The Hobgoblin Riot: Dominion of Blades Book 2: A LitRPG Adventure

by Matt Dinniman

  This is what a protector does. I have to kill them.

  But I couldn’t. I wanted to be a good fighter. These were bad monsters. But they were helpless monsters, too.

  Good people don’t do bad things.

  I dropped my spear. “Raj can’t do this.”

  Miss Sandy sighed. “How’d you ever survive the streets of Valisa?”

  “Raj is sorry,” I said. I felt tears begin to well up.

  She flipped her wrist, and both the turtle monsters scrunched up, like they were pieces of paper being wadded by invisible hands. The bones cracked and creaked and snapped, and blood sprayed everywhere. The demons wadded smaller and smaller until they disappeared.

  “Neat, huh?” Miss Sandy said. “I learned that one not too long ago. It’s a pinhole portal. You cast it inside of them, and it sucks them through. I have this one coming out over the statue of King Bartholomew at the Hall of Kings in Harmony. It sprays the statue with blood. Mistress Sonia has yet to figure out where it’s coming from.”

  “You’re a bad person,” I whispered. Raj should have listened to Popper and Gretchen. They were always so nice to Raj. Regent Popper had saved Raj from the ghost.

  “No,” she said. “I am a good polecat. You, little one. You are a bad polecat, wasting your time protecting these others. These useless goblins and these pollywog maids and cooks.” She gestured to the others who were emerging from behind their hiding spots. “And these rodents.” She flipped her wrist, and little Renaldo was ripped out of the old goblin woman’s hands. She made a gasping noise. The baby mouse woke up and started wailing in terror as he floated in midair.

  “No,” I said. “Raj is sorry. Do not hurt Renaldo!”

  No, no, no. It was all going wrong.

  “I’m sorry,” I had said to my mother the day she left me in the alley. She’d said we were going to the beach. I had brought my bucket. “I’ll try not to eat as much. Please, mommy. Please don’t leave me alone.” Renaldo’s mother had left him. Lil Stink’s mother had left him. I would protect them. I would.

  “You need to learn,” Miss Sandy said. “These creatures are worthless. Raj, with my powers we will reform the grand sultanate. I have made an agreement with the Orochi and we will…”

  She continued to chatter, but I did not understand what she said. I watched little Renaldo float in the air, closer and closer to the edge of the roof.

  “Do not hurt Renaldo! Please, Miss Sandy. I will do what you want. Do not hurt him!”

  “Oh, Raj,” she said. She had a sad smile. “I am going to hurt him. And you’re still going to do what I want.”

  I turned invisible, and I ran toward the small mouse floating toward the edge.

  Miss Sandy laughed. I grabbed Renaldo, who cried and cried and cried. Lil Stink was crying now and even that old goblin lady was crying. The other goblins were screaming and grunting and even mean old Chef Depardieu was shouting now. But Miss Sandy just laughed and she reminded me of the ghost who talked Hasim into cutting his own tongue out. The ghost had seemed nice at first, but he ended up being evil, just like Miss Sandy.

  I placed Renaldo on the ground. Miss Sandy continued to laugh and laugh.

  She stopped laughing when I threw an open bag of sand and shells in her face. It was the big bag, the one from Valisa. But that was okay because I knew in a few minutes I would be back home in my alley, and I would be able to go back to the beach and get more sand and shells and maybe this time, I would find my mother there, pointing and laughing at all the funny ships floating off to go on new adventures. She’d say how much she wished she could go off on one of those ships and have an adventure, and this laugh would not be scary and mean but happy and full of love.

  I ran at her, and I tackled her, and we both fell off the edge of the building. She clawed at her face the whole time she fell, and I couldn’t stop thinking I am a protector. I will save them all.

  Note from the Scriptorium Guild. Early editions of this book do not include the previous two notes (Raj 1 and Raj 2). It is only upon the creation of this third edition of The Hobgoblin Riot were they appended to this record, having only just been recently discovered. They were hand delivered by a woman polecat who identified herself as the author’s mother. She claims to have discovered the notes under a pile of shells in an alley in the former city of Valisa. The pages were old, brittle, and covered with what appeared to be bloody pawprints when they came to us. After much discussion, it was decided these important historical records be included.

