The moons floating above the canopy, barely illuminating the endless conflict. I went from excited, to bored, but finally to concerned. Hacking a path south to the nest, the mortal tKlor’t’t weakened at a faster pace. Ghojtroik and Zhargorb’s combined forces died upon contact; each enemy that reached our party was fresh.

The unholy legion was nigh untouchable, but after an hour forcing our way south, the nigh part became more and more apparent. I could heal the wounds of the undead, tears of a zombie’s flesh, and fractures of a skeleton’s bones; but missing portions could not be fully reconstituted.

Lose a claw here, and a tooth there, it seemed we were not quite in the impenetrable position previously predicted. I needed to go out and begin picking up the slack. Fear Aura acted up with a righteous fury, did these nameless things dare to ruin my efforts? Taking hold of two swords picked off of the elites, it was time to double down.

For the most part, I used very little of my Brute’s Mana throughout the fight. My strength could already rend the goblins apart, and my hitpoints regenerated fast enough that I didn't worry about being struck. Putting more effort into cutting them down didn't mean much, as they would simply be replaced.

Well I changed my mind.

Keeping it at a slightly unsustainable pace, I sped up, cutting down multiple goblins in an instant. Blades spattering thick goblin blood, a vacuum formed for the troop to move more easily. Sweeping around the edges to lighten their load, it was the same as trying to push dry sand back, always spilling around the edges. The gradual abrasions were beginning to build up.

“Bah, Khthju, how much longer of this?” I impaled another goblin through the side of the neck, using a horizontal blow with the other sword to finish the job and provide a force to help free the other.

“Much. Broods not small Kugu. Must stay away Khtraal, dead bad. Not help, all dead.” The fiery goblin’s voice cracked raspily over the din of battle. tKlor’t’t, neglected his foreign language training, leaving me with only a vague idea of the situation; unfavorable.

“Rest! I’ll hold them off, then we charge.” Time for a change of plans. There was the possibility of weathering the storm, however that would only be the case so long as the current equilibrium did not break. If one or two tougher elites showed up and broke the defensive line, the troops would be routed.

I could escape with Clavi with certainty, especially if I forwent killing all in my path. However as loose as the definition of ‘hero’ was in the situation, I would at the very least not abandon them to utter defeat.

The enemy forces had likely already engulfed Yhrack; we weren't all that distant from the nest, and the amount of space two goblin hordes could take up would reach both. If we got even closer, then pressure would be alleviated from us. The average goblin’s use in war was more or less to serve as a buffer between the warg riders or elites. Rejoining the forces of Yhrack would give them the time they needed to recuperate. The undead were worth a hundred goblins each, but against hundreds of thousands, that wasn't enough.

The warg riders and elites followed the order as Khthju relayed it. Eating bodies the encirclement passed over, they regained their vitality. Vamp, Clavi, and I took point in the battle to clear a path and try making up for the lost firepower.

Clavi and I worked as a tag-team; his light weight making him an excellent projectile of death, and could be given boosts by . Using his speed alleviated the need for me to constantly dig deeply into my Stamina to protect a critical point of the formation, and my power meant he could engage any opponent, and only needed to hold them off for a short while.

Vamp fought solo, though the did skitter around the edges of my Fear Aura where the enemies were weakened. Gouging, tearing, disemboweling; his usage of his jaw to continuously feast slowed him, even forcing him to take a few hits. My eyes, layered with both and , caught an astounding view.

As a creature died, their mana potential would shudder and collapse...turning into those aspects of death that I saw. It turned into a heap of icy blue that floated about, cracked with streaks of void. From the way the frosty wisps hovered towards me to be absorbed, they were clearly fragments of the soul; providing Soul Power. Something not quite similar happened to Vamp.

Whenever his jagged teeth ripped away a bloody chunk of flesh, that portion of the goblin’s mana field would have its connections severed. Instantly it would then begin to decay into bits of soul, which were summarily absorbed to strengthen Vamp. In most cases when a body part was separated from its owner, it looked to take a long while before the mana potential broke down into a released soul. A connection remained between the wounded and their part, and so long as they did not die, the piece would retain its mana potential for a long time.

Those black teeth of Vamp’s cut right through the ephemeral connection; his wretched and bloody maw capable of severing souls.

I could not compare to earlier days, but Vamp clearly saw much greater improvements to his body than other goblins. He hadn't caught up with me, but if he were to continue feasting at such a rate, I would not have been surprised if he soon surpassed me as my experience gains plateaued.

At the moment though, Vamp remained weaker and his instinct for battle meant nothing if he tossed them aside to sate his hunger. Black blood bubbled stickily out of lacerations, and began impeding him. He continued to recklessly skirt about, when two enemy elites appeared to make their move.

Vamp pounced on the one wielding a spear, but the elite happened to be wearing a tough coat of mail hidden underneath his clothes. Though he slid backwards, Vamp’s attack did not penetrate, leaving the ghoulish goblin open for a moment.

Not nearly enough to qualify as a fatal error, as the second elite moved in with his claws, Vamp shoved the first to the ground with his feet. Using the rebound he engaged the second with his own, more frightening claws. They engaged in a few quick exchanges, which Vamp dominated. His talons struck through his opponent’s, who quickly lost a large chunk of their neck.

Savoring the taste a moment too long, the first elite recovered and charged towards Vamp. Using his meal as an impromptu shield against those around him, he turned to use it to block the incoming spear goblin as well.

