Chapter 7: Preparation

A warm sensation flowed down the goblins necks, the warmth was contrary to the thick atmosphere around the Goblins which at that time caused a dreadful silence. Their god had summoned them, and they could only wonder what their god wanted. Robin walked to one end and then to the other, inspecting every Goblin's worth. His god asked for the best and he would make sure that his god got the best. William stood on the sidelines as he Watched Robin inspect the Goblins he chose. Robin, on his third-round trip, stopped in front of a young goblin, a few inches shorter than the rest. The goblin was visibly trembling. Robin turned to William, William gave a firm nod, Robin flicked his head, instructing the Goblin to leave.

Scitus had tried to get closer to the goblins but, in the end, many still feared him. The ones close to him had seen he was a kind god, he wouldn’t just abandon them, or at least Robin and Wiliam believed so.

The inspection ended with the loss of three goblins, leaving ten goblins standing in single file. Behind them were thick trees, growing feet apart from one another. The forest was thicker there than in the other sides, Scitus noted that possible ambushed could happen from that area as he arrived on the Scene. Robin and William stood beside a large tree, as instructed to do beforehand.

Scitus’s arrival is met with Looks of admiration of a few goblins and looks of light fear in others. They all respected him but the ones who trusted him were happy to see him, while the ones who still doubted him felt unease. He was a god, after all, they couldn't believe that after living their entire lives being hunted by every living creature, that a god would suddenly appear and save them.

"Ogre king take Cecilia, take Thomas." The goblins, whose expression a moment ago felt fear and admiration, now deviously hid their melancholy. Loss had come for them often, their visible weeping would never surpass a day; they could not afford to cherish those lost for any longer. If one poked and prodded deeper into the depths of their mind, one would find a dark sludge near their very essence; this was the darkness they hid within themselves, that hatred they felt every waking moment, it was the misery they had and the helplessness that they could never hope to fight.

Scitus, perhaps out of experience, saw it hidden deep beneath their soul as it fought their conscious mind for dominance. Their desire to be driven mad was halted only by their fear of losing another member of their family. This emotion, to Scitus’s dismay, would be necessary if he wanted to save those lost. Scitus would show them that being weak was not a state of being but rather something that can be grown out of and overcome. The despair knew him; it had once left him a broken man that feared hope for it meant that the beasts that fed on it would arrive like feral dogs and eat every ounce of his being till nothing remained of him. This fear was irrational but nonetheless persistent and nearly unstoppable, that is unless a guide aided in the mending of their broken bones and pushed them up that steep mountain known as hopelessness.

Their bonds were stronger as strong as ever before and would be used in the midst of battle as a piece of courage that would push them beyond their limits. Now, only lacking in courage and training prevented them from performing a miracle that Scitus thought inevitable.

Beckoning Seresa and Maxwell, who had arrived with him, he asked of Maxwell to choose the fastest goblins. Seresa’s role in this, stopping Maxwell on the fifth goblin. The plan was still misty and unfathomably confusing to the goblins who stood straight as an arrow as Maxwell pointed one firm and muscular finger at them. The goblin, whose muscles and sturdy build denied his ripening age, carefully selected the goblins he had watched over the years, remembering every single feat they achieved in that time and determining if it was indeed a feat of speed. At the same time, he also recalled all the lost ones whose faces he had committed to memory out of love and compassion for them. Though beneath that love and compassion was a lurking guilt that ate at him at every opportunity, haunting his very existence and screaming for his head. He was elated to have resigned from his post as the leader and pass on the torch to Scitus, who he had correctly deemed to be their savior.

One by one, Scitus announced the goblins names aloud, "Arisa, Nell, Yuki, Bison, and Teal" and asked them to stand by Robin. They did so with a slight agitation that quickly vanished once the usually reserved Arisa happily frolicked to her destination. Scitus made sure to keep close watch of the two females that had been chosen, a trait he had noticed days prior. Their sex would ordinarily pose a problem but Scitus had made special note that Goblins experienced less sexually dimorphic traits than their mortal counterparts and therefore had similar physiques. If Scitus had been born to that world he would have also known that even among sexually dimorphic species, the physically weaker one could overcome their physical limits through magic, but his comprehension of the arcane was still a small puddle unworthy of even being called knowledge.

