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IDWTBTHQ Chapter 126 - The House of Love
🕑 Added 2022-08-29 15:59:17 +0000 UTCThe house of the Mothers was by far the biggest and fanciest building Marcus had seen in Goblinia. It was a large two-storeys tall mansion that probably used to be an inn before the goblin occupation that showed signs of having been recently renovated. The walls were freshly painted, the windows were clearly new and two new wings had been added to the original building, replacing what used to be the stables and forming a small courtyard, which was currently covered in snow. The front entrance was guarded by two hobgoblin soldiers wielding short spears and wearing chainmail under heavy cloaks, who unlike the guards Marcus had met previously were very much alert and seemed to take their job seriously.
Such care contrasted heavily with the shoddiness of the rest of the city, and consequently the Vex Queen’s curiosity about the content of that house increased even further.
“Hey Ik!” He asked his guide while pointing at the building. “Could you tell me what's inside the house of the Mothers?”
“The Mothers of course.” The goblin replied, as if stating the obvious.
“Alright, but who or what are exactly these Mothers?”
“They are our Mothers.” Ik said, his tone growing hard. “And don't ask anything else cause I will tell you nothing more about it. We shouldn't talk about the Mothers with strangers to begin with.”
“Alright, alright.” Marcus muttered, taken a bit by surprise by the goblin’s reaction. “I won’t ask anything else then.”
“Really though, whatever these Mothers are, it seems they are very important for the goblins.” He thought to himself. “I’ll try to ask Trakk later about it. Hopefully he’ll be less reticent.”
As the two approached the entrance, two hobgoblin guards immediately moved to block their way.
“Halt!” One of them cried, pointing his spear at them. “Don't take another step!”
Both Marcus and Ik stopped in their tracks, about ten meters away from the door, and the goblin raised his arms to the air, gesturing for the Vex Queen to imitate him. The monster girl did so, and that seemed to somehow reassure the guards, who nonetheless remained professionally wary.
“Who are you and why are you here?” The guard asked.
“I'm sergeant Ik.” Marcus's guide replied. “I'm currently escorting the Vex Queen.” He nodded towards Marcus. “She wants to speak with the General.”
“The General is busy with the Mothers.” The guard said. “Go back to the headquarters and wait for him there.”
“Alright, but could you tell the General that the Vex Queen is waiting for him?” Ik insisted.
The guard chuckled.
“Why?” The guard asked. “It’s not as if he’d come out before he’s done. Even if he wanted to, the Mothers won't let him.” He said in an amused tone. “You know how they are.”
“I’ve heard the rumors, but I’ve never met them in person.” Ik shook his head with a longing expression on his face. “I've never been selected for that duty yet.”
“Don't worry.” The hobgoblin tried to encourage him. “If you made it as a sergeant, I’m sure that sooner or later you’ll get picked.”
“I really hope so.” Ik replied, looking a bit more cheerful. He then looