Chapter 286 – Re: Aper

Day 20 (Cont)

Night

Three Hobgoblins stood at the edge of a clearing, surrounded by the remaining goblins. They had gathered their injured and were debating their next course of action, their quarry giving them more problems than they had expected. 

"We should just let him go. We can't sustain any more losses." Sei said to Dreg, the leader of their hunting party and nominal chief of their nest. She was getting low on mana and wouldn't be able to keep disrupting the hobgoblin named Rou's magic for much longer.  

"She is right, Dreg. This Rou guy is faster than me, way faster. If it wasn't for Sei's magic, I don't think we could stop him." Sato added, the other hobgoblin leaning on her heavily, her ankle having been shattered by this rogue hobgoblin.

Sei had done her best to try to ease her pain with some herbs in her pouch and support her ankle with some sticks, binding it with a piece of leather, but she didn't think her friend would be able to walk properly again. It was going to be a massive blow to rebuilding their nest to lose one of their most powerful fighters.

"Nonsense. Once we get a net on him, it will be over, and we can get to the bottom of what happened to our nest."

"You could have just listened to him instead of throwing a spear! He seemed willing to talk." Sei said, annoyed that they chose violence as their first option. She had no problems with violence; in fact, she was enjoying this battle with a wily opponent who could also use magic, but she preferred diplomacy when the option was there.

"And give him the chance to kill me like he did the elders we left behind? No. If what Grak said is true, then I want to be in a position of power over this Rou guy before I go anywhere near him." Dreg said, gesturing to the injured hobgoblin off to the side, then started to belt out orders. "Sei, I'm going to need you to stay with the main group as we advance. Sato, can you lead the rest of the injured back to the supplies and captives? I would hate it if some wolves killed the two guards and got a hold of our new breeding stock. They might be the only way we can repopulate if we need to relocate our nest."

"You guys are too focused on screwing human females. You know we can get pregnant too, right?" Sato said. Sei had to agree with her, though she was concerned about her friend's timing of voicing the complaint.

She had been alive for over five years, and other than a short fling with their old chief before he was killed, she and Sato had only been touched by each other. Almost all the male goblins ignored the female ones, their instincts to breed only really manifesting with females of other races. It was bad enough that Sei almost wondered if there were actual difficulties with goblins breeding with each other, or was it just that most of the males had almost zero lust when it came to their own kind.

"It just isn't the same! Is this really the time to complain that I haven't taken you since I became chief?"

"Whatever, Dreg. You say that every time I bring it up. Maybe I should surrender to this Rou guy instead; he obviously was lusting over me even as he was about to kill me. Maybe I'll learn how a real male handles a woman."

"Are you insane?"

"No. She ate some medicinal herbs to deal with the pain, and it's making her a bit loopy. You try having your bones shattered and see if you can still think straight." Sei replied, defending her friend and sometimes lover. Sato had some strong opinions on goblin males, but normally would keep them in check unless they were alone. 

"Bah! We don't have time for this nonsense. Head back to the captives and wait for our return." Dreg growled, then raised his voice to be heard by the goblins around them. "Everyone, we are continuing the chase. Move-"

An earth-shattering roar thundered through the clearing, followed by bright flames lighting up the night sky. Sei immediately realized what it was, and her knees began to shake.

Jii had warned them all about staying out of the northwestern part of the forest, as it was the home to the Red Bear, a powerful monster who was blessed by the Demigod of Fire. She had never seen it before, and hadn't been sure if it was real or just another one of Jii's tall tales, so she never really concerned herself with it.

It appeared to be quite real, and their chase had led them all into its territory. 

"Red Bear!" She shouted. 

"What? Are you sure?" Dreg said, but didn't wait for her reply. "Everyone! New plan! RUN!"  

The chief and the uninjured goblins started to run back to the East, retreating from the clearing as fast as they could go. 

"Wait! I can't carry all the wounded myself!!!" Sei shouted, trying to get them to turn around. The roars were coming closer; the night sky lit up from the forest being set ablaze. 

"Leave them! We can't carry them and outrun a damn bear!" She heard him shout over the protest of the injured goblins around her as he disappeared into the forest. 

"No! I'm not leaving-"

"It's okay, Sei. Save yourself." Sato said, letting go of her and standing on her good leg and leaning on a branch she had broken off a tree for a crutch. "It's been fun, but if you stay, you will end up just dying too. I don't want that."

"Sato... I can't... I don't want to be alone."

"Just think of me, and I'll always be there with you." She replied, a sad smile on her normally joyous face. "Now go. Live for me, please."

Before she could reply, the one-armed hobgoblin they were chasing burst into the clearing, that golden glow surrounding him. Before she could dispel whatever that buff was, the bear followed him into the clearing, a gout of flame shooting from its mouth and enveloping the hobgoblin. He weathered the inferno, the flames seemingly unable to touch him, and then he cast a ball of darkness over the bear's head. 