  Gretchen Note 7

  The notifications came one after another, mere seconds after I’d lifted off into the air. My plan was to fly to the rooftop of the hotel the moment Akkorokamui started moving toward the gate. Hopefully she wouldn’t swat me out of the sky like a gnat. According to the timer, I could stay alight for 15 minutes.

  Wave 5 of 5

  War Party Admin> Warning! Your city has been invaded! <24,499 Oni. 64,998 Kappa. 1,500 Mikoshi-nyūdō. 1,500 Basan. 80 Oni Lords. 8 Kurobozu. Led by Empress Akkorokamui of the Orochi> They are now traveling the spiral path. Proceed immediately to the defense cockpit!

  War Party> The city is under attack.

  War Party> Spiral systems arming.

  War Party> All defenders proceed immediately to your assigned towers.

  Here we go.

  I quickly added the numbers. It was 92,585 invaders. I didn’t have time to think about it. Raj had stopped answering our calls for help, and Jonah’s pleas were getting increasingly more frantic.

  NPC Raj (Level 6, Scout, Polecat) has died!

  Poppy: No! Godamnit! Gretchen. I want you to go up there, and I want you to rip that bitch’s…

  System Message> Attention! Players far and wide! Attention! This is an important message from the Dominion Crown!

  Missing Maps. The treacherous Sandra the Learnt has fallen. While the crown mourns the loss of an important member of the court, her deserved death brings balance to the worldwide mapping system. As of this moment, fast travel nodes across the world are coming back online. Expect access to be fully online within one hour. With the regeneration of the world’s obelisks, you may now use your full-screen map. Cartography vendors will once again populate their shops. All other restrictions related to the obelisks will soon be lifted.

  Credit for stopping the treacherous polecat goes to Player <##Null Error #K34266. Support has been notified.>

  The Crown thanks you for participating in this World Event.

  His Royal Majesty Jonah: An hour? Holy fuck!

  I watched as a new portal opened in the now-abandoned pavilion of Quibou. What was happening? If Sandra the Learnt was dead, then how were new portals being opened?

  But after a moment, I saw this was a different kind of portal. It was wider and different-colored than the previous ones. When I saw the hobgoblins streaming through, I was filled with relief. I floated in the air, approaching the newcomers.

  Gretchen: I see it opened. As soon as they’re through, you need to reset the portal and tap Kosil on your map. We’ll meet you there.

  His Royal Majesty Jonah: What are you talking about? The obelisk is still offline. It’s starting to glow, but we’re waiting. I don’t know if we’re going to make it.

  I immediately zoomed out the map, encompassing the entirety of Quibou on my screen. The dots that poured into the town were red.

  War Party Admin> Warning! An additional army has invaded the spiral! <43,902 Hobgoblins led by Grand Shaman Zeed of the Hobgoblin Insurgents.>

  Poppy: Who the hell is this guy? They’re going to fuck up our plans!

  I sighed, watching the enormous army slide down the hill toward Castellane.

  To steal a Jonah quote, we were fucked. At least we’d set our regen outside the city. We’d even built a small stable and let Alice sleep out there. We were going to die when the castle fell, but at least we’d be free from our compulsory service. Then we could all meet up at Kosil, lick our wounds, and regroup.

  I remaine
d alight. As soon as I had a chance, I’d fly back through the gate and straight back to the defensive cockpit.

  Oh crap. Akkorokamui also rose into the air, a half mile away, just before the giant archway into the city. She faced me, and she raised her hands, red light forming in each of her palms.

  This should be fun. I cringed, waiting for the blow.

  An enormous ripping sound filled the air, so loud I took damage just from the sound. Heat washed over me, and flames danced around me, shooting twenty feet into the air.

  But I didn’t die. The fire receded just as quickly as it had come. She hadn’t cast the spell at me, I realized, but at the hobgoblin horde on her tail.

  In the distance, the demon empress landed gently on the ground, turned, and entered the city.

