CHAPTER 524: GOBLIN CITY

Mason’s new goblin friends weren’t interested in any talk of ‘not’ becoming their king.

“Is decided,” said one of their leaders, whose name might have been ‘Uck’. “Is wise.”

He and the others led the players of Nassau down the black tunnels with speed and ease, even lighting torches to help the humans navigate the dark.

“Demons guard commons,” said Uck. “Guard dwellings and market and vaults, like human say. Take women and children, so goblin tribes obey. We sneak humans to vaults?”

Mason realized then he hadn’t seen one female amongst the group. In fact, the only goblin women he’d ever seen were the few back in the king’s court, and they’d been too covered by disgusting bodies to see.

“What do you suggest, Uck? Do they have a leader? Some kind of…head jailor? Whatever’s most likely to save your people, we’ll do that first.”

He didn’t want to just flat out explain his objective to some random goblin just yet. Though he didn’t distrust the creature. At least more than he distrusted everything.

Uck kept looking up at him with a wide-eyed wonder, or like a little kid who wants to be just like you. It made Mason uncomfortable, but he was at least getting used to it from his life in Nassau. It was like being surrounded by a hundred Billy the Brewers.

“Yes. Jailor. Very big. Very nasty. We take you to vaults.”

Mason gestured, and the goblin raced ahead to talk with some of the others.

“I think you’ve got a new fan,” Becky said beside him, not bothering to cover her grin. Mason glared and took her hand.

“I’ll tell them we’re married. You’ll be the goblin queen.”

Becky laughed and laced her fingers with his, apparently not even worried about the claws.

“If only mama could see me now,” she said. “Her girl’s gonna be like the queen of England.”

“Not quite.” Mason grinned. He tried not to think about Demi a little ways back and hoped she wasn’t staring daggers. She’d said she didn’t mind, that she had no problem with Mason’s other girls. But talk and reality were two different things.

And he knew she was struggling with all the people and activity. Though with so much going on he couldn’t sense her emotions like he could when they were alone. He wanted to go check in with her but there was no way he could do it so surrounded. Plus he didn’t actually know what she was thinking.

After they’d gotten to Nassau, their future as a couple wasn’t exactly obvious. Maybe Demi wanted their night by the coast to be a singular thing. A nice distraction and great sex, but basically a one night stand. He hadn’t thought so at the time, and it wasn’t how he felt…but maybe things had changed.

Either way, he kept following his new ‘people’. He had no idea what he’d do if the goblins decided he was actually their king. Their new friend Ikit wouldn’t be happy, though Mason supposed he could install him like a steward, or second in command, or something. A duke? He didn’t know the damn structure of medieval nobility.

“So uh, now what.” Carl sidled up beside him, still wincing as he walked from bruised up ribs. “We’ve already got one goblin in the camp. We gonna get a whole horde?”

“No. I don’t know. I’m not planning on it,” Mason said, which apparently wasn’t the answer Carl was looking for.

“We can’t trust them around elves,” the older man said flatly. “Or us, for that matter. They’ve got no rules. Not like people. Oh, and they fucking tried to kill us all.”

“Not these goblins.” Mason sort of couldn’t believe he was defending them. “That’s like blaming us for what Jeong does.” He put up a hand to hold off Carl’s incoming tirade. “I see no reason to bring them anywhere. We clear the mountain of demons, we follow the plan. No change. OK?”

Carl gave him a narrow-eyed look, like he was searching for the loophole. But he fell back and kept quiet for the moment. Or at least kept his voice low as he grumbled to a silent Phuong.

The noise of activity increased, the passage widening until it opened up into a larger space. Mason stopped at the edge, blinking in amazement as the other players came up and formed a line beside him.

“Holy shit.” Garet stared with an open mouth. A few others whistled or muttered their own curses. It was pretty shocking.

‘The Warrens’ was an actual…goblin city. The cavern here wasn’t some little opening twisted with rock. It was huge—maybe two or three hundred feet from top to bottom, stretching out beyond sight and filled with buildings of wood and stone. Some were two or three stories. There were soft lights glowing in windows, with actual streets and hundreds of goblins moving through them.

