Chapter 8

They have a Cave Troll


In another age, these abandoned mines were known as the Salz Mines. It was the Kingdom of Ithrendel's source of metals. Iron, silver, copper, and other metals were mined here for 200 years and soon became the kingdom's main source of income.

That is until the faithful events that transpired with the last Lord of Ithrendel, thus the Kingdom collapsed and the mines abandoned.

The next few hundred years would see the mines heavily contested by several orc and goblin tribes. Now, the mines belong to the Ragged Daggers Goblin tribe. Unlike the previous greenskin tribes that have claimed the mines, the Ragged Daggers held ownership longer than any other.

Not anymore.

The mines shall no longer belong to them, but the Seventh Overlord.

They are but squatters and illegal tenants of his land, and they will be dealt.

Sometimes, cooperation and kindness were better alternative options.

However, there aren't any for Monsters.

Oh no, they get an exclusive and special gift.

Death.

No mercy, no remorse, no love.

Only death awaits these animals.

"This looks like the main chamber of the mine, sire," Gnarl told Nero, staring out through the Ex-Myrmidon General's eyes.

"So it would seem…" Nero responded. His eyes scanned the chamber below them.

Several entrances led in and out of the chamber, and Nero was hiding within the shadows of one of them. The chamber was large enough to stack three trolls on top of one another. A larger entrance could be seen at the far end of the cavern, away from all the activity taking place.

Some of the Goblins slept on makeshift beds, while others were cooking large meals above equally large fires. Some busied themselves with producing and maintaining equipment and weapons, and there are those… conducting themselves with… animalistic activities.

"Animals..."

There were several female captives. Six of them were chained up to wooden poles in uncomfortable poses. The rest were locked in wooden stocks and were being used heedlessly by the Goblins.

Surtr glowed brightly, fueled by its wielder's anger.

"Humph, a rather upsetting sight indeed. Not even the Succubi would stoop down to such levels of savagery."

"Succubi? Those lust-demons? They have dignity?"

"Dignity and Class. If they're not turning you into a zombie through intercourse then there's something wrong."

"O….k...then…" Nero muttered. He didn't want to know anymore.

"They're all seemingly occupied, though we might have the element of surprise, there's still quite a lot of them down there." He put a hand on his chin in thought. His eyes observed the Goblins before glancing over to the prisoners. "I'd recommend discretion, but we just don't have the luxury right now."

"So what is the plan, sire?" Gnarl asked. "The Minions stand ready and waiting."

"I may have an idea…" His eyes wandered towards a nearby boulder that happens to be overlooking the Goblins down below. "This is what we'll do."

It didn't take much for Nero to tell Gnarl and to an extent the Minions with him of his plan.

"You all understand?"

"Yes, sire," Gnarl replied.

A chorus of eager cries was the Minion's response.

"Alright, get into position. I'll give the signal to attack."

The Minions quickly moved into position, being careful not to alert the Goblins of their presence. Nero also got himself into position behind the boulder.

"All the Minions are in position, sire!" Gnarl reported. "It is time to attack!"

Nodding with satisfaction, Nero proceeded to push against the boulder. After a few strong shoves, the boulder gave in and soon it rolled over the cliff down towards the unaware Goblins down below.

A Goblin - who was sleeping soundly on a worn-out chair - was disturbed by the sound of rumbling. It barely got off its hideous hide before being flattened under the weight of the boulder.

The thunderous noise emitted by the boulder's landing had caught the Goblins by surprise.

Many couldn't react fast enough and were trampled by the boulder. The lucky ones were those quick enough to move or those far from the boulder's path. It finally collided into the cavern wall, squashing an unfortunate Goblin into a wet paste.

Said Goblin was the Goblin Chieftain itself.

Confusion and puzzlement followed in the boulder's wake. However, they were denied the time to ponder. A chorus of frenzied cries was heard and the Minions stormed down passionate fervour. They fell upon the startled Goblins, hacking and slashing with satisfying glee, trampling over them with no disregard.

The first wave of Minions carved a trail of marred corpses. Those who somehow survived the mangling were finished off by the other wave of Minions led by Nero.

Stunningly, Goblins somehow managed to rally themselves. Soon enough, they were fighting back against Nero and the Minions. Rustic weapons locked fiercely together. Goblins and Minions leapt at each other. There weren't any battlelines. It was simply chaotic.

"Word on the Minions outside?" Nero asked Gnarl.

"They've begun attacking as soon as you push the boulder, sire."

"Good. Any Goblins outside will be forced back into here, where we'll slaughter them, as soon as we deal with the Goblins here."

"Surprised that their courage is still holding," Gnarl spoke with surprise, looking at the still-fighting Goblins through Nero's eyes.

"They should have been sent running," Nero muttered, bisecting a leaping Goblin in two. "If they're stubbornly holding on, then there must be another source of leadership."

He scanned the battlefield around him, whilst also guarding against some Goblins. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

Amidst the fighting, standing a few inches taller and angular than its short, stubby brethren, was the source of their stubbornness. A feathered helmet adorned its head whilst a pauldron and vambrace on his right shoulder and arm. It wielded a short, rusty sword in one hand and a very small buckler shield in the other. It snarled and barked to other Goblins, pointing and directing them with its sword whilst also defending itself.

"As expected. A Goblin Captain is keeping them together."

"Goblin Captain, sire?"

"Yeah," Nero nodded. "When a Goblin tribe gets large enough, you'll start to see some organization. Captains fall under the Chieftain and their role is to organize and direct the lesser Goblins. It's a good thing we're only just dealing with them."

"How so?"

"If this tribe were any bigger, then we'll see some Goblin Champions and if so then we'd be in trouble. I'm more of a tactician than a fighter, doesn't mean I'm bad though."

Nero turned and whistled to some nearby Browns getting their attention.

He pointed his sword at the Goblin Captain. The Minions immediately understood and complied. They quickly closed the distance between them and the Captain. Gnarling at the charging Minions, Goblin Captain also closed the distance.

The Captain dealt the first blow; performing a quick dropkick that propelled one of the Minions into another Minion. It parried a sword thrust from a Minion and followed up with a blow to its face. The Minion staggered allowing the Goblin to promptly thrust its sword into the Minion's heart.

Pulling its sword from the departed, the Goblin was set upon by the two other Minions. The Captain parried their attacks, slowly being forced back by their aggressive assault. Though outmatched, the Captain held on and once seeing an opening in their attacks it struck; slashing one of the Minion's throats before blocking and stabbing the other in its chest.

However, just as it had stabbed the Minion, the Goblin was clobbered in the face by Nero's fist. The blow sent the Captain to the floor. Simply, he sent those Minions to distract the Goblin to sneak behind and strike the creature.

Disorientated, the Goblin Captain attempted to crawl away. A pitiful sight in Nero's mind. A feeble noise escaped its mouth as Nero firmly placed his foot on its back. It struggled to scarper but to no avail.

"Disgusting."

Nero raised his sword-

*Roar*

A bellow resonated throughout the cavern. Nero paused, the sword's tip inches from the Goblin's throat. He glanced up, a mixture of wariness and worry in his eyes as they focused on an entry a few feet away from him.

*thud*

… *thud*

… *thud* …

Abruptly, something violently tore apart the entrance, sending dust and rock, some nearby Goblins and Minions flying. Nero and nearby Goblins and Minions shielded their eyes from the outburst of wind and dust. When the dust began to dissipate, Nero lowered his arm and recoiled in shock.

From the rumble of the destroyed entrance rose an imposing creature. Revolting was the best word to describe it. Its face is full of malformations and was missing an eye and ear. Thick, hardy grey skin filled with bumps and abnormalities. Its belly fat drooped repulsively over its garter. Finally, its grubby hands held a large trunk.

Nero cursed. "Shit, a cave troll! They have a cave troll!"

The enormous beast lumbered towards the battling combatants, its weapon raised to sweep them away. Nero barked for his Minions to scatter and while many did, some weren't so lucky and were swatted away by the attack.

The Troll roared fiercely, sweeping away another batch of Minions. Its roar heralded the arrival of more Goblins from the ruined entrance. They charged into the fray, causing more chaos and bloodshed.

Nero growled in frustration. The unexpected elements to any sort of planning were one of the few things that can irritate him. Not that he could plan accordingly against such trivial moments, just the randomness and it not going according to what you envisioned, was the irritating part for Nero. He just preferred that things went the way he wished, the way he desired. Like any Commander should feel.

He felt the Goblin Captain stir underneath his foot. It attempted to escape, but it merely sealed its fate. Nero reinforced his footing on its back before killing with a stab to the head.

"Gnarl, anything on the Minions outside?"

"Still progressing, I'd say about five minutes."

"I expected them to come in right about now," Nero stated. He placed a hand on his chin. "Perhaps, I miscalculated the distance they'll need to take to get-"

"-Behind you sire."

Nero jumped just as a large tree slammed the place he once stood.

"Close!"

The troll roared, looking offended by its unsuccessful kill. If Gnarl had responded with something, Nero wasn't able to hear. It swung its club, attempting to flatten the puny human, only succeeding in crushing fellow Goblins and distracted Minions. Nero continued to duck and roll under the Troll's heavy swings. He ducked under another swing, cleaving a portion of the troll's left heel with his sword in the process.

The obese creature howled painfully. It collapsed onto a knee, a greasy hand enveloping the wound in a vain effort to alleviate the pain. In anger, it swung blindly, swatting away more Goblins and Minions and missing Nero multiple times.

The Overlord rolled out of the way and with a cry, ordered some nearby Minions to attack the injured troll. Eagerly they leapt onto the corpulent creature, hacking and slashing as they scaled towards its flabby head. Though the Troll swatted a few with its greasy hands, it couldn't stop all of them and soon a number of them were already stabbing into its face.

Increasingly agitated, the Troll's actions became more frantic, desperately trying to get rid of the annoying creatures. It's distraught was a perfect opening for Nero.

Wasting no time the Overlord charged forth. He swatted a goblin that tried to jump him before thrusting Surtr deep into the creature's flabby stomach, like a hot knife in butter.

The troll roared in agonising pain, dropping its weapon in reaction to the pain. Its oversized hand attempted to clutch the burning wound, only for Nero to cut open its stomach letting its guts and organs spill out.

It howled. It feebly tried stopping its organs from spilling. It fell fully on its knees. A final mistake has been committed and Nero seized it. Using its gorged intestines as a stepping stone, he leapt up and buried Surtr deep into the creature's skull. Nero kicked off the corpse and landed on his feet, allowing it to fall onto its face.

Such a sight had a positive effect on the Minions. Seeing their fearless leader scoring his first big kill boosted their fervour, thus the hacking and slashing intensified. The Goblins were beginning to be overpowered as a result and were being pushed back.

"A job well done, sire." Gnarl complemented. Nero flicked the repulsing blood from his sword.

"Humph, bloody Cave Troll-."

He stood still, his mind fully registering his words. Bitter pain and sadness immediately radiated off him.

"Something the matter, sire?"

"... Harold would say stuff like that, in that stupid Aurelian accent of his." Nero smiled sadly. "He would always joke around using that accent. We'd try to mimic it the best we could, but we just ain't Aurelian enough."

"Sounds like he'd make a fine joker… though on a much better pedestal than our current one."

Nero snorted in amusement. "He probably wouldn't mind that, he does know many good jokes."

He sighed, dismissing the painful memories. He watched as the Goblins were being routed. Some mistakenly ran to the main entrance only to be trampled by the Minions from outside. "Anyways, let's get these mines cleared of these snobbery bastards."

"Yes, sire."


END

Man, it has been a while since I've written anything. Hello everyone I'm back...sorta xD. Everything here is under control, for the time being, college can be a real pain in the arse and it ain't a joke. Last assignment I had to do I needed to present it and my Lecturer gave us a week and a few days to create it. He wouldn't let us do the project straight away without doing the research and other steps, which to me, was a waste of time. TBH, we should have started such a project the week we came back in September. The blog postings were unnecessary.

Anyways, hope you guys are enjoying Christmas, happy early New Year and hope you enjoyed this newest chapter of mine!

Btw, I also have an AO3 page here: /users/King_Naberius/works

Check it out when you have time, till then, see you guys.


*Get to know the Myrmidons!*

Balthazar: Head Wizard of the Myrmidon's small cast of magic users. Once the top wizard student of a magic academy in the Aurelian Empire until disgraced and deceived by his rival Kin. Joined the Myrmidons 5 years before the Betrayal at Judas. Has OCD.

Kira: Veteran Captain. An original member of the Myrmidons. A mercenary from Ansur, who decided to stick with the Myrmidons. In time, she climbed the ranks and fell in love with Nero, though she kept her feelings for him to herself; her duty before her feelings. She had a chance to finally confess, though…

Khairn: Leader of the Regiment of Renown; The Brutes of the Hound. An aggressive yet highly skilled warrior. Khairn follows a belief that only through sufferable pain or death will they be redeemed. He is in a relationship with the Princess Knight; Luu-Luu, finding true happiness for the first time in his life, before the Betrayal at Judas.

Jericho: A Captain of a Syntagma of Myrmidons. Recently promoted to lead the Regiment of Renown; the Alcatraz Company. However, before it was formalised, the Betrayal at Judas happened. He wishes to retire to be part of the Garrison at Asur for a much calmer time.

Asger: Once one of the Captains of Khairn's regiment before his promotion and was assigned with the Argyraspides. A soldier from the Kingdom of Grimwald, he left his home after being forced to murder innocents after the Siege of a City. He joined the Myrmidons in the hopes of finding reparation. His cooking goes unmatched by anyone in the Myrmidons.

Percival: Veteran Captain of the Silver Shields (Argyraspides). He was with the rest of the Argyraspides when the Betrayal at Judas happened. Died alongside them. Married 2 years before the Betrayal and was expecting his first child in two weeks. He plans to retire to Ansur, where he'll end up being a garrison captain.

Harold: Recently promoted Sergeant of a Syntagma. A bastard child of an Aurelian noble, thus he was abandoned by his "Father". Thus he wishes not to bring his past up. He joined The Myrmidons and was killed alongside them. For some reason, he could perfectly mimic other people's voices.

Ulfrik: Leader of a regiment of northern warriors; Ulfrik's wolfkin. Wandering northern warriors whose religion entailed them to fight glorious and honourable battles, so that they may receive a seat in The Halls of Feast and Glory. Joined the Myrmidons for a better chance to achieve this. Befriend and became close to Nero during their short service time with The Myrmidons.