Force2reckon

  Free of the earth and the necessary quiet he had maintained in Bearbhaile, Temate let his wroth loose. With vicious energy he carved into trees with his bde as he went, marking a path which would give the impression of a savage beasts passage. He was furious, and it was his fault.

  Toni was holding back, he knew she was, and he knew she'd said he could just tell her what to do but this? They were talking about killing dozens of people who trusted them as allies. It was necessary!

  But it was cruel.

  He knew that, and he understood why she was hesitating but still! A turn over his shoulder at the small mass of goblins and daog cautiously following him incited him once more. These people were monsters, no less deserving death then the darklings. Hell the darklings probably deserved it less.

  For all he knew the darklings just saw Bearbhaile as a safe pce they could take. Sure it was cruel and violent, but that was the way of some peoples. It was his Ali'i's way, and he respected the ability to use cold, calcuted violence to help others. Admittedly his Ali'i often did it for personal gain too.

  Well, if he was honest it was mostly for personal gain. That's why Temate had left in the end, to get free from that selfishness. That was the only thing he really had a problem with, the greed.

  "A-ah Mazter Mate?" A soft, buzzing voice came from beside him.

  "Yes, Milis?" Temate asked the small daog who shivered as he turned toward them. He sighed and sheathed his bde. "Apologies, I will not harm you, what do you need?"

  That seemed to rex the daog who drew themselves up and patted their abdomen as if dusting it off. They looked to them and then looked back toward the others following. Temate followed their eyes to see the handful of daog who'd come with them.

  "Iz it truly alright for uz to be part of your cn? We are not goblinz and..." They trailed off.

  "Am I a goblin?" Temate asked, pressing further toward the flicker of light he could now see in the distance.

  "No. No you are not." Milis replied.

  "Then if a not goblin can lead the tribe, shouldn't a not goblin be allowed in the tribe?" Temate posited.

  He saw Milis considering this and knew they would agree. He had not known the daog long, but he understood a logical mind when he met it. They were one of them, if you could create a logical connection between two things, they would understand it. Imagination however, was not their strong suit.

  "I zee. It would be illogical for a tribe to follow and yet not coexizt. I underztand. Thank you M- Chief Mate." Milis concluded.

  Temate smiled at them in the dark, he was about to reach out and pat their shoulder when his [Oversight] triggered. With a fluid motion Temate lifted his arm, the thick webbing of his shield mushrooming out in a moment. Rough, thick spears peppered into the shield as a loud voice shouted in the goblin tongue.

  "Mazik, what did they say?" Temate asked the closest goblin who's name he knew.

  "Come no closer, our chief may not be here, but we will die before surrendering." Came the calm, gravelly reply from the elderly goblin. "They have no chief?" He asked.

  "No I'm their- hold on." Temate turned back toward the surprisingly well hidden Sioh and her ambushers. "Stand Down Sioh! It's me!"

  The ripple of his [Authority] caused an immediate reaction. Sioh dropped out of the shelter of a tree she had clung to and ran toward them. When she arrived she looked up at Temate with wide eyes.

  "Chief! You here! Quick, come come!" Sioh gibbered as she grabbed his hand and lead him into the camp, completely ignoring the crowd behind him.

  "Yeah, I brought the first wave of newcomers too, those who didn't want to fight, or who couldn't." Temate informed Sioh as she dragged him forward.

  She stopped and looked back, finally noticing the gathered figures behind him. He couldn't help the irritation that filled him when he saw her frown. He pulled his hand out of hers and put crossed both arms as he looked down at her.

  "What's wrong with them huh? They need help, and we can help so we will." Temate barked.

  "Yes of course Chief! It's just right now..." Sioh chewed the inside of her cheek and looked to the camp. "Come camp, we get tents for them, and I expin."

  It didn't take long at all to get a few tents set up for the thirty some people following Temate. It took longer to calm them down and introduce them to the rest of the tribe, who seemed just as nonplussed as Sioh to see them. Temate sort of understood why, they were mostly injured, elderly, or, as in Milis' case, cowardly.

  When they had finally settled a bit he joined Sioh, Gief and Kea by the main fire. Milis accompanied him, as they had since he had first agreed to help them. They seem to have taken it upon themselves to serve as a mouthpiece for the others. That and they seemed to be observing, and Temate also felt judging, him.

  "Alright, I get they're not the most able-bodied group but more are coming. We're probably gonna need enough space for almost a hundred new people actually so-"

  "We in danger." Sioh cut Temate off, her ears ying ft as he gnced towards her.

  "I..." Temate took a deep breath before he lost his temper. Sioh clearly hadn't wanted to do that, but she felt this was important. "Sorry, sorry I've had a bad week. What do you mean danger?" He asked.

  Sioh's ears slowly lifted back up as she rexed. She looked over to Gief and the two shared a quick non-verbal discussion. Finally she turned back and spoke in an almost overly calm voice.

  "Other tribe coming. Catch Qinq and Chaft. Come here, will force submit. But now you here!" Sioh held up a hand as Temate's eyes narrowed in concern. "You challenge Chief, you win and take whole tribe!" She reassured him.

  "And why would their chief agree?" Temate asked her, one arm pressing against the sudden pain in his temple.

  Sioh's ears wiggled rapidly "They not agree, they make offer! Best way to get many followers. You fight big, if win they let go... probably." Sioh's ears sagged slightly at the end.

  "So what if they don't let us go?" Temate asked.

  "They attack and kill all... For resisting... BUT!" Sioh held up a taloned hand. "You kill their Chief and then you Chief!"

  "So our pn is this: They're going to show up... eventually, at which point I have to win a Submission challenge, and then charge through their numbers to kill their chief in the midst of them?" Temate asked.

  Sioh nodded rapidly, much to Temate's surprise Milis raised a hand. He looked at them and raised his own eyebrow in response. They stared at each other until Temate gestured for them to speak.

  "Ah. Apologiez but iz that really a wize pn?" Milis stated. "Tactically it iz fwed, it weakenz our greatezt azzet, would it not be bezt to lure them in and have Chief Mate ambuzh their chieftain when they think they have won?"

  "That-" Sioh's eyes widened at the beetle like Milis, examining them from top to bottom. "-Is good idea too, but dangerous. Not all chief fight to death, many flee when surprised, then they kill all anyway." Sioh replied.

  "Still, if it's that, or fighting to the death after already fighting a potentially dangerous enemy? That's a better pn." Temate rubbed his chin thoughfully as he responded.

  "If that's what Chief says, we do. We good at ambush." Gief grunted.

  "The really important question though, when will they get here?" Temate asked the two goblins who looked toward each other uncomfortably.

  "We thought be here today, but not arrive. We thought you them because..." Sioh motioned towards the recently erected tents where goblins and daog slept.

  "Right. So soon?"

  Sioh nodded, and as she opened her mouth to say something else Temate's [Oversight] triggered again. His eyes cast off in the opposite direction he had come from and he stood. His shield sprang to his arm and he spoke to Milis without looking at them.

  "Milis, take Rose into a tent and guard them with your life." He growled.

  Without asking a question Milis obeyed, lifting the cy pot with it's living resident nearly as tall as them, and shifted towards a tent. Sioh was up immediately upon seeing Temate's reaction. She moved to whisper an order to Gief.

  "All arms, TO ME!" Temate bellowed the order as his [Magic Eye] outlined the things in the dark.

  Goblins. Dozens of them, roughly cd and nky, almost fragile looking. He scoured their shapes for information on what they were dealing with but lost focus as they reacted to his shout as well.

  The night erupted into screeching as goblins adorned in rough leathers and cloths, wielding simple clubs and spears, charged out of the dark. The intent was clear, to instill fear and panic, but this was his tribe. These were his people.

  Temate's shield once more spread to life, it's webbed surface shifting with life in the firelight. He lifted his steel, slightly curved machete high and applied a yer of [Jagged Bone] to it. In a creaking fsh sharp, jagged bleached white bone extended the bde from it's short simple form.

  Temate held the jagged bde, nearly half as long as he was tall, above his head. He poured Power into his [Towering Presence] as he examined the oncoming swarm. He watched several of the front runners freeze in panic, some even beginning to run away. A snarl from behind them urged the goblins forward.

  It had only been a moment, but that moment gave his goblins time to gather to him. Those who were pregnant wielding spears while the others hefted bdes and shields in front of them. He had no time to worry about the morality of soon to be mothers fighting in battle, it was do or die right now.

  "CHARGE!" Temate's [Attack Order] set his own body into motion at the same instant as the goblins around him.

  The screeching swarm, now easily fifty strong, was met by his own each roaring in their own manner. Temate met them first with a violent uproar.

