Conquest

by Dean Henegar

  “Boss, they’re here! We’ll kill them if they dare to enter your throne room,” The runaway goblin overseer announced in the common tongue. Looking at the goblins in front of them, the party found that there were a total of four level three overseers and two of the new type of goblin.

  Goblin Enforcer, level four (2). The goblin enforcers are typically the largest and strongest goblins in a tribe. They will follow the commands of their chief but are always conniving a way to supplant their leader. Strong as a half-orc and cunning as a gnome, beware of trickery from these foes.

  “I’ll tank the boss, the other enforcer, and two of the overseers if I can. Yendys, try and get Crunchy to keep the other two overseers occupied. Drake and Quimby, focus down the goblin overseer I’m on. We’ll drop the weaker ones first, before killing off the enforcers. We got this!” Jacoby said as he entered the room, excited about facing the mini-boss goblin. Yendys ordered Crunchy forward, but something was bugging her about this encounter. She realized what it was just as the party cleared the doorway.

  “Hey guys, where’s the boss? I don’t think these enforcers are it, otherwise it would have listed one of them as a leader or something. The “boss” on the throne is showing as just another enforcer,” Yendys mentioned as she entered the room. Just as she and Kathala entered the room, a grumble was heard above them. From above the doorway, a hulking figure was perched on a ledge built specifically for this purpose. A huge hammer swung down from above and hit Kathala directly in the face.

  Kathala has been critically hit by the Goblin Mine Boss for 580 damage! Player is stunned for 10 seconds from the blow.

  Kathala stood there just inside the room, stunned, as we looked up at the figure on the ledge above us. An ogre was up there grinning as he wound up for another blow…we had been suckered into an ambush! Yendys fired off her nature’s mending spell at Kathala while Jacoby used his taunt ability to get the attention of the mine boss.

  Boss Kutrek, Level 4 Ogre elite. Boss Kutrek leads the goblin miners in the Foul Spore Pit with an iron fist. His hammer and insatiable hunger are the twin fates that await any who challenge his rule. Kutrek likes to ambush foes from his perch above the throne room’s doorway, usually getting a free strike from his powerful hammer, Skullpopper, on the unsuspecting victim.

  The rest of the goblins hit the party from behind as Kutrek leapt down from his ledge and began to rain powerful blows from Skullpopper onto Jacoby. Yendys found herself cornered by one of the enforcers. Crunchy tried desperately to get the goblin’s attention away from his master. The other goblins split up and began to single out party members. The second enforcer charged Kathala and began smashing her with an iron shod club. Jacoby used his daily cooldown ability to gather aggro on the entire room.

  Face Me! This daily cooldown ability for warriors generates moderate aggro and forces all foes within twenty-five yards to attack the warrior for the next ten seconds.

  The ability worked too well, as all the foes began to attack Jacoby. Seeing Jacoby’s plummeting health, Yendys fired off a nature’s mending on the warrior as the rest of party began to attack the goblins. Kathala came out of her stun and began to rapidly cast heals. Her actions were too little, too late, and Jacoby dropped to the floor as his health reached zero. Kathala was next to fall, as the cunning ogre once again focused on the healer. Yendys tried to heal the other two halflings, but her spell didn’t cut it and the two rangers soon fell to the mighty ogre and its minions. Yendys yelled in anger as Crunchy was smashed into a pile of beetle parts by the ogre. The ogre rumbled a mocking laughter at Yendys as he cracked off one of Crunchy’s legs and began to snack. Yendys’ last sight was of the ogre chewing her pet’s leg greedily as her health dropped to zero and she was sent to respawn…the party had failed on their first attempt at the dungeon.

  Chapter 11

  Sounds and sights returned to me as I reentered the game and the AI’s processing power began to once again supplement my damaged mind. I found myself in a hastily prepared camp, surrounded by what remained of my decimated command. After the battle with the Gnolls, we numbered only thirteen soldiers and six scouts. My senses fully returned and I took a deep breath, glad to be back in the game. The AI usually respawned me back into the game in my tent when we were out in the field, but we had packed light with no tents for this mission. As I sat up, one of the soldiers approached and passed me some dried meat and a skin of water.

