Skeletal Laborers filed themselves into an array behind me, blood red and bone white making them look like a bunch of candy canes if you thought of it. Well, the goblins didn’t know what candy canes were, so they were terrified.

At least, Khthju trembled.

Chief tKlor’t’t took a heavy step back at first, but his facial expression didn’t change. He was quite the impressive character. It only took moments before he changed gears from being on guard to surveying them. He had rather keen eyes.

“They each seem a little stronger than the average spawn, but they are still rather weak.”

“Yes, well they were created with the intention of gathering bodies. Creating proper warriors takes much more time. As I am traveling soon, I likely wouldn’t be able to take them with me, so I made them out of scraps essentially. Why not take a look at some of the better ones, now where are they?”

Closing my eyes, to help focus, I connected to the Skeletal Elites that had been left behind. To help disguise them, the group had been rather spread out. We just happened to have stopped in an area where the Skeletal Elites were a little distance away. I ordered all of my undead to return to me. A few more appeared from the trees, the skeletal laborers and elites that had been further away hurrying their bony pelvises back to me.

“They aren’t the greatest, but they are a bit better. If I am in the area and they are equipped, no generic spawn would stand up to us. There is yet another level above them, not by a vast amount, but enough to make a difference.”

tKlor’t’t observed the skeletons for a while. Looking very thoughtful, his spawn had lost the fearful look, but became even more jittery, shooting the occasional spark out of the palms.

“They are all under your complete control?”

“They have no will of their own. I can command them within 100 meters; they can follow instructions outside that, but beyond that point I can only order them to return.” 100 meters was a bit of an understatement. No need to tell him about all my abilities in microscopic detail. Then again, if I do go through one more massive battle, perhaps I could get in a level up or two to improve the range again. I’d have to work hard soon!

“How many can you possess? You must have taken far more bodies than you currently have undead, unless something else is happening to them.” tKlor’t’t began asking questions, one after the other. They were the kind for evaluating strength, but also in the manner that implied he had a plan forming.

“For reasons you can guess, I have mostly hidden my powers. I have only been making a small amount of them when I come here. I have not found a limit to the number that can be created, but it is my own mind that gives commands. If acting in unison, it is easy; if separate, hard. Currently the amount you see before you can be reasonably well controlled on an individual basis. Collecting the bodies has also served to train this as well, and I have been experiencing non-negligible improvement on that front.”

“Time to create each?”

“The elites generally take a few hours to fully process. Less than 15 minutes for a Skeletal Laborer.” I looked happily at the goblin chief, who hunched down on his knuckles, staring at the ground as he processed the answers. “Do you have a plan?”

tKlor’t’t looked up after a moment.

“We do still need to go over Khtraal’s plan. I will tell you what I think we should do.”

After hearing what tKlor’t’t and Khtraal planned, it quickly became apparent that while the lower tiers of goblins might just be dumber than dirt, their leaders were far different. Some may call it just a different form of stupid, but I thought the trap they were trying to set up was beautiful.

You see, the other chiefs thought Khtraal thought tKlor’t’t was spying for him, when in reality he was a double agent. Instead, he and Khtraal just wanted them to think that, but at the same time he was a triple agent for Khtraal, here he was working with me to alter the plan further. Well, since he still thought of himself as allied to Khtraal, he wasn’t quite a quadruple agent, but everything basically hinged on misinformation.

Through deceiving the enemy, because tKlor’t’t was thought to be on their side, he could claim they were discovered, but then point out Khtraal’s newest movements. These being false, the opposing chiefs would march towards an area that had been prepared, and was not in fact, a weak target. Faking faking moving to aid Yhrack, he would instead attack one of the oncoming armies, that he knew the path of, since he was on their side. By quickly destroying the smaller western army that should have come as a surprise to Khtraal, they would then be able to retaliate against those coming from the east.

I’m sorry I can’t fit a diagram here. It would make a lot more sense.

The reason we were conspiring is because the most dangerous parts of the mission belonged to us. Myself, Vamp, Khthju, and many of tKlor’t’t warg riders were charged with destroying, or at least vigorously fighting, an entire army by ourselves until backup arrived. Needless to say, such a task was nigh impossible for our small group, though the forces of Kugu(Broadnose) were admittedly weaker than his fellow chiefs. Still, neither of us would be surprised if the ‘help’ from the main forces came a bit slowly.

