Gemstone Goblins (LitRPG)

Skirmish 3

Horrid creatures danced around a red corpse. A large, humanoid figure sat cloaked in furs. It raised its hands and muttered some words. The goblin corpse disintegrated into a red mist, which the dancers inhaled. They howled and screamed in celebration.

"Now, tell me... What of those yellow goblins?" The figure spoke in a deep and slow voice.

"Bleeding One! They're too vile! They cower behind stone walls. They shoot at us from trees and bushes. And they send wolves and frogs at us!" A red goblin pleaded.

The hobgoblin got up from a skeleton throne, and scoffed,  "The gods are merciful today, so I'll spare you. It's time to move out all the soldiers."

The Bloody Bones' tribe burst with energy. Every goblin got armed and dressed for war. A total of 132 warriors were ready. They moved like a red tide through the forest.

They made camp in an abandoned cave. Some goblins rested in the hallways and rooms; others slept outside. A thundering explosion broke the silence of the night. A torrent of flames spat out from the cave entrance.

A squadron of 300 people made their way on a dirt road. These soldiers were a motley crew. 250 of those soldiers were simple peasants with minimal training and equipment. They were the Baron's men, granted to the Golden Rose merchants for a price. The merchants had their own, well-trained militia of 50 people, leading these recruits.

Their next stop was a village that was supposedly overrun by goblins. Yet there were no signs of conflict. The soldiers did not concern themselves with this and looked for a place to sleep. The commanders searched for any clues of what happened to no avail.

Once everyone was resting. An incendiary trap activated under the sleeping spots of the soldiers. The peasants screamed and fled back home. The officers did not pay attention to the burning men but focused on capturing the deserters. Their morale was destroyed, but this was a paid job, so they had to finish it.

The army of Ovolenskia was clearing out a small patch in the forest for their camp. As soldiers were chopping and hauling logs, a stray arrow landed in the middle of the camp.

The soldiers pulled out their weapons, readying for an attack, but no such thing came. Lord Helmia approached the arrow, there was a piece of parchment attached to it. "Back to work!" He ordered. He retreated to his tent to read the message. It was written in the language of Troystein.

"To the commander of the Ovolenskian Army, I hope this message finds you well. I wish to express my desire for cooperation in the extermination of the red goblins. They are an invasive goblin tribe that has allied with Troystein to destroy us and your lands. To show our sincerity, we will share some information. 300 soldiers from Troystein will be crossing into your territory through ours. The goblins number over a hundred and have strange blood magic and a hobgoblin. To further show our sincerity, expect another arrow soon."

As he read the last sentence, another arrow penetrated the ground in front of his tent. An intricately carved piece of Torchite was attached to it.

Lord Helmia took the gem and handed it to his court mage. "Appraise this."

He inspected it with a glowing magnifying glass. "Hmm... This is Torchite. It has magical qualities. The Court Mage Guild would pay a fair price." He marvelled at the gem.