[Slimy Slime] Chapter 56: War Begins

I watched as Krrrgg left through our gates. I didn’t really pay much attention to them or the roads much, I mean… they were kinda patch jobs? I really never expected this to be a long term thing and had been more concerned with the goblin horde than anything. I’d have to improve them at some point…

But they were wide and made of stone. Krrrgg was going out, more than enough to deal with a few dozen goblins, but strangely I noticed she went with a third of the Goblite, as I was calling them. I even knew one of them! Remembering fifteen goblin names was uhh… a bit much to ask. It’s not like they were normal names okay?!

Still, they marched out quickly and my slimy non-existent heart clenched. I really had to talk to Krrrgg about information. What was the military used, opsec? We were having far too many communication issues. I should have been told about the [Goblin Chief]’s skills and abilities beforehand! We had like, a week for her to tell me! I had just assumed she didn’t know…

I could’ve known we were facing literal mind control. I could have known all the goblins we were gathering here were not only in danger, but also were a danger! I could have had her go out to a wider area and gather more! Actually, that was the most horrifying thing of all. 100,000 goblins do not fit in a single small area. They have their own whole territory. Some unknown amount had been sent my way and it must have ‘spread out’ somehow. I just had no idea how it worked but ‘within range of voice and visual’ probably wasn’t the limit of the skill… Was it range based? Was there some invisible ‘territory’ esk shenanigans about? I didn’t know.

I’d focused on strength and building but my information gathering had fallen to the way side. I’d talked to Krrrgg but clearly I hadn’t talked to her well enough. A lot of things suddenly seemed like good ideas. We’d begun building a moat, or at least that had been the idea, but the plan had been dropped at some point. I don’t really remember why, I think it was because it was more harm than benefit to our own troops. But we could’ve done more! A set of spikes or barricades or… I felt like a fool. I had done… okay I guess. But there was so many improvements, so many things and thoughts and, and…

…And I wasn’t a strategist. I was barely a King, let alone a ‘warrior’ or ‘fighter’. I was just some guy, no, some slime out in the middle of the woods trying to do his best. As the stone gates behind Krrrgg closed and smiles blossomed across her face and the [Hob-Goblins], those feelings only became stronger. I didn’t know what I could’ve done to prevent this but there had to have been something.

“It’s not your fault.” came a voice to my side. Michael, surprisingly.

“It is.”

“Did you know? About the mind control?”

Michael just nodded.

“It’s common knowledge about [Goblin Chief]’s.”

“Common knowledge… well… no ever told me-”

My words cut off as a slaughter began. It was over in no less than a minute but my eyes would never forget it. Heads cut off necks, bodies nearly split into two, gore and blood splashing across my ground, spears finding brains, and the brief screams of goblins in rage and fear, only to go silent moments later. I’d seen and been the cause of death, but it hadn’t prepared me at all to see two dozen dead goblins fall to the ground like wheat. One of the goblins layed there, split at the waist, and right before life left her, I could see it. Could see the mind control break. See the horror cross her face.

I felt woozy and my eyes were blurry for some reason. I remembered the villagers less than a mile away, cheerful, happy, practically worshipping me. And this goblin? She could have been any of them. She could have been like Orivik, growing to new intelligence and new heights. She could have been like Krrrgg, learning common, becoming a commander. Goblins were chaotic creatures but I pitied them. They started off like uncontrolled infants or animals, and only through evolution became closer to human. She would never get that chance and why? Because of location. That was it. She had been born a little too far out, outside of the area Krrrgg had traveled in. She’d never been recruited by me… and so she had died because of me.

“King Slime?”

“Why… I don’t understand. Why is everything like this?”

Michael was silent for a time and I watched with horror but understanding as Krrrgg ripped out the hearts of the goblins. Including the woman I saw. They’d gone out of the way to not damage them. After all, the stat points came from eating the hearts. I felt a small epiphany at that but punched it in it’s metaphorical face. Now wasn’t the damn time.

“Power, I guess.” Michale eventually said.

I had to resist letting out a mirthless chuckle.

“That’s it?”

Michael nodded.

“You have something someone strong wants… and that’s it.”

Power. What a bastard of a word. But there were worst words floating in my slimy brain. Luck. Destiny. War. I had been lucky to be a godling and she had just been unlucky in so many ways. So many people were unlucky in so many ways, Earth wasn’t different. The second I arrived to this world, to any world, I was doomed to a destiny of slaughter. There was simply no way for a monster or even a Hero to grow strong without it. Chaos, Change, Erosion. In another word, Strife. This was half the force of the multi-verse. Of all of existence. To become a God, I had to experience it. Order would come later.

I frowned as I watched Krrrgg and the [Hob-Goblin]’s not eat the hearts. I already figured that Krrrgg was gonna ‘trim’ slowly. No reason to tire everyone out now. But, she needed the hearts. It would make her stronger, all of my soldiers stronger. My soldiers… I felt vertigo for a second but shook it off. I saw Krrrgg smile at me and-

My stomach dropped to the depths of hell as I saw her smile wide at me, a bloody heart in one hand, and a bloody axe in the other.

Oh.

So this is War.

****

[General/Crown/Evolution/Dungeon

Name: Slimy Slime

Free stat points: 18

HP: 287/287

MP: 174/174

STR: 50

AGI: 41

DEX: 50

CON: 35

END: 50

INT: 35

WIS: 35

SPI: 50]

My eyes kept feeling blurry for some reason. Strange. No slimy, you’re better than that. You’re crying. You’re crying because the world is full of hell and you’re in the middle of it. That you caused this. That you- guilt isn’t helpful. They’ll be thousands dead before the end of this.

I just wanna go back to the fun times.

[General/Crown/Evolution/Dungeon

Name: Slimy Slime

Free stat points: 0

HP: 287/287

MP: 174/174

STR: 50

AGI: 41

DEX: 50

CON: 35

END: 50

INT: 38

WIS: 50

SPI: 50]

I’d need all the mental strength I could get. There were still more goblins showing up, slowly. At this rate… this would be easy-

Motion. From the treeline, countless goblins emerge. So many that my eyes widen and Krrrgg and the [Hob-goblin]’s frantically run away. I stare, slack jawed, as what seems like a never ending green tide pushes forward… and slams into my stone wall.

“WHAT?!”

How many are there?! Weren’t they suppose to come down in trickles?! My breath hitches as I realize that… this is a trickle. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of goblins… and yet more keep coming and coming. They push and shove, already against the walls. The whole clearing seems to be filled and they’re frantically trying to climb up the wall with no success. But that’s not the problem. They don’t need to climb up the walls.

Only each other.

“Bows! Get the bows! The spears! Krrrgg, do something!” I scream out.

Arrows fly out from a few of the [Hob-Goblin]’s as they scramble to the top of the wall. Orivik in particular picks up a bow and quill (did I make that?) and seems to let loose like a machine. Every arrow hits and kills but it’s not nearly enough. I cursed my omens right now. Ever since I tried using my ‘traps’ like a weapon, the dungeon wouldn’t let me make any simple or obvious ones. It would have made this far easier.

Ten fists became visible.

This was an all hands on deck situation. I needed to make a short wall, a barricade, to give my defenders the room to stab out. An oversight. But first… I needed to clear space. I felt my stone of anger grow. Harder. Denser. These creatures were victims but they were also my enemy. I wasn’t a perfect hero with a perfect answer. I’d do what I had to do.

Ten fists raised down and bodies broke apart. My fists could shatter rocks and rip out small tree’s… goblin bodies were like playdoh. My darkness magic came into play, blinding many of the backline. They still moved forward relentlessly but without sight it slowed them down, tangled them up, gave me time.

A few died, then tens, then more. More and more. I felt it all, my hands sending the signals back to my brain. By the end of it, there was room and I quickly made a small dugout with a stone wall and roof, with a few murder holes both in front and above. Small spaces, small holes, but enough for spears to stab out with.

“Go!” I yelled at the Goblite and they were already moving, heading through the small passageway I’d made. I needed to study proper architecture, or at least allow my [Architect] to study proper architecture. I was flying blind and stupid and doing my best.

My heart hurt… but there was no time. The dead bodies were already being stepped on, smashed, used a stepping stone to climb up the wall. I had to pull them out… they… they would help grow my army.

Even as my heart clenched and my eyes shook, the wave didn’t end, didn’t stop. I begged the gods of this world that it stayed that way. Goblins were weak… but there were so many. A human would die to a million fire ants. If the rate the goblins came increased… if the Horde grew faster than we could kill it…

A tide of never ending green had come upon us.