Chapter 45 – Goblin Warband! Goblin Lord?!

Chapter 45 – Goblin Warband! Goblin Lord?!

Under the guidance of Hope and Farus, the group soon encountered a large group of Antler Goblins, over twenty of them!

When the two groups met, they were vigilant of each other, sizing the other party.

There were warriors with armor, spears, swords, axes, hammers, and tower shields. Organized archers. Shamans and even lightly armored goblins riding Dire Wolves. And at the head was a human-sized goblin wearing heavy armor, holding a halberd.

Gerhart checked the hobgoblin, and his face turned somber.

Name: Dunoikx

Race: Hobgoblin(Antler Tribe)

Age: Eight Months

Sex: Male

Level: 27

Skills: (+)

Base Stats:

SpoilerStrength: DVitality: CEndurance: CAgility: DDexterity: CPerception: DInstincts: DIntelligence: EAura: DMagic: F[collapse]

Secondary Stats: (+)

Talents:

SpoilerInitial: Aura Recovery.Beginner: Shield, Aura Control, Healthy Body.Intermediate: Axemanship, Heavy Armor, Tough Body.Advanced: None.Perfect: None.Unique Talents: Libido, Leadership.[collapse]

"Twelve warriors, eight archers, two shamans, two wolf riders, and a Hobgoblin Warboss." Hauke grimaced.

"Their equipment is also in good condition..." Greta also frowned.

"Either this is their main warband... Or..." Heiner had an ugly expression.

"He is only eight months old. A mega-tribe already formed, didn't it?" Gerhart turned serious.

One of the main signs a mega-tribe formed is the appearance of young Hobgoblins leading warbands, likely the progeny of a Goblin Commander. They didn't do it for expansion but rather to make the most use of the useless lower-rank goblins and make room for the new generation of higher-rank Hobgoblins. When the transition finishes, the mega-tribe begins a violent expansion, either birthing an A-rank Goblin Lord or the Goblin Commander evolving into one, marking the birth of a Goblin Horde.

A mega tribe might be manageable, but a Goblin Horde is different. Even a small city might not have the military capability to face it without heavy losses.

"We will need to form a beheading operation later. But right now, we must kill this warband." Hauke said with a grim look.

"Agreed. Hope, kill the shamans and archers. I will take the front and handle the boss. The rest of you, mop up the rest." Gerhart ordered, drawing the Emerald Flame Sword.

Although the goblins were many, even the commander was weaker than the weakest hunter. They posed little threat.

On the other side, seeing the humans audaciously preparing for battle, the Hobgoblin Warboss issued orders in Goblin-Speak.

[Form Shield Wall! Archers! Shamans! Prepare to fire on my mark! Riders! Flank them when they engage us!] It barked.

Immediately, in an orderly fashion, the goblins with shields formed a tight shield wall, defending the Warboss, archers, and shamans. Meanwhile, the two wolf riders ran to the woods.

"Hope. The riders will likely flank you. Deal with them, but leave a wolf alive. Farus, subdue it." Gerhart said and started running toward the goblin warband.

The Hobgoblin Warboss frowned as he looked at the audacious human charging over.

[Is that human suicidal? Archers! Shamans! Kill the human!] It roared.

Immediately, the archers and shamans let loose a volley of arrows and fireballs targeted at Gerhart.

In response, Gerhart used the skill he learned from Havre for the first time.

"Flash Step!"

At a lightning-fast speed, as if teleporting, Gerhart appeared two meters to the right, narrowly dodging the incoming arrows and fireballs, and continued charging forward. Meanwhile, Hope fired arrows at the goblins, killing a shaman and two archers.

[What the?!] The hobgoblin widened its snake-like eyes in shock. But it quickly recomposed itself, [Fire at will! Prepare for melee!]

However, it soon realized that its orders were pointless.

BAM*

"Gugya!"

The towering human raised its shield, a silver aura covering it as it smashed the shield wall apart, sending three goblins flying, one of them at it.

[Gah! Damn human!] The hobgoblin swatted the goblin infantry away and charged at the human, raising its halberd to strike down.

Slash*

Suddenly, the world seemed to spin around as it saw a decapitated figure, still raising a halberd.

"Ah... That's me, isn't it?" The hobgoblin thought as its world turned dark.

With Gerhart smashing the formation and killing the leader, the other goblins quickly lost morale as the other hunters engaged them in battle. Or it was more apt to call it a one-sided slaughter.

Unnamed Dire Wolf/Dire Wolf(Antler Race) has converted successfully.

"If you continue that behavior, you will suffer in the end..." Gerhart shook his head at Farus.

"Woo?" [Why?] Farus tilted its head in confusion.

"I am playing the lute to a cow- a wolf." Gerhart inwardly sighed and continued questioning the female wolf.

"Did you see any highly evolved goblin in your previous home?" Gerhart inquired.

"Woof. Wroof." [Yes. Bigger than master.]

"Bigger?" Gerhart's expression darkened. "How big?"

"Woof!" [Two heads taller!] The dire wolf replied with certainty.

"Shit... It is worse than I thought." Gerhart's complexion darkened.

"Gerhart? What is the matter?" Hope asked.

"Hope... We might not be facing a regular commander, but a variant, or worse, a Lord!" Gerhart's face turned ugly.

"What?! A Goblin Lord?!" Hope exclaimed, appalled.

"Did you say a Goblin Lord?! Are you sure?!" Heiner walked over and asked, his expression equally ugly.

"Yes. This wolf says it is about 2.3 meters tall, meaning either a variant or a Lord." Gerhart bitterly said.

Adult goblins were usually only 1.3-1.5m tall, while Hobgoblins were 1.6-1.8m tall. Commanders could reach 1.9-2.1m tall. At least, that is the norm. Of course, variants appear from time to time, either being taller or shorter.

Gerhart was over 1.9m tall, and two heads taller would be approximately 2.3m tall, well over a commander's height range. That meant either one of two increasingly bad options - a variant or an A-rank Goblin Lord.

Although rare, like humans, some goblins undergo a mutation and are born with extraordinary power or potential, being late bloomers or the like. A Goblin's life span is short, and their activities ensure most don't surpass ten years old. But some survive long enough to awaken, rapidly evolving into a Goblin Lord, or worse, a Goblin Emperor. If not handled in time, it could mark the beginning of a disaster.

In a village with a Goblin Lord, the weakest members were comparable to the Hobgoblin Warboss, with many being B-rank Goblin Commanders.

"Shit... We must return and send word to the adventurer's guild to send help immediately." Hauke came over with a worried look.

"It wouldn't matter. By the time the message reaches, it would take over a week. And don't forget the shitty bureaucratic system they have! We would be lucky if they send an A-rank and a few B-ranks in a month or two. By then, I don't know if we will survive!" Greta pointed out.

"Then you suggest we evacuate the village?" Heiner suggested.

"It might be the only solution..." Hauke bitterly said.

"Enough," Gerhart spoke, shutting the quarreling hunters up. "Argueing here won't solve anything. I will quickly absorb the corpses here and then we will discuss things in the village."

"Yes." The hunters nodded.

Without delay, Gerhart absorbed the corpses of the fallen goblins and one Dire Wolf.

Many Initial and Beginner talents had improved by a grade, his base stats improved, and Gerhart received several new unique talents, including Grit, Wolfgang's talent. But most of them were disturbing, if not downright disgusting.

New Unique Talents: Leadership, Libido, Grit, Virility, Appealing Male Musk, Bravery, Well Hung, Balls of Steel, Powerful Prostate, Addictive Semen.

{Unique Talent - Leadership: Increases charisma when leading, rallying, and commanding.}

{Unique Talent - Libido: Increases sexual drive, production of sexual bodily fluids, and reduces refractory period.}

{Unique Talent - Virility: Increases sperm strength and semen concentration, testicle size, and semen storage.}

{Unique Talent - Appealing Male Musk: Pheromones are more attractive to females and more likely to make them go into heat.}

{Unique Talent - Bravery: Increases resistance to intimidation and fear effects, allowing oneself to function under fear.}

{Unique Talent - Well Hung: Adjusts the size, shape, and hardness of the male reproductive organ, reaching an ideal size for your race.}

{Unique Talent - Balls of Steel: Increases testicle toughness, reducing vulnerability.}

{Unique Talent - Powerful Prostate: The prostate gland is always healthy and its function greatly improves.}

{Unique Talent - Addictive Semen: Your semen strangely tastes good to females of compatible races, and it has an addictive property when ingested.}

"Ew... I knew goblins had many male sexual talents, but this is just disgusting." Gerhart grimaced.

Because of all of these talents, he suffered much pain in his crotch and stomach. He was certain he didn't need all of these extras, but he had no choice but to accept them.

After absorbing everything, Gerhart and the group returned to the village with haste.