“City goblins,” said Uck, as if not impressed. “Useless. We go around. Vaults on other side.”

“What do you mean, ‘city’ goblins? You’re not with them?”

“What? No.” Uck looked disgusted. “Tribes.” He pointed at himself. “City.” He pointed towards the buildings. “Tribes make the money. City spends the money.” The other goblins grunted in unison, as if this were a common saying. Mason took a breath.

“Is there more than one goblin in charge? More than one king? We killed one back in the hall…” he had no idea how to explain exactly where. “That way. Fat goblins everywhere in a room with colored cloth. A pool. Uh, it was…”

“Ahhh.” Uck nodded, then shook his head like Mason was an idiot. “Every tribe has king, human. Warrens has king. Noble houses. Guilds. Goblins, uh, like to be kings. Very much. Oh yes.”

Mason took another long suffering breath. “I’m starting to think ‘king’ really means ‘chief’,” he said to Becky, Carl and Phuong, “or just ‘leader’. And that these things aren’t at all unified. Maybe don’t write to your mama quite yet about being a monarch.”

“Well shoot.”

Mason shrugged. “Suggestions?”

“Yeah. We ignore it all cause who gives a shit,” Carl said. “Maybe we even forget this vault and demon janitor, sorry, jailor. Let’s go find the big machine and end this, then get back to what matters: human players.”

Phuong frowned. “This is turning out to be larger and more complex than we expected. But that only increases the likelihood of superior reward. And we’re already here. Perhaps we should investigate the city, rather than go around to the vault.”

“Becky?” Mason said. The cowgirl looked surprised to be asked, which he supposed was his fault. He really only considered the two older men as his ‘officers’, but it was maybe smart to develop the others.

“Oh. Uh.” Becky went pink. “Guess I’m on the fence. Carl’s right about goblins. But Phuong’s right about a reward, and bein’ here and all. Suppose I’d see what’s down there. But we better make sure everyone sticks together. Could get messy if they turn on us. I wouldn’t know what the hell’s comin’ or from where.”

Mason smiled. It was a good point. Urban fighting was likely to be a hell of a mess, and he liked that she was thinking tactics. All three looked to him as if for a decision, which was a heavy thing but getting a little lighter. He wasn’t sure if that was experience or knowing his people could adapt if he fucked up.

“Let’s call it Jeong practice. We go straight in and meet whatever goblin rules this city. Kill any demons. We stay together. But I doubt these goblins want to mess with twelve players, or that they’ll last long if they do.”

Carl let out a big breath, Phuong and Becky nodded.

“Uck?” The goblin hopped over with a hopeful face. “You know the way to the biggest city king?”

The goblin frowned but nodded. He gestured at what Mason supposed was the obvious place—something like a fort in the middle of the other buildings.

“Demons now.” Uck shook his head. “Many guards. Champion is…sure?”

“I’m sure. We can find it, but it might be easier if you’re with us.”

The goblin ‘tribesman’ looked as uncomfortable as the would be king Ickit with bravery. But he stood a little taller and smiled with half broken fangs.

“Goblin lord champion is strong. City weaklings will see how wise and strong is tribes.”

Mason did his best to smile politely back. Then he explained to the others they were going in, and that they were to stay together on the main road no matter what.

“If it turns into a giant cluster, we’ll hack our way to that fort. But nobody gets separated. Stay with the group, understood? Do not chase anything down. I don’t care if they’re throwing spells or shit at you. If they block our path, we deal with them. Any questions?”

A general shaking of heads, a few anxious faces. But Mason wasn’t worried. And he figured they might be able to get a few more ‘objectives’ lined up before finishing this thing, which could give titles or more items or who knew what. It was worth the look.

“Becky with me and Uck up front. Jason and Garet on each side. Phuong and John at the back. All the ranged in the middle. We move like that the whole way unless I say different. I expect the goblins to get out of our path.” He looked at the goblin. “Ready?”

The creature was sweating now but looked caught up in the drama. It nodded and gestured the many other tribesmen away, all who seemed happy not to go in. Together, the players and their new scout descended down into the cave, and the goblin city below.

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