Realm of Monsters - Chapter 582: Goblin Encampment
Chapter 582: Goblin Encampment
The master bedroom of House Veres was more opulent than Stryg had expected. The servants of House Gale had just moved Feli’s and his things from their guest room at the Gale manor. Which wasn’t a lot, at least for Stryg. Feli had bought him many clothes throughout the last few years, but he had outgrown almost all of them.
As for personal effects, Stryg had little that he didn’t already carry with him on an everyday basis. Save for the book he had now inherited. The leatherbound book sat on the corner of a bed twice the size of any he had slept in before. It contained the memories of his ancestors, secrets he had long wanted to know.
“This place is incredible!” Feli gushed and ran from one room to another. “They have two balconies, two!”
The lord’s chambers had several rooms connected to the master bedroom and Feli was excited to explore them all.
“Yeah, it’s nice,” Stryg responded, not really paying attention.
He had never cared much for opulence. People in this city marveled at the giant pillars holding up the marble structures in the Central District, Stryg preferred the towering ashen trees of Vulture Woods.
Not that he was complaining. The silk sheets were soft, he supposed.
Feli poked her head out from the doorway. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
He eyed the book of memories. “I don’t know yet.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
Stryg looked up and smiled reassuringly. “Positive. The Gales have guards stationed right outside day in and day out.”
“I know you’ll be safe. That’s not what I meant.” She walked over and brushed her hand through his pale hair. “I want to know if you’ll be okay. Everything’s happened so fast. I need to know that the Stryg I know doesn’t feel overwhelmed and lost through all of this.”
“Thanks, Feli.” He kissed her hand and closed his eyes, enjoying her warmth.
A knock rang at the front door. “Lord Veres? Lady Katag is here to see you.”
“Let her in,” Stryg called out.
The door creaked open and Stryg heard the soft familiar footsteps walk through the chambers. Tauri whistled, “Nice place.” She sauntered into the room with a grin, “Lots of black and red. Oh! Feli, I didn’t see you there.”
Feli bowed, “It’s nice to see you, Lady Katag.”
“Please, Tauri is just fine,” she raised her hands pleadingly.
“Black and red are the colors of my House,” Stryg said. He glanced at Krikolm lying on his hip, now secured in its original white sheathe.
“In that case, Tauri, are you ready for our date?” Feli asked.
“Wait, me?” Tauri asked, surprised.
“Yeah, that’s why I called you over,” Feli nodded.
“You sent the messenger?” Tauri blinked.
“Of course,” Feli wrapped her arm around Tauri’s. “We have a lot to talk about. After all, you’ll be living here with us.”
“I-I mean, I guess…” Tauri looked to Stryg for help but his attention was on the book of memories.
“See ya later, honey,” Feli waved at Stryg as she pulled a panicking Tauri away.
When he heard the door click shut, Stryg grabbed the book and stared at it hard. “None of them want to give me answers of what happened. Not Lunae, not my sisters… I need your help, grandmother.”
Gale and Gian had warned him not to use the book until they knew more about it and especially not without either of them watching over him.
Fortunately, Stryg never really listened to his elders. He channeled mana into the book and the embedded magestones flickered to life. Stryg felt himself falling onto the bed as the world went dark.
~~~
Stryg looked around the grassy field. He expected to find Stryga riding next to Gwyn but neither of them were here. Instead, he was surrounded by a field of dark blue tents. The half-moon hung in the late night sky.
Stryg frowned. “Where am I—?”
A pair of goblins strode past him. One was a man in blue armour, and the other was a woman in her later years of life, dressed in the same greys he had seen the priests wearing at Lunis’ temple.
“Couldn’t we just send one of the cadets to fetch a healer?” the man stifled a yawn.
“He’s your pony. If he’ll carry you into battle the least you can do is fetch a healer yourself,” said the woman.
“It’s too early for this shit,” he muttered to himself.
Curious, Stryg followed them. The duo marched up to the largest tent and threw the tent flaps open. “Sev? What are you doing here?”
The goblin in question sat on one of the many cots that lined the giant tent. A young woman, dressed in the same ivory robes as him, sat next to him. They were holding hands, but pulled away as soon as the armored goblin walked in.
Sev hastily stood up and saluted, “Captain Nalindor! Mistress Lenore, always nice to see you.”
Nalindor smirked, “Sev, I didn’t know you had the midnight shift.”
The goblin shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the woman next to him, “Esme has been working through the night. I just thought I’d bring her some breakfast.”
“Only breakfast?” Nalindor cocked an eyebrow.
Esme blushed and pretended to be interested in the tent’s canopy.
Lenore smacked Nalindor’s arm. “Enough with the games. Sev, Nalindor’s steed was injured in the last battle. If your captain paid more attention he’d have noticed her hind leg had been cut. In any case, we need you to go check on her.”
“Understood,” Sev nodded. He gave Esme an apologizing look and headed out.
“No need to get sappy, you’ll see each other soon enough,” Lenore shooed him away.
“Healers, am I right?” Nalindor whispered to Lenore. “Ow! What was that for?” He rubbed his arm where she had smacked him a second time.
“You could learn a thing or two from those lovebirds. At least they actually care about somebody instead of going whoring every other night,” snapped Lenore.
“Hey, they prefer to be called ladies, thank you very much,” Nalindor held his head up high as he walked out of the medical tent and followed after Sev.
“You’re the captain of our company, two hundred men and women look to you to lead them. The least you can do is give them a proper example of a soldier,” said Lenore.
“I’ll be the perfect soldier the day your prayers give me a good night’s sleep. Isn’t that why you priests are here? To make the soldiers believe in a ‘higher power’ and help them relax, instead of being scared shitless because they might not see tomorrow.”
“Do not mock our Mother Moon,” the old woman chastised. “Our job as priests of the goddess is to inspire her children and bless their weapons and armour as they wade into battle. It is a sacred task that has been performed for centuries. You’d do well to respect us.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to all the dead, because your blessings did little to stop the arrows from puncturing their armor.”
Lenore shook her head in disappointment. “Are you really so devoid of faith?”
“When you’ve been in as many battles as I have, when you’ve seen the things I have… you don’t know what to believe in anymore,” Nalindor muttered.
She touched his shoulder, “Still can’t sleep?”
“The nightmares have only been getting worse. I’m lucky to get a few hours of shut-eye. Sev brews a few concoctions that help.”
Lenore glared at the healer walking ahead of them, “Sevryn! Have you been selling illicit potions again!”
Sev stumbled at her words and turned around sheepishly, “Technically, they are alchemical elixirs that I have personally concocted from rare ingredients. A Red mystical art, really. I’d hardly call them elicit.”
“Do they addle a goblin’s mind?” Lenore marched up to him, hand raised at the ready.
“Uh…” Sev glanced at his friend.
“Yes,” Nalindor replied without hesitation.
Lenore smacked the alchemist across the head.
“Ow! Do you have to be such a violent priestess!?” Sev rubbed his head and channeled a bit of healing magic. “I heard the 4th company’s priestess brews the soldiers tea.”
“I think we have enough brewing in our company thanks to your buffoonery,” Lenore said.
“That’s it, I’m cutting you off, Captain. No more elixirs for you,” said Sev.
“What? Wait, what did I do?” Nalindor asked.
A sudden horn blared across the encampment. The three goblins stiffened.
Nalindor drew his shortsword, “We’re under attack!”
A giant ball of fire fell from the sky and crashed into one of the tents before several more followed all around them.
“They’re attacking from the East!” said Nalindor.
Lenore gripped the crescent talisman hanging over her neck. “Captain—”
Nalindor grabbed her shoulder, “Head back to your tent, stay out of sight.”
A volley of blazing arrows fell from the sky and littered a dozen tents. Screams echoed throughout the encampment as soldiers stumbled out of their tents, half-asleep and dazed.
“They’re attacking us on multiple fronts,” said Nalindor in horrid realization.
“Those arrows came from the west…” Sev’s eyes went wide. “Esme!” He dashed off back to the medical tent.
Nalindor reached for him, “Sev, wait!”
A fireball exploded nearby. Nalindor threw himself over Lenore, as the blast sent the goblins flying.
~~~
“…ain… Nal… Captain… dor… Captain Nalindor!” Sev shouted.
He grimaced, “Sev?”
The healer was hunched over him, White chromatic energies flowing over the captain’s chest. The blue amour had been pulled off, revealing blistered, burned skin over his ribs and back.
“He’s awake!” Sev smiled shakily with relief.
Nalindor looked around at what little he could. The sky was filled with smoke. Fires covered every tent in sight. Lenore knelt next to him, holding his hand in between both of hers. Her face was covered in soot and her grey and black hair was disheveled. Blood and tears trickled down her face. She whispered a prayer, her voice trembling with every word.
“Lenore… Stop,” Nalindor mumbled. “You need to run.”
She ignored him and redoubled her prayers.
“Sev, you both need to run. The Ebon Lords are attacking. Save yourselves, find Esme,” Nalindor urged them weakly.
Sev clenched his teeth. “I can’t… She… I won’t leave you here to die like the rest.”
Nalindor took a closer look and spotted dozens of Hollow Shade and Lunisian soldiers strewn about the bloodstained ground.
“We can’t hold out much longer. The Ebon Lords’ armies have us surrounded,” said Sev. “Lenore, when he can breathe without my help I need you to hide him among the dead.”
“No, Sev, don’t,” Nalindor winced with every word.
Lenore opened her eyes and nodded. “I will—”
The fires screeched as a sudden gust swept through and smothered them, dousing the area with more smoke.
“Who do we have here?” asked a playful voice.
A young woman wandered out of the smoke and cinders. She was scantily clad and had a magenta-red complexion, with long rose-gold hair that was vibrant with an unnatural volume that flowed around her, almost as if floating. She glanced around at the wreckage of the encampment, golden eyes alight, and a playful smirk on her lips.
Lenore looked up warily. “Who are you…?”
The woman ignored Lenore and crouched next to Nalindor. “Ooh, darling, are you dying? Does it hurt?” She poked him in the ribs.
He winced, “Yes, it hurts. Please, stop.”
Sev stared at the strange woman, uncertain of what to do, but he kept his healing spell going.
“Are you scared to die?” she asked curiously.
“I… I don’t know,” Nalindor mumbled.
“Hm, this won’t do.” She slapped Sev’s hands out of the way.
Sev glared at her. “Hey, what are you—!”
The woman flicked Nalindor’s nose. A cold chill ran down his back and he sucked in a deep breath. His black and blistered skin knit itself back together in an instant. “Does that feel better, handsome?” she winked.
Nalindor ran his hands across his chest in disbelief. “Y-Yes.”
Sev stared at the woman, wide-eyed. “How did you…?”
“Enough playing, sister,” said another. A giant had stepped up behind the goblins without their notice. Her dark green cloak obscured her features. “We’re late as it is.”
“Relax, Agony, it’s not every day the eldest invites us for a bit of fun.” The scarlet woman glanced down at the goblins, “You mortals must have really messed up.”
A massive plume of dark energy exploded in the far distance and a few seconds later the shockwave swept through the encampment with a howling roar.
“Aw, Des started without us.”
“Indeed. Try not to kill the Lunisians,” said Agony.
“~No promises~”
“W-Who are you?” whispered Nalindor.
The scarlet woman paused and looked down at him with a smile, revealing glistening fangs. The smile was too wide, the edges pulling unnaturally far. Her irises seemed to shrink as the sclera turned black. “I am your nightmares, little Nalindor. I am the Fear that keeps you up at night.” She leaned closer, her hot breath on his face. “Sweet dreams.”
The three goblins collapsed as their world went dark.