  “Lieutenant Raytak, sir, the men are ready to move out whenever you are. Everyone is fed and has had a few minutes rest. One of the scouts found a clean stream nearby so I had everyone fill their water skins,” Private Tremble advised. I stood up on slightly unsteady legs while considering the ability of the game to take something that should be so strange to the soldiers around me (their leader conking out every five days for a few minutes) and make the npc’s act like it was totally ordinary. I guess the game would get weird if the soldiers freaked out every time it happened.

  “Very well, private. Let’s get moving. I would like to make it back to town by early this evening,” I ordered, and the men moved out. The unit formed a small column two soldiers wide and seven soldiers long. The scouts ranged about one hundred yards in front and to the sides of column with one scout trailing the group to make sure there were no foes creeping up from behind. I had plotted a slightly different course for the way back to Hayden’s Knoll in order to reveal more of the undiscovered areas of the zone. I chewed the tough, salty jerky as we marched, glad for the food but confused as to which animal was able to provide such a difficult meat to chew.

  While marching, terrain remained the same; rolling hills with patches of forested land that we were becoming accustomed to. This looked like good country for farming and, if we could keep the area safe, these lands could provide a good life for those that chose to farm here. It was during our march when my addled brain recalled some more of the military history that I had studied for so long in the real world. The Imperium was loosely based on ancient Rome and one of the features of the roman legions was their ability to make excellent roads. The ancient roman roads were still evident today in parts of Europe. I would have to check with Sergeant Brooks to see if the men had some ability to make roads. The npc-controlled sergeant would likely have that knowledge. Seeing good roads stretch throughout the zone would enable faster movement and attract more trade to the town. The dirt trails we used now had to be nightmares of mud when it rained hard. Unfortunately, thinking about rain seemed to have summoned some for us.

  As the afternoon began, clouds could be seen gathering, and the sky became grey and dreary. The wind picked up and I knew we were in for some weather. Rain soon began to fall and the wind strengthened, slowing our progress. It was evident with our slowed pace that we were not making it back to Hayden’s Knoll until the next day. I ordered the scouts to look for some shelter or a somewhat dry place for us to pass the night. Without tents, sleeping in the open in the rain would be nearly impossible. At least it was still warm as the final days of summer hung on to their warmth as Fall neared. The sky darkened as the afternoon moved toward evening. Just when I thought we were going to have a miserable night in the rain, one of the scouts came in to report.

  “Sir, we found an abandoned farm just up ahead past the next rise. It’s been empty for a while and one corner of the farmhouse has collapsed but it’ll keep us dry for the night,” the scout reported. The scout led us over the hill and in the distance I could see the farm. Old fields lay fallow and the farmhouse looked to have been abandoned for some time. The house had a large covered porch and two old rocking chairs still sat there rocking gently in the strengthening wind. Behind the house, a small corral for animals was completely collapsed, though a still standing outhouse was present near the wood line behind the house. This would have been a great place to farm. Somewhat level fields and a small forest behind you for lumber. Despite its dilapidated condition, the farmhouse showed the care that whoever built it had put into the structure so long
ago. Small details and carvings were present and above the front door the family name of Dunderman with a date over one hundred years ago was carved on a loose plank. My natural curiosity was aroused and I wondered what the story of this little farm was. I was always a sucker for flavor text and world lore in games.