The thought of sexual dimorphism spurred Scitus’s thoughts to shift in a peculiar direction, a direction he made sure to announce to his increasingly loyal subject Seresa. “Ogre king touch Cecilia?” His heart shook with anticipation, fearing a most terrible answer. But to his relief, Seresa Shook her head, she calculated that to the ogre king her value would lie in her ability to create bows. Though she couldn’t be certain that the ogre king had the intellect for such thoughts but did not tell her god for fear that his compassion would cause him to act erratically. The best decision, she thought, would be for his king to focus on his plans. Unbeknownst to her, however, Scitus saw the minor twitch of her neck and the doubt in her eyes and concluded that her chastity was not guaranteed. The thought, although troubling, was pushed into the recesses of his mind for he knew that he had no time for compassion If he truly wished to save them. Scitus had found it ironic, that to be compassionate once must first to be merciless.

Scitus had been informed that both Thomas and Cecilia voluntarily let themselves be captured. The point of the attack, though at first to capture slaves, was to steal the secrets of the bow and the axe; the creation of which was still foreign to the enemy. When discovering this, Scitus felt a strong sense of pride in their sacrifice and even greater emotion for Cecilia, presuming she considered the possible consequences of her capture.

With loud BRAK!!! Scitus moved his gaze to a now lightly bleeding Robin whose hand had fractured from the sheer force he had exerted on the tree beside him. The fire in his eyes was made of pure wrath unlike any of the goblins had ever seen and seen only once by Scitus in the mirror of his moldy bathroom. The result of such wrath, a broken mirror, and a broken Scitus. Robin's fist healed faster than the shock in the Goblins hearts. Afterword, the remaining five moved beside William who stood only feet away from Robin, they stomped their feet on the ground in a sad attempt to soothe their rage.

Scitus saw the growing anger in the eyes of the others and decided to make a speech. He spoke of humans and their abilities and of goblins and their abilities, finally finishing the awe-inspiring speech with words of the future he planned for them. He spoke of the conjunction of both monster and human ability to create a civilization the likes of which no man, beast or monster had ever seen. He spoke his final line and said. "you, begin, greatness." At that time Only Seresa fully comprehended the magnitude at which Scitus wanted them to move. Her excitement far outshined the others because she saw it not as mere placating words but a soon be reality.

Scitus whispered to Maxwell and with a quick nod of his head he left the group and began his new mission. The purpose of his mission was the organization of the goblins in a single area in preparation for a speech that Scitus planned to give.

With a firm nod, Scitus ordered Robin to stay where he stood. Then with a flick of his finger, he beckoned William, his group, and Seresa to follow him. Behind them was an anxious Robin, who was left to connect the dots of Scitus’s plan on his own. He had surmised a vague idea, but every single thought that entered him felt inferior to the reality that surely awaited him and his team.

Scitus walked for several meters to the north, eyeing the ground as he did so. He wished to find the flattest piece of land, for he needed it to improve the effectiveness of his plans. he found such a plot of land just beyond the tree that he had rested under and to the far right of where Robin stood. They're he retrieved the Echo Piece from his left pocket, where it had sat since that very morning.

The goblins eyed the device with curiosity, for they hadn’t seen the echo in such a small state. The piece he held was an inch by inch by inch cube. Sensing the outside, it expanded to twice its size, then with whip sound slicing through the wind, 26 identical pieces attached itself and formed a larger cube.

A low beep resonated and along with it came the expansion of the other pieces forming a cube of similar make to a once well-known puzzle game. At its full size, the cube stood at 6 by 6 by 6 inches, with the smaller cubes made clearly defined by a white light between the cracks of the cube pieces. Once at full size, the cube summoned a beam from the center cube facing the sky and projected a young man with short white hair. His smile radiated affection, the likes of which would be willing to do anything for the person before them. The young man looked around and scanning everyone in front of him, with a firm nod he confirmed something to himself.

“What will you need today master Scitus.” Scitus pointed to the flat piece land before him and said,” Mode: Battle training. Type: basics.” The man nodded but before completing it he hesitated and looked up as if realizing something. “Master Scitus, I’ve scanned the creature’s muscular system and I believe that they can handle a far more intense training regiment. Do I have permission to increase the difficulty of the regiment?” Scitus stared at the man for several seconds wondering if he heard correctly. Echos were programmed to make simple suggestions and had a very simple learning Ai, but the man before him Scanned and then decided on his own on a better course of action. Scitus put a hand to his chin as he contemplated the possibility that the world itself had somehow affected his technology. The duffle bag had become an infinite storage, but the lybird didn’t seem to have any changes, and the seed had been dropped far away from where they were then and couldn’t be tested.

"Yes, you have my permission." The gentleman nodded and separated a small cube from large cube which then appeared to disintegrate into a fully human form. The remaining 26 pieces became a slender mat on the ground afir equipment and weapons for training. The spectacular change in environment earned the awed gazed of every goblin that witnessed it. What lay before them was an advanced technology created by a man known as Sergis, a fusion of nanite technology and holograms. This technology was improved on by Scitus and implemented in the Echo. The Newer version was clearer and far more stable; this stability allowed for advance blueprints to be made in three dimensions and allowed for particularly skilled people to do something called double jumping.

What happened next would rely solely on Seresa's ability to learn a new language. While the Echos could change modes themselves and perhaps more so now, they couldn’t speak the goblin tongue, this would make training difficult. Scitus decided that Training Seresa in the English language would best.

He took another small cube which expanded and called its other parts to it. The cube than spread itself and become a humanoid woman. She had fair skin and long black hair, in contrast to her brother's brown skin and white hair who appeared to be of Neoasia. She bent her knee and extended one hand to the other side as if meeting royalty. "Yes, master Scitus?" Another strange behavior that shouldn't have been programmed in.

“Mode: Teacher: , Type: English prioritization ” Unexpectedly, Scitus is met with a wicked smile as if to say, "yes master, I'm more than happy to oblige." The smile nearly distracted Scitus from noting the nanite glasses the Echo formed on her face. Her hair than floated slightly and tied itself into a ponytail, her white dress was now a stereotypical Strict teachers skirt and blazer. She wore pristine black shoes and blacks socks to match. The goblins nearby would have whistled if they could but unable to do that they left their jaws wide open for bugs to enter. Seresa's eyes moved to Scitus to see if he had a similar reaction, only to find a face of complete shock, one that said, "what hell just happened?” Seresa felt the pressure building up in her chest release all at once, a feeling that she had never felt before had started to plague her. She feared she was sick but also feared to worry Scitus before the rescue, so she remained silent.

“Student: Seresa:” He said as he pointed to a slightly pinked faced Seresa. Scitus continued, “Teaching method: Language unknown.” The woman raised her glasses slightly with her fingers and then looked to her creator. “Master Scitus,” she doesn’t finish her sentence, choosing instead to whip her head back to Seresa. Ordinarily teaching a language to a person is difficult if they don’t share a language, but with holograms, the job is made much easier.

“Prioritize, terms used in battle and other similar terms, after she has learned the basics.” She nods her head still looking at the now slightly shaking Seresa. With a wave of her hand, the Woman willed a chair into existence.

“Sit up straight Seresa!!” With a small yelp, Seresa obeyed; she didn’t understand the words but as she felt the ruler on her back, she understood the meaning. Scitus cringed as he watched the strange behavior and hoped that it wasn’t some type of code malfunction from being teleported to another world.

"She, teach, Language," Scitus said as he kneeled to meet her gaze.

“Seresa, learn, make goblins strong.” Her trembling was still visible but with a soft nod she puffed her chest out and shouted, “RAKISO” Which roughly translated to, “WE ARE GREAT!!” and was said often when a goblin expected great fortune for their people.

“Back straight!!” with a childlike yelp, Seresa leaps three feet into the air, something only possible because of her incredibly strong thighs. Seeing she was in danger, the woman and Scitus grabbed hold of her and set her down. Her skin reddened and she attempted to hide herself with her small hands.

“Okay, I do.”

“Don’t speak so lightly to your superiors.” The woman chose a gentler approach on her second attempt as he placed her hand on the small skull. “Master Scitus is a very important person!" she said as she formed a hologram of a king in front of Seresa. The woman turned to Scitus.

"Forgive me master Scitus, but your presence makes it difficult to educate her properly." Scitus got the feeling that the woman was of the cunning sort, he saw it in her eyes but said nothing for he had no time to contemplate her potential sentience. He walked but a small distance to meet the man.

“Echo 1, follow Seresa's orders.”