"What are you idiots still doing here? Run!" He shouted, then turned back to the bear and attacked it with Sato's sword. That is when she noticed that he was no longer wearing those black leather clothes but was butt naked, his manhood on full display as he attacked the massive bear. She felt a visceral feeling in her loins at watching him fight, the strength in his body apparent as he literally blocked the powerful swipes from the blinded animal with his half arm before stabbing at it with the blade. 

"You feel it too?" Sato said, still leaning on her staff. Her carnelian eyes were focused on Rou, watching him parry attacks from the bear, then kicking it with strikes hard enough that they could almost feel the force of the impacts from fifty feet away. 

"I do. What is this?" Sei replied, then shook her head to try and banish the feeling. 

"I don't know, but I only get it when I watch you fight with magic. I just want to... mate... God! How many of those herbs did you feed me? Get out of here and save yourself."

Sei ignored her and made a decision. She tossed a fireball at the bear, intending on changing her support to this new hobgoblin. He didn't just lead the bear directly through the wounded; instead, he stopped so they could get away. If she could help him, maybe he would be willing to talk, and she could find out what was exactly going on back at their nest. 

The orb of fire exploded on the bear's side, but didn't even singe its hairs. She frowned at that and threw another, to little effect. 

Is it immune to fire? This isn't good. 

She started to go through her list of spells, trying to find something that wasn't based on fire that would be effective against this bear, but she didn't have much. Most of her magic was fire-based, with only a scattering of spells from other schools to help deal with any human mages they came across. Most casters were quite surprised when a hobgoblin dispelled any defensive spells they had, then slammed them with a fireball. It wasn't perfect, but their nest didn't exactly have a lot of tomes for her to study, so she made do with what she had.

When that hobgoblin stopped glowing, he jumped backwards, screaming as the bear raked his chest with those wicked claws. He was standing among their wounded now, taking a defensive stance with Sato's sword. The weapon was glowing red; its tip had partially melted at some point as he fought that monster. 

"MIDDLE HEAL!" He chanted, and green energy flowed from his white eye to his chest, closing his wounds. That confused her even more as she thought he was also a mage.

Is he a cleric? What in the world is this guy?

The injured goblins were frozen in fear as the bear approached, the Darkness spell dissipating from its head. Rou, however, stood his ground, assuming another stance with the sword, looking ready to go down swinging.

"Iron Will! Guardian!" He shouted unexpectedly, his body shimmering for a moment as he activated-

"Those were human arts!" Sato said, finishing her thought.

How? That shouldn't be possible!

She flung a magic dart at the bear's face, the non-elemental spell the only thing she could think of that might give this Rou a few more moments to do whatever he was doing. Her aim was true, and the small bolt hit the monster right in its eye.

The bear roared again, the aura of fear it emitted slamming into her, causing her to lose concentration on her next spell and fall to her knees. She looked up to see it had turned its attention towards her, Rou having disappeared from the clearing. 

"Did he run away?" She said, confused. She was sure he was about to make a heroic last stand, like some hero in those human books she read from the supplies the goblins raided. 

"I don't think so; he just disappeared. Hah, hah, are we dead now?" Sato giggled, lying on the ground beside her, the medicine seemingly making her think the situation was funny.  

The bear's mouth opened, and she could see hellfires forming inside its gullet, aiming towards the pair of them. She reached out and grabbed Sato's hand, wanting to hold her giggling friend one last time before they were engulfed in an inferno. 

"Water Jet!" A musical female voice called out. A thick stream of water slammed into the bear's mouth, dousing the flames and creating a huge cloud of steam. A blue-haired goblin stood up from the ground where Rou had been, dusting her hands off for a moment before pulling a staff out of thin air and pointing it towards the bear. "Water Ball!"

The bear roared in frustration for a moment before a massive ball of water covered its head and shoulders.  

"Backstab!" Rou's voice could be heard from behind the bear. A moment later, the bear jumped into the air, its face contorted in pain as he sheathed the sword into its ass. 

"Bolt!" He chanted, hitting the hilt of the sword with an electrical charge before rolling to the side, narrowly avoiding being swiped by one of its massive paws.

"Water Blade!" The goblin slashed at one of its legs, a blade of water extending from her staff.

The two of them danced around the bear for a few moments, seemingly gaining the upper hand on the beast. It was growing weaker, its attacks slowing significantly as they rained damage down on it. Finally, Rou growled, and black tendrils extended from his missing arm, forming a spectral black-and-purple arm and hand.

Without a word, he slammed the hand into the bear's mouth, grasping its tongue. Black abyssal magics filled the cavity, and purple and black fires burst out of the bear's nose, eyes and ears as he melted the monster's brain with the magic. The bear flopped down at his feet, its corpse smoking from whatever the hell that hobgoblin had hit it with. 

"Rou! Are you okay?" The blue-haired goblin said, grabbing onto his good arm. 

"Not yet, Sui." He said, then turned around, looking at the injured goblins. "Gae Derg," He said, and a black abyssal spear formed in his spectral hand. He hefted it above his shoulder and flung it, spearing Grak and pinning the limping hobgoblin to a nearby tree. He walked over to the struggling hobgoblin. 

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT HER! IT'S JUST OUR NATURE! YOU KNOW THAT! YOU CAN'T FIGHT NATURE!" Grak screamed, thrashing as the spear burned his guts.

"Sure it is," Rou replied, a truly demonic expression forming on his face. "Just like it is in my nature to end filth like you. You know that, right?" 

Without waiting for a reply, he planted his foot on Grak's chest, then grasped the pinned hobgoblin's cock and balls with his spectral hand and ripped them clean off. He then forced the screaming hobgoblin's mouth open with his real hand and stuffed it all in his mouth before forcing his mouth closed. 

"Chew it, you rapist. Chew and swallow. I'm not releasing you from this pain until it's all down your filthy rapist hole." 

"Holy shit. What is even happening, Sei? Did you lace the herbs with stronger hallucinogens or something?" Sato said, her eyes never leaving Rou and his assault on Grak.

"I have no idea..." She replied, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene. All she knew was she was glad that Rou didn't charge her position earlier using whatever had turned him invisible, as she wouldn't be breathing right now. 

She continued to watch the scene, fascinated as he forced Grak's jaw to move up and down, the spectral hand preventing him from spitting his manhood out and forcing him to eat it. Tears were rolling down his face, the hobgoblin knowing his doom was upon him.

The blue-haired goblin he called Sui was standing beside him, glaring up at Grak with hate-filled eyes. 

"Do you want the honours, Sui?" He asked her once Grak had finished his last meal.

"No. Just end this; it's time to go home." She replied, the hate leaving her eyes when she looked up at him.

"As you wish, milady. Rupture." He said, then slammed a fist into Grak's skull, causing it to explode in a shower of bone and brains.

With a sigh, his spectral hand disappeared, and he turned around and looked directly at her. "You tried to help, so you get to live. Listen to Sui and keep the injured in line. When I wake up, we will talk. Got it!" He ordered.

"Yes, Chief!" She said reflexively, her old habits returning from when she served under their last chief. She didn't give Dreg the same respect, as he didn't earn his place as their leader; it just kind of fell to him as the strongest remaining hobgoblin after a failed raid. Well, the strongest one that cared to be the Chief. She had no interest in such a position. 

"Good. You're not lying. Wow... those are some interesting things-" He started to say, then collapsed to the ground.

Sui shifted his body around to make him more comfortable, then walked over to them, a blade of water extending from her staff.

"He just had to rescue more attractive women, didn't he?" She said under her breath, then spoke louder. "I'm Sui, and you are now prisoners of Clan Wayne. Rou will decide what he is going to do with you when he wakes up, but until then I'm going to bind your arms and gag you. Don't worry about any monsters approaching; I'll set some wards so you will be safe. No casting magic unless you want to find out just how powerful a water glyph can be. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sui. We surrender." Sei said.  She could feel the power radiating from this goblin, and didn't want to cause any trouble for her. Even if she wanted to fight, she had almost no mana left and goblin or not, a water mage was the perfect counter for her fire magic. 

"Did you know you have beautiful eyes? And your hair is so cool! I have never seen those colours on a goblin. You're so adorable I could just eat you up!" Sato said cheerfully. She was still lying beside her, the herbs apparently hitting her harder than normal.

I might need to throw the rest of this batch out if it's causing her to get this loopy.

"Really? I thought I was ugly."

"No way. You're cute and adorable! I'd love to have hair like yours!"

"But you have such pretty hair. Wait a minute, are you just trying to butter me up?"

"Huh? Why would I do that?" 

"To try and escape?"

"Why would I do that? Sei said he is the Chief, so he is the boss. Besides, I don't think I could beat you and your cute friend at the same time."

"Huh? My friend?"

"The other blue-haired goblin beside you. Wait, where did she go?"

"She is a bit out of it right now. Rou shattered her ankle and wrist, so I dosed her with some medicinal herbs... apparently too many of them."

"Herbs? How crude. Give me a moment, and I'll fix you right up."

"Sure thing, cutie. I'll be right here, having a nap." Sato replied, then passed out.

"Is she always like this?"

"She is usually quite bubbly and free-spirited, but this was excessive even for her. Seriously, we won't cause you any problems. We didn't even want to fight him anyway."

"I believe you, but I still need to tie you up. I already failed him once because I was irresponsible, and I don't want to fail him again."

"I won't resist."

With that, Sei soon found herself bound and gagged along with the rest of the now healed goblins, all sitting on top of a glyph that would explode if she accessed her magic. Sui had tucked herself under Rou's arm, keeping watch over them as the night slowly passed. Exhaustion finally took her, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep.