Barbarian Legends - Goblinslayer 06

Trolk Tul had become so outraged he had almost swallowed him whole when Tix explained how Utkut had told him that the fat fool would never suspect his idiotic plan to smuggle a secret weapon into the city on a converted barge would be betrayed by Utkut's cunning.

Leprous Foulbreath called down the curse of the Ever-Hungry on his rival when Tix told him how Utkut, jealous of the favour their god had shown the diseasemonger, decided to remove a dangerous rival by revealing the whereabouts of his secret lair in the human cemetery to his most trusted agent on the surface, the barbarian.

"Are you absolutely, definitely certain the shaman is in league with the barbarian?" Trolk demanded.

"Of course! He forced me, on pain of hideous death, to deliver notes to him and he always responded to his instructions, did he not?"

"Yes, it is indisputable that shaman Utkut had been in touch with that surface dweller, and had betrayed our plans to him!" Leprous said. "How else could he have got wind of our schemes? How else could such magnificently cunning plans have failed?"

"Are you seriously suggesting that shaman Utkut is a traitor to the goblin cause?" Trolk Tul asked, showing his terrifyingly huge fangs in a great snarl.

"It's all too possible, I fear," Wrench Claw-Arm said. "It is the only explanation for why the shaman would interfere with our mighty machinations, when all we were attempting to do was further the goblin cause."

"And yet the barbarian is his enemy too. He murdered that human, Danton Lynch."

"And he sent the shadow shivs against him," Leprous Foulbreath added. "That was a real contract. Skrag Nrak still spits when he thinks of his failure."

"What if shaman Utkut is cunning enough to use this enemy against us?" Wrench Claw-Arm said excitedly. "He pits him against us. He cannot lose! He thwarts a rival or we kill his sworn enemy for him."

There was a moment of silence in the chamber, and Tix knew that whatever else his enemies thought of the shaman, they had suddenly gained enormous respect for his cunning. On consideration, he had to admit that he had too. Whatever flaws he might possess, it was hard to dispute that shaman Utkut was possessed of all the qualities of a truly great goblin.

"Even so, he has still betrayed us to the enemy! That is beyond dispute. He has revealed our hidden plans, and the hidden plans of our great clans to the enemy," Trolk Tul said. "Shaman Utkut is a traitor and an enemy of all our peoples."

"I agree," Wrench said. "A traitor he most certainly is. And more, he is our personal enemy. He has acted against us all once and almost caused our deaths. Perhaps he will be more successful with his next attempt."

All three of them shivered when they thought of the daemonically clever intelligence which worked against them. Tix could see the fear written on their faces.

"I humbly suggest," Leprous said, "that it might be the will of the Ever-Hungry that we remove shaman Utkut from his command of the army, and send him to make his explanations to the Council of Goblinkind."

"I heartily agree with your sentiments!" Trolk Tul bellowed.

"But how are we to accomplish this? The traitor remains in command of almost five thousand Clan Gur warriors while our own forces are but a shadow of what they once were."

"There is always assassination," Wrench suggested.

"Possibly!" Trolk said. "But who could say the Clan Dagger assassin won't report the request for such a thing to the traitor himself?"

"We could do it ourselves," Leprous Foulbreath hissed.

"Shaman Utkut, despite his known treachery, is a lamentably powerful sorcerer," Wrench Claw-Arm said. "We might fail and we might die!"

All three shuddered and then, as one, all three pairs of eyes turned on Tix. He quivered all over, for he knew what they were thinking. "No! No!" he pleaded, hands held high, palms outward.

"No?" Wrench Claw-Arm said menacingly, turning some switches of his mechanical arm.

"No?" Trolk Tul rumbled hungrily, and licked his lips.

"No?" Leprous Foulbreath said, hawking a huge lump of green phlegm onto the floor between Tix' feet where it bubbled corruptly.

"No! Pleas! Most merciful of mighty goblins. I possess not your intellects and awesome powers. Any of you might expect to best shaman Utkut in combat or cunning, but surely not I."

"Then why should we preserve your life?" Trolk Tul said silkily. "Why? Explain quickly! I am hungry."

"Because... because..." Tix floundered around frantically seeking a path out of this hideous maze. He cursed the day he had ever encountered shaman Utkut or bore his messages to the barbarian. Wait! That might be the answer. Perhaps in the shaman's own great example was the solution to his problem. "Because there is a better way!"

