Though he had seen the precision that goblins could employ when needed, their behavior in camp was near that of madness. He needed something to put their energy towards something more productive. Thinking hard as he strode through the camp, it seemed he would never find the answer he sought.
“Good evenings, chief,” said the goblin king.
Though Gnak had not seen him approach, it was no surprise that he managed to sneak up on Gnak, with all the goblins swarming around them.
“Gnak hear many more goblin come,” he replied in lieu of a greeting.
“Yes, manys more goblins have arrived and we yets expect a few more kingdoms.”
“And all agree to serve? All work for gold?”
“Yes, yes. Alls is precisely as you instructed,” said the goblin king to appease him.
“How many goblins come?”
“My last count was nears seventy thousand, Gnak.”
With his jaw dropping slack, it was no wonder the goblins seemed to be underfoot. If their number was not amazing enough, more were believed to be coming.
“Need something for goblins to do,” Gnak said, more or less thinking aloud.
“If you have mades peace with the trollsies, thens I suppose we won’ts be needed to fight,” replied the goblin king with a wink and a nod.
Then it hit him. Freezing in his tracks, Gnak turned to face the small king at his side. How he had not seen it immediately he did not know, but many things were missing from his vision. This was his opportunity to see it done before they marched to build his great castle city. Lowering his gaze to the smaller man, Gnak then gave his orders.
“Gnak want you catch giant. Many giant. Make harness for giant. Giants do lifting big rocks. Rest goblins gather all metal not used for hunt. Use metal. Make hammers. Make carving tools. Make stuff for build city. Gnak want all Gathos, goblin, orc, and troll be ready build. Have no time.”
“I will sees that it is done, my chief,” said the goblin king as he began to turn away.
“Gnak want one more thing,” he said leaning over to look the smaller man in the eye. “No more goblin kings die. Yes?”
“I haves no controls over those who lives or dies. That power is orcsie’s alone,” the goblin said, gesturing towards Gnak with a wicked grin.
Even with his denial, Gnak had given his warning, letting the smaller man know that he was on to him before they parted ways. It was about an hour later when Gnak made it to the edge of camp, and already vast amounts of goblins had struck out from the camp. Those remaining darted about the camp collecting what metallic items they could, to use as the temporary forges owned by the goblins. Soon, ringing sounded from all sides of the camp as the goblin blacksmiths began constructing all the tools his peoples would need. Turning around, Gnak could see down the entire aisle between the tents as he smiled and strode back the way he had come.
Both night and day Gnak traversed the camp, keeping up with the progress of his wishes. By day he wore the flesh of the king of trolls and by night he reclaimed his own body. Just as he planned, the goblins worked ceaselessly to create for him the implements that they would all require in the weeks and months to come.
Though it took the goblins but one night to produce a harness that he required to enslave a giant, it was three days more before the first of the giants was pulled from the sands beyond camp.
From over the dunes a great thrumming began early in the day as the troll king made his rounds. As the hours passed, the sounds grew nearer and clearer and scout reports poured in that a giant had been captured. Wanting to witness the feat, Gnak turned his ancient body towards the sound and lumbered out of camp. Cresting the nearest dune, he could barely see in the distance as a long row of goblins heaved upon a thick rope in the valleys created between the mounts of sand.
Snaking between the dunes, rather than climbing over them, the long line of goblins pulled as one with steady rhythm. Though they moved only a foot per pull, they heaved and tugged until the great beast came into Gnak’s sight.
He was a beast of a brute, all wrapped in chains and ropes from his shoulders down to his feet. Though he was not the biggest sand giant Gnak had seen, he was massively muscled and wider of shoulder and chest than any creature he could recall, including the memories retained by the troll body.
Foot after foot and yard after yard, the team of more than a thousand goblins dragged the giant nearer and nearer the camp until finally they brought their efforts to a halt. Watching as they dropped the massive braid of rope into the sand, Gnak stretched his troll body and turned to watch as the harness was brought out to meet the giant. Though fairly simple in design, the harness had been altered in wicked and menacing ways. He wondered how they planned to put it on the beast, as a lone goblin runner dashed off towards the center of the camp.
Realizing their intention, Gnak summoned every ounce of speed the troll’s body could muster and stretched out his strides as he too moved towards his tent. They wanted him to freeze the giant so that they could install its harness. But they sought out his orc body and sent a runner to meet him in his tent.
Though the goblin beat him by several minutes, the guards outside his tent had been ordered to allow no one to enter except the troll king. As such, when he arrived, the goblin started waving its arms frantically, and looked up to him before it started talking excitedly.
“Master troll. Master troll. Brings out the orcsie king. We needs him, troll, we needs him, troll. Bring, bring, bring.”
Gnak stifled a laugh at the creature before bending forward uncomfortably as his joints protested the move. Stepping through the fabric wall, he moved into a corner where he could not be seen from the door and shifted into his orc body.
Stepping once again out of the tent, Gnak waved the strange little goblin away and turning, he pumped his legs and ran up the wide aisle between the tents towards the giant’s location.