Unhesitatingly, Clavi leaped to me, and I threw him over in an instant. Unable to see the where the approaching enemy would strike from behind the shield, Vamp did not adjust for the incoming feint. My little skeleton flew over, his sword embedding itself upright into the gap of the collarbone before being torn out as Clavi rolled to the ground.

Vamp only noticed the aftermath of the spear goblin collapsing, and little Clavi appearing nearby all of a sudden. Recognizing the intentions, he began fighting closer to the group; his recklessness curbing slightly.

“We ready.” Slipping back to heal the undead, Khthju voiced that he and his underlings could take to the field again. “What about dead? Dead anger Khtraal.”

“Does that matter? So long as we meet up with the tKlor’t’t, all will be well. Send some ahead to inform the chief if necessary.”

It may end up putting tKlor’t’t in an odd position, but his upper tier forces were far more numerous than those belonging to Khtraal; I had done a surprisingly good job on my escort mission. The chief of Oirk bet on having tKlor’t’t’s elites die in droves to do major damage to the incoming armies, however this meant he needed to use his own to counter the special ops. As a result of my unholy legion acting as a shield, Khtraal’s elites likely suffered more damage than tKlor’t’t’s.

It wouldn't necessarily lead to a counter coup by the large chief, but he would be in a good position to bargain. Without fully betraying Khtraal, there would be some political conflict instigated. Khtraal would doom himself turning against tKlor’t’t, even with the aid of the Iyrkraal. No matter how the cookie crumbled, the pieces would be too small to worry over.

Khthju grudgingly listened to what I said, and a trio of warg riders fled, paying little attention to those in the way. The rest shortly followed, leaping over the zombies. They did not rush off quickly, but instead began to churn the path ahead with giblets of the dying, the wargs snatching and shaking victims about in their jaws. Elites of many tones soon followed after, and the undead encirclement turned oblong as I ordered them to rush forward.

Our losses were not great, but the aggressive tack we took meant they were not few either. 16 zombies became damaged beyond repair, and several skeletons were relegated to becoming expendable shields after losing usage of both their arms. The tKlor’t’t fared little better during the push, two wargs eventually collapsed, four riders died, and seven elites perished, along with three others who were too wounded to fight, and tried sticking to the group.

Fragments of Yhrack’s brambly fences could be spotted in the distance, rising between the trees. Lightly jogging forward while cleaving heads asunder, one of the blades snapped in my hands yet again, convincing me to end a few goblins barehanded. We were still around a 50 meters back from the outskirts when a weighty figure came out to greet us.

Metal lamellar armor made from large plates slowly clanked against each other, letting out a series of muted rings as it was struck repeatedly. Those that dared strike were casually swept away shortly thereafter by a large metal baton, or crushed by a hand covered in a bulky gauntlet.

tKlor’t’t approached at his own pace, like a boulder rolling down a gentle slope. A mighty glacier that could absorb innumerable hits, his quick retaliatory strikes contrasted with the slow movement. At most his body would turn with a blow, never deigning to fully dodge. The lesser goblins could not stop us from meeting.

“How have things been going on your end? We’ve suffered minor casualties here—your spawn have been tiring out. Depending on how much longer this lasts, further decrease in damage may critically impair our chance at victory.”

“Khtraal has steadily suffered losses, while the Iyrkraal remain whole. Ychk who has been in charge of coordinating the untamed wargs is having the beasts ravage the enemy; subtly keeping them focused on helping his kin.” tKlor’t’t didn't miss a beat as he split a goblin in half with the blunt weapon. “As for my own spawn, they have been dying in droves, but no more than I would expect. As they are dependent on the upper forces of Khtraal and Iyrkraal, aid naturally comes late. From Ychk it is to the extent that it may even result in Khtraal’s defeat. We are reaching the turning point currently, but a few more slip ups on his part could make the battle fall either way.”

“Yet the Iyrkraal remain more or less unharmed. Is it possible he intends Ychk to betray Khtraal? Is it possible that Iyrkraal knows about how nests may form? He may be trying to finish off everyone other than himself. Incite Khtraal and Uhkhjk to fight, have Khtraal, you, and himself kill the four others, have Khtraal turn on you when you're weak, then turn on him in the end. That would be quite the concentrated slaughter.” At least, were I a goblin chief, I would set up that kind of convoluted and multi-layered scheme to reap benefit after benefit.

“I have thought of that, but the course of this battle has been altered enough that I am in a strong enough position he likely wouldn’t risk it. Iyrkraal is the oldest of the chieftains; even if that had been his ploy to start with, he knows how to be cautious. He will likely find a way to continue using Khtraal to further whatever endgame he is playing at.”

“That’s all well and good, but what’s the plan now? My minions can’t exactly integrate with the main forces. This is going on a lot longer than planned, and it’s really getting quite tiresome.” I yawned for effect while stabbing a nearby goblin. “I know I signed up for this, but I didn’t expect it to be so dull.”

“That would be the first time I ever heard someone refer to this as dull.” tKlor’t’t raised a fat eyebrow, glancing around at the surrounding carnage. Crushing a few more approaching enemies he shrugged. “There are far more than anticipated, but it is no cause for concern. So long as Ghojtroik and Zhargorb fall, that will be enough to turn the tide of battle. Those directly spawned will be weakened by the loss, and that provides an opportunity to counterattack.”

Oh goody, so I only needed to take out two people to end this level? Why couldn’t you have just told me that sooner, they’d have been six feet under before you and Vamp could eat someone.

“Let’s get this show on the road then, shall we?”