"Is there?" the three clan leaders asked simultaneously.

"Yes. One that holds fewer risks and is more certain! You could use the shaman's own methods against him!"

"What?" Again all three at the same time.

"He has used the barbarian against you. Why not use him against Utkut himself?" There was another pause while the three great goblins exchanged glances.

"He is certainly formidable," Leprous Foulbreath said. "For a non-goblin."

"Perhaps he could do it," pondered Wrench Claw-Arm.

"Do you think so? He is not a goblin and Utkut is a shaman," Trolk Tul wondered.

"With every humble respect," Leprous Foulbreath said, "you have not encountered this individual. Wrench of Arx and I have. A more wicked and dangerous opponent is hard to imagine. Even I, with all my magical powers, barely eluded him."

"He slaughtered well over half of my company," Wrench said, leaving out his own part in the massacre.

"I defer to your greater experience," Trolk Tul said. "But the question remains: how will we get him to go after shaman Utkut?"

"A letter!" Tix suggested, carried away by the sheer pleasure of plotting.

"Of course! A letter," Leprous Foulbreath said. "It is fitting that shaman Utkut should be undone by the device by which he sought to undo us."

"But where and how will our barbarian assassin get his chance at him?" Wrench asked.

"We must wait for the opportunity to arise," Leprous said.

"And how will we write this letter?" Trolk Tul asked. "I for one have no knowledge of these primitive human runes."

"I have some knowledge of the human script," Wrench Claw-Arm said almost apologetically. "I need it for reading human schematics."

"We must use the exact paper and pen that the shaman uses," Trolk said.

"Our friend Tix can acquire those," Leprous Foulbreath said, smiling horribly to reveal rotting teeth.

"And he can deliver the message too, in his usual way," Wrench said smugly.

"It appears that I won't be eating you today then, Tix Gur," Trolk Tul said. "We need you alive. Of course, should you attempt to betray us..."

"That will change," Wrench finished. As a way of intimidation, he released a scorching hot flame from his flamethrower.

Tix jumped back and did not know whether to be glad or sorry. He appeared to have prolonged his life but only at the risk of incurring shaman Utkut's wrath. How did he get himself into these things?

**********

"I'm leaving the city," Mina said timidly. She glared up at Girn as if expecting him to contradict her. "All this goblin business made me reflect on my choices and I've decided. I don't want to stay in one place. I want to travel. I want to discover the world and whatever is outside the city walls and beyond the village I grew up in."

"I understand," Girn said.

Mina furrowed her brows. "Is that all you have to say?"

Girn looked around at the room they had shared during their brief time together. It seemed small and empty, and soon it would seem emptier still, once she had gone. Was there anything more to say? He really could not blame her for wanting to leave and discover the world. He had the same adventurous spirit inside of him. And to be honest, he could see no real future for them together, not in the long term anyway. Their intimacy was beyond wonderful, but they had no real fundament to build a relationship on. So why did it still hurt? Why did he have this feeling of hollowness within his chest? Why did he feel this urge to ask her to stay?

"You're travelling alone?" he asked instead. "It's not very safe out in the wilderness." She looked at him and crossed her arms together under her breasts defensively.

"I'll survive," she said, but she sounded less sure of herself. "Anyway, it can't be worse than it is here, with the assassins, surprise attacks, plagues and all."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic."

"Oh Girn, what else am I supposed to do? Spend the rest of my life being handed by strangers in bars? Going about with footloose mercenaries? It's not what I want. I want to go places few have gone before me. I want to experience new things. I want to feel alive."

"You need any money?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I've saved up enough."

"Be careful," he said, and meant it.

Suddenly she leaned forward and kissed him passionately on the mouth. She broke and said, "I love you, Girn. With all my heart I love you. But I have to do this." She kissed him again. Just as he was about to take her in his arms, she broke free and made for the door.

"You look after yourself now," Mina said, and he thought he detected a glimmer of tears in the corner of her eyes. Then, with the same suddenness she had come into his life, she was gone.

**********

Shaman Utkut glanced around the chamber at the assembled goblin captains. His burning gaze seemed to defy anyone to speak out. No one did.

Tix counted the commanders present. There was Trolk Tul, Leprous Foulbreath and Wrench Claw-Arm. Skrag Nrak, the Clan Dagger assassin, skulked in one corner, glaring occasionally at Tix with hate-filled eyes. He had not forgotten what Tix had said about him on that long-ago day when the shaman had humiliated them both in front of the whole army. There were also many other captains of lesser importance.

The shaman threw his arms wide. Trails of fire followed his hands as he gathered magical power. That got everyone in the room's attention, Tix thought. Suddenly all eyes were riveted on Utkut as if, with a single gesture, he might choose to annihilate anyone who did not look at him. That was certainly a possibility, Tix thought.

Tix shivered and continued to chew on the foul herbs that Leprous had given him to abate the plague. He fought down the urge to check within his breastplate and make sure the parchment and quill he had stolen from Utkut's private stock were not sliding into view. He knew that nothing would draw attention to him quicker. He reassured himself that they were there.

"Tonight is the night you have all been waiting for!" Utkut said. "Tonight we will squash the humans once and for all. Tonight we will invade the city and enslave all the occupants. Tonight we will strike a blow for the great goblin cause that will long be remembered!"

Utkut paused impressively and glanced around the room once more, as if waiting for an interruption. No one dared to speak, but Tix saw Leprous, Wrench and Trolk exchange glances, before looking at him. He hoped for all their sakes that the shaman had not noticed. He glanced nervously at Utkut, but fortunately the shaman seemed to be caught up in the flow of his own mad eloquence.

"We will grind the humans beneath the iron hand of our massed goblin army. We will carry them off into inevitable slavery. Their wealth will be ours. Their city will be ours. Their souls will be offered screaming to the Ever-Hungry."

Utkut paused once more and Trolk Tul found the courage to ask the question that Tix could tell had been on everyone's mind. "And how is this to be accomplished, great leader?"

"How? By a plan so simple and yet staggeringly cunning. By the use of force and sorcery which will be talked about down the ages. By overwhelming ferocity and superior goblin technology. By--"

"By what precise means, shaman Utkut?" Leprous Foulbreath interrupted. "I humbly suggest that you'd be more concrete."

For a moment Tix could tell that Utkut was weighing up the pros and cons of blasting the diseasemonger into his component atoms for his insolence. He was glad when prudent goblin caution won out and the shaman continued to speak.

"I was just coming to that, as you would have discovered had you not interrupted me! We will attack through the sewers. Each of you will lead your assigned force to a key point marked on the map." With this, the shaman indicated the complex mass of symbols inscribed on the large sheet of parchment hanging behind him. The assembled leaders leaned forward to see where they would be sent.

"I do not see your rune on this plan," Wrench Claw-Arm said. "What will you be doing, shaman?"

Utkut glared at him with burning red eyes. "I will be where you would expect your leader to be, performing the most difficult and dangerous of tasks."

Silence fell over the assembled goblin leaders. This was not in point of fact where they would have expected their leader to be at all. They would expect him to be safely in the rear directing operations. Utkut appeared to be more talkative. He spoke on, into the silence.

"I will be leading the crowning attack. I will lead the assault by our skullbashers which will seize the palace of the human leader, the king, and capture all of the city's lords. Tonight they are having one of their purposeless social events. I will fall on them by surprise and have them all in my hand. Leaderless, the humans will surely fall to our attack."

There were more murmurings from the assembled goblin. It was a good plan, and a bold one. Tix wondered if any of the others saw what he saw. The shaman had chosen his place in the assault carefully. By managing this bold stroke, by capturing the human leaders, he would assure himself the largest share of the glory. Further, it would undoubtedly be a lot safer attacking a bunch of humans dressed for a feast than fighting massed troops in the city.

"Such a position is too dangerous for a leader of your great cunning," Wrench Claw-Arm said. "It would be a tragedy if the genius of Utkut was to be lost to goblindom. To prevent such a tragedy, I will lead this assault. I will shoulder the terrible risks."

Tix covered his mouth with a hand to prevent a snigger escaping; at least one other goblin had realised what was going on.

"No! No!" Trolk Tul said. "I and my goblin-ogres are ideally suited for this task. We will overwhelm all--"

Trolk's words were drowned out by the shouts of all the other goblin volunteers. Utkut let them call out for a few minutes before silencing them with a gesture.

"Unfortunately, it will require my potent sorcery to effect entrance to the palace. I must be present."

"Then I will gladly lay down my life to guard you," Trolk Tul said, obviously determined to be present to share in the triumph.

