Lord Of Goblins

It was supposed to be a regular day of work for Rak.

This time they were assigned on mining duty which was one of the most common tasks that fall on them, and one of his most favourite. For it was easier to extort weaker slaves in the mining quarters due to the lack of guards. No guard would risk dying in a cave in because he was watching a bunch of slaves.

He knows that it's not right to extort others. He knows that one day he'll extort the wrong person, shooting himself in the foot. But he can't stop himself - not anymore.

He closes his yellow pupil eyes and reminisces about how it all came to this.

During his entire life, he was known to be strong. He was always considered stronger than the rest of the bogeys with a few exceptions and he was as strong if not stronger than the average goblin, but despite his physical advantage, he didn't abuse it to rule over his peers; that was the case until a few years ago.

He turned to crime in order to save his mother. She held a special place in his heart - not just for being his mother, but for not abandoning him or any of his two siblings when her husband died after successfully protecting them from a group of deranged thugs, even though it was common for parents to abandon or kill their infants during hard times. She even sacrificed her dignity by selling her body whenever her children were sick and she didn't have enough merits to send them to a healer. She always showed them love and compassion and never blamed them or mistreated them, even though she could've lived a better life if she never had them or at least only had a single child. She taught him to hold back his fists and only fight whenever it was necessary, to not get into pointless fights driven by arrogance or faulty pride, and to ignore whatever insults others hurl at him, her, his father, or siblings. For words are only words and should never result in violence unless taken to the extreme.

One day that strong mother that he always admired fell ill with blackish green spots covering her body and they didn't have enough merits to treat her ailment. He and his siblings asked their neighbours and what they thought their friends for help.

Rak snarled as he remembered their replies.

"You want us to help that whore!? It's her fault for selling her body and angering the gods!"

"We don't want anything to do with that filthy s.l.u.t!".

"Look… I appreciate everything you and your mother do for us, but if I help her people would think I'm cheating on my wife with her and I don't want that kind of reputation… so I'm sorry, but please go away…".

"We might also be slaves, but we don't want to be put together with the likes of your mother!"

"She was just a fling! I'm married now and I don't want my wife to think I'm involved with that harlot, so leave!".

The more he remembers the refusals of those he sought aid from, the more his anger increases. The more he remembers the dejected faces of those who considered his mother a whore, the more he gnashes his teeth and wants to beat someone to death.

"Bo…"

His mother always taught him to treat others with kindness and she embodied that lesson - yet when they needed help they were abandoned as if they were garbage!

"Bos…"

And as her condition was getting worse, instead of helping them, those she helped forgot all she's done for them. The ingrates didn't even pity her but treated it like it was what she deserved.

"He!... Le… go… calm… do…!".

'Nobody helped us. They let her die full of sorrow, feeling despair as she realized the truth. All the good she did was in vain. She sacrificed so much for nothing. All due to their stupid traditions and preconceptions we became unworthy of help! When she wasn't able to fend for herself, most of them showed their true nature and treated us like trash! If I can'…

Suddenly Rak feels a pain in his arm awakening him from his moment of recollection, only to find himself lifting Hem and choking him with that same arm "Bos… plea… le… go…!".

Rak immediately let's go of Hem, "Sorry. I was lost in thought again.".

Hem coughs for a few seconds while lying on the floor and as he gets up, he replies: "No problem, but geez. It's the third time this day. If you don't get a hold of yourself, more people will leave the gang and join Vyrga's".

Rak snarls at the name like a beast. After his mother's death, he had to resort to crime to feed his siblings and due to his immense strength, he eventually made a gang from others with similar circ.u.mstances. Even though they were a bunch of criminals, they were one of the cleaner ones as he still couldn't let go of all his standards. They mostly stole, imposed protection fees on whoever they can, and bullied those Rak thought deserved to be bullied - they still stayed far away from the shadier stuff, unlike Vyrga's group. Vyrga can be considered the lord of wretches and the king of the immoral, for his actions know no bounds. His group might not be as strong as Rak's, but they were definitely wealthier as they deal in drug dealing, forced prostitution, and kidnapping for either nobles who want to indulge in their perversions and doctors who want to perform some illegal experiments on a few "less than willing" subjects. In the earlier days of Rak's gang, Vyrga even tried to force himself on his sister only to be beaten back to his territory. The only reason Vyrga doesn't enact his revenge on Rak, is because he knows that just as he obtained the favour of the nobles, Rak obtained the favour of the guards and warriors, which wouldn't be a problem if he had a better standing, but most elites would never reveal they have any relations with his ilk.

Rak takes a deep breath and clears his thoughts before asking: "If you approached me even when I'm pissed, it must mean that there's something important. What is it?".

Hem scratches his head in embarrassment as he replies: "Actually it's nothing important. I just wanted to tell you that a certain bug just came back to work.".

As Hem points at the 'bug', Rak narrows his eyes: "Gherm.".

"Yup. It's honestly surprising that he survived while Tak didn't. May he return to the cycle in peace.".

Rak nods in solitude. Though he hates the gods, he would never mock a friend's death.

Tak wasn't one of his favourites, but like Hem, he was one of the few truly loyal members of his gang and a friend. Usually, Rak chooses to target someone every few months to vent his frustration and turn their life into hell. He chooses them according to their actions and personality and Gherm scored higher than any other slave. Gherm's a reflection of the type of people that Rak hates the most, a conniving coward.

He once again sank back into his memories to remind himself of why he hates the likes of Gherm.

In the beginning when he started his gang, Rak still held on to some of his ideals and protected those who not only fell under the same circ.u.mstances as him and the other members of his gang, but were too weak to fend for themselves, that was until he was betrayed by Veit who was his most trusted friend. He first met Veit when they were children and protected him from a bunch of older kids who were beating him up for trying to steal from them to feed himself as, unlike Rak he was abandoned by his mother when her husband died. After Rak saved him, He kept following him around and they became almost inseparable despite their differences. Veit was the complete opposite of Rak; while Rak was the larger than the rest of his kind, Veit was smaller than other bogeys, and while Rak was brave and stalwart, Veit was a cowardly opportunist. Yet despite their differences, Rak thought that he'd never betray him for he thought that both of them viewed each other as brothers only to find out that that view was one-sided.

Every year, an expedition happens to the lower levels of the cavern consisting of both bogeys and goblins. They're gathered in a loose formation with numerous bogeys, arranged by social rank with the lowest ranks on the outside, and on the sides guarding the few goblins in the centre. During the last expedition two years ago, both of them were chosen to be in the vanguard along with Vyrga and a few of his men. The vanguard was the thickest line consisting of untrained grunts. Their purpose was to sacrifice themselves in order for the higher ranks to reach their destination and all they get in return, in most cases, is merits with the amount varying depending on the achievements of the grunt or grunts who performed said action.

The expeditions usually lasted between one to three months with this one falling into the latter. Rak thought it surprising that Vyrga hadn't attempted anything throughout the first month, but he kept his guard up since considering his personality, he would definitely strike him when he was at his weakest.

The one thing that Rak has never considered, was betrayal. And of all the people in his life to betray him, it had to be Veit. They reached the sixth floor and were ordered to scout ahead of the group to avoid any beast packs or hiveling nests in the nearby vicinity. The sixth floor was reached by an expedition four years before this one and it was one of the strangest and most populated floors since it had an underground forest with a glowing ball of bluish-white light in the ceiling. According to the shamans, it was a giant mana crystal and it was what was giving life to the forest. They couldn't fathom how, but they could feel the energy pouring from the crystal in the form of light, feeding the forest below.

The scouting group kept together with its members keeping a wary eye on each other until they reached a landmark in the form of a giant tree where they further separated into four smaller groups lead by Rak, one of his subordinates named Olf, Vyrga, and a warrior by the name of Mirgar. Since Rak was assigned the most dangerous region, Veit insisted to stay with Olf to which Rak agreed, and the groups went their separate ways.

A few hours later, it was time to meet back at the tree. On the way back Rak found Olf's body bloodied on the ground. In a panic, he ordered his subordinates to stay on guard as they approached it. Olf was dead, his throat was slit and shock was written on his face. He was butchered like an animal. Rak roared in anger at the death of his companion and his faced contorted into a mask of fury, before long that mask became a mask of fear for his friend Veit. He searched the surroundings for clues, and he found them in the form of the bloody footsteps of Olf's murderer.

They chased after them knowing that it was a trap to find Veit lying on his stomach near some trees. Despite all the dangers, Rak rushed to his friend's side, only to duck and narrowly miss a few javelins that were aimed at his torso.

Vyrga and his thugs launched their attack, but thankfully Rak's band was prepared for any traps, so they were able to hold back the attackers.

The battle was bloody as bogeys from both sides were out for blood, ready to defeat their rivals once and for all. They charged at each other with stone-tipped spears and flint knives, for under Jiira rule bogeys can't even wield copper weapons, not to mention bronze.

In a few moments, both sides clashed! Spears were thrust and blades stabbed at their enemies! Cries of pain echoed in the forest as its ground filled with bodies, both dead and alive.

In the beginning, it seemed that Vyrga would have been victorious as not only was his ambush a success, but he also brought twice as many men for the ambush. But he forgot that quantity doesn't always win over quality.

Vyrga's men were weak, undisciplined and cowardly, unlike Rak's. Rak never neglected to establish order and discipline among his ranks and made sure they kept training since he knew they needed to be strong in order to protect their people from the greedy claws of their rivals.

As Vyrga realized that if things continued the way they were, he would lose, so he decided to join the battlefield and strike at the enemy's leader, Rak. He signalled for three of his elites to join him and they charged at their target.

Rak held his stone axe high and prepared his stance to receive the attack but suddenly, to his surprise, Vyrga whistled just when he was halfway across.

This confused him as to why Vyrga would whistle. Rak felt a sharp pain in the back of his c.h.e.s.t. He looked back only to see Veit holding a bloody copper dagger with a rueful smile.

"Boss!" Screamed the majority of Rak's men after witnessing their leader bleeding.

"Stand down if you value his life!", roared Vyrga as he and his minions surrounded their enemy's wounded leader.

"Why…?", asked Rak - the question that mattered to him the most as his body started getting sluggish; the dagger was poisoned. Despite his opportunistic nature, Veit wouldn't betray him for something as trivial as merits, right? And as he heard the words he never wanted to hear, he understood how wrong about his nature he was.

"Sorry, Rak. Being friends was nice and all, but that alone won't ensure me a good life, a connection with the nobles on the other hand? That definitely will! And before you say something like 'He will kill you in the end!'. Remember, though I'm a traitor, not all traitors need to die. Not when they can still be of help. I'll tell your sister how you died valiantly saving the expedition from a hiveling swarm, and maybe after she cries her heart out and I help her through the hard times, she'll feel 'grateful', ok? I always envied how you had everything going right for you. Your power, the loyalty of your men, and such a fine sister with a lovely body, I'll thoroughly enjoy my time with her after you leave this world. Oh, And thank you for everything, you were a good friend and I'll cherish everything you'll leave behind.".

"… Heh…Hehehe…", Rak giggled. He giggled and giggled, creeping out.

"Why's he giggling like an idiot and not dead? Do you know how hard it was to convince a few of my acquaintances to slip me a good copper dagger? You should've finished the job instead of saying your goodbyes.", said Vyrga as he was backing away from Rak - it's never good when an injured man starts to giggle.

"I thought you'd prefer the honour of delivering the killing blow, my lord.", replied Veit in a humble voice.

"Lord, huh? Lord Vyrga the great… Sounds nice. But it would be better for you to finish him. A mighty warrior dies at the hands of his traitorous friend, sounds poetic, don't you think?", spoke Vyrga as he stood behind his three elites. His instincts are screaming at him to run away, but he only has one chance to get rid of this threat, so he chose to leave it to the backstabbing wretch.

Silence ensued for a moment until Veit came to a choice: "As you wish.".

"Stop you bastard! Men Attack!", screamed one of Rak's men before they resumed their attack and tried to free their leader. This showed the incompetence of Vyrga's men as they were too distracted by the previous events to respond quick enough.

Veit quickly held the dagger high with both hands, looking like a cultist performing a sacrifice, ready to strike at his former boss and friend, only to lose feeling in his hands. He looks up to find his hands gone.

"ARRGHH!!!", he howled in pain before also losing his legs and howling even more. Despite all the pain he didn't pass out from shock and tried to understand what had happened. Only to find a large figure looking down on him in rage and disgust while holding a bloody axe - it was Rak.

"I'll deal with you later.", he said in the darkest tone that Veit has ever heard in his life.

Vyrga's elites panicked and looked behind trying to ask their boss on what to do only to find that he disappeared… He abandoned them…

They didn't pose much of a threat as the enraged Rak butchered them one by one like filthy animals whilst his men dealt with the rest.

In the end, Vyrga's ambush failed and he lost a third of his men while Rak only lost a third of his, with half of the remaining men suffering from varying degrees of injuries, but not many of them were serious.

"Rak… buddy… Please… spare me. I was forced to do this. They would've killed everyone I care about if I refused…", begged the foul traitor for mercy.

"So yourself. You never cared about anyone else and you never will.".

Rak grabbed Veit and placed him roughly on his shoulder before heading west.

"W-where are we going? The camp is east?".

"We're not going to the camp…", said Rak followed by the remainder of his men.

"Where else will we go!? There's nothing this way except… no… it can't be! Anything but that!".

"Here we are…", said Rak before he stood a good distance away from his destination. A hiveling's nest.

"I beg you! Don't do it! Don't kill me like this! Nooo!", screamed Veit as Rak threw him at the nest.

"Ooof!", Veit grunted as he hit the ground. He tried to look around for an escape but only found a hiveling scout looking directly at him from one of the holes in the nest.

"Rak! Help! I'm sorry!", Veit begged in vain as hundreds of hivelings emerged and swarmed towards him.

"ARGHUH!!!", the agonized screams of Veit were the last thing that Rak heard as he and his men walked back to the expedition team.

After that incident, once the expedition was over, he purged his ranks from weaklings and those who showed signs of disloyalty and he abandoned those pointless ideals that held him back. He and Vyrga became sworn enemies, but they didn't show it on the surface in order not to be played by other factions. They still had some skirmishes and tested each other's territory by harassing the weaker members of the other.

"Boss… Look who decided to play in our zone.", said Hem, waking Rak from his memories.

A few of Vyrga's goons were approaching a few weaklings, who were cowering in fear, with malicious grins on their faces.

Rak shook his head as the Vyrga's trash never seem to learn that the mining quarters were his territory.

He was going to intervene but he stopped, as a shocking scene occurred.

Gherm blocked their way.