The goblin lowered his crossbow and looked at Vulzal in confusion, “What do you mean ten? All of the other guards were already taken for the battle. We are the only ones left.”
Ttarmok sighed, “That should not have been that easy. They really do breed you goblins dumb, don’t they?”
The grinder was about to respond angrily to the insult but found it very hard to speak with Vulzal’s blade through his throat. The two trolls had fought together long enough that Ttarmok had distracted the grinder without even having to be asked. The dead goblin slid to the ground as Vulzal withdrew his blade. Then the trolls started advancing on the goblin scouts that looked at them, wide-eyed in fear.
As they stalked the scouts, Vulzal thought about the enemy commander. The dark-skinned human’s plan to kill the last remaining goblins inside the encampment had been simple, but effective. Vulzal had been especially impressed when Richter suggested stabbing a dead human body to put blood on their swords and make the deception more realistic. It was exactly the kind of cold and brutal logic that trolls valued. One of the sprites had predictably objected, but Richter had just asked if the remains of the dead were more important than the lives of the living. After that, there had been no more dissent.
Vulzal swung his blade at a scout, easily powering through the small goblin’s defense. The blow wasn’t meant to kill so much as wound. The troll had never liked goblins and causing the scout pain was improving his mood. He stabbed the small green creature again, enjoying its squeals, and reflected that Richter was indeed a human he could work with.
CHAPTER 47 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 15,386 EBG
The trolls came out of the cave a few minutes later. Richter was in the process of recharging his enchanted weapons with weak and poor soul stones.
“The goblins are dead,” Vulzal said simply.
“And the prisoners?” Richter asked.
“Further down in the cave. I thought you’d want to check on them yourself.” The troll waved a hand near his face. “If they saw me coming out of the dark, they might shit themselves to death,” he said with a chuckle.
Neither Richter nor any of his comrades joined in the laughter, but the chaos seed did reach into his bag. He pulled out two silver pieces and tossed one to each troll. Ttarmok looked at him curiously, “I did not expect you to actually pay us for killing the goblins. You know that we would have done that just to preserve our own lives.”
“I always pay my debts,” Richter said quietly, keeping eye contact. “In every sense of the word. Remember that.”
“We will not be forgetting you, Lord Richter,” promised Vulzal. There was something in his voice that Richter could not quite place. The chaos seed asked a few more questions, then he dismissed the trolls, both from his presence and his consideration. He couldn’t stomach being around his former enemies any longer. They may have just been hired hands, but they had also killed his people. He would not be forgetting that, and he would most certainly not forgive.
“Sion. Terrod. You’re with me,” Richter said. “Caulder, take the trolls over to their strongbox and get what we are owed and nothing more. I trust your judgement. This is not a negotiation, however. If they give you any trouble, take their heads.” He didn’t bother looking at the mercenaries as he said it. “Once they pay, cut them loose, but without their weapons. I won’t have them coming up behind our people armed. I want you to take half the men with you. The rest of you, sweep the encampment in teams of five. If there are any more goblins or prisoners hidden here, I want to know. Kill the former, save the latter, no exceptions.”
Everyone clapped a fist to their hearts and said, “Yes, milord.” Ttarmok looked bothered by what Richter said, but Vulzal just smiled slightly. Sharp teeth poked past the troll’s lips, but not as a threat. The troll sergeant just nodded in respect towards the chaos seed and walked off.
Richter looked at Alma, *Fly high, my love. If the trolls are right, the goblin forces will be coming from the entrance at the end of the valley. Watch the whole valley and let me know what you see.*
*Are you sure you’re feeling better?* she asked him. Concern was evident in her tone, and she sent him a mental image of when he had been kneeling in front of the Druid, choking on his own blood.
*I’m fine,* he snapped back with irritation. *And please god never show me that again!* Living through it had been terrible enough, he didn’t need the replay! He took a breath and realized that she deserved better than that, *I’m sorry, love. I will be fine. I still haven’t thanked you for saving me. Thank you. I would be lost without your love and support. I need you flying reconnaissance, though. I’m sure whatever might be down there is something I can handle. Besides, I have Sion, Terrod and the adder as backup. Please be my eyes in the sky.*
Alma sent her assent. She flew close and licked his cheek, bringing a slight chuckle to his grim face. Finally feeling better, she flew up to keep watch on the valley. Richter looked at his Companions and said, “Let’s go.”
The three men walked down into the cave. The trolls had said it took a few minutes to get to where they had seen the goblins, so Richter dealt with some of the sea of notifications waiting for him. He chose to address the ones dealing with Alma first.
You have been awarded 52,972 experience (base 605,398 x 0.07 x 1.25) from Brain Drain against Level 27 goblin Druid, Radg-or; Station: Rikker.
Congratulations! Your familiar has reached level 38!
It was great seeing how his familiar was advancing, but the next prompt almost brought a tear to his eye. He had no idea how much he had missed that sweet sound.
TRING!
You have reached level 32! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed, you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also receive 15 Talent points instead of the usual 10. +15 Talent points from your Profession and Specialty for having a 100% affinity in Enchanting. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!
Talent Points Remaining: 61 Talent Points.
Even after living through the horrors of the battle, and suffering the pain of the Bloodstone’s spell, Richter felt a thrill. He had progressed! The chaos seed couldn’t wait to invest his new Characteristic points. This was also the first time he had leveled since obtaining his Essence Specialization. Getting the extra ten Talent points to go along with the ones he had gotten before was amazing.
Richter dismissed the prompt dealing with his Talent points, but couldn’t wait to invest his new stat points. He pulled up his abbreviated status page.
Name: Richter
Age: 24
Level: 32, 58%
Health: 664 Mana: 504 Stamina: 350
Strength: 33 (base: 25 + items: 8)
Agility: 32
Dexterity: 38 (base: 23 + items: 15)
Constitution: 56
Endurance: 35
Intelligence: 46
Wisdom: 45
Charisma: 34
Luck: 21
Abilities:
Limitless
Gift of Tongues
Fast Learner
Bounty of Life
Psi Bond
Qualities: