North to Pontya's walls, there was a forest. This particular forest extended along the river, and would cover many of the hills and mountains that hosted the dozens of coal mines which Goldblack was known for.

It was thanks to this forest that much of Goldblack's wildlife could have a place to call home, and yet, it was never a place where one would see the hunters of nearby villages. The reason was simple, another less-friendly species inhabited the forest.

Built against trees and the sides of the mountains, the shacks and houses that the forest was not the owner of could not be attributed to the humans that had built their cities nearby. They were far too crude and far too brittle to be called human structures, and over everything else, the creatures that lived in them could not be described as human.

The sound of rustling leaves and carving dirt could be heard from above the trees, sending an eerie chill down your spine. A dirt-colored humanoid dragged a corpse around the forest, leaving a fat trail of dirt on the ground, sticking leaves and moss to a burly and bloodied pig. The corpse of the pig didn't have anything as arrows stuck to it, it's head had been bashed open by sheer brute force, and it's skull broken to pieces.

The one responsible for such a brutal hunt was the one who dragged the carcass along, a long-eared, red-eyed, scrawny humanoid whose face resembled the cross between a human child and a mistake, holding a club in one hand and no clothing to speak of.

Hunched over while licking its lips, tasting already the wonderful flavor of victory, the goblin advanced through the forest.

When it looked at its sides and saw his companions do the same, the goblin smiled. Not because something as unthinkable as empathy, but because his prize, the one he dragged by himself, was far bigger. The pig he carried was fatter, wider, and taller.

When they got to the biggest shack in the mountainside, they were welcomed by a light cough and a voice that ushered them inside. The four of the goblins placed their catch in front of the human man sitting at the pile of logs and made a reverence as he had taught them.

"Very well. You have taken this matter seriously... Cough, cough!"

The man stood up from his seat and looked down at the pray of each one of his servants. The goblins all trembled in their feet as they saw him examine their hunt, walking around slowly, examining closely each pig, and laughing to himself about each and one of them.

Were we not enough?

They secretly thought, but voicing such thing would just end up in all of their heads rolling down to the ground.

After he was done with his examination, the man moved to a table resting at a side of the room. He grabbed a few herbs and separated them each by color. He tasted their flavor, read through a few books, and nodded repeatedly— all while his servants trembled and watched him expectantly.

"Good." He muttered.

He moved to the quartet of goblins once more, this time holding a small case with each of the herbs on his hand.

He went to the first one in line.

"For you, Serizal. A potent herb used in fire resistance potions... I'm sure it'll serve you well— Slung."

As soon as he said his name, the goblin's eyes went agape. A tide of energy exploded from the man's inside, and wrapped around every limb on the goblin's body. It entered its nose and its mouth, and plunged down into his core until it had completely merged into the goblin's spirit.

The goblin named Slung fell down to the ground while heavily panting, and couldn't resist but to crack the lid of the case he was given, and start devouring its contents like a starving beast.

After a few seconds, its skin started to change. It dyed itself an earthly tone of red from the brown-like color of before, and his musculature started to change into something that looked each time more like a human. The master did not pay attention to this process and walked to the next one in line.

"For you, the Allal herb. A white herb cultivated in Dranquianstone, it's said to hasten one's steps. Take it, Plung."

The same thing as before happened, but the goblin's skin did not turn to red. Instead, it changed to a dirty white. He destroyed the case with inhuman speed, and started to even swallow the metal it was made out of.

The next goblin was somber and stone-faced. He did not tremble when his master neared, he simply lowered his head, and listened to his master's words.

"Take, Noar herb. It's good for your brains, Clung."

While the newly named goblin devoured the black herbs and his skin turned dark as coal, the master walked up to the last one of the quartet, and smiled.

"You got the biggest one. You must be proud of your... uhm... feat."

The goblin smiled with shaking legs and nodded silently as his master passed him a case with a golden herb inside of it.

"Aruole herb. It's good for... magic, was it? Anyways, it's a pretty color. Golden... That's always a good thing. But well, you'll figure it out as the leader of these folk, Hlung."

The master turned around as he ignored how the last goblin was wrapped in magic power, and then devoured the golden herb he had been given.

He sat on his chair, sighing as he did so, and crossed one leg on top of the other.

As he saw an array of four different colored hobgoblins, he sneered, and couldn't help but feel slightly pathetic about it. It had been a resounding success as an experiment, but now he was trapped inside such an awkward situation that he wanted to end his life, and didn't know what the next course of action should be.

"Shit, this always happens because I don't plan ahead, kukuku... Oh well, it's not like it matters anyway."

He whispered while covering his jeering smile, and then, retiring his hand from his face, he commanded:

"My creations, you have now been granted the greatest power I can bestow onto you! From now on, you shall follow your brains, and forget your old savage ways. Remember all I have taught you, and do not forget that I am your master. Now, go, get one each that you are kin to, and bring them in front of me. I will bestow a name and the corresponding power."

"Yes, master!"

The four hobgoblins cried out with fervent passion, and the man let a small giggle escape his mouth.

"Shit, this isn't good." He closed his eyes. "Well, if there could be one easy way of killing them off that would be..."

He regained his composure and stood up with a deep frown.

"From tomorrow onwards you will all be planning, scheming, and training your armies! We will show the world our strength, and in two months, you will attack the city of Pontya with all of what you've got, and take it over for yourselves!"

"Yes, master!"

The hobgoblins loudly roared as they showed a resolute smile, banging their fists on the wooden floor. Their master covered his mouth trying not to choke in his self-pity and saw the hobgoblins run away to fetch their kin.

Runa, The Star-Eyed Girl

By me