The orcs loosely surrounded the goblins, laughing and mocking them.

“What ‘chu got in the bag?” asked one as he ripped it from the hands of a goblin. The bag spilled open, letting the stolen apples fall to the ground.

“Apples? Ahahaha! Did you risk your lives raiding a town for a bag of apples? You could have climbed a tree and gotten them for free!” guffawed the orc.

“Leave him be,” scolded Kitty. The orc turned to her.

“And how are you going to make me?” he sneered as he yanked Kitty’s bag away. He tore it open, and Dizzy had a terrifying moment expecting to see the elf’s wand tumble to the ground. Instead, the child’s coloring book fluttered to the ground, along with a few knick-knacks Dizzy hadn’t seen Kitty acquire.

“Junk. Nothing but junk. No wonder you goblins live here in the swamp. You ain’t smart enough to know what real treasure is,” said the orc. He kicked the pile of trinkets aside, his foot ripping several pages and scattering the rest.

Dizzy began reaching for his sword, when Kitty put his hand on the hilt, holding it in the scabbard.

“Don’t. It’s a setup,” she whispered urgently. Dizzy looked over his shoulder and saw another orc with his hand on his sword.

“If you draw a weapon against these orcs, they will kill you. They are looking to make an example out of one of us. Don’t let it be you.”

Dizzy raised his hands away from his swords, fingers spread. The orc scowled behind him, disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to run a goblin through.

“All right, you lot. Get a move on. Isaar wants to meet his new troops,” said an orc. He pointed towards the temple. “Now!”

The terrified goblins ran towards the temple, with the orcs jogging behind. The orcs weren't shy about cuffing the slower goblins across the backs of their heads. Moments later, the entire tribe was standing in front of the temple. As they milled about uncertainly, the orc leader stepped forward with his lieutenant. Between the two huge beings stood the Chief and Slugger.

“Greeting, my goblin troops! I am Isaar, better known as Isaar the Terrible. From this day forward, I am your new Chief. If you cross me, I will kill you, and the goblin standing next to you!” The big orc grinned.

“If you obey me, I can also promise you greater wealth than you ever imagined! Your Battle Boss here tells me you just successfully raided the village of Driftwood Landing. Show me what you gained!”

The goblins paused, fearful of the orcs and of losing their ill-gotten gains.

“Well, don’t keep me waiting! Empty your bags! Let’s see what you’ve brought me!”

In ones and twos, the goblins dumped out their bags and set their stolen goods on the ground. Isaar and his lieutenant walked through the crowd of goblins, looking at the stolen goods.

“Hmm… This is nice,” murmured Isaar as he examined a finely crafted knife sheath, examining the leatherwork. The craftsman had embossed a stag standing in a field, trees in the background. The orc handed it back to the goblin. Isaar continued down the line.

“But this? This is junk,” he said as he held up a broken ceramic pot. Isaar looked down at the goblin, and dropped the pot, shattering it completely. Isaar looked at the rest of the treasure, breaking many of the prizes. “Junk, junk, junk. Can’t you goblins do anything right?”

Finally, he stood in front of YDB. “So, what do you have for me, little Gobbo?” he asked.

“Slugger’s!” answered YDB.

“Sluggers? What in the Abyss is a Sluggers?”

“I think he means he has Slugger’s treasure,” answered Kitty. She nodded at YDB. “He doesn’t speak very well. Go ahead, YDB. Show him what Slugger swiped.”

YDB opened the bag he held and showed Slugger’s treasure. The cheap jewelry sparkled and shone in the bag, and the orc grinned.

“Well, this is more like it! Most of it is junk, but I’m sure the bar wenches won’t care. Hand it over.” The orc snatched the jewelry from YDB’s hands and tucked it into a pouch. YDB looked distraught at having lost Slugger’s treasure but didn’t challenge the orc.

Isaar stomped back to the top of the steps and glared down at Slugger and the Chief.

