As they stepped through the entrance way, over the fallen gate, they took slow measured strides through the wall.

As they entered in, the first thing they all took note of was the wall itself.

What the hell is this thing?! The Warchief questioned to himself. Why and how did they construct it so thin?

Then his daughter spoke up, almost echoing his thoughts aloud.

“Fascinating! They were able to construct a wall sturdy enough to support itself vertically, without any added outside supports. How were goblins able to come up with this?!” She questioned to no one in particular.

The Warchief nodded his head in agreement.

“It truly is.-“

“Both of you, be quiet! Something is here!” The Shaman warned.

Immediately, the other two became quiet and still. The three of them were about fifteen yalms from the entrance by now. The General held up her hand, signaling silently that sent the troops on alert, while also warning them to be quiet.

The army slowly and cautiously entered in through the gate.

About three-hundred soldiers made it inside through the gate before there was no more room for any more to advance: because their leaders had stopped the march.

they all waited about five minutes before any of them said anything to each other.

“Shaman? Are you sure?-“ the Warchief started to question.

Then with a shower of dust, pebbles and debris were scattered towards the orcs as an object landed right in front of them. All the soldiers that were on alert, turned to the front, their weapons at the ready. But rather than the stone object or fallen projectile like they were expecting; it was a small, extremely tiny goblin. They were wearing a hooded robe or cloak, with the hood pulled over their head, with a mask that was covering the rest of their face from view, with the exception of their eyes.

They stood up from where they landed, their swirling teal eyes scanning over the orcs without any hint of fear in them.

"Hello there!" The tiny goblin casually greets the orcs, with their high reedy voice. The Warchief suspected that if they weren't wearing a mask, that there would have been a smile on their face right now.

"Who ar-" The Warchief began to say in goblin-primer.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Screams the Shaman goblin-primer. Startling both the General and his Warchief.

"Flannik?! What in blazes are you doing?!" The Warchief reprimands in orcish, as a response to his subordinate's outburst.

Ignoring his Warchief’s words, Flannik continues to stare daggers, with also a hint of fear in the Shaman's eyes.

The masked figure scoffs.

"Well that is rude?! What am I? I am clearly a goblin am I not?" It asks a rhetorical question.

"DON'T FUCK WITH US BITCH!" The Shaman yells in rage. "I know what you are!..." He said in a low menacing voice.

But faster than he could react or anticipate. His Warchief slugs him across the face; he stumbles about a third if a yalm from where he was standing, the hit snapping him out of his reverie.

"FLANNIK! Calm yourself! You shame your Warchief!" He scolds his brother and Shaman.

"Brother please!" Flannik pleads to his Warchief. "You don't understand! This is not an ordinary goblin!"

"Umm?... Is there some sort of problem?" The tiny cloaked figure asked.

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Flannik screamed in orcish, not even bothering to use a language that the goblin could understand.

"FLANNIK!" The Warchief stood in front of the Shamn to block his view of the tiny goblin.

"NO! BROTHER! DON'T! Don't turn your back on it!"

"By the Evil God, man! What in all the realm has made you go so insane?"

"Brother please! We must kill that thing or escape!"

"Escape?! Brother? Have you truly fallen to madness? What has gotten into you? What is wrong with this little goblin child?" The Warchief asked worriedly to his brother.

"Brother! That is not just a goblin! That is the source of all the aura I have been sensing! This is the Demon Lord!"

The Warchief couldn't believe his ears. He turned to face the small robed goblin, staring at him with confusion in their large eyes. He looked back to brother’s face.

"Are you sure?"

Flannik nodded his head.

"Yes brother; I am. I am sure that is the Demon Lord. Their aura is so strong, that it is stifling just to be near them!"

"..." The Warchief thought this over for a minute before he made his decision. "Well then. I guess we need to make introductions, don't we?" He went to turn back to the goblin, but his brother put a hand on his arm to restrain him. The Warchief looked back to his Shaman: he could feel his brother's hand trembling where it gripped him on his forearm.

