Barbarian Legends - Goblinslayer 04

"A fair point. But what did you learn there that you could not learn here in the Kingdom? You Kingdom men seem convinced to be the most learned of all beings."

"Many things, my friend. Including the fact that we have no monopoly on wisdom and that much of what our doctors teach is simply wrong." Pazio did seem like a profoundly civilised and educated man. Girn decided to believe him.

"And? Do you think I have the plague?" Girn asked.

"No, mister Girn, I do not. You might be right about a barbarian's immunity to diseases. An interesting route to explore."

"Do you think the plague will kill everyone in Yeledor?"

"Oh I certainly believe that by the end of it will have taken a lot of lives. But you do not have it, for if you did, you would already be dead or dying. I will give miss Mina a herbal concoction. The herbs are a protection against diseased fumes in the air, and I have cast a few spells on them as well."

"You are a magician as well as a doctor, then?"

"I am a healer, mister Girn, and I use whatever means best help my patients. I dabble in enchantments of a protective sort. I cannot utterly guarantee their effectiveness, you understand, but they should help if you are exposed to the plague. Take one too, mister Girn, just to be safe."

"Thank you, doctor Pazio."

**********

Hans looked up as they entered the tavern. He held a rolled tube in one fist. He tossed it straight at Girn. "Catch," he called.

Girn snatched the tube out of the air and recognised it at once for what it was. The parchment was the same as the earlier message he had received, the one which had warned him of the goblin attack on the Office of Ingenuity. He hastily unrolled it, and was not at all surprised to find that it had been written in the same semi-literate scrawl:

"Frend, be warned! The eevil trechrus goblins of Clan Pathos plot to spred deezeez in yoor city, may the Ever-Hungry gnaw their entrails. I do not no wher or how they plan to do this. I can only tell yoo to be ware of the Koldron of Brootal Blaiyt. Yoor frend."

"It was delivered when you were out," Hans said.

"Who was the messenger?"

"Some beggar. Claimed it was given to him by a monk."

"You believe him?"

"I saw no reason not to, Girn."

"What are you talking about, Girn?" Mina asked.

"Goblins," Girn said ferociously, and the girl's face went pale.

"Those creatures which attacked the tavern the other night?"

"The very same," Girn muttered, anger rising. "It seems like I have become involved in some feud among them."

"Do you think they will attack the Full Tankard again?" Mina asked, glancing at the doors and windows as if she expected an attack at any second.

"I bloody hope not," Hans said.

"I doubt it," Girn said. "And if they do, we'll just slaughter them again." Mina sat down in a chair near to the barbarian. He cocked his head to one side and smiled. "Do not worry, Mina. Nothing will harm you. I promise." His words seemed to calm Mina a little.

"Do you think the goblins could have anything to do with this new plague?" Hans whispered, hoping that no one could overhear him.

"Our greenskin 'frend' would like us to believe so," Girn whispered back.

"Then why hasn't he told us any more?"

"Perhaps he does not know any more himself."

**********

Shaman Utkut stared into his divining globe. It was no use. He had no luck locating Leprous Foulbreath and the accursed cauldron of Clan Pathos. That was not reassuring. A shaman of his prowess, having invoked the proper rituals and made obeisance in the correct way to the Ever-Hungry, should have been able to detect an artefact of its power easily. Instead he had found no trace of it or its bearers anywhere. It suggested to Utkut's keen mind that they were using magic of their own to cover their tracks. He knew that Leprous Foulbreath knew powerful sorcery, and must have invoked spells of bafflement. Further proof of his treachery, not that any was needed!

Of course the traitor would claim that he had used the magic to escape detection by the human authorities, but Utkut could see through such transparent ruses. He had not been born yesterday. The diseasemongers were simply trying to keep themselves hidden from their rightful leader until they could implement their plan and claim unwarranted glory.

Utkut knew he must prevent this eventuality at all costs, as well as enforcing the Council of Goblinkind's edict, of course. He would simply have to find another way of locating his prey. He wondered if the barbarian had taken any action yet. Or was he too stupid to do anything without prompting from Utkut?

**********

Girn hurried through the darkness. He stopped to cast a glance over his shoulder and paused a moment to listen. Was that the distant echo of footsteps? Was he being followed?