"And I," Wrench Claw-Arm said.

"And I," shouted every other goblin present, save Tix.

"No! Although I appreciate your concern, brother goblins, your leadership will be required on other, no-less-critical parts of the battlefield."

It was obvious that Utkut intended to share his glorious triumph with no one. The assembled war leaders subsided into disappointed murmuring.

"I have here a route map, and a schedule for each of you, inscribed with precise instructions. All of you, that is, except for Tix Gur. I would have a word with Tix in private."

Tix felt his heart start to race, and it was all he could do to prevent himself whimpering out of fear. Had the shaman found out about his plotting with the three clan leaders? Was he about to enact some terrible revenge? Was there any way Tix could avoid this meeting?

He turned desperate eyes on his three co-conspirators and saw that they glared at him evilly. If looks could kill, Tix knew, those three would have put him in a coffin. They feared he would betray them to save his own skin. And of course they were right.

As the war leaders trooped forward one by one to receive the shaman's blessing and their final instructions, Tix prayed to the Ever-Hungry to preserve him.

**********

Girn had sought out Ruby and Topaz. They too were saddened by the news of Mina's leaving. The two women of pleasure offered Girn comfort in the way they knew best. Naturally, things had gradually developed from loving embraces and soothing caresses to passionate kissing and outright fucking.

"Oooh yeah," Ruby moaned as Girn balanced on his toes and inserted his cock into her wet pussy from behind.

Topaz was on all fours with the redhead stacked on top of her. The blonde was catching her breath now that Girn had moved on to fucking her friend. But after a couple of pumps into Ruby, Girn pulled out and pushed himself inside Topaz again. Surprised by the sudden penetration of his thick cock, she gave a guttural shriek that transformed into an extended moan. Two, three, four thrusts and Girn switched again to fucking Ruby's waiting pussy.

He continued fucking them until their stack began to wobble. The pleasure and ecstasy of multiple orgasms made their limbs weak and Topaz wavered in supporting Ruby on top of her. They collapsed, both breathing heavily.

Girn was satisfied enough and said, "On your backs."

When both women were laying shoulder to shoulder, Girn wrapped both hands around his throbbing cock. He jerked himself furiously, feeling a large build-up of cum churning inside his balls. He watched as Topaz kneaded her tits and twisted her nipples while Ruby rubbed her clitoris and already stuck her tongue out, impatient for her prize.

Grunting and groaning, Girn felt an overwhelming pleasure wash over him. His body felt electric as his load surged up his shaft and sprayed onto the two horny beauties. Cum splashed Topaz' stomach and breasts, and she gingerly kneaded it into her soft flesh. Girn aimed between Ruby's legs and coated her hand and fingers as she kept moving them around her pussy, mixing cum with her juices.

With both women of pleasure busy with themselves and his cum, Girn leaned forward as much as possible. His last strings of stickiness were shot barely far enough to land on Ruby's stuck out tongue and Topaz' smiling face. They turned to each other and initiated an intimate kiss, savouring his cum between their lips and dextrous tongues.

Girn smiled. Although still saddened by Mina's leaving, he knew there were other things -- or women -- in life to find joy in.

Maybe it was time for him to also leave Yeledor. The thought had struck him unawares, yet he played with the idea of it. But that would mean he had to tie up some loose ends. If he decided to stay in Yeledor by the time he was finished with those, then at least he had gotten his chores done. Seemed like a solid plan.

**********

"What is it, mightiest of shamans?" Tix Gur bowed and scraped before Utkut, searching for the words that would save him. He felt sure that the shaman's supernatural powers had enabled him to see Tix's treachery and that now he was going to be punished. Tix could sense the dark energies that seethed within his superior.

"It concerns Leprous Foulbreath," shaman Utkut said with an evil smile.

Tix felt his intestines contract. He would have spoken then but his tongue was tied. It felt like it had suddenly stuck to the roof of his mouth. All he could do was nod his head in a guilty fashion.

"And Wrench Claw-Arm," Utkut said, his malevolent grin stretching still further.

A plea for mercy stuck in Tix's throat. He tried to force it out but it just would not come.

"And Trolk Tul," Utkut added. His burning eyes held him pinned to the spot. Tix felt paralysed. He nodded again and fell to his knees, hands clutched before him in a gesture of abasement.