Goblore Pt. 02

"Listen, Vee. I appreciate your dilemma. But I'm still not comfortable with this whole idea."

She nodded. "I get it. Look, the others just want one of us to try, okay? We don't have to do it very hard." She reached out to gently brush his arm. "I'm not...unpleasant in bed, I think." Jesse gulped. Rather than try more justifications, she tried a different tack. "How about this: we sleep in the same house for a while. We don't have to do anything, just be in proximity. It'll likely quiet them down, at least for a while.

Jesse nodded, though not entirely put at ease. "At least I can trust you to not do anything at night. Your place or mine?"

"Your bed is bigger than mine, I suspect," she said. Before he could reply, her hands hooked around her back and began unfastening her dress.

"Wait wait, what are you doing?" he asked, shortly before her dress fell to the floor. The only thing she wore besides shoes is a pair of cute underwear.

"I'm not gonna sleep in that silly thing, are you kidding me?" she asked, shaking her head. "Besides, I've seen everything you have to offer. I don't mind returning the favour." She hooked her panties with her thumbs and yanked those down too.

Completely naked, he saw that what she lacked in her top assets she more than made up for in thigh and ass. He had trouble dragging his eyes away from the thick cuties as she sauntered across his hut, threw a rag over one of the glow lamps, and crawled up in his bed.

"Come to bed when you're ready," she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. He gawked for a moment at her reclined form, which faced away from him, giving him ample time to admire the curve of her behind. Was she serious? If she wasn't, he was having a damn hard...difficult time finding the joke.

He tried to work for another half an hour, viewing and reviewing the notes he'd already taken, looking for errors or places where he could elaborate. The knowledge that there was a naked woman eager to sleep in the same bed as him kept his mind off the page. Frustrated, he decided that there wasn't any work getting done that night. He removed his pants and, with a deep breath, slid into the furry blankets with Vee.

He worked to find a comfortable place to spend the night. He slept on his side as a rule, so he could either face toward or away from Vee. After some awkward attempts to keep himself (and certain body parts) facing away from the goblin in his bed, he relented and tried the other side. As big as the bed was for the kith, there was only so much space. He found his arms wrapping around her. Warm. Soft. He could feel her slow breathing, wondering if she was really asleep. He tried to keep his waist from touching her rear, difficult given how far it pushed out from her diminutive body. Slowly, he got used to the state of near-spooning, and worked to calm himself enough to sleep.

She adjusted under him. At first, he thought it had to be unconscious moves. Her body wriggled in place like it was trying to find optimal comfort mid-sleep. Her plump ass rubbed against his still half-hard cock. His prick strained against his boxers. Deep, instinctual urges grew in his mind to plunge his prick deep into this gob. But he shook it off. This is just a sleepover in the same bed, that's all.

"Vee?" he asked. She didn't respond. Maybe she really was asleep. She rubbed up against him again. He bit his lip. Fuck. He fished his cock out of his underwear for this. No sense exploding all over himself. Her thick asscheeks rubbed up and down, hotdogging him. With a sigh, he squeezed her asscheeks together and gently thrust, keeping up with her sleepy rhythm. She wasn't responding verbally, but there was no way she wasn't awake. Precum dribbled freely onto her ample green flesh.

Caught up in the moment, he reached down to feel how she was feeling. Sure enough, her pussy was leaking copious lubrication. He took advantage, switching from using her ass to get himself off to pressing his cock between her plump thighs. Her arousal was inexcapable as he ground himself against her nethers, and soft moans slipped past her lips. Being as small as she was, she was easy to maneuver to drag as much pleasure as he could from the act. In some dark, nefarious part of his mind, the idea of treating Vee like a sex toy caught and wouldn't let go. She was his plaything. His little green fucktoy.

He erupted over her thighs, cum splattering her skin as he humped himself to completion. Vee's own noises became quieter, relaxing in time with her breathing until they were one in the same. Had she really been asleep the whole time? He doubted it. But post-coital fatigue was soon upon him. He gripped the goblin like a cushy pillow and dozed off, letting himself grow soft in between her sticky thighs.

***

He awoke with his arms, and his dick, no longer entangled in Vee. Jesse was beginning to feel practically lethargic around these village of perpetual early risers. Maybe they just had less biological need for sleep?

Regardless, he looked down to find that he'd been cleaned up, the cum from the night before nowhere to be found. Handy. He'd have to thank Vee later. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he retrieved his clothes. They were starting to get a little rank. He'd have to ask how they cleaned their stuff around here. Washboards, were those a thing?

The door burst open. A kith form practically rolled to a halt in front of him. He thought it might have been Vee, but not, it was Zixie.

"Goddamnit Zixie, not-" he began, but stopped himself. Rather than the playful, flirty expression, she looked terrified.

"Come quick!" she said, climbing to her feet, "We're going to need anyone we can get."

He pulled on his shirt. "What's up?" Wolven?"