He strained his ears for any noise but heard nothing. He was not reassured by the silence. This was the wealthiest quarter of Yeledor, but not even the rich went abroad in the darkness without a full squad of bodyguards. Thieves and criminals were everywhere. But the prospect of normal everyday robbery did not bother Girn. Ever since the night of the goblin attack he had expected another ambush by the greenskin assassins.

Still, he felt the potential gravity of the situation warranted risking these benighted streets. He needed help and he knew of only one source that might be able to provide the sort of aid he required. The door he sought was directly ahead of him. Doctor Pazio was an expert on diseases and he might be able to tell Girn something useful, if the goblins really were behind the current outbreak of plague. He knew that the man would most likely think him mad, but he was prepared to take that chance. He was out of his depth, dealing with an enemy that could wield noxious plagues the way a man might wield a sword. What he needed was knowledge, and Pazio impressed him as the man who might have it. He reached up and pulled the handle of the doorbell. He heard footsteps from within the building and a peephole within the door rattled open.

"Who is it?" asked a voice. Girn recognised it as belonging to Pazio's servant.

"Girn. The barbarian from earlier today. I need to see Doctor Pazio."

"Is it an emergency?"

Girn considered for a moment before replying, "Yes!"

"Stand away from the door." Girn did as he was told. He heard huge bolts being thrown. It was apparent that the physician took no chances with his own safety, and Girn in no way blamed him for this. Such precautions were only sensible in the great cities of the Kingdom. The beam of a lantern was shone full on his face. "Apologies, mister Girn," the manservant said. "You can't be too careful these days."

"Can't disagree," Girn said. "Now please take me to your master. I have urgent business with him."

**********

"You're here for a second opinion?" Pazio asked the woman in his consulting room.

"Yes," she replied. "There's some swelling in my throat. I'm not sure the first doctor's diagnosis was correct."

"Why don't you take off that blouse for me, and we'll have a look," he said, in the matter-of-fact tone of a doctor. "It'll give better access to assess the swelling."

"Fine," she said, slowly unbuttoning her top.

Despite that she was undressing in front of her husband of twelve years of marriage, Pazio saw Rosalia's fingers were trembling on the buttons of her blouse. Any roleplay still excited her to the same degree as it incredibly turned on Pazio. Not too long ago they had begun playing 'doctor' and 'patient'. Many other roles had already been brought to life between husband and wife.

When she had taken her blouse off, she said in her husky voice, "Alright, I took it off. What now, doctor?" Rosalia sat upright in her white lace bra that showed the top of her tits and even a small part of her areolas.

"Now, I'll start the examination," he replied, struggling to keep the corner of his mouth from curling upward into a smirk. "Let's see, your supple neck feels a little tighter, most probably due to internal swelling." With Pazio's hand on her neck, her breathing quickened. "Now, I'll check your pulse." Moving his hand to her chest, Pazio could feel her heart beating fast. Sensing her excitement as she tried to contain it, turned him on even more. Without asking, he moved his fingertips into her bra, touching her nipples.

"Oh doctor, what's that for?" Rosalia feigned innocence.

"No worries, it's all part of a general examination. I have to rule out all other possible causes before I form my diagnosis. Any discomfort here?" Pazio asked as he pulled with thumb and forefinger on both her nipples.

"No, doctor," Rosalia whimpered. "More like the opposite."

Pazio smiled and slowly pulled the white lace bra down. He took a breast in each hand and gently applied pressure to her soft but firm globes. As professionally as he could, he asked, "Any discomfort now?"

"Aaah," Rosalia sighed before saying, "You know I just came here for a swollen throat, right, doctor?"

"It's all part of the process, my dear. I just want to make sure you're in good health." Pazio released her rounded breasts and put his hands on her shoulders. "Could you lay down for me, please."

With Rosalia on her back, Pazio slowly worked his hands up her legs and underneath her skirt. A quiver traveled through her body as Pazio caressed her outer folds. Fore and middle finger together, he gently inserted them into her pussy. "There's an unusual wetness," he said. While not verbally responding, she instantly started grinding on his fingers. "You like this part of the examination, do you?" Rosalia only moaned.

Pazio pulled out and brought his wet-fingered hand up to touch her nipples while the other fumbled with his trousers. After taking his cock out, he said, "Apologies, I almost forgot. You are here for your throat. Please open your mouth." He walked to the other side of his examination bed and kissed her hard as she opened her beautiful mouth. Pazio broke away and said in a commanding voice, "Now, to soothe the swelling, you'll have to suck on my cock."

