Chiel shouted for Stord as he watched the other goblin go flying with the resounding explosion. He stumbled his way back to his feet as he heard a shout.

  "[FALLING ACORN]!"

  A rge, fuzzy thing smmed into Bras smashing her into a crumpled mess on the floor. Even with her armor!

  The fuzzy thing spun smming it's big hammer into Kaxx and then Solx, the two brothers flying against a nearby tree.

  Chiel stood and shouted as he ran towards the fuzzy thing, fury and bloodlust taking over. Then he felt his strength leave him.

  He fell over, colpsing onto the ground and looked back to his foot. His ankle was cut neatly to topple him.

  He did not see the shadow as it split away to another of his comrades. Not only because it was too fast, but because of the troll.

  Not Toknut, their boss, but the other troll that wasn't a troll? It fell from above, creating a small crater as dirt and debris flew.

  A splinter of one of the dders got in Chiel's eye eliciting a scream as he dug at the eye. He tore the splinter out, destroying his eye in the process.

  He looked back to the two trolls as they faced off. Toknut swung their long cwed limbs at the new troll.

  Chiel's eyes widened as the new troll lifted one arm made completely out of bone! The bone spread into a barrier which deflected Toknuts cw!

  Toknut swung a second cw, a sharp bde glowing orange cut with a thrum into Toknut's arm. Toknut screamed and looked as surprised as Chiel when her arm did not begin to heal.

  The new troll had hurt Toknut! That caused more stir than anything else as the goblins all stopped.

  The goblins watched the two trolls fight, their attackers stopping in confusion as no retaliation came. Oh a few fought back, but they died. A few died just because they didn't seem to care that the goblins had stopped.

  Until a voice shouted from the trees. But Chiel couldn't hear that, he didn't care. Because what was happening before him was more important.

  More important then his damaged, oozing eye. More important than the bleeding leg which had him woozy. His natural regeneration, a gift of Toknut's, would handle that. No, it was the challenge and the challenger.

  It was a strange yellow brown, not the green of a goblin or troll. It's body was thick and heavy, like one of the hilly trolls farther south. It had no cws, though the bone arm looked like it could cut flesh as easily as any bde.

  But that didn't matter to any of the goblins watching, all they saw was the 'troll'. After all, he had gone straight to the chief which could only mean one thing.

  A challenge.

  A challenge for control of the tribe, though they knew other species didn't really accept that as the way of things. Chiel took pride in the fact that the best leader was in charge. Be it through cunning, strength, or spell.

  Chiel immediately came to a decision as he saw the sharp grin of the new troll. If this troll won, he was in charge, that's how it worked after all. If it decided they all had to die because it didn't want goblins, that was the way of it.

  Chiel could feel the same acceptance from the other goblins around him, cut down to fewer than a dozen in just a few moments. Less then... then... Chiel didn't do good with numbers but it was less then the lots they'd had before.

  At the onset of the fight, when the new troll had first nded, it seemed obvious who the winner would be. At least if you were honestly evaluating things, the new troll was smaller but clearly heavier, and it had a weapon. But it wasn't a complete victory as Chiel had expected.

  In fact, Toknut was winning, prompting shouting and cheers from the goblins watching. That's their boss! That's their-

  A strange sensation crept over Chiel and the others silencing them. The same feeling which came from the smiling thin in the bck muck. The one who turned to bone after they'd passed by.

  Though this felt... weaker, yet still it made Chiel shiver. Then Chiel saw the new trolls hand strike out, not the bde they held.

  It stabbed into Toknut's chest, and the wound burned. Around the impression the attack made the flesh began to sizzle and sear away, just like when they would eat. This new troll was eating Toknut alive?!

  Yes. It was, Toknut pulled themselves back but they looked weaker now. The new troll, Mate by the name it's companions shouted, brought his bde up. A savage series of strikes followed as the Mate troll shouted two words over and over.

  "[Vicious Strike]!"

  Cut, ssh.

  "[Vicious Strike]!"

  Cleave, stab.

  Again and again, every few swings the Mate troll would shout that. Toknut did not surrender though, she fought back. Savagely she bit and cwed at the Mate troll.

  The two fought and fought, Chiel frozen in suspense at what was happening. Awestruck by the savagery and martial power on dispy. What goblin wouldn't be? It was everything they aspired to, strength of arms, of spirit, of something.

  Here it was, two of the pinnacles Chiel had ever witnessed. Exchanging violent blows. The Mate troll, or just Mate Chiel mentally corrected himself, was less tough then Toknut. Not surprising.

  But he was a better fighter, for every one blow Toknut got in Mate would get two or three cuts. They added up, especially since they weren't healing! Chiel didn't know how Mate did it, but without her healing it was only a matter of time.

  "Surrender." The troll, Toknut, grumbled as she knelt before Temate. Yet he did not hear her, something had gripped him and he would drive for the *kill*. His bde came up, gleaming as it caught the soft purple light, and it came down.

  The troll's head rolled across the small gde, Temate whirled to join in the fight only to see the fighting had stopped. Around him 10 or so surviving goblins stared with wide eyes. Not in fear, but in adoration. It was that which stopped Temate before he cut the next one down. That and Toni shouting.

  "MATE STOP!" The voice came from beside him as Toni scrambled nimbly down from the tree. She ran in front of him holding her arms up to cover the goblins behind her. Temate's arm strained, the desire to kill flooding him as he felt energy coursing through his very bones.

  "Toni." He growled, a warning sound to his voice that surprised even him.

  "No. They surrendered, they're *not* the monster who fought us. We won. Right." She hissed the st word as she looked over her shoulder at the goblins now gathering there. One of the bigger ones, eye bleeding where it had been ripped out, stepped forward nodding.

  "Chief lose challenge. Mate chief." It spoke almost reverentially, one of Toni's eyes lifted in surprise.

  "See." She turned back to Temate, arms still held out as she looked into his eyes and he into hers. He didn't know what she saw there but it clearly disturbed her. He felt his control slipping, the need to kill broiling through him.

  "**Stop.**" He muttered the command to himself, to his own bones, and felt his body rex as he exhaled and closed his eyes. When he opened them Toni was smiling.

  "Thank you." She said with a slight nod.

  "A-I don't know why you bother, wild goblins are pests, a-just kill them and be done with it." Voel spoke from a corner, a small flock of white spherical owls fluttering about him.

  "They *surrendered*." Surrender growled from nearby. Temate turned to look at Voel and shook his head.

  "Maybe you'd just kill them, but we don't do that. They're intelligent enough to understand the concept of surrender, we allow them to surrender." He stated with a gre.

  "Besides, the only thing I really wanted to kill was the troll. That fuckin hurt, but I needed a good win." He commented as he looked back to the goblins. He grunted slightly as Pipuck began patching up a few wounds.

  "That. Was. AWESOME!" Kea shouted into the silence that followed, Temate saw the goblins shaking their head in agreement at the statement. "Sorry, I know it's like... Not really the time but that was so *cool*. I haven't ever been in a really heavy fight like that but by the Shield that was so intense!" She was shaking when Temate looked toward her. Excitement, fear, anxiety, joy, all of them were running through her body as she looked toward two small goblin bodies at her feet- er hooves.

  "First real fight?" Temate looked toward Voel.

  "A-ye-" Voel began.

  "Yes! I mean I've been training, but this is the first time I went on a hunt properly! Oh, I should grab some fangs, I- WHAT THE HELL!?" That st part was shouted by Kea and Voel together. Temate blinked and looked over toward the troll which was burning away. It's body glowing as if one giant invisible fme was charring it to ash which drifted off and around Temate.

  "Oh right." Temate muttered. "Forgot about this."

  A chorus of ooooh's came from the goblins by Toni who had all dropped their weapons at her instructions. Very clearly considering her to have authority through his new chiefdomship? Is that how you say that? It was getting rapidly hard to think as it became quite hot all the sudden.

  "You can't just- Voel he's- sto- woah, woah what is this *heat*" Kea stumbled both physically and verbally through her commentary.

  "A-hmmm... Strange." Voel gave their party a long, intense look over.

  "Something the matter?" Temate asked Voel who shook his head.

  "A-just a very interesting gift you seem to possess. A-automatically harvesting the dead, and distributing that Power?" Voel rubbed the bottom of his beak like a chin. "A-very... Strange."

  That was all he said on the matter, even when pressed by Toni and Pipuck. Temate felt like he was bothered by the 'gift' as he called it. Why Temate had no clue, though he could assume harvesting was probably a bit frowned upon, particurly with intelligent beings. Probably why he made no fuss about it with what he felt about goblins. Temate shook his head as he turned to the goblins.

  "Pip, can you patch them up, you with the eye injury, come here." Temate motioned to the goblin who scrambled to obey. He stumbled over the broken debris of one of the dders, quickly picking himself up from the ground. Pipuck pulled his hand away and got to sealing the injury with a frown.

  "Do you have a name?" Temate asked as Pipuck worked, using some of the blue flowers they'd taken from the field days ago to mix into his poultice.

  "I Chiel." Chiel looked behind to the other goblins prompting Pipuck to grab his face and turn it back around.

  "Don't move chil'." They chided Chiel.

  "I oldest now." Chiel stated very matter of fact like. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that Temate had just killed his chief, and that his team had killed several of their tribe. That was as good a pce to start as any.