"Yes...and more. Please, hurry, follow me."

The hair on the back of his head stood up. A dark thought, the idea that the one-eyed creature from before had tailed them back here, made his heart skip a beat. Had they accidentally doomed this entire village? He clenched his fists. Not if he had anything to say about.

Jesse followed the flow of goblins through the village centre and out to the Northern edge. Frantic voices and the clattering of tools joined in a chaotic cacophany. Some rushed past wearing the armour of the guards who had detained him. Now that their weapons weren't aimed his way, they didn't look nearly as menacing. Some of the unarmed Gobs grabbed whatever they could: axes, hoes, and backed up the dozen or so 'soldiers'. They formed a ragged line, two deep, spanning from the farthest of the huts to the edge of their little town hall. Judging by the numbers, maybe a quarter of their number had taken to hiding. After his experience with the wolven, he didn't blame them for not wanting to fight. A cold sweat made his shirt cling to his body remembering how close those claws had come to rending him apart.

His eyes met Huntress, who was as armed as she could have been. A belt of small knives, a hatchet hanging from a loop at her side, and a bow ready to shoot a quiver full of death at a moment's notice. She tossed him another hatchet, which he caught by the handle. At nearly six foot, he was the most physically intimidating person in the village. Not that he wouldn't fall apart like sugar in the rain during a real fight, he thought grimly, but perhaps his very presence could lend the village some clout.

The village had cleared a hundred metre stretch of woods to the north for timber and firewood. It gave them clear sight of the dozen hirsuit forms standing on their hind legs in a ragged line. He cursed. Of course he hadn't seen the last of them. Their pelts ranged from an arctic white to black to a dark mahogany brown. Noticeably absent, however, was the salt-and-pepper coat of the one he'd faced before.

"No One-Eye," he said to Huntress, who grunted in acknowledgement. Perhaps this was the pack he'd said had kicked him out.

The wolven in the centre, a burly creature with shaggy black fur, took of at a quadrupedal gallup. The others followed unison, galloping over the clearcut stumps and leftover deadfall. Like a lycanthropic cavalry charge. goblins screamed. Jesse thought the worst, his grip tightening on the hatchet in his hand. They couldn't take that many on all at once.

But rather than run them down, they peeled off only fifty metres away, forming a two clusters on opposite sides. They barked and howled and foamed at the mouth, but did not move to pursue.

Following the coordinated chaos of the wolven's charge, a new group marched in perfect lockstep from the forest. Hundreds of soldiers in mossgreen cloaks and brown/beige armour; if they weren't moving, they'd be difficult to see against the backdrop of the wood. All had bows of such size that they made Huntress' look like the kind of archery set you found at the Dollar Store. English longbowmen came to mind; painful death to lightly armoured infantry in ranks. Of course, if they spread out to dodge the arrows, they'd become mincemeat for the wolven.

Flanking the archers on both sides were half as many warriors. Triangular shields, brownish armour with silvery highlights. Studded leather? Options flooded through his thoughts. As any good nerd, he had a passing familiarity with fantasy armour archetypes, though he had no idea how accurate any of them were to medieval history.

"Looks like they're making a show of it," Huntress commented. That made sense to Jesse, otherwise why show their hand so openly.

"What's their game?"

She shrugged. "Maybe we should ask them."

Jesse looked up to see a pair of figures emerge from the column of warriors. The first could have been any of the archers. The only ornamentation separating them was a pair of gold rings on her bracers. Platinum blonde hair cut close to her scalp, with swirling patterns cut into the stubble. Her facial features were sharp, distinguished, like a bird of prey. He knew he might be making cross cultural judgments too quickly, but Jesse decided that this was a woman who did not take shit.

The second was a much less threatening creature. Shorter than Jesse and wearing a set of garish red robes was a middle aged man. Unarmed, he held his hands in his loose sleeves. Though he didn't outwardly project menace, Jesse noticed that no matter how rough the terrain got, he always kept his feet. He practically glided over roots and rocks, each step carefully calculated while keeping his eyesight locked to the crowd of goblins.

"Greetings!" the robed man said in a gentle voice, his hands coming out of his sleeves to raise them at his sides. "You all speak Old Imperian, I hope? My name is Sylas of the proud House of Delver, a humble reclaimer in the service of the Restored Imperium. I bring tidings of peace and friendship from the folk." His eyes glided over the crowd of kith, the little women not offering much of a polite reception. His gaze came to rest on Jesse. "Hello to you too. Do you speak for these creatures?"

"We speak for ourselves," Nell replied. Working her way to the front, she wore no armour and had no weapon. Nevertheless, she stood side by side with the armed goblins around her.

"Ah, very well," he said, actually kneeling to talk to her as one might a child. Jesse could practically feel the anger burn in Huntress. "I am here to deliver the demands and requirements of the Restored Imperium as administered by its duly appointed proxy, the Frostfire Acquisitions Group. This is Commander Falan, Frostfire's atache in this matter." He held out his hand to the other folk standing beside him, the one with the short hair and bad attitude. "This territory is within 500 marks of the city of Niccos and thus is the claimed land of the Eternal Empire's successor state. You are in violation of this law. You have two standard weeks, that's 20 rising suns for anyone curious, to vacate this area. Failure to do so will result in your forcible removal and...relocation."

Hushed conversation broke out among the goblins. Nell held up a hand, and the talking ceased. "The Empire fell hundreds of years ago. Niccos is a ruin. What gives you the right to kick us out?"

Falan jerked a thumb behind him to the assembled column of soldiers. Sylas shook his head. "What my friend is trying to say, somewhat bluntly, is that in the absence of designated lawkeepers in this region, we have been authorized by the Imperium to exert its authority. But we aren't unreasonable. We are willing to give your entire community passage on one of our vessels to a point, within reason, outside our territory. Your kind still reside in Voxus, do they not?" After receiving a hesitant nod from Nell, he continued, "I can see our way to giving you safe passage back to your home. But the decision must be made now."

Nell froze. By putting her on the spot in front of her community, the folk 'reclaimer' was skillfully hammering a wedge into their solidarity. If she said no, it could breed resentment and give him an opening for later overtures to a more agreeable leader in the community. If she said yes, she would be putting her people for better or worse in the hands of a group who were willing to march in full arms to serve what is essentially an eviction notice. Jesse had to give him kudos for being an effective prick, and even if Nell saw the same trap he did, she was still stuck in it.

"Tell me," a voice called from the line of armoured goblins. Deeper than the others, it had to be Kalvis. "You have wolven in your number. Were they the ones responsible for the attack at the beach?" He asked the question but the tone implied he knew the answer.

"I'm not aware of any attack in particular," Sylas said. "Our wolven auxiliaries were responsible for some reconnaissance activities early in this expedition. Longpelt!"

One of the beastman loped forward. His upper body was a mountain of muscle barely concealed by long, shaggy black fur. Maybe shorter than the wolven who he and Huntress had encountered at his car, but his body lacked the scars of pack combat. Either he'd never encountered mortal violence among his peers like One Eye had, or he'd never encountered a meaningful challenge.

Sylas repeated the question to Longpelt. The wolven sniffed. "Green ones near sea? Yes. Killed some, dragged others to camp." Sylas blanched, looking at the beastman like he'd just spoiled the end of the movie. Longpelt looked oblivious to the consequence of his words.

Falan rolled his eyes. "This is pointless," he said, words spilling from him slightly too fast to keep up with his gruff accent, "Yes we captured some greenskins but we sold them weeks ago. We thought they were the only ones around. Sadly, we were mistaken. I could roll you all up like a cheap carpet but..." He trailed off into frustrated grumbling, motioning for Sylas to continue.

"Yes, well...none of us desire violence. And so long as you are not violent yourselves, I don't see why we can't see our way to an amicable solution to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed."

"And at the beach," Kalvis shot back, "Did you desire peaceful coexistence while you tore apart Lero, or Kobix, or Vern?" He was incandescent. One of the guards pressed a hand against his chest to keep him back in line. The goblin looked like he was one wayway remark from springing out and stabbing as many folk as he could. Sensing this Nell grabbed for the reins again.

"Twenty days, you said?" she asked. "Very well. You'll have your answer by then. Now pull your forces back and give us some time to prepare; we have a lot of work ahead."

Sylas beamed. "Of course! We'll be pulling back immediately. Do tell us of your needs for transit, I'm sure they can be accommodated for. We look forward to your cooperation."

The folk and the wolven traipsed off, backs to the goblins like they had nothing to fear.

"Just one arrow," Huntress said under her breath, "I could put down that slimey fuck with a single shot." Her knuckles were white around her bow. Jesse worried she might be seconds from doing just that.

"Not now. They have us outnumbered, we have no defenses. Attacking now is a death wish, and not just for us. Please," Jesse said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She was far too fast to actually stop her from doing anything, but he hoped a gentler approach would work better. Visibly swallowing her anger, she relaxed her grip.

The folk in the distance moved back into the forest as quickly as they had appeared. The goal, intimidating the small village of castaways, accomplished. Something about their impossible confidence gnawed at Jesse. Sonsabitches thought they were untouchable. What did they have? Bows? Swords? Giant...werewolf motherfuckers? Medieval junk.

The gobs around him dissolved into groups, talking about what just happened. Still standing on the line were Nell, Huntress, Jesse, and one of the soldiers. When she turned to face them, he was surprised to see it was Glora. She wore the arms and armour just like any other of the armed guards. He exchanged a nod with her.

"So?" Nell asked, hands on her hips, "What do we do now?"

Before anyone else could respond, Huntress spat on the ground. "We fight. We fight these giant bastards and we put them in the ground."