goblin bone. Their cwed hands reached as the gnashed silently. In their midst a single goblin smiled, Rot clung to it's face as it directed the small horde forward.

  "Bring me his bones." The voice hissed and Surrender bristled but... Didn't fear? No, she did, but not the magical fear she felt the first time.

  "Master, not Lich, something else. Weaker." She hissed. Master's frown was unchanging as he examined the numbers coming at them. He continued pushing he goblins further back, despite their eager attempts to charge in and fight. Yet as more and more goblin marchers exited the cave, jogging after them, even the goblins grew afraid.

  "Keep moving back quickly, we're faster then the brunt, and the demi-lich can only push so many fast. We'll fight them in small clusters that way." He growled the order and the goblins nodded, they moved backward and away, some cmbering into trees and hopping from branch to branch.

  "Surrender, take Gief, Pebba and-" He looked quickly over the goblins. "Qinq and Fraar. Go further ahead and use [Enshadow] to fnk. When we engage come in from a side to smash them. Go." The [Iron Order] there was unnecessary, Surrender was already moving, the four goblins followed as she growled the name out.

  "The rest of you, follow me, do as I do and say." Temate turned, and as he led the goblins back Surrender saw the club. From his palm he formed a massive club of bone, thick spiked studs all across the top. It was heavy, and looked painful.

  Here's how the fighting went. Temate's goblin troop composed of Chiel, Crak, Roikx, Chaft, Trir and Hema would jog backwards a few hundred feet. Then they would form into a line and wait. The demi-lich seemed to ck true intelligence, which was a great relief for Temate. It would charge their lines with a dozen or so marchers everytime they would close in.

  They would try to surround the long line Temate's team would form, and Surrender's team, composed of Fraar, Pebba, Gief and Qinq, would sweep in and smash several. It wasn't a hard fight really. But after the sixth csh like this Temate could tell they were tiring. He felt fine, but the goblins were growing tired and Surrender?

  Her [Enshadow] failed on the st attack, causing the marchers to turn before she had fully engaged. Pebba took a cw across the face and the ensuing struggle sted longer than any two previous cshes combined. It allowed the demi-lich to get too close, it lifted one finger and muttered a word Temate could not hear.

  A bst of chill dark washed over the area and left decrepit, decayed pnt life behind. Temate stepped in front of Chiel and Roikx as they screamed and attempted to flee the magic. A barrier of bone erupted from his arm and caught the magic, but he still felt his energy sapped.

  A cackle followed it, cttering bone and sinister energy. Temate felt himself grow frightened but pushed through with [Towering Presence]. He swung his club, fashioned after the kanabō he'd always been fascinated by, and scattered two marchers as they approached.

  "Disengage!" He shouted, and the goblins obeyed as the other marchers grew close and more began to rush at them. Temate turned toward the demi-lich as it danced and pushed the marchers forward, grinning. He growled and dug deep into his body, for that new [Power] which wasn't quite right.

  "You. Flee!" He shouted at the demi-lich. A [Bone Order] directed at the very bones which composed the creature. It's eyes widened as it stared at him, it's smile never faded but it became terse and anger filled the creatures face.

  "You command ME?! How d- wait, wh- what is happening!" The creature's body, against the will of it's own mind, turned and ran. Without it's influence the marchers charging faltered and slowed. They fled, more distant this time, and Temate felt his [Power] fade almost a minute ter.

  He sighed as Pipuck tended to Pebba's wound and a few other smaller wounds.

  "We can't keep this up, we're what, halfway through?" Temate grumbled, looking toward the direction of the marchers. They couldn't see them yet, but he knew they were coming. Well he believed they were, maybe they'd given up.

  "We halfway to nursery. We go back? Get help? Laurel, Voel, Kea there. And Trevad people." Surrender offered. Pipuck grimaced.

  "I don't wan' to lea' a bunch of marchers back to a nursery. It's a pce of life, no' war an' who knows wha' would happen if they go' their hands on those Sparks and the greenlings." Pipuck pointed out.

  Hema squirmed next to Temate. He looked at her, think about how she had fought very effectively with her simple club. Darting in and out of the fighting to strike at vulnerable enemies. He nudged her.

  "Thoughts Hema?" He asked and she squirmed and looked up at him.

  "I agree. Not good go to nursery but." She looked around and saw encouragement from her tribesfolk. "Your mate. You say strategist. She there. She smart?" She said, as much a question as a statement. Temate raised an eyebrow, then nodded to Hema.

  "True, Toni might have a pn, and she's good with groups of enemies." He turned to look at their bedraggled group. Thought for a moment longer, and came to a decision as he saw the first marchers at the front of the horde.

  "Surrender. Take your group and head back to let them know what's happening. I'll do what I can here, I have one more thing I can try." He grimaced, knowing where it had come from, and how it had come about, he was loathe to try it. But also, he really did like the idea, and he needed to know it was his [Power]. His. Not anyone else's.

  "Pipuck, keep reserving your power and focus it on taking care of whoever's injured. We'll loop the fighting to try and get people more rest between." Temate looked around at the determined faces.

  "We follow Chief! Put family and friend to forever sleep!" Chiel said, lifting his bde, and the other goblins shouted in reply.

  Surrender ran with her small group trailing behind her, almost half of the goblins she knew, but Temate refused to be swayed. They needed to start preparing, and all hands were important for that.

  And the battle continued.

  The loop was quite a simple thing as it turned out. Three goblins and Temate would wait for the goblins arrival, while three more moved further on to rest. When the marchers charged Temate would smash as many as he could, it wasn't hard. They were small and fragile, being made of goblin bones, and his kanabō was sturdy. Reinforced by his [Ossification].

  Then, he did something which made the goblins grimace, but they did not compin. Temate swept his power out and spoke.

  "[March]" and the bodies did. One did at least. It got back up and fought alongside the goblins who took but a few swings and retreated quickly. They weren't trying to destroy them, just slow them down. If they could they'd take them out, but they were simply buying time.

  The goblins would run passed the next small group of goblins and off to rest themselves. The resting goblin stood and Temate joined them with his own marcher. Chiel was the only one to voice any dissent.

  "Why make own. We want put sleep." He grumbled to Temate and Temate smiled at him.

  "One, even the odds, if only a little. Two, I will put them back to rest when we're done, at least this way they fight with us instead of against." He replied as he slowly breathed. Back straight to recover energy.

  Chiel frowned, but eventually nodded. "Is good." He said, and that was that. He wouldn't argue with the Chief either way, but at least Temate could be satisfied he agreed.

  Then the marchers came again, the demi-lich's angry smile pushing a cluster forward toward them. Thank god this thing didn't think too far ahead, clearly assuming numbers and tireless energy would win it the day. Intelligence, both the stat and the resource, were important in any scale of conflict.

  Temate stepped forward before the goblins engaged. Smashed a few marchers, and repeated the [March] command. Almost as soon as they cshed, they retreated. The goblins took wounds, some were pretty rough, but none were lethal or debilitating. They would wear them down though.

  However, Temate could feel the edges of his command as time went on. After the sixth loop of this he stopped all the goblins at the same point, six marchers of his own at his back. They were maybe another half an hour from the nursery at this point. Having made better time rushing through the woods instead of creeping carefully.

  "Pip, take them back and get them all healed and ready for a final fight. Find out what Toni's got pnned and get it ready."

  Pipuck looked up with wide eyes to Temate. "Wha' abou' you?!" They said. "You thin' Toni's no' gonna ea' me alive if I come back withou' you?!" They snapped. Temate shook his head and looked back at the oncoming marchers.

  "I have six tireless marchers, the max I can push to run with me. I can maintain this loop indefinitely, even if it means not fighting occassionally to recover." He stated, has face was ft. "The marchers are weak, the... whatever it is, demi-lich is what I've been calling it, isn't particurly powerful itself."

  Temate hefted his kanabō onto his shoulder. Looked at the injured goblins, each approaching dangerous territory. He smiled again.

  "I won't let anyone die, least of all myself. If I feel at all uneasy with the situation, I'll run and leave my marchers to fight them. I promise, like I told Toni the other night, I have no intention of dying just to save a life unless it's the only option." He narrowed his eyes seriously. "It is far from the only option here."

  Pipuck frowned a bit, they went to say something but Hema cut in. "Chief say go. We go, Big Pipuck we need you healing, Chief not. Chief strong." Hema stated.

  Pipuck looked at her, looked at Temate, then looked at the rapidly closing marchers. They nodded. "Fine, bu' if you die on me I'll haun' your ghos' when Toni kills me 'erself, understan'?" Pipuck pointed at Temate who smirked and nodded.

  "I'll take that risk." Temate replied.

  So the goblins and Pipuck ran on leaving Temate alone. He turned to face the oncoming tide of marchers. Their white bones glistened in the rare glint of sunlight creeping through the canopy. Temate held his own bone white hand up, and looked at his marchers. He cricked his neck to both sides, allowing it to crack and dug deep.

  An old habit of his came out, from his violent youth. He spun the kanabō, a weapon most would struggle to wield properly being sized for him. As he spun the kanabō he began to whistle.

  It was an old song, a battle song his Ali'i taught him when he was young. How did it go again? He chuckled as he whistled, he'd never actually forget it, but it felt good to pretend. Pretend for a second he lost that old nature, that old fighting spirit.

  He whistled the rhythm, the tune, over and over again. He did not sing it out loud, he simply felt the words within him.

  Kauna nā pua a'o Hawai'iKūpa'a ma hope o ka 'āinaHiki mai ka 'elele o ka loko inoPapa 'ānunu me ka pākaha

  Force2reckon