  "[Vicous Strike]! [Vital Sever]!"

  The cruel edge of his bde carved through nearly six goblins in one motion. Perfect.

  To his side Sioh snarled and practically leapt forward between half a dozen other goblins. With practiced movements she carved into two of them, felling them quickly before a third engaged her. She was quick to overpower them as well but was not able to turn to meet the next strike as it cut into her shoulder.

  A shallow cut, and the st one that goblin got as a red hot rock came flying through the air and impacted the goblins skull. Fraar slung rock after rock, his already burned hands grabbing the river rocks from the firepit. Each was slung into a thick leather sling before hurtling to crash into some other poor sods head or body.

  More goblins charged at him but fell halfway to him, slipping on rocks covered in slime and muck. These were followed by the goblin who'd scattered them in front of his charge. Roikx slipped two daggers of vardwolf fangs out of his belt, leaping and punching the fangs into the fallen goblins necks.

  Immediately behind him was the third of the triplets, Crak. She hurtled forward, seemingly unburdened by her weight as she smmed a makeshift spear into the first goblin in her path. Then the second, then a third. She finally released the spear and unholstered her next as she began fighting off another slew of goblins.

  In the back Trir, Pebba and Hema all held a line, hefting spears and flinging them up high to fall amidst the charging horde. Occasionally the three would come together to fight off a small band of goblins as they came from some other angle.

  The only one Temate could not track in the initial charge was Gief. The goblin seemed to vanish behind his own companions. Only once did Temate spot him, deep in the enemy lines. Gief appeared behind a goblin who fell dead from the knife in it's back, then he grabbed their knife and spun to stab it into the goblin coming to avenge it's companion.

  When you examined the attack like this, just looking at the initial impact between the two sides, it seemed good. Each of Temate's goblins were able to fight 3 to 1 and win.

  However.

  This fight wasn't 3 to 1. Temate did not have time to count, but he could see more goblins coming. And from more directions then just the initial charge. If he had to guess, it was 10 to 1, or worse. And it wasn't just goblins. At the back of the horde Temate saw the others, five towering, furry figured.

  "Calot!" He heard one of his goblins shout. Voice indistinguishable in the mass of shouting, roaring and grunting.

  Each Calot was adorned in the furs of wild animals of the forest. Each prepared and wrapped upon them as Sioh's was. The heads were hollowed to be helms and the body was wrapped to surround their body like a cloak. Their thick, gray brown furred chests were left bare.

  One wore a vardwolf, almost the brother of Sioh's. Another wore something akin to a wolverine but rger, the very idea of the creature making Temate shiver. A third wore what appeared to be a rge bck and green striped fox's pelt. The fourth, another vardwolf. The st was also the leader of the five.

  Atop the calot's head was a magnificent crown of antlers, crescent scooped like a moose's. Long thin points extended out from the edges of the horn. Combined with the golden glimmer cast by the firelight it almost looked as if a small sun sat atop the calot's head.

  The hide and skull were more akin to a woodnd deer than a moose. And the leader wore the skeleton of the dead deer as decorative adornment around it's body. Particurly on it's chest where the bones were shaped to mimic a rib cage. The leader stared right into his eyes, and he into it's. Dark, deep green like a shadowed canopy.

  It's eyes began to glow as the undergrowth shifted beneath it's feet. Dead pnt matter filled the creatures hand as the antler's atop it's head seemed to glow even brighter.

  [Oversight] drew his attention and he hefted an arm up to block. A thick, dark wooden splinter, easily the size of a ballista bolt, smashed into his shield. The shield took the brunt of the impact but punched into his upper arm.

  Temate grimaced and reached out, Power poured out of him along with another command. "[March]!"

  The bodies of a dozen goblins around him burst, the six bodies already scoured of Power at his feet reacting quickest. He could only control six, but the others would act on instinct, this he knew. It was pointless in fights where they already had control, but here?

  The goblin marchers created chaos among the enemies, some began to scatter but others reacted with immediate violence.

  In that chaos Temate hefted his shield, grimacing at the pain, and charged toward the calots.

  He could no longer pay attention to what was around him as the calot sent another bolt of wood into his shield. He managed to slip passed it, just skimming it as it catapulted passed him and into the goblin masses.