“We’re going to go back to that town, and get their real treasures! You idiots grabbed just enough to whet my appetite, but I know Captain Stormhoof won’t be satisfied with this meager tribute! The Captain is not a being you want to cross!”

“Stormhoof?” whispered Kitty.

“Don’t know. Never heard of him,” whispered Dizzy in reply.

“Silence!” roared Isaar. “You goblins need to learn discipline! Tomorrow, Captain Stormhoof will arrive with the rest of our crew, and we will begin planning for another raid on Driftwood Landing. A more profitable raid, and one to instill fear into the other towns and villages around here! If you listen well and obey, you lot will get a fair cut of the loot!

“Now, get out of my sight! The Chief will be staying with us, but the rest of the palace staff will have to bunk with the rest of you!”

A moment later, the other orc led the two concubines, dressed in thin night robes to the top of the steps. Behind them, the pregnant females, old and weak goblins, and a dozen or so whelps appeared. All of them were firmly pushed out of the temple and sent down the stairs. The Chief looked stricken, not knowing what the orcs planned. Slugger came down the steps last, glancing over his shoulder at Isaar and his lieutenant.

The goblins hurried to scoop up the whelps before they had a chance to get away, taking them to their pens. The old and infirm looked pleadingly at the other goblins, and the concubines appeared ready to break down crying. Tears would not gain any sympathy from the tribal goblins.

“Dizzy, get the old ones to the single males’ huts. I’ll take the females to mine, and get them settled in,” said Kitty, moving to gather up the two young females. She had never cared for Sylvie and Amely, as the two had always lorded their positions as favorites of the Chief over the other females. Now they had been kicked out of their easy job "entertaining" the Chief and would need to be set straight. She didn’t have time to babysit two spoiled brats, but she also didn’t want them running off into the swamp, to get lost and eaten.

“This way, ladies. We’re going to have to get you sturdier clothing, I think.”

***

Dizzy guided the three elderly goblins to the males’ hut and got them settled.

“Thank you, young ‘un. We had no chance when the orcs arrived. They killed Piggy and Stabber as soon as they came. But even if everyone had been here, we still would have been overwhelmed, and many more would have died. The orcs rounded the rest of us up at sword point, and marched us to the Chief.” Dizzy knew the old goblin as Chive.

“When did they get here?” asked Dizzy.

“Last night, just after sunset,” answered Chive.

“We were less than two hours away. If we had only pressed on…”

“No lad. If you had shown up, tired and not thinking clearly, someone would have attacked. Then the orcs would have killed many goblins before going down. It’s best that you came in the morning when you were able to think and not do anything rash.”

“If you say so. What do you think about their plans for us though?”

Chive paused before answering.

“I think goblins will die in droves. We’re small and weak compared to humans. You went up against, what? Two guards and a bunch of ill-prepared townsmen? They will be ready for another raid, especially if the orcs want to go right away. The orcs will use us goblins as sword fodder, while they prepare their real attack. And these orcs are far more vicious than we goblins are.”

“We were violent,” protested Dizzy.

“Not like orcs,” corrected Chive. “Goblins will hit an enemy, but we don’t have the strength to kill in one blow. We usually run once we get what we came for. Orcs, well, they’re different. They will burn every building to the ground, and drive a sword through any who resist. They’ll use us up, then move on to the next tribe.”

Dizzy sat on the floor of his hut, thinking about what Chive had said.

“What about this Stormhoof? What do you think that will be all about?”

“Stormhoof? Sounds like bad news. We’ll know when he gets here. If I was you, I’d give some serious thought to sneaking off into the swamp tonight. You and your friends might survive, but the village itself is already doomed.”

“I can’t leave. These are my family, my friends.”

“Goblins don’t have family or friends. We survive, sometimes as a group, but mostly as individuals. You need to know and understand that, or you won’t last long.”

Dizzy looked at the ground, shaking his head. He knew there had to be more to being a goblin than fighting, eating, mating, and dying. Chive had to be wrong. Didn’t he?