As for tKlor’t’t’s army, they too would be fighting in an intense area, and at the very least would end up seriously damaged. After the dust settled Khtraal might attempt an assassination, since his elites would have suffered less damage. Trying to kill an opposing chief wasn’t totally uncommon, but their power levels were so disparate from the rabble it would take a number of elites, or another chief to take them down. If the battle took the lives of many of his elites, then he would lack a shield of at least semi-competent warriors to help defend him.

Surprisingly, tKlor’t’t planned to go along with things; he explained that sites of death usually became possible nests over time. Trading his old nest for Yhrack after the dust settled, the claim would extend to the land that included the major point of conflict, possibly netting him two close nests. It seemed that the areas goblins settled were not arbitrary, but were some sort of magical area which helped sustain and strengthen them. Most goblins were not consciously aware of nests, and even among chiefs, tKlor’t’t boasted that he knew the most. The reason he’d given Khtraal to trade nests was that he would be closer to the west were intelligent animals settled.

Apparently he received buffs from a good meal as well. Not surprising given his size.

“Show me how strong they are.” A demonstration was needed before he decided how to alter the plans. tKlor’t’t sent Khthju forward. “I would prefer it if he is not killed.”

“The same does not apply to my side. While I would rather not lose them, I would rather not overestimate their abilities. Your spawn may attack it full force. If he has the energy, I have four undead I would like him to face.”

I wanted to test the Skeletal Laborers I had in abundance, a skeleton made from a standard set of bones, and a standard zombie. I’d rather not waste the Skeletal Elites, and I could simply assume them to be at least at the level of their mediocre kin. The fourth test would be to see the difference between controlling, and letting them operate on their own.

Khthju waited, crouching over and building up power in his hind legs. A fragile laborer made out of disfigured bones stepped up, undoubtedly about to return to the grave. By default I would control each round, they seemed to be outmatched enough already. If one managed to not spontaneously combust, I would then follow it up with an autonomous round.

Khthju crouching at the ready, I, or rather the skeleton, made the first move.

Lacking a lot of body mass, and not requiring large muscles to exert force, the skeleton sprung forward. A bone arrow flew forward, Khthju reacted more explosively in turn. Due to their difference in mass, he aimed for a head on collision, claws outstretched. In flight, the laborer could do nothing to alter its course, suffering a direct hit.

At the point of contact, I watched the collision, intrigued about how the strike would fare against bone. Even hitting large branches is rather painful, despite being made of the poorest materials, it still shouldn’t have been that easy to break.

Khthju narrowed his claws into a spearhead. On contact with the ribs, they broke through the first, and the second began to fracture; at that point the fingers pulled away slightly, letting him use his palm to destroy up to the fourth rib. That would certainly be a lethal blow.

Too bad skeletons were already dead. As the laborer was struck, it grabbed the goblin with its bony arm. The momentum from striking its ribs along with its new pivot point sent it swirling, the additional force helping to gouge small scratches across Khthju. Like a scarf, it flung around the goblin’s neck, contorting its flexible body into a chokehold, but that was the end for it.

After setting its bones around Khthju’s neck like a crab cracker, it continued using its momentum to swirl around, slightly shaking the goblin. Unfortunately, its material properties were too weak, and when an arm was raised into its path, the laborer shattered apart. Left with only a few claw marks on the shoulder, Khthju stood victorious after a single raspy cough.

“How demonic. I would say it could match four at most, after which it wouldn’t be able to kill more than one before being defeated. If there are even more than the situation would become different as well...Bring out the next one to fight him.” tKlor’t’t evaluated. I shrugged, tougher goblins had similarly tougher hides, the bones of the laborer couldn’t handle it. I didn’t think they’d be able to take down four, but I had controlled it individually. Then again, there were mitigating factors to that boon, and tKlor’t’t knew enough of goblins to make a more accurate statement than I.

At the same time, my laborers brought me the bones they just collected from an average body. Crowding together, they each held a bone in place. The new, generic skeleton was summoned standing up, just for kicks. Looking into its soul a little, it did outrank the laborers by a small margin, but I would only say it was the difference of around two or three stat points.