  The soldiers had to manhandle the door open. Years of neglect and exposure to the weather had swollen the wood door into the frame. The door burst open to reveal the home was a single large open room. A cast iron stove sat in the center which would have kept the home cozy in the winter. A small table with six chairs were placed next to the stove. Old corroded tin plates, cups, and utensils were set and ready for the next meal, a layer of dust covering everything. A well-crafted large wood bed was found in one corner of the room with a small child’s crib next to it. A bunkbed and smaller single bed were in the other corner, revealing that there had likely been six people in this family, including a small child. Clothing, bedding, cookware, and all the small things that help make a home cozy were still here. One of the back corners of the house had collapsed sometime in the past. The collapse left a small opening in that corner, but with the weather being warm, we weren’t overly concerned. The house, overall, was dry and there was plenty of space inside the farmhouse for the soldiers to sleep. A fire was made in the stove after one of the quicker thinking soldiers cleaned out the flue, evicting the small family of squirrels that had been living there. After displacing the squirrels, we were able to cook a supper of back and beans, supplemented by some of the food the forerunner clan had provided for us when we had left their farm.

  “Sir, I found this if you’re interested. It looks like the journal of whoever owned this place,” one of the soldiers said while handing me the deteriorating journal. The darkness slowly closed in as the rain increased in intensity. I set a guard rotation for the rest of the night, placing two soldiers on guard, patrolling the farm area while the rest of men slept in the dry farmhouse. As a player, I didn’t need to sleep and only had to lie down for a few seconds each day to feel as refreshed as if I had slept the whole night. I sat at the table and began to read the journal, using a single candle to give enough light for reading without disturbing the troops trying to sleep.

  Entry 1: With great joy, the Dunderman family hereby claims this small area of land. The fifty acres here are fertile and the nearby forest will provide the means for us to craft what we didn’t bring from town. The Lankshires and Willimans families have also decided to settle nearby, so at least the children and my wife, Maude, will have someone to visit with and talk to. I personally don’t care about socializing with others. Too many years and too many horrors I have seen while serving in the army of the Imperium under the great Emperor Halimanis. I’m content to live here in the wilds, forgetting everything but my family. I know my wife and children will want more contact with the outside world eventually. I’ll work on the house first, while the three older boys and Maude get the fields ready for planting. We’ll have to work hard if we want to sock away enough food for the winter.

  The remainder of the early entries detailed the building of their farm and working on their lands. There was Mr. Dunderman, his wife Maude, and four children. The children were aged 19, 17, 13, and 3, the youngest being the only girl. The emperor Halimanis reigned some 120+ years ago, so this, and the nearly disintegrating nature of the journal pages, let me guess the approximate date the journal was written. Scanning forward, I read of a happy family, content in their lives and anticipating the wedding of their oldest son to the oldest daughter of one of their neighbors. Further on in the journal, I came across an interesting entry.

  Entry 231: Had some trouble last night. The dog began scratching at the door after everyone had gone to sleep. I cursed the stupid beast and opened the door to let his useless hide out to relieve himself. The dog thankfully moved off past the animal pens to do his business. I had grown tired of it relieving itself just outside the door. I heard the dog growl, then yelp in pain as something attacked him. I grabbed my lantern and a pitchfork one of the boys had neglectfully left leaning against the house, instead of in the shed where it belonged. I ran to where the dog’s whimpers of pain slowly faded, and light of my lantern revealed a gruesome scene.

  My dog lay on his side, his stomach had been opened by what appeared to be a goblin. The goblin had its face stuck into the wounded dog’s stomach feeding greedily. The dog just lay there panting, unable to move for some reason and looking at me with fear and pain showing in his eyes. The light of my lantern must have alerted the creature to my presence and the goblin slowly raised his head to face me. His gore covered face broke into a hungry smile and long serrated teeth were revealed. I had fought many goblins during my days in the military and though the creature looked like one, it was no goblin. An impossibly long tongue licked some gore from its face and the smiling creature leapt at me. The leap triggered an old soldiers’ reflexes and I got the pitchfork up just in time, impaling the diminutive yet strong creature as it used its last moments of life to tear flesh from my arms with claw tipped fingers, shoving bits of my bloody skin into its maw. Something came over me when the claws broke my skin. I fell to the ground and found myself completely awake and alert, yet unable to move. Sometime later, my oldest son found me and helped my slowly recovering body back into the house.

