POV Brainy

“Now this is unexpected but a nice change of pace right sisters?”

“If you say so Brainy.” Daggers and Bow replied to my question.

Alright with my sisters in agreement with me it’s time to take stock of the situation. First, we journeyed into the swamp while our brothers followed big brother Firstborn into the forest. Second, we ambushed a group of Savage Goblins at a makeshift campsite in a dry clearing in the swamp. Third and most important a giant spider came out from behind a tree and asked if it could eat the captive we took then asked for the corpses as well. Not a whole lot I know but still strange. The more I gaze at the spider the more my head pulses with ideas on how to best use it. I can see my sister Bow sitting atop one and snipping our enemies from the safety of it back as it charges into battle. Daggers using them to scout and kill our enemies from the shadows, and of course we can make clothes and armor from the silk.

This can work but it still needs to be called something. “Sisters, since we intend to keep the spider, what are we going to call it? I asked them. “Let’s call it Webweb.” replied Daggers a little too eagerly. “No that's stupid it should be called Drippy, just look at the fangs they drip venom.” Said Bow. A huge smile spread across Dagger's face after Bow spoke. “Okay Brainy forget my idea we should use Bow’s name, Drippy sounds so much better.”

Okay that was easier than I thought. So, we will call our new spider friend Drippy.

“Spider, can you still hear me?”

“Oh yes my Mistress, I can always hear your words. What would you have me do? Shall I find more tasty morsels to deliver you and your brood? Or shall I find crunchier green squishies to fight and eat?” The spider spoke in its hyper-hushed tone.

“We will get to those other activities in a moment, but first I have decided to give you a name. From now on or until the Great Core names you, you will be known as Drippy. Do you understand?”

“Oh yes, yes, yes, thank you, thank you, thank you most gracious Mistress. This one shall be known as Drippy. I will carry this great gift with pride and promise not to let you down.”

Wow just wow Drippy really loves the name. I hope I didn’t do something wrong by giving one, but it feels right deep down that she deserves a name of her own. As we climbed down the tree, I got this tingling sensation in the back of my head that something big just changed, not just for me but my sisters and Drippy too.

Now that we were back safely on the ground, I think I could tell what had changed, the constant pulsing beat that had filled the entire floor a few moments ago was gone. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, it had been gone for a while now, how didn’t I notice this earlier? I guess the excitement of killing some savage and the threat of almost being a giant spider's dinner took center stage for me. Still, this is nice, I mean I can tell the beat is still heard on the floor it’s just not affecting us for some reason. Oh well I’ll figure it out later, right now we can take advantage of anything under its effect and prove our worth to the core.

“Let’s go everyone, we have a swamp to conquer. And resources to gather, but first we could use more spiders, Drippy lead us to your nest!” I Ordered.

“Yes, my Mistress!”

Once we set off it didn’t take Drippy long before we could see the massive Weeping Willows that dominated the middle of the swamp. She led us closer to the central tree, which she told us was one of several major nest hidden throughout the swamps, as we approached, we saw more spiders, but none as large as Drippy herself, what we did not expect to see however was a literal hoard of wild hogs cutting a path of destruction towards the spider's main nest. Drippy may have been under my control but I could tell just from her body language she was pissed to see the hogs so close to the spider’s main nest. Looks like it's time for the fun to begin again.

“Mistress please help me fight the juicy flesh tusks that threaten my nest!”

Woah hold up is the reason Drippy’s so big is because she's the mother of all the spiders in this part of the swamp, how does that even work as far as anyone knows the spiders are all girls right. Doesn't matter right now Drippy asked us for help and she will get it.

Me, Daggers, and Bow charged in behind Drippy and struck into the hogs. Dagger’s looked like she was in Heaven with that big dopey grin on her face as she sliced tendons and pierced hearts as she ran through the now distracted herd of hogs. They were not prepared for the amount of carnage she could deal out in quick succession. *THUNK THUNK THUNK* That sound echoed, and three hogs had arrows buried up to the fletching in their eyes. Their momentum carried them forward after they died, and they crashed into the brackish waters of the swamp. Even I managed to kill a hog with a well-placed blow to the head with my shattered staff. It was epic… Okay who am I kidding the hog charged me and I fell on my ass and held my staff out letting it impale itself, it still counts. Now Drippy on the other hand had killed 13 hogs, and we got a firsthand look at how potent her venom is, it literally melted the flesh of any hog it touched, and her bulk allowed her serrated legs to pierce them like spears.

The hogs started to run as their numbers dropped. We were happy to have won and Drippy kept her offspring from trying to eat us and set them about collecting the hog corpses. This is a good feeling, but as I looked out into the swamp, I saw a huge white hog snorting at us from the tree line before it turned and moved away. I hope that one doesn't come back to haunt us in the future.

Attention Due To The Actions Of Firstborn High Goblins Will No Longer Be Affected By Rage Fueled Supremacy Rejoice.

Before I could even voice my opinion on the message that I just heard Daggers yelled out “Huh, hey Brainy did you just hear that too, sounds like Firstborn did something good!”

POV Unnamed Savage Goblin Blood Mage

Pain, Agony, my brothers will pay for casting me out. I will spill their blood and show them they were wrong. The power coursing through my veins thirst for the blood of my enemies. The more I think the easier it becomes, with each thought I become smarter and now I understand what the noise is that intoxicating beat. It’s bloodlust and I intend to gorge it with the cold corpses of my hateful brothers.

I’m close now just over the next rise is the den and the soon to be graves of my family. The more I think about killing them the faster the beat gets. It wants their deaths just as much as I do. This will be fun for me.