"Yes, master." Unlike his sister, the man gave off a kindly older brother vibe, the sort that spoiled his dear sister into a mischievous sort.

Scitus headed to the main camp, which lay not too far from the combat training area. Here lay the duffle bag and the lybird Pro. He needed the lybird pro for his training and just as he had picked it up, Maxwell startled him from behind and told Scitus that his mission was complete. Scitus hadn’t expected it to be done that quickly but nodded and asked Maximus to inform the others who were waiting for him and the ones who had just begun training.

A bit past the westside lay a lonely piece of flat land, here an assembly of somber goblins stood side by side as they waited for their king to speak. The emotion in the air had grown stale with bitterness and taking a breath was difficult without noticing the searing atmosphere

The Plutus spoke of special rituals that many monsters had, one, in particular, was the burial of the dead and its importance to goblins. To them, only the elder was worthy of burial. This concept was what nearly burst the vile of hatred they tried so desperately to suppress.

The goblin that had been killed earlier that day, the goblin that threatened their families was about to be buried. The sneaky little rat the nearly caused the death of their loved ones was about to have an honor only the elder was supposed to have. The younger goblins were the most compulsive and ready to jump but they were held back by the older generation who faced the situation with a straightened back.

The elder goblins firmly grabbed the younger goblins, who were now trying to break the formation, Maxwell had the forethought of putting them in separate spots, near an older goblin. Unlike before where Seresa understood, this she couldn’t comprehend but the older goblins did. They knew because they would have done the same if they had the will power to suppress their rage. Although they didn’t want to admit it, Goblins were often blinded by their hatred and it was that reason that brought about their near extinction in the first place. Time after time they remembered seeing fellow goblins leaving to avenge someone and the path of blood never ended, there was always someone else to kill and someone else responsible. Thomas, if he was in attendance, would have understood that all too well.

Robin wanted to attack the corpse that passed by them and William gave him a look that asked to do the same. Seresa stood beside those two and grabbed their hands tightly and compelled them to wipe those thoughts behind.

"Hatred." Their mighty king spoke as the corpse neared its destination. The language he spoke it wasn't English, nor goblin, it was the Alverin. A special language that all gods possessed. A language that allowed communication of a special kind, the kind only those that deeply respected the god who spoke it and in rare cases those with a deep hatred of a god.

This language was never used lightly and only spoken with when something of great importance had to be said, as was the custom of that world. Even the plants and grass were grateful whenever they had the privilege to hear the Alverin tongue.

"Hatred is a painful curse that never for a single moment releases its grip." His voice was calm as a steady stream of the tears stained his face, he continued seemingly recalling a long suppressed memory. “It gnaws at you day and night and screams for blood. ” The goblins no longer focused on the corpse and their focus had been stolen by their god's wise words. "and when that blood is spilled you realize that you've created it yourself in someone else and your forced to live with that memory for the rest of your days as you run from the monster you've created." He closed his eyes and recalled how close he was to being another cog in that machine and how close he was to hurting so many people, it was only when he met Alejandra that he realized who his actions would truly hurt. The innocent are always the ones who suffer from the actions of the few.

“Do you understand” he opened his eyes and took a deep breath. “If you must kill never relish in it, if you must hurt others, make sure to mourn for them and if you are hurt and someone you hold dear is killed, don’t leave those still beside you in search of revenge. And as long as I am here, I’ll make sure that there will always be someone besides you during those times."

The corpse was placed into his grave and the goblins one by one took turns in using the shovel. Inch by inch and foot by foot, the dead goblin buried their dark past along with it. They would turn a new leaf for a better tomorrow. Robin was the last person in line and as he covered the top of the grave he spoke a few words.

“Dead, dead. I forgive.” Though he was the angriest, he had also understood his god the most and allowed himself to forgive the monster that hurt him. Soon after the other goblins began to mutter that to themselves as Robin piled the last bit of dirt he whispered the words, "I forgive" and with that, a burden left him, one so large that it extended years of hatred. He had learned a knew truth one that he promised to hold close to him from then on.

Evil isn’t always evil but rather another side to the same problems. The dead do not return and so forgiveness is crucial for the living if they must survive with one another. The goblins finally understood why gods were so cherished by the mortals, a being that guided them to a better tomorrow was something of great joy. Though still bitter, they felt no ill will for their king and god who wished with all his heart for their wellbeing.