  I recovered full control of my body over the span of a few minutes and Maude helped clean and bandage the wounds on my arm. I had my son help me burn the body of the goblin thing. We buried the dog out behind the shed, covering it with rocks to prevent scavengers from getting at the poor pup’s corpse. The kids were distraught for a few days and I knew I would have to get them a new dog the next time I was in town.

  The horrifying tale drew me in and I began to eagerly read forward, wanting to know what happened next. Behind me, men would wake and change guard shifts every hour as the night wore on. The next entry in the tale beckoned and after making sure the new guard shift was awake and alert, I went back to reading. The next few entries were again, mundane. The farmer had let his neighbors know about the creature and everyone would be more vigilant in case there were any more.

  Entry 239: My wound continues to refuse to heal properly, even though it’s been over a week. I know I should be worried, but there is too much to do around the farm. The black streaks from the wound have crept up my arm. This can’t be good, but there is no pain or fever. I’m sure it will heal up and go away soon. The only symptom I have developed over the week is an intense hunger, yet nothing my wife cooks tastes right. There is some flavor I’m missing but can’t put my finger on. I think Maude is worried about me. I can see her concern when I only pick at my food.

  Entry 241: Black marks on arm now cover my whole torso. I keep everything covered with a long sleeve shirt. Can’t let family worry. Getting harder to concentrate and write. Hunger almost too much to bear. Beginning to know what I need, but can’t bring myself to do it.

  Entry 242: Delight! Finally, a good meal. My fool of a wife can’t cook to save her life. She used to be so good. I wonder what changed. I had to sneak out after they all slept…they look so delicious…I mean peaceful, when they sleep. To the grave I strolled, moved some stones, dug some earth, and sweet, tasty food awaits. That’s the problem with my wife’s cooking, I realize. She doesn’t know how to age the meat. So much better when aged. Just ask any chef and they’ll tell you! Tonight, my belly is full and happy. The flesh filled the hole in my belly as I filled in the hole I dug, stones moved back carefully into place, so the family will not know. They loved that stupid dog, but none of them realized how succulent its flesh had become sitting under the earth and…aging. The only thing better is the freshest meat, but for now I’m content and back to bed.

  Mr. Dunderman’s writing had become more and more erratic as he fell under the sway of whatever disease he had contracted from the goblin thing. I barely acknowledged the guards changing shifts as I found myself horrified and yet curious as to what else the
journal would reveal next.

  Entry 243: So, call me callous will she! My wife just wouldn’t understand, so I can’t tell her about the hunger…I had to show her. A little nip while she slept, and I had to endure but a slap across my face for it. Took all I had in me not to bite a bit deeper to find the flowing red deliciousness that was under her skin…no, will sate my hunger on something else. My wife is my partner and friend forever. With that little nip, she will soon know the truth. The slap didn’t hurt, nor did her calling me callous for not caring that our oldest son hadn’t come home last night. Best to tell her he left to elope with his love… I will tell her that after I step out for a bite. The boy was a bit tough and gamey yesterday but should be aging nicely today. The boy will keep his father fed for several days…such a good son.

  Entry 244: Maude knows something is happening. I can see her looking at the streaks of black moving across her body. I can tell she is close to understanding. An exciting discovery today! My teeth have begun to fall out and some much more useful ones are growing in. The nails on my hand have become longer, sharper, and much more useful as well. Why just today our next oldest son looked at me in horror when he saw my glorious new form. I had to punish him with a slash across the belly. My new claws caused him fall paralyzed and unmoving. I dragged him back into the tree line to play. A slash here, a tasty bit taken there, and all too soon he died. No bother, I buried the rest of him, so this good son will feed Maude her first new meal.

  Entry 245: It happened today! Maude has found her hunger. I returned from outside to see her finishing up the last of the thirteen-year-old while the youngest screamed in terror. I walked over and scratched the youngest gently. She was so cute and deserved to be a part of the new family. After all, not much meat on her…and with her small size she wouldn’t hog too much of the other food we catch.