The fact that she stuck her tongue out, eager for his cock made his balls tingle. Her wet lips touched his tip at the same time as there was a knock at the door. It was his servant that spoke through the closed door.

"Master Pazio, there's a visitor for you. Mister Girn begs your attention. I've settled him in the study."

Pazio glanced at his wife. Rosalia rolled her eyes but kept a playful expression. She winked at her husband and said, "Go, my dear. I'll be waiting right here." Her next actions were contradictory. She ushered Pazio to leave while also invitingly opening her legs to pleasure herself. With a great amount of self-discipline, Pazio left the consulting room.

**********

Girn sat by the fire in a huge study. The flicker of the flames lit the impressive chamber. Like a large library in middle of this house, it had a great selection of books on multiple shelves. He leaned forward and with a poker prodded the burning wood logs until they collapsed, sparks flying from the fireplace. When he looked up, the flames were reflected in Pazio's glasses. The effect was eerie.

"Now, how can I help you, mister Girn?" he said calmly, then smiled. "You do not appear to be ill. Is it the girl?"

"What do you know of the goblins?" he asked bluntly, placing the poker back in its stand.

Pazio stiffened for a moment. He took off his glasses, polished them on the cuff of his shirt and gave every appearance of serious consideration to Girn's question. "They are a race of greenskins, considered to be extinct by many scholars. Meyer thinks they were a mutated breed with a human ancestry. Velner theorised that they might be the product of ancient sorcery. It is said that in ancient times, together with other greenskins called orcs, they warred with the dwarfs but--"

"I know they are not extinct."

Pazio looked at Girn sharply. "What do you mean, you know?"

"I have fought with them. They are here. In Yeledor. Underneath Yeledor."

Pazio sat back in a chair opposite Girn and placed his spectacles on the bridge of his nose. He gripped an arm of the chair with each hand. "This interests me."

Girn slumped down in the chair. He told Pazio of his time as a sewerjack and the encounter with the goblins in the tunnels beneath the city. He omitted only the fact that they had broken into the house of Danton Lynch and killed him. He spoke of the goblin attack on the Full Tankard which he presumed was some sort of revenge attempt by the goblins. He left out any mention that he had also fought with the greenskins within the Office of Ingenuity on the night it had burned to the ground. Pazio watched him with increasing astonishment. When Girn had finished, he spoke.

"Mister Girn, if all this is true, why have I not heard more of it. Why haven't the authorities acted?"

"I do not know. Perhaps the goblins have allies in high places." He was thinking of Danton Lynch and considered how many more like him potentially occupied positions of power in Yeledor and the rest of the Kingdom? "It feels like there is a conspiracy to cover up the goblins and all their works." He noticed that Pazio flinched slightly at the word 'conspiracy'.

"If you were not so obviously sane, I would suspect you of being a street corner lunatic," Pazio said. "Certainly, some of what you are saying sounds like the ravings of a madman."

"It is all true."

"That is certainly a possibility. At the University of Sahar Khan, they do not consider the goblins mythical or legendary and I have spoken with several dwarfs who have claimed to have encountered them. The elves also tell tales of the goblins' power. But I fail to see why you have come to me other than to confide your tale."

Girn handed over the letter that he had received. Pazio unrolled it and read it calmly. "Clan Pathos," he said eventually. "Yes, I have read about them."

"What? Where? Who are they?" Girn exclaimed.

"Clan Pathos. I remember an old tome that claims the goblins are divided into many different clans, each with its own role in greenskin society. It is mentioned that Clan Pathos were spreaders of diseases. The word 'pathos' is an old synonym for disease. If whoever sent you this letter is a hoaxer, he is certainly an learned one."

"Do you have these tomes?"

Pazio thoughtfully tapped his chin, then beamed a smile at Girn. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"May I see them?"

"Of course." Pazio lit a lantern and they proceeded to go through the rows of bookcases. From the highest shelf Pazio dragged down a musty leather-bound tome, handling it reverently with both hands. He blew the fine patina of dust off its cover and handed it to Girn. "There is a table and a reading lamp over there. I will leave you for a few minutes. I have some other tasks to get back to."