  "Right, focus on Pip so they can heal your eye. The rest of you, line up, I'll get your names and some other questions from you as you're healed. Chiel." He spoke the goblins name who stood straight up with a salute before Pipuck dragged him back down.

  "Stop *movin'*" Pipuck growled causing Chiel to physically recoil slightly in shame.

  "Sorry big Pip." Chiel apologized and Pipuck puffed out their chest at being called 'big' which got a chuckle from Temate. Now he was cooling off he felt kind of guilty for wanting to kill these goblins.

  "Chiel, no don't salute again, none of you salute while you're being healed got it?" Affirmatives and salutes from the, surprisingly orderly, line behind Chiel confirmed the order. "Do you really not care that I killed your old chief?" Temate gestured at the troll who was now nothing but bone and a few organs. One strange organ stood out to Temate and he gestured to Surrender who was examining it.

  She took the organ out and carefully wrapped it up while Chiel replied.

  "No! You challenge and win, you chief now!" Chiel smiled dreamily up at Temate. "Big strong chief! Best chief! Very bait trap!" Chiel pointed to their bags hanging from the trees. Temate smiled at that.

  "Well, it wasn't meant to be a trap, but it did work well as one huh?" Temate ughed slightly, prompting ughter from all the goblins. Pipuck moved Chiel on as their eye was sealed with [False Flesh].

  "I can't restore the eye, so we'll 'ave to ge' you a cover for i' once the skin 'eals, bu' this'll keep ya from bleedin' ou'."

  Each goblin in turn came up and gave their name while being treated by Pipuck. Some had minor injuries, but most were severely wounded. One had even lost an arm, the same one as Temate, and was still hanging on.

  "I Nameless." She muttered kicking the ground. "First band, not earn." She answered Temate's next question before he even asked. Temate blinked at that and smiled.

  "How do you earn your names?" He asked the armless goblin girl who looked up with big sad eyes. Fuck, he was *not* fucking a goblin today. I mean, he absolutely wanted to, but not right after... what, conquering them? Though from the goblin's replies to the stories that's probably the best time *to* do it. So maybe...

  Wait fuck.

  "Sorry, repeat that I was thinking about something." He told the goblin girl who he absolutely was not now admiring the slight plush to her curves. The perfectly symmetrical, if only moderately sized bust and ass, the-

  **Poke**.

  "One more time ss, 'e wasn't paying attention. **Again.**" Pipuck told the deeply reddening goblin girl for him.

  "Is okay. Chief think pretty, that nice." She was blushing heavily and had easily picked out Temate's interest. Well shit. Pay attention this time Temate. Worry about your life long goblin harem fantasy ter.

  "Name from survive and deed. If do great thing, get great name. Chief give." The goblin girl looked at him, curiosity buried under embarrassment at his attention. Temate could hear a few grumbles from behind him. Though he couldn't imagine why right now.

  "Is this like... some sort of coming of age thing? Like you become an adult and go on your first raiding band and get your name?" He asked with 100% ulterior motives of confirming she was at least considered an adult by her people. She nodded and smiled.

  "Yes! Need name for tribe call in battle. So must get in battle when fighting age!" Which... Sort of answered his question. Temate came to a decision.

  "Well then, I'll call you Hema." Temate pointed to her left arm that's missing. "It's not exact but it's pretty close to meaning left, which is what you lost, your left arm." Temate also thought of some other, sillier, more complicated reasons why that fit. Such as her being 'left' alive. Them being on the west side of the Rot when they met. Her having 'left' her old chief.

  But KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid, was a thing he tried to remember... When he could. It felt appropriate here and he saw Hema beaming at the name. Behind him a chorus of goblin voices started shouting.

  "Hema! Hema! Hema!" and all the goblins came over to sp Hema on the back, congratuting her on her new name.

  Temate smiled as he watched them celebrate, gathering with his group and their allies to discuss what to do next.

  "So you're... keeping the goblins?" Kea asked, looking over at the excited goblins running around, some were putting bones onto Hema's shoulder from Toknut's body. They seemed dismayed when the bones didn't stick but then set about finding a way to attach them more permanently.

  "I don't see why not, you said they're a servant species earlier." Temate looked to Voel who sighed loudly, wind rustling around them.

  "A-Settled goblins, yes. A-Wild goblins are... Well wild." He spoke as if expining the idea to a child. Which Temate didn't fault him for, after all they really are children with regards to the worlds ways.

  "And wild goblins have never *become* settled?" Temate questioned Voel.

  "A-not in recent history. A-all wild tribes are violent and hostile, a-those tribes who are not still remain nomadic, a-travelling for trade and as mercenaries." Voel expined.

  "Keeping them in one pce will be... difficult." Kea continued. "Which we are inviting you to a city so it'll be hard but we can probably work something out, right?" Kea looked to Voel who just nodded.

  "I think they're cute, and if they need an outlet for violent tendencies we can figure somethin out. Te-uhhhh Big T could become an adventurer or something and have a team of goblin's." Toni added into the discussion.

  "Goblins stinky. Don't like." Surrender muttered as she cmbered onto Temate's shoulder. "Teach bath." She grumbled.

  "You'll 'ave to look after them ', sure you're up for i'?" Pipuck asked. Temate looked between his friends and companions, stopping on Laurel to raise an eyebrow. Laurel, ever the energetic knight looked dead tired, ready to pass out tired.

  "I may not have managed Rainbow when I was a kid, but I'm a grown ass man now, and they're intelligent creatures not dogs. Should be fine." Temate grinned as he replied. "Besides." Temate looked to the goblins, then to Toni as he spoke in as serious a tone as he could.

  "I always wanted a harem of goblin girls." He teased. To his surprise it was Kea, not Toni, who spluttered. Toni simply rolled her eyes and looked at him with arms crossed.

  "Of *course* you did." She pouted, but Temate could see the blush creeping up from underneath her beautiful new dress. With a sly grin and a wink to Kea, Temate lifted Toni into his arms prompting a squeak from her.

  "If you'll excuse us, I believe I owe this one a very personal apology." He said to Kea. With a ugh and a wink back she replies.

  "Well I guess we'll leave you to it sir." She began pushing Voel away a bit, with little actual force mostly just as a show.

  "God, your arm feels so... Strange." Toni commented as they made their way, followed by Surrender, back towards the tree with Laurels abode.

  - - -

  Chiel sat with Qinq, Sioh, Gief, Pebba, Chaft, Trir, Crak, Roikx, Fraar and the newly named Hema. Somewhere above in the tree chief Mate was resting while they were camping here, keeping watch.

  And celebrating. After all Hema had a name now, and such a good one! Chief Mate had also immediately taken to being chief, telling them what to do.

  "He good chief Qinq think." Qink thought out loud.

  Chaft and Trir nodded at that, the twin sister and brother going over the groups gear. Chaft spoke as he held the fire for his sister to melt tree sticky over.

  "Okay with name. Want goblin too." Chaft grinned at Hema who squirmed in pce.

  "Very strong. Handsome troll." Hema muttered, embarrassed. Trir stopped what she was doing to throw a small piece of wood she carried at Hema.

  "You lucky. Go first." Trir grumbled. "Not look twice Trir." She returned to her work, but Chiel saw how she looked at her old injured leg.

  "Not leg." Chiel said, everyone around the group grunting in agreement.

  "Not leg, chief strong. Chief like mark!" Crak, oldest of the triplets said with a lot of confidence as she pointed to her back. The middle of the triplets, Roikx, sighed sadly.

  "No mark." He muttered, Crak smacked him across the back. The youngest triplet, Fraar, smiled holding up his hands.

  "Best mark! I next?" He asked Hema and looked to Chiel. Chiel was oldest, which meant when chief wasn't here, or a big, he had to be big.

  Chiel shook his head. "Chief choose, I not know. Chief not troll." He looked at Hema.

  "What then?" Pebba chirped, juggling two small rocks with one hand. "Look troll."

  "Not troll" Gief spoke up finally. "Human." That perked up Chiel's ears. Gief was younger than all of them, but he raided the most. He was sneaky and got hurt least.

  "You see?" Hema asked. "What human?"

  Gief thought for a moment and popped a small piece of meat into his mouth. Fraar gasped and spped his back trying to get him to spit it out.

  "You take meat!" Fraar shouted. A brief scuffle ter and Gief was sitting on top of Fraar as was winners right.

  "Human like orc. Not troll." Gief nodded sagely and everyone around the small fire ooh'd at that. A hiss from Sioh, sitting a bit away, warned them about their noise.

  "Which stronger, orc?" Crak asked. After much thought Gief replied.

  "Orc muscle, human brain." Gief tapped his head with a small stick and Trir snagged it back from him.

  They sat there in silence awhile longer before Sioh spoke all their fears from her hiding spot.

  "What about rest?" She asked. The rest of the tribe. That was on Chiel's mind too.

  "I ask, at sun." Chiel said firmly. He wasn't a big, but he was the oldest goblin, and one of them had to be a big and ask the chief. He doubted the chief knew their young and elders were following.

  He would have to ask, and hope chief really was a good chief. He didn't share Roikx or Fraar's interest in male's, but still this chief felt good. Better. Comfortable.

  He wanted to believe he'd be a good chief, and the others seemed like good bigs. So he would believe, and he would rest, and at sun time he would ask the chief what to do.

  And if the chief didn't know. Hopefully he could be a big and give his thoughts.

  Force2reckon