With slightly more resilience, in the second round the minion charged straight on. Testing the difference in power, Khthju now winced slightly as he continued to tear through the bones. The newly created skeleton managed to get in a few slashes to the arms, but they were hardly more than superficial. Heroically moving in to grapple, even after losing its legs, the skeleton made one last attack, only to have its skull ground to powder. You will be missed, SkeletonTest_01.

Having dedicated a bit of Soul Power to Zog, and not wanting to separate him from his hand spider, a corpse crowd surfed over the spectators, plopping at my feet. How irreverent, that would be their comrade in a few moments. For a few moments.

Zombie was cast, and it slowly got to its feet. Not actually all that slow, it just seemed lacking in comparison to the agile skeletons. Its defense would be a bit higher at least.

Facing against the dull, glassy eyes, Khthju tensed uneasily. It seemed skeletons and corpses were interpreted differently by him. I wondered if it was something about whether it could be eaten or not, at least among tKlor’t’t that was probably a major cultural value.

Unlike before, the zombie did not rush forward to attack, instead ambling forward in a ready position. Khthju remained as he was for a few moments, before making the first move; his spearhand technique. While it may work well against skeletons and goblins, to my dissatisfaction it looked like zombies would be the better choice in the upcoming battle.

Adjusting the zombie only slightly, the goblin’s arm passed in the front, a chunk of flesh dropping from his hand out the back. It was only because this was within my plans that he pierced it unhindered though. Turning, the zombie twisted and locked Khthju’s arm.

After days of dissecting goblin corpses, making sure no bit was out of place, and only those suitable were saved to become zombies, I dare say even tKlor’t’t could not rival my knowledge of goblin anatomy. I may not be aware to what heights an actual goblin could reach, but I was certainly aware of the material properties of their various components and how they fit together.

The zombie may not have been very strong in comparison to Khthju, but falling to the ground generated enough force to dislocate the arm. The red goblin shrieked, and reached with his other arm to start tearing away at it. Biting, he recoiled in horror, spitting out what flesh came off in his mouth. All Khthju could do was slowly tear away at the zombie’s body, throwing chunk after chunk to the ground.

Luckily for him, there wasn’t a great deal else I could do. Falling put the zombie in a very disadvantageous position, it could only batter the goblin’s legs to upset his balance and try to hold on a little longer. However it did do much better than the skeletons.

A fluke! It’s just a type advantage! This guy would only be able to take down one enemy, skeletons are clearly superior!

One side of the undead mutilated, it looked like someone dropped a spiked weight halfway over the body. Using his good arm, Khthju tore a wider hole through the chest to free himself more gently. It looked like I had used , the giblets and spray of blood were so far flung.

“Shut up.” tKlor’t’t commanded his yowling spawn, who complied. “It looks like the fourth test cannot proceed. In any case this will be good cover for when we return. We don’t want to look too friendly.”

“Ah, that is true. I suppose you’re about to request I make as many zombies as I can before the battle?”

“Yes. Even if it is only a hundred that would be enough if they lead the attack. You don’t mind if that many perish, do you?”

“Of course not, there will be plenty of bodies to choose from afterwards, won’t there?”

“Yes, you will take what you can. Instead of staying stationed in Yhrack, my main army will move with you early on to attack Kugu. With those zombies, we will be able to slam through his forces. It needs to be done early, before the planned fight, so we will have to do so for an extended period of time, I take it that’s no problem?”

“Then we return to battlestations, you still in possession of your spawn and warg riders, and myself still alive. I think I could have accomplished that anyway, but I’ll certainly be able to gather more resources this way. Will your spawn not shake themselves at the sight of the undead?”

“Unlike those other Chiefs, I make sure that my spawn will obey me. My word is law among them.”

“Then I will see you on the battlefield. Will you leave first, or shall I?”

“I’ll give you time to collect a bit more.”

With a toothy goblin smile, tKlor’t’t departed, Khthju in tow. What a fun fellow to be around.

Calling out Clavi and the Freshmen, I ordered them all to begin bringing me bodies, and I got to work bolstering the ranks of the undead before heading back in the early evening.