Topping the dune once more, he looked down upon the beast. Raising his arms towards the great creature, he summoned from it the will of life and watched as its thrashing and squirming stopped. Then, like ants, the goblins swarmed over the giant, cutting and hacking at the ropes that bound him. Within minutes it appeared as if the giant laid upon a bed of thick hair, so many ropes lying discarded in the sand.
As the creature’s forearms were freed, they were pried up and apart from one another to each side of the beast as hooks were driven through its flesh at key points in its anatomy. Once completed, the front half of the harness was carefully lugged into place upon its chest and neck, where cables and chains were routed through hoops attached to the harness. Then, tunneling through the sand beneath the creature, goblins dragged the straps and buckles needed to secure the harness in place under the frozen giant. In less than an hour the device was securely in place as all the goblins raced back in, and working together they heaved the creature over to lay upon its belly.
Then to its back they attached a strange cage to the wicked device and gathered the chains and cables there that ran throughout the device. Into the cage climbed a small goblin with a harness of his own, and once inside he began attaching and coupling the free ends of the chains and cables to himself. When all appeared complete, the goblins dispersed, giving the giant room as the handler caged upon its back stuck one small hand out through the bars with one thumb up.
Taking that as his cue, Gnak again raised his hands and sent forth the essence of the giant within him to again rejoin with its body. Spasming and jerking, the giant thrashed momentarily as the goblin connected to it appeared as if it might get dismembered in the cage. Just as soon as it seemed the small man would not be able to take any more, the thrashing ceased and Gnak noted that several of the hooks driven through the giant’s flesh had torn larger holes and bled freely. But then the magic happened.
Rising to its feet with a mighty roar, the giant opened its huge round mouth filled with rows and rows of razor sharp teeth. Looking to the device attached to its body, it looked about angrily and
singled out a target. Letting the show play out, the goblin upon the giant’s back flopped about like a puppet in the cage as the giant roared yet again and sprang forward to stomp the small goblins beneath its feet. But it never made the distance.
Going rigid in his cage, Gnak watched as the small goblin attached to the giant singlehandedly brought the immense creature to a sudden stop. If the giant moved, and the goblin did not, then the hooks tore into the giant’s flesh further. If the goblin moved, and the giant refused, again it would suffer the pain of the hooks tearing from its body.
Leaning forward in his cage, the small goblin began to simulate walking and the giant mimicked his moves. Moving his arms, the goblin caused the giant to do the same. A man of barely more than three feet was controlling a man of more than twenty with ease. Now that the harnesses were proven, Gnak needed do nothing but wait until the rest of the goblins arrived.
CHAPTER NINE
Seven days and nights, and twelve giants later, Gnak had yet another night to remember as the largest kingdom of goblins he had ever seen marched in from the west. Every goblin wore identical armor and carried a wicked twisted blade. Their precision was unparalleled by anything he had witnessed before, and watching them come he was in awe of the spectacle. They marched to no drum or song, the cadence they followed was the pounding of their own booted feet upon the sandy dunes.
Watching them near, a small procession broke off from the main force. Though the main goblin force came to a halt several paces later, those Gnak supposed were delegates continued towards his camp. Striding out to meet them, the chief of the orcish nation bowed respectfully as the delegates stopped just paces before him. They too bowed and, taking the lead, Gnak selected his words carefully.
“I welcome you to the camp of my clan,” Gnak said, raising a hand in gesture to the sprawling tent city behind him. “I am happy that you have come at my request to partake in the offer of mutual benefit among our nations.”
Spending time in the head of the troll king was really beginning to pay off. Gnak was proud of his words.
“Thank you,” one of the goblins replied. “I am king Sloginod Geratinaious Pelitushious of Castle Vondik, but you can call me Slog.”
Gnak was bewildered by the man’s name, and then thankful that there was a shorter version. He doubted he could repeat it if he tried.
“You are most welcome, King Slog. My men will help you strike camp, and after, I would like to meet with you,” Gnak said.
“Your messengers spoke of gold in the land of the trolls. Is it true that the trolls have submitted to your rule, or are we to march to war against them?” Slog asked.
“Their king is here, in the camp, I imagine that you will meet him.”
The words came easier with every sentence, and Gnak liked being able to show off his growing mastery of the language. He was about to ask on the numbers King Slog brought with him, when a thunderous boom sounded from behind him and a mix of screams and cheers sounded from somewhere in camp.
Without so much as excusing himself Gnak turned and, digging his booted toes into the sand, he sprinted towards the sector where he thought the sound might have come from.
Entering the tent city, he sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him. Though he did not know where he was going, many in the camp rushed in a singular direction and as such he followed, though not for long.
Coming to a sudden stop when the tents around him lay flattened to the ground, Gnak looked up at the giant beast before him. There, near the center of his camp, stood Pantak, only now he was immense. Gnak estimated he was forty feet tall, easily four times the height of a tall orc.
Grinning from ear to ear, the giant orc gnashed his tusks and jutted out his already protruding lower jaw. Thousands stood gathered around the giant of an orc, cheering him, but even so, Gnak shouted above them all.
“Good Pantak. How do you come by this power?”
Watching as the giant warrior swiveled his head to seek out Gnak’s voice, their eyes locked and the man began to reply in a booming voice.
“Pantak be like Gnak. Pray Ishanya. Have prayer answered. New gods good. Gnak bring power to orcs, make more strong.”
Gnak couldn’t have worded it better himself. The former clan chief known as Pantak had just proven with his words that which Gnak had been trying to tell the orcs for many weeks. Now his words were proven, and their loyalty was secured. Gnak needed to fuel the desire to worship Ishanya.
“Mighty Pantak, tonight we will celebrate your new power with a feast. Go now, Gathos clan. Build cooking fires and hunt up our powerful clan a feast in honor of captain Pantak.”
With his words a mighty roar erupted from the crowd and Pantak’s booming voice joined them. Within minutes the crowd began to clear, as those gathered set about doing as their chief had commanded. As they dispersed, Gnak watched as Pantak shimmered with a popping sound and returned to his normal size in the blink of an eye.
Approaching his captain, he congratulated the man again and speaking briefly, sent the newly blessed warrior to help out their newest arrivals in setting camp. It would be good for King Slog to hear of the occurrence before Gnak met with him again. At least it would explain his hasty departure.
Turning, Gnak strode back towards his tent filled with both hope and pride. His clan was progressing well. His plans were coming to fruition. Even Ishanya had shown that she was pleased by their progress. He could not help but wonder what good she would bestow upon his people in the future. For now, however, such thoughts would have to be carried out in another mind. As it was now morning, it was time for the king of trolls to awaken.
Meeting with King Slog, the troll king’s day was otherwise uneventful. Soaking in the desert sun he spent much of his time patrolling among the thousand or so makeshift blacksmith forges to look upon their progress and wares. With achy joints and muscles, he tired quickly walking about in the loose sand, and as such he retired back to the tent where his other body hid just as soon as night descended.
Great fires blazed as hunters by the thousands poured into the camp bringing with them the makings for a mighty feast. With dancing light of orange and yellow casting its shadows over the huge camp, a crowd of the likes Gnak could not have imagined began to gather around the fires. Over a hundred thousand strong, and Gnak looked out upon the ocean of those who served his cause, and was proud to call them his people.
Striding across the sand he aimed himself towards the center of the celebration as some goblins struck up a tune. Tens of thousands of voices joined in on the singing and amazed, Gnak listened to the words.
There once was a goblin of a cunning kind,
Who held his wealth on high.
With a sharpened mind and treacherous heart,
He robbed the passersby,
Goblins gold on goblin road,
No goblin blood to spill.
A goblins soul to pay the toll,
But enter he never will.
He found a bridge and laid his claim,
For fortune he did seek,
And charge a toll from side to side,
Did the go…
With a movement from the corner of his eye, Gnak’s attention was drawn away from the song. Though it filled the camp and the heavens with its tune, he watched alertly for another sign of movement among the tents.
Just seconds passed and he caught a flash of firelight glinting off something a few rows away. Ducking, he quietly changed his course to see who it was that crept among the tents. From shadow to shadow the chief of all the orc nations blended with the darkness in pursuit of the figure ahead. Watching as the smaller man rounded a corner, Gnak was certain he recognized the man. But it made no sense for him to be skulking about in the shadows… unless he was up to something he shouldn’t be.
Rushing ahead, Gnak passed the intersection where the man had turned and instead he slid into the next intersection and watched between the tents. Sure enough, a second later the creeping goblin was revealed to
him, but even knowing the man, it was still a mystery as to why he behaved so peculiarly.
Following the goblin at a distance, they approached the festivities as the song came to a clamorous end. Hooting and hollering, the goblins applauded themselves as they enjoyed the feast, but Gnak’s attention was elsewhere. Still on the goblin’s trail, they darted from one tent row to the next, keeping to the darkest shadows, moving further and further to the west. Then, without warning, the goblin paused. Gnak froze.
For several long minutes the goblin stood just a few tents away, peering ahead at something that was obscured to Gnak by the tents that lay before him. Watching the goblin, he noted the change in the man’s demeanor. Where before he slunk from shadow to shadow, moving quickly and stealthily, now he clung low to the ground like a predator stalking its prey. Then Gnak realized where they were.
Looking around to verify his thoughts, he found that he was correct. These were the newest tents added to their camp. They belonged to the kingdom of goblins led by King Slog. Gnak was certain that the goblin king had witnessed King Slog’s approach and obvious wealth and power. Such a thing would be seen as a threat to the greedy little man. And even though Gnak had warned him about harming the other goblin kings after two had been killed, he knew what the smaller man was up to.
Watching the stalking goblin, Gnak saw as the man pulled the small twisted blade from his belt and prepared to spring. Leaving his cover, Gnak could see King Slog just paces away and knew what he felt in his heart to be true. He had to stop the goblin king.
Using all the power he could summon, Gnak lunged forward, as the goblin king sprang into the air. With little more than a thud the two collided, unnoticed over the loud cheers of the thousands who celebrated just a row of tents away. Driving the smaller man to the ground, Gnak heard as the air was torn from his lungs and his eyes bulged out from his skull at the impact.
Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) Page 170