There it is the den is in sight and that bastard two loincloth wearer is out front. I approach my trophy in one hand and a pelt on my back. He turns and stares at me opening his mangled mouth to speak. “Well look Shriveled back, go way no need you you weak not want weak gobbos round. Go now or I kill.”

“Hehehe oh you won’t be killing me you backwards idiot.”

“Huh why Shriveled talk funny sound like big gobbo.”

“The answer is now I have power and intelligence to go with it. I’m the biggest baddest goblin on this floor now and it time for payback!” I used my new control over blood to kill him as I uttered that final word.

Now let's exterminate the others. Then I’m gonna make the High Goblins kneel to me or they will die too. There's only room for one Goblin to serve the core and that's gonna be me.

POV Firstborn

The fighting was fierce and horrific, but my brothers and I have the upper hand. It would all be over soon the Dire Wolves may be bigger than us, but they don’t have the conviction we have. The conviction I have. I spared a glance at the hovering words in my peripheral vision.

Slaughter In My Name - Progress 8/10 Dire Wolves Killed

Alright I only need to kill two more and the nightmarish rage that threatens to overtake my kin will be banished forever. I don’t know how much longer I have to do it, so I better wrap this up quickly just to be safe.

“Brothers we have hunted well, skin and dress the wolves that we have killed and prepare to move out, there is still much to do.” I told my remaining brothers.

“At once Firstborn.” They replied.

As I looked over my brother's skin and butcher the wolves my heart grew heavy, for we had lost 4 more brothers in the fighting. No matter how successful we are, someone always dies. Now when I look upon them, I see the faces of my dead brothers. Heavy is the burden of leadership, but I will carry it all the same.

“Awooh” came a long mournful howl from deeper in the forest. It seems the remaining wolves have caught the scent of their pack's blood. I feel for you, I really do but it's either your pack or my family someone must pay with their lives for this to end and as long as I draw breath it will not be the High Goblins that pay that price.

I look back at my brothers and speak. “The wolves howls grow closer, leave what you haven’t already harvested and prepare your weapons. A fight is coming to us, and I want us ready.” They didn’t respond with words but with actions, good they know words will not help us with what is about to happen.

Within seconds of my orders my brothers had formed up, with weapons at the ready. Now we wait for the wolves to come to us. So as not to be caught off guard by an attack from the rear I had us form up into a circle. Just as we finished the wolves arrived, I let out a sigh at what I saw before me. Only 7 showed up, much less than the 30 we had previously fought. There's just one problem, this group appeared to have the mythical Alpha Dire Wolf leading them. While regular Dire Wolves were the size of a donkey, whatever animal that is, this Alpha was 3 times bigger and more muscular than them two, with pitch black fur and gleaming silver eyes I could tell he would not go down as easily as the others.

The wolves were clearly smarter than the last group, must be the Alpha, they circled us and growled yet stayed well out of our striking distance. They were waiting for the right moment to strike. This is bad if they keep this up, we won’t get a chance to attack, wait I may have a plan. I slowly moved away from the safety of our circle, my brothers looked at me as if I were insane. I wasn’t but I bet it looked like it to them, but still my plan worked as soon as I got a few feet away a wolf lunged at me. Perfect with a simple step I was out of its path and retaliated with a brutal downward swing that took the porr wolf’s head off. As I readjusted myself for the next attack “Awooh Wooh Wooh” the Alpha called out and the others backed off. He, at least I think it was a male, then approached me, strangely I told my brothers to stay back as well. This challenge much like the one against my late little brother Morningstar 3 was personal.

The wolf and I circle each other looking for and opening to attack the other. After the third time I decided to make the first move and charged in, axe held high to deliver a brutal chop. As I closed the distance and prepared to bring my axe down on the wolf’s meaty neck, he hopped back onto his hind legs causing me to miss my strike. As I fell forward, carried by the weight of my axe and the power I had put into the swing the wolf was not waiting and swiped at my now exposed back. “Aaaghhh” I let out a hiss of pain as I felt four claw dragging across my back leaving four burning lines. That sting like a bitch. I have to be more careful, or it might be my head next time.

I don’t know for how long we fought each other but it didn’t matter anymore one of us would die and the other would live. That is the truth of this matter. We were both bloodied at this point. I had scored some decent but shallow hits on him, and he repaid me in kind. I now sported bite marks along my right shoulder and another four claw marks crossing my chest from my left shoulder going over my stomach to my right hip. I don't know why but I have never felt more at peace since being created as I do right now in this fight. We both had others we wanted to protect and refused to back down or show weakness to the other. We charged each other again.

I’m so tired now my arms trembled from the weight of the blood soaked axe in my hands, yet I could not drop it not in front of this opponent. The wolf was just as fucked up as me now limping and favoring its front left leg. We stared at each other and somehow, I think I could understand him, well that or the blood loss was starting to get to me, this is it my final attack win or lose this is all I have left, and I couldn’t help but agree with him I too was at my limits. For the last time we charged battered steel and chipped claws met for the final time. It happened so quickly the next thing I knew we had crossed to the other side, and I collapsed to the forest floor in a puddle of blood. I could hear the whines of wolves and the cries of my brothers before I lost consciousness and blacked out.

(Well, well, well you actually managed to complete the Quest I gave you. I’m impressed and I am a Goddess of my word no High Goblin will ever fall under the influence of Rage Fueled Supremacy gain. You surprised me and put on quite the show. You may not remember this when you wake but it matters not, you have earned your reward. Use it well in the coming days and continue to prove your worth little goblin.)

Attention Raged Fueled Supremacy is no longer in effect; the core may once more interact with and change the floor and creatures found on them.