  Poppy: What the hell was that?

  With a slow, creeping horror I realized what had just happened. Half of the invading hobgoblins were already dead, turned into ash. Those who still stood in Quibou had been spared. It seemed the massive, earth-shattering spell didn’t have an effect on cities.

  But it did affect the countryside. I rose further into the air. No, no, no.

  A blackened ring, at least a mile wide in every direction surrounded the city of Castellane. Even the far, far side of the city had been immolated. Just like that. I’d never seen such a powerful spell so casually cast.

  Below, my small band of archer and NPC warriors were all slag.

  But more importantly, the distant shed and hastily-built stable were also now destroyed.

  Our regen spot had been compromised.

  Jonah Note 27

  We have never felt such rage.

  We have lost ourselves, yes?

  This is moksha, master. This is the divine state.

  “Shut the fuck up,” I cried. My arms burned with the effort of spinning and cutting and killing. My Rage spell had triggered and dissipated at least a dozen times. I’d lost count of the viper fish I had killed. It seemed an impossible number. Notifications scrolled by. Each time my Rage triggered, I reawakened to find myself several blocks from the obelisk park, flanked by a mounted group of hobgoblin warriors. I’d have to fight my way back.

  The viper fish gave an oddly-low amount of experience, and my bar barely moved at all.

  I was surrounded by fairies. The healing charms worked on me, but the protection blessings fizzled out every time they cast it.

  The entirety of Harmony was overrun. The city was lost. My only hope of survival was retreat.

  System Message> Message from Land Baron Father Garcia (Level 997, Dark Cleric, Human). Jonah, Gretchen, and Popper. Stop fucking with this world. You are upsetting a very delicate balance that is keeping us all safe. Come see me in Grandeur.

  Please note that messages from Land Barons do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of Dominion of Blades or Bart Hughes Games, Inc. You will only see this message once.

  Father Garcia was the player name of Reverend Smallthunder. He’d somehow managed to get all the NPCs to call him by his real name, but the system still identified him as Garcia. He was also a land baron, which meant he’d impressed the king in a tournament battle sometime in the past. That meant he had the ability to send one system message a month, but that ability had been turned off until poor Raj had taken out Sandra the Learnt.

  Poppy: Level 997. Holy shit, guys. Level 997. That dude could probably fart and crack the entire world in half.

  Gretchen: He is the least of our problems right now. Jonah, our situation has changed.

  I read in horror as Gretchen explained how they’d lost their regen spot. I knew that Popper could—and probably would—eject Gretchen using the same method he’d used on me. But he wouldn’t be able to save himself. He was stuck there. If the wave was lost, he’d be gone forever.

  I fell back to the center of the obelisk park, allowing my hobgoblins to fight for me. I pulled up the kingdom management menu, found the section I was looking for, and typed out the message.

  System Message> Message from your Liege, King Jonah. Smallthunder, or anyone else who is listening, if you truly mean us no harm, please help us. Please come to Castellane to assist. We can save The Hibiscus, but not without your help. If we die, our plans die, too.

  He wouldn’t be able to answer. While he could only send one message a month, I had the ability to send three of these a week.

  A hobgoblin flew back, blood spurting from his chest. I rushed back to fill the hole.

  Behind me, the beacon continued to pulse.

  Popper Note 27

  I puffed nervously on a cigarette as I watched the mob flood into the spiral. It was just Spritz, Archie, Alice, and me in the cockpit. Everyone else was at their towers or barracks.

  I couldn’t get the thought of Raj out of my head. He’d been so upset. Sure, he’d eventually regenerate back in Valisa, but would the little guy ever trust me again? It’s just like with Sam. You knew he wasn’t up to the challenge, yet you put him there anyway. And just like last time, he ended up dead. This was your fault.

  Yet Raj had killed her in the end. He’d died, yes. But somehow Sandra the Learnt was dead.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. I took a breath, trying not to lose control. Now wasn’t the time.

  The Sentinel Tower was the first to engage. The giant tower had turned an awful, Pepto Bismol shade of hot pink after it’d been upgraded to a level three Ladies’ Choice tower.