  Somewhere a distant buzzing filled the air, along with more goblin screeching, and Temate grew more determined. He had to kill that calot, the chief. Made clear as it grunted orders to it's companions who waded into the fight towards each small collective of his people.

  He ignored that and charged on, carving through as many goblins as he could along the way. Sucking the Power from them to fuel his [Towering Presence] and more [March] orders. When he finally reached the creature he barreled shield first into it's gut.

  With surprising agility the calot chief stepped to the side and snarled. Temate spun on his foot and carved through the air toward the creatures neck.

  "[Vicious Swing]! [Vital Sever]!"

  The creature bent backwards in panic as the start of a mocking ugh was cut off by the quick ssh. It regained it's bance and deflected his next strike with a cruel grin and a strange green brown mass shaped roughly like a sword.

  "You're big, but that's all." The calot mocked quietly, it's bde slid up his sword.

  With a quick shift of posture Temate's shield came up to impede the attacks path. The edge carved up his forearm before he could impede it. Panic seized Temate for only a brief moment until the carved cloth fell away and he saw-

  Bone.

  It hurt, the bone was damaged, but he had forgotten for a moment that he no longer had a flesh and blood arm. What should have been a lethal strike carried the calot off bance as it too was surprised by the ck of resistance.

  With another shout of his [Power]s Temate brought the bde down toward the enemy chiefs spine. It whirled in the air, the horns on it's head glowing as the bde shifted to become a shield.

  Too slow.

  Jagged bone gleamed with dark intent as Temate's bde carved into the creatures side and pummeled it into the ground. Fear filled it's eyes as his [Towering Presence] cascaded down towards it.

  Temate stood over the calot, another [Evil Eye] pressing into it. This time it cowered deeper beneath it's shield.

  "" Temate commanded, his [Authority] pounding into the creature.

  "Never. Chief does not yield. Chief can not yield." The calot hissed at him.

  He respected that, but he needed to break them in spirit, or in body. Why not try both?

  His next strike smmed into the shield splintering the wooden mass and carving the calot's arm. It gritted it's teeth, refusing to scream or show any weakness despite the terror clearly filling it. Temate respected that.

  "Yield." Temate commanded with [Authority] into the now silent atmosphere.

  Every eye was on them. He'd felt this before, the same sensation that occured when he'd killed Toknut the troll nearly a month ago now.

  "Kill. Me." The calot spat up at him, bright red blood spttering across Temate's poncho.

  Temate shifted the bde in his grip once more. He glowered down at the calot chief, this impeccable leader. Filled with terror yet resisting to the st. It could have run, it could have commanded it's tribe to attack. It saw what was coming, yet like Temate had learned a true goblin was, he accepted it.

  Strength greater than his had won. He would not shame himself by denying it.

  "What is your name." Temate commanded, no Power in his voice this time.

  "Hiorn." Hiorn answered, voice barely quivering despite everything.

  Temate nodded, and as if it were the final act of some grim ceremony, his bde fell. It shattered the mass of pnt matter trying to reform into a full shield. It carved straight into the creatures chest. Out through his arm.

  Hiorn began to glow and smolder as their Power was drawn into Temate. It was only then which Temate noticed the hides Hiorn wore weren't clothes. They were in fact woven into it's body, Hiorns fur and the gold boned deers were one. As even their clothes were consumed into the ash like Power.

  Temate hefted his bde above his head once more and poured every st ounce of Power he could into one st command.

  "YIELD!"

  Around him goblins shouted in shock, many throwing down weapons and sitting on the ground. In one area, a calot with vulpine features looked down at the three pregnant women it had hesitated over killing. With a shamed grin they reached out to help the women up.

  In another area a calot with a wolverines head gred at Sioh and Gief, snarling as wooden cws dropped in a slurry to the floor. Immediately it began stalking towards Temate, but [Oversight] sensed no hostility, so Temate's sight passed on.

  One of the vardwolf adorned calots grunted as Fraar and Roikx helped them up. It shook the hand Fraar had held as if it had touched a hot stove, obediently sitting as Crak brought out some of Pipucks poultice.

  And finally, the second of the two vardwolf calots he found over by the tents. Temate's eyes widened as a mass of thorny pnt life released the unconscious calot. Milis the daog stepping out of the way to allow them to thud heavily to the ground.

  Yet Temate's eyes lingered on Rose standing there. On two legs of thorny stems.

  Out of their pot.

  That was the st thing he saw before he passed out.