As he read, Girn discovered that this book was divided into short chapters, each dealing with an aspect of the structure of goblin society and its various clans. Girn read about Clan Frak's vile experiments with living creatures, changing them into all manner of foul mutant monsters. He recognised the artificers of Clan Arx as the creatures he had encountered at the Office of Ingenuity. Girn paid particular attention to the section on Clan Pathos, and about how they created diseases and used all manner of foul devices to spread their filthy plagues. There were horrors here that went beyond any he had previously imagined.

**********

Pazio entered his consulting room and found his beautiful wife laying on her side fully nude. "Took you long enough," she said, biting her lower lip and caressing her own body from ribs to thigh and back. "Now, where were you with your examination?"

Pazio was too eager to resume where they had stopped. He said, "Let's skip your mouth and cut straight to the internal inspection." He walked over while getting rid of his shirt and trousers. His cock was already erect again, his longtime wife still having that arousing effect on him. Without further ado, he rolled Rosalia on her back and opened her legs. Her folds were glistening. With ease, he penetrated his beautiful wife to the point where his balls rested against her ass cheeks.

Rosalia leaned on her elbows, watching her husband thrust his cock inside her wet pussy. Inclining her head, she gestured at her bosom. Pazio knew what she meant and he slapped her tits while fucking her. After the first couple of slaps, he alternated with firmly grabbing her tits and twisting her nipples. Rosalia moaned out her pleasure.

They changed positions several times and ended up with Rosalia on her knees with both hands jerking of Pazio. With a grunt he came all over his wife's face. Rosalia had to wipe clear her eyes to look at her satisfied husband. With a quick peck on her lips, tasting a little of his own cum, Pazio got dressed and left his smiling wife.

**********

A shadow fell on him and Girn looked up to see Pazio standing next to him. He must have been reading for hours in the gloom, and that his eyes hurt from the strain.

"Have you found what you were looking for?" Pazio asked.

"More than I ever wanted to know."

"Good. Come and see me tomorrow. I've thought of another way to help you. You may take the book with you if you wish."

"Help me. How?" Girn asked.

"We will visit the city morgue."

"How will that help?"

"You will see tomorrow, mister Girn. Now go home and sleep."

**********

Hans looked up as Girn entered the Full Tankard. "Look what the cat dragged in," he said.

Mina looked up from her place beside him. "Oh, Girn, I was so worried. You did not say where you went. I thought the goblins might have got to you."

Girn laid the book down on the table and hugged her tight. "I'm fine. I just had to find out a few things."

Mina looked at the book and then at him in astonishment. "I didn't know you where interested in old books," she said.

Girn grinned. Many would think that of a barbarian. He flicked the book open and began turning pages until he found the one bookmarked at Clan Pathos.

"Where did you get this?" Hans asked.

"Doctor Pazio."

"He's a man of many interests, your friend Pazio, if he owns books like this one."

**********

Shaman Utkut scuffled backwards and forwards, pacing the floor of his lair like one of the captured humans he kept working the treadmills back in Goblingard. His mind raced. Still those traitorous Clan Pathos diseasemongers had conspired to elude him. Their sorcery had proved effective, even against his most potent divinations. His spies had not been able to uncover another word about their location no matter how deep they dug. It was all very frustrating.

Somewhere deep in his bowels, Utkut could sense with ominous certainty that the hour when the diseasemongers' plan would be implemented was drawing very close. He knew that he must be correct in this, for in the past such premonitions had never been wrong. He was a shaman, after all.

A terrible sense of impending doom filled Utkut's mind. He wanted to run for cover, to scurry to a hiding place, but right at this moment he could think of nowhere to go. Plague, he kept thinking. The plague of all plagues was coming.

**********

"Good morning, Doctor Pazio," the priest of Zoaris said, and coughed. He looked up from his table set in an alcove at the entrance to the city morgue. His black cowl hid his face, making him seem as sinister as the goddess he served. The air was filled with the smell of flowers. "What is it you require?"

"I would like to see the corpses of the latest plague victims."

Girn was astonished at the calm manner in which the doctor made his request. Most of the people in the city would rather run a thousand miles than do what the doctor wanted to do. The priest obviously thought so too. He threw back the cowl of his robes to reveal a pallid, bony face framed by a stringy black beard. "That is a most unusual request," he said. "I will have to consult with my superiors. Is there a plague variant in particular you're interested in?"