  The Earthquake arrows took a minute to spawn, but each one was worth their weight in gold. It turned out the kappa beasts had to protect the water in their head bowls. If they lost the water, they became immobile. A well-placed Earthquake arrow immobilized a thousand at a time. It not only killed them by the dozens, but it caused every single one in the area of effect to stumble. They fell, spilling their heads, freezing in place, causing the entirety of the progression to bunch up and have to crawl over each other. Soon, the oni beasts were trampling the fallen kappa, doing our work for them.

  Thanks to the movement of several towers along a later stretch of the spiral, that first, early stretch was also in range multiple arrow towers. They weren’t too effective against the larger oni beasts, but two shots from the rapid-fire towers were enough to take down both the kappa and the albino chicken riders.

  The chicken riders were rapidly pushing their way to the front, and I knew they’d soon begin their meteoric run through the spiral in an attempt to spoil the traps.

  Akkorokamui acted much the same as Kiyohime had. She casually strolled down the center of the street, acting as if it was just a normal, nice afternoon. Last time, we’d waited too long before striking at the boss monster. This time we weren’t going to make the same mistake.

  Kitty Chapman: The Holy Order arrow is ready.

  Poppy: Shoot when ready. Right into one of those eyes if you can.

  The Holy Order arrow was especially made to hurt demons. I had no illusions about one-shotting the boss monster, but we needed to activate the boss and see what she could do. The silver arrow sprayed holy water into the monster as it impacted.

  I couldn’t see the results from here, but Gretchen had just flown through the gate, zipping over head of the rogue hobgoblins.

  Gretchen: Here it comes… Bullseye! Right into the center eye! Good shooting!

  Kitty Chapman: As expected.

  Starr: It seemed to piss the bitch off, but it didn’t really do anything.

  Gretchen: No, it did something. Take a look. She’s… she’s convulsing. The arrow is stuck in her eye. Popper, you don’t think we could’ve…No wait.

  Starr: She’s totally spazzing out.

  Gretchen: …and of course. She’s going full kraken on us. Holy cow. She’s getting huge!

  Crystal: So, you want us to stick with the anti-demon arrows, or do you want us to move to the sushi killers?

  We’d anticipated this. After spending some time going over all the types of arrows, we’d come up with a plan to focus on Akkorokamui using specific ar
row types depending on her form. It seemed her turning into a giant octopus thing was the most obvious, and that’s what sounded like was happening right now. We had the Holy Order arrows which took 30 seconds each to make, and there were the Desiccate arrows which took 45 seconds each.

  The Desiccate spell was especially designed to be effective against water-based beasts. It supposedly sucked all the liquid out of everything it struck. Monobrow Sam had loved that spell. Sometimes we’d sit on the docks south of Harmony, and I’d throw boulders in the water, and he’d cast it on the buzzard seals that would get stirred up. They’d shrivel like a raisin, and their eyes would explode. We would laugh and laugh.

  Popper: Let’s try the Desiccate ones and see what happens.

  Crystal: Got it, boss. Sushi killer coming up.

  Gretchen: The chicken riders are making their move. It looks like it’s all of them again. They’re coming up on the first bridge.

  Thank the gods. Archie’s “Ghost Ship” trap was set up in front of the second bridge just past Castle Two, the same spot where we’d genocided the Tormented and the moles. I still didn’t get why he called it that, but I didn’t care. I just hoped the damn thing worked.

  Kitty Chapman: Sushi killer go.

  Gretchen: That’s a solid hit. It looks like a big patch of skin on the monster has turned black. Ladies, focus on a different spot each… Holy shit!

  Poppy: What? What?

  Gretchen: She just blasted the Sentinel Tower with some sort of bolt. It didn’t seem to have an effect. The tower glowed yellow when it was hit. Did we know that tower was invulnerable?

  Kitty Chapman: That was pretty awesome. I think I lost my eyebrows.

  Starr: Yeah, she doesn’t like the sushi arrows. Let’s keep doing that. Too bad they take so long to generate.

  Gretchen: My flying spell is running out. I’m landing at the first barracks.