Shrugging his shoulders in frustration, Dizzy stooped to crawl out of the hut.

“I’ll find a way to beat these orcs. I’ll free our tribe, or die trying.”

“That’s the spirit! Of course, my money is on you dying, but hey. Maybe you’ll pull off a miracle,” answered Chive. “Me? Well, I’m too old to go on a raid, so I’ll probably die right here in this hut.”

“Better not. I don’t want to drag you out, and I sure don’t want to burn the place down to give you a funeral pyre,” said Dizzy over his shoulder as he crawled through the opening. The old goblin cackled in laughter.

Getting back to his feet, Dizzy took a moment to scan the village. The orcs had spread themselves out to keep an eye on the goblins, ensuring no uprisings took place. The goblins busied themselves sorting out their loot from Driftwood Landing.

***

Kitty was sitting with YDB, handing him small pots of… well, Dizzy was never quite sure what was in the pots and bags YDB used to mix up his fireworks and explosives. Bat droppings, perhaps, bits of yellow dirt, oil that had bubbled up from a secret spot in the swamp, other bits & pieces. Dizzy approached the work area slowly and carefully, not wanting to startle either of his friends.

Settling down alongside Kitty, Dizzy took up a pot and gently stirred the contents. Whispering to Kitty he asked, “Any ideas?”

“About getting rid of the orcs? Not right now, but maybe when their real leader gets here.”

“Stormhoof? What sort of a name is that anyway?” mused Dizzy.

“Pirate,” said YDB.

“Pirates? What makes you think that? We’re a ways from the ocean here.”

“By looking at the clothing the orcs are wearing, I would guess this Stormhoof is a pirate captain of some sort. None of the orcs were wearing heavy armor and no shields. Just leather and thick clothing,” answered Kitty.

Dizzy looked from orc to orc and saw that she was right. Isaar had leather shoulder pads of some sort, while the rest of the orcs seemed to favor broad leather belts, boots, and thick jackets. Hot and uncomfortable in the swamp, but able to turn or soften a blow from a weapon.

“Maybe. But why come here? Why not raid the human villages from the sea?”

“Who knows? Keep your ears open whenever you’re near the orcs. Maybe they’ll let something slip.”

Dizzy nodded in agreement, then ducked his head when one of the orcs turned to look their way.

“Oh, crud. Here comes one of them now,” said Dizzy. All three goblins focused on their work as the orc approached.

“Here now, what are you lot doing?” he rumbled.

“We’re, ah, we’re making grenades for the next attack on Driftwood Landing, Mister, uh…” began Kitty.

“Gunag. And I ain’t no Mister. Isaar will be glad to see those in use if they’re any good,” replied Gunag.

“Boom!” said YDB with a big grin.

“He means that these will make a very big boom once set off,” translated Kitty.

“Let’s see,” said Gunag. “Are any finished and ready to use?”

YDB handed one of the bamboo bombs from a small stack and handed it to the orc. Gunag grinned, tusks gleaming. YDB lit the fuse and gestured a throwing motion towards an empty area. Gunag watched as the fuse burned, finally tossing the bamboo towards the temple. With a loud bang, the bomb detonated. Everyone in the village whirled around to see what had caused the noise. Isaar and his lieutenant appeared at the top of the steps.

“What was that?” roared Issar.

Gunag grinned and put his hand out for a second bomb. Once he had one in hand, the orc jogged over to show off YDB’s handiwork.

Dizzy, Kitty, and YDB watched while the orc spoke with his leader, then all three came across the village to stand over the goblins.

Isaar looked at the materials YDB used to make his bombs, then nodded.

“Make a lot of those. We’ll be putting them to good use tomorrow.” He turned to return to the temple.

“Gunag. Make sure that’s all they make. These ones might be too clever for their own good.”

With that, Isaar strode away. Gunag nodded towards YDB’s supplies. “You heard Isaar. Get back to work.”