"Be careful brother!... This... thing!" Flannik couldn't even help himself with how much disdain he had for the hooded creature before him. "It has more aura than any living thing I have ever seen. This- This thing is a monster!" He gave as a final warning.

The Warchief pulled his arm away from his brother, giving him a solemn nod of acknowledgement. He turned back fully towards the supposed Demon Lord.

He walked about a yalm towards the hooded masked figure: the goblin just coming up to his knees. He stared down at them; they up at him.

"I. Sorry. For how. Friend? Spoke to the." He said in halting goblin-primer.

"AH! you do speak goblin, that is good to know. I was afraid that the rude man from before was going to have to translate for us."

The Warchief vocabulary of the goblin-primer was very limited. There wasn't any known way: other than having a goblin teach you their language; or to learn it from someone who did.

"*HMPH* It is known. As common courtesy. To speak the... Words? Of those of the land you visit." He explained unnecessarily to the goblin.

"Hmm. That is good to know. But unfortunately, I cannot extend the same courtesy of speaking a different, or a more easily understood language for you. Because I have had no one to teach me any: for there is no one in the goblin clans that know any other languages." They too, explained unnecessarily.

"HA! Has been so long? That goblins. Forget their close neighbors words?" He asked rhetorically.

The goblin miss understood him and answered him anyways.

"Apparently! It is a shame that we have. But I haven't been around long enough to rectify that mistake."

"..." This goblin was using words he had never known goblins to use before. But he thought he might have understood enough through context. He waved away with his hand in front of him. "That is. Enough. No more... Polite talk. We introduce selves now." He tried his best in tax his memory on his goblin-primer. He hated to admit it, but he should have listened to his daughter about practicing it on the way up here.

But apparently, his message had made it through the language barrier.

"Yes, I agree. The time for talk and pleasantries has ended. Not that there was much pleasantries to begin with."

The Warchief gave another humph of breath.

"Yes. Let us: This one is called, Gragnueok, Warchief of the united tribes of the Graggoremire plains. Conqueror of the eighteen orcish tribes. Leader of nearly two million orcs.”

“T-Two million?!” The hooded goblin stuttered.

The Warchief just let his smile spread across his face to show his confidence.

“Why didn’t you bring more men then?” Questioned the goblin. 

 “Huh?!” The Warchief was both shocked by the audacity of the tiny goblin child, and slightly intrigued by the fact that they showed teeth.

“Hahaha! What a question!” He exclaimed with a jovial smile on his face. “And why. Do Gragnueok. Need more warriors?”

The goblin shrugged their shoulders.

“I don’t know. I just thought that if you had more soldiers, you might be able to take out our whole village without us putting up to much of a fight.” They explained their thoughts to him.

He snorted at the goblin short sightedness and obvious lack of experience.

“If Gragnueok take every warrior. Then no one to keep... home? Safe.”

The goblin smacked the side of their fist into the palm of their other hand in front of themselves.

“Oh! That makes sense!” They tilted their head to the side before speaking. “You see, I am not much of a fighter. I have never lead a group like a whole village before. I also have never had to make decisions of war before either.” They said as an excuse.

“Ha! Gragnueok did not expect one so small. Or so young. To have any experience.”

“Well?... I am not that young. Just small. Unless you think someone of thirty-four summers is young.” She confessed.

“Thir-Thirty-four?!” Now it was the Warchief’s turn to act surprised. “But you can’t be! You to young?! To small?!”

The masked goblin just gives a chuckle at the orc’s response.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. Wasn’t always a goblin. In fact, from what the people tell me, I am a pygmy of the goblin species.”

“WHAT?!” The Warchief screamed in outrage. “Are you say? That the next Demon Lord: Is a pygmy goblin?!”

“Evidently.” Was all the supposed Demon Lord said to the orc Warchief.

The Warchief spun on his heels and started screaming to himself.

“Of all things in the cosmos to happen! Of all the people that could have been chosen for this great power and responsibility! The power inside the Shards of the Evil God, thought it right, to give its power to a goblin; a pygmy goblin at that?!” He screamed to no one but himself, saying it all in orcish.

He walked away from the goblin for a yalm, kicking at rocks in his path, throwing his arms up in the air, just to let them smack at his sides. He then turned back and walked right up to the masked individual that claimed the title and power of the Demon Lord.

“Gragnueok do not believe you!” He said in almost barely contained rage. The whites of his eyes taking on a slightly glowing red hue. “You. Go. Get. Real. Demon Lord now!”

But the tiny goblin shook their head.

“I am afraid I can’t do that Gragnueok.”

“Why?! They too much coward. To come face Gragnueok?! They send child when they flee themselves?!”

But again, the little goblin shook their head.

“No, because me leaving would be pointless, because they are already here talking to you.”

The Warchief gets down to face level with the masked goblin.

“Who is this one? You never gave name?”

“I suppose you’re right, I never did, I apologize: my name is Crystaria; and I am the Demon Lord.” She said with full confidence.

In that moment. He saw the look in the goblin’s eyes; the one a leader standing in front of the enemy of their people might have.

All of a sudden, a blast of extreme hot and cold air went rushing through him. He realized in that instant, that the air he was feeling wasn’t real, but was how his skin was interpreting it. His skin ran hot then cold. His skin breaking out in a sweat to desperately try and cool him, only for it to make him so cold, that he felt that he was standing naked in the dead of winter.

The sides of his vision of the surrounding area were starting to go dark. He could only see what he was staring at in front of him.

Which was the goblin staring daggers at him. The anger radiating off of the goblin in front of him, made him back peddle just a few steps, which pulled him away from being face-to-face with the angry creature. He could feel his legs start to shake and wobble from intensity of the fear coursing through his body.

Yes, he wasn’t so proud that he didn’t recognize his old nemesis. He knew what fear was; he thought he had conquered it many years ago, much like he had everything else he in life.

But now, he was standing in front of an advisory that, he very much knew, was completely out of his league.

The aura they were emanating was so strong, that he could hardly breath. He felt like there was something lodged in his throat. His fear kept him from looking away from the creature-

NO.

This monster in front of him. Not even the Great Devourer had brought him this much fear: and that beast was immortal and just as large as a castle.

His Shaman was right to fear this thing. He should have listened. Flannik had spent years training in magic, so sensing auras was child’s play to him. But he ignored him completely.

But this was not the time to regret now. Even amongst all the turmoil and fear for his life and for his soldiers’ lives. He felt only one thing more prevalent than the fear.

Excitement.

Yes, he was as excited as he could ever remember being. He knew, that this was the last hurtle to get over. That this was his chance. That all he had to do, was strike down this monster, then all of this power it held would become his.

With a trembling hand. He reached up and behind himself, for his weapon. As he pulled his great maul from its hold. He clutched it tight in both hand in front of himself.

His heart racing with adrenaline.

He lifted his maul up, and with a great shout, he roared his battle cry.

His own aura bursting forth, shielding himself from the aura blasting at him. It could not even last a second under the assault of Demon Lord’s aura blasting him. But it did provide a way to disperse the effect that had caught him off guard. He kept screaming his roar until his aura fortified his limbs and mind.

His body going full into a blood haze.

He looked towards his enemy and rushed at them.

He swung his mighty blade towards the tiny Demon Lord.

In the next instance, the Demon Lord was gone, vanished from the place they had been, just as the blade was about to meet their brow. The blade of his weapon buried itself into the rock of the mountain pass, splitting it, sending rock and shrapnel every which way, while also making a cracking shallow crevice into the ground, that stretched for almost five yalms in length.

He felt the aura that the Demon Lord had been producing, start to dissipate. He looked up to find that the Demon Lord was standing at where the split in the ground ended. Their eyes were wide with what looked like disbelief.

This only brought a smile to his face.

He turned around to look at his army. Only to be disappointed.

Most, if not all, had fallen down to either their knees or had out right fainted from the aura the Demon Lord had just blasted them with. Only a few had been able to remain on their at least one knee, supported by either fallen comrades or their own weapons, and less still had been standing at all. He could count only about twenty or so still standing, his daughter included among those.

His brother on the other hand, was on his hands and knees, looking like he was barely clinging to consciousness.

He knew he should thing less of his brother for this; because people who were aware and could sense aura, had a more acute reaction to it.

But he, who was of the same father and mother as he was, couldn’t even stand up to the Demon Lord, who he knew and could sense their aura when he couldn’t.

Pathetic. He thought to himself.

He turned his back from his troops to look at the Demon Lord again.

“Very neat trick. Demon Lord!” He said with a sneer, spittle flying from his mouth as he became more and more angry. “But it will take more than that to stop me from trying to kill you.”

The Demon Lord looked from him, to the ground and back to him.

“Evidently.” Was all they said again.

“You will need. To do more. To bring my warriors down!” He boasted. Although at this point, he wasn’t so confident in his men.

“That is the plan.”

They then raised their arm, reaching high above their heads, then brought it down in a quick motion, back down to the side of their body.

“I am sorry it had to come to this. I was hoping we could talk it out.”

One moment, he was looking at the Demon Lord. Then the next, they were gone. Vanishing without a trace.

The Warchief’s eyes bulged at this. 

Did they just teleport? He questioned in his mind. 

“I was really hoping we could have talked this all out. So we did not have to shed blood on either side. But it looks like it won’t come to that.”

Whispered the high reedy voice coming from right behind him. Almost like it was spoken in his ear. This sent a shiver down his spine.

He whipped around with his weapon and came up with nothing but air. He looked around the immediate area and spotted no Demon Lord.

He looked over to his officers, whose eyes we wide.

“Did they just-? Were they just behind me?!” He asked them.

Both of them nodded their heads.

“So they can teleport huh?! That will be tricky to deal with...” The Warchief thought aloud.

“No Warchief, they didn’t! They have not used any magic thus far!” His brother explained to him.

“What?! Then, how?! If it did not teleport, how could it just transport itself from one spot to another?!”

“I believe that, it may have just been moving to fast for us to see my Warchief.” The Shaman gave his best answer to understanding what had just happened.

“But! That is impossible!” The Warchief exclaimed. “Nothing! Not a single being can move faster than the eye can see! It just isn’t possible!”

“I am not so sure Warchief. Lighting from the sky-“ Flannik began.

“But that is a force of nature! Not a living being!” His brother argued.

“We are dealing with the Omega Demon Lord, can we real classify them as anything less than a force of nature?”

“If you really believe that they are at some sort of God level ability! Then how do you suppose we will be able to-“

“Quiet! Do you hear that?!” Lirania hushed them, drawing their attention from their nonsensical bickering.

They all remained quiet for a few moments. The only sounds so far were the sounds of their men groaning, getting up, or just struggling to move.

After a few moment more. They heard a loud crack and smashing sound.

They all looked up, having just enough time to see what was making the noise.

The walls.

The walls were tumbling down. The tops of the side walls were bowing inwards, with the wall their troops were halfway through were collapsing in on itself.

Their eyes widened in terror.

They got us! The walls were never a means to defend! They were a trap!

All this ran through the Warchief’s mind in a fraction of a moment, as the first section of the wall came tumbling down towards his half unconscious men.

“RETREAT!” He started to shout the order.

But it was too late.

They were buried under tonnes of rubble.

---

  Five days before the orcs arrived.

---

 

Crystaria was just going over the last of the things that needed done before the orcs arrived.

The wall had been finished for the last three days. Now she was just inspecting the wall for any signs of weakness, that it might fall early.

She also went around to inspect all of her troops, making sure her fighting force was sufficient and ready.

If she was being honest with herself, she was scared for everyone. She was bringing an equivalence of an army of farmers against a fully trained army. All they had was a small selection of weapons. So not even every goblin was able to be properly equipped: most would either be wielding wooden stone tipped spears, or  rock slings. Both a ranged sort of weapon.

They had about five hundred actual weapons. Ranging from swords, hand axes, and daggers. She came up with the brilliant idea to make an old fashion club she remembered seeing before in a museum. Which was a round rock, embedded into a wooden shaft. To which they used resin and cement to secure it into place.

I am just glad that we had clay and the ingredients on this mountain to make cement. She contemplated to herself. She was extremely happy that this mountain had been a limestone deposit.

They didn’t have enough shields, which was unfortunate. They only had about just over a hundred of those. They we making more. But they lacked the proper equipment and tools to make anything professional, like the shields that the goblins had previously raided from other races. Even then, many of the weapons and armor in that stash was unusable by an average goblin.

Crystaria had to either break or reshape the things in the stash by hand just so they could use the metal for other things they needed.

It’s funny. Crystaria thought to herself. I still don’t want a battle the orcs. But I think we’re ready. As ready as we can be. Honestly. We’re counting a lot on keeping our distance with ranged weapons and the wall to do most of work.

Her thoughts then started to drift over what happen over the last week. She was remembering her interaction with Athena the last time they were alone together in her room.

She wasn’t ignorant on the fact that she was upset; that she had been the one to upset her. But for the life of her, she wasn’t sure what she had done. And every time after that day that she had seen Athena, she was either practicing or helping one of her two grandmothers constantly. She never had a moment for herself. Correction: She never gave a moment to herself.

It also didn’t help that Crystaria was just as busy. Either from grinding limestone into dust to be baked and dried out. Or from delegating work and training to those in their fighting force.

She also had her hands full with carving stone by hand to fit it into the places on the wall, or helping to carve or bend metal.

Since the lacked forges and tools. Crystaria was the only viable option to these problems, since she could rip through a steel sword like it was made of paper.

All these things conspired to keep Athena and Crystaria from talking about what happened. But deep down. Crystaria also thought that maybe, that Athena might not even want to see her or talk to her. Because even now. With the wall finished and there being less to do each day.

Athena would always have something she needed to do, rather than making time to talk with her.

So Crystaria decided that if she needed space, that she would allow it for the time being. Even if it did hurt her a little. She buried her thoughts and emotions on this deep in her mind. Right now wasn’t the time for this. She had things to plan, and a battle to win.

 

---

 Three days before the orcs arrived.

---

Crystaria, along with her General, Artemis, with the rest of the officers in this ragtag, makeshift army of goblins.

They were all going over the plans a final time, just for repetitions sake, just so that no one even had a chance to forget the plans.

”Okay, once more form the top. General? where will you be with your men?” Crystaria asked Artemis.

“Right. Art- I mean... I-... I will be here,” Artemis corrected herself in proper self pronunciation. While she also pointing at the large piece of paper that had a crude map drawn on it. “I will be here, leading the ranged troops in the forward attack against any of the orcs that didn’t make it through the gate. Cutting off any chance of the orcs that came through the gate from receiving reinforcements.” She then looked towards two of the other clan’s leaders. “Raglin, Spout. You will be taking the south-east wall, after it falls, you and your fighters will rush in, to attack the orcs from that side. Remember not to break formation. Stick to your side and push them inwards towards the north-west side.”

“Yes General.” They acknowledged with a slight lack of enthusiasm. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand the plan, or disagreed with it. It was that most of the leaders were still having trouble handing over the reins for their authorities; these two in particular were dragging their feet the most.

Not that anyone here lost any authority at all. Just that during this battle, Crystaria asked them to cooperate and take orders from Artemis and herself. Most agreed. But some did, only after some really loud grousing and complaining.

Artemis ignored their half-hearted attempt at answering her. She instead focused her attention on her next set of orders.

“Leaf, Athena. Same thing really. You two will be set up at the north-west, but it will be pretty much the same. When the walls come down, you lead your troops in and secure any orc that tries to resist. After which, you push forwards and herd them towards the south-east.”

“Sir, yes sir!” The two younger women said with a salute to their brow. Another thing Crystaria taught them to do as a sign of acknowledgement to a superior, or a fellow soldier at arms.

Crystaria couldn’t decided if she was embarrassed that she was teaching them her idioms and ways; or if she was extremely proud of them. Either way, the goblins were absorbing everything she was teaching them: and that in fact, did make her proud.

The meeting went on with Artemis addressing Creeping Ivy and Seshat for their devision on medically trained goblins. They were probably the only troop that had been the most ready out of all of their army. They had been gathering herbs and readying medical supplies, day-and-night. If anything, after this battle was over, they were looking at about a years worth for all the clans to share between them of medical.

Just as they were getting into talking about relief troops and their part in the battle, Breeze and Hush rushed into the room.

“They are almost here!” Breeze announced.

“Already?!” Creeping Ivy asked worriedly. As she then played with her braided hair.

Crystaria, now used to these two’s lack of actual assessment. Decided to ask what she wanted to know.

“How many days out are they?”

“About another two, maybe by tomorrow night if they are hurrying.” Breeze explained.

“Okay, that is plenty of time. Breeze. I want you and your brother to set up troops from the rangers between here and the orcs as planned. We are also going to need to station the fake guards, just like we talked about at the front of the gate.” Crystaria look from one face to another. “This is it people. I hope you are all ready for this. For the next two days, take a break and make sure everything is in position. This is the last chance we’ll have for any sort of rest for the next few days, I suspect.” She said with brutal honesty. “You’ve all done so well, and I couldn’t be prouder of any of you. But now is the time to go and make any last minute preparations you need to before the battle. To be with your families today. Because come tomorrow morning, there will probably be no rest until we’re done. Does anyone have anything they wish to say before we leave?” She asked as she addressed everyone there.

No one spoke. They all were ready.

“Then dismissed! I will see you all bright and early.”

“Sir, yes sir!” The company of goblin leaders saluted to their Demon Lord, who in turn, saluted back.

As the goblins went to leave, some talking amongst themselves, some leaving right away, Crystaria noticed that Athena was talking to Leaf. After she was finished with her talk with leaf, she went to make her way towards the entry way of the hut. Crystaria moved towards her, hoping to intercept her.

“Demon Lord! May I have a minute of your time?” Called out Greed. Crystaria wanted to groan at the fact that she was getting pulled away again. But she knew she couldn’t very well leave or ignore her officers during this time.

Not much longer now, I can wait. After this is over; when everything is settled. Then I will tell her how I feel. She swore to herself.

---

Present time.

---

 

The goblin scouts ran in and closed the large door behind them.

“Did they see you guys running?” Asked Crystaria?

“Yeah, pretty sure they did. Zak and Mera were definitely seen.” Answered Mera.

“Good! You two did a good job. Run on back and find you CO. They will tell you what to do.”

“What about you Demon Lord? Will you be okay by self?” Zak the young boy asked with concern.

She let a smile creep on her face, which reached her eyes. Her happy thoughts seeping into her aura, which she let ooze out and envelope the two. The both got dumb happy smiles on their faces.

Okay, to potent...

She cut off her aura, then reached up to the taller boy and gave him a pat on the head.

“Don’t worry about me. I will be just fine. You two stay safe. I am just going to do what any head of the house would do when some one comes to your home.” She told them.

“What is that?” Mera asked.

While still having the smile play on her hidden lips and a mischievous glint in her eyes, she explained.

“Why, greet them of course. Now go! Don’t linger.”

Zak then reached out and grabbed Mera’s hand, pulling her along.

“Be careful Demon Lord!” Mera called backwards as she was pulled along back to their hidden group.

“I will!” Crystaria assured.

She turned back to the wall. Her face turning serious.

“Now then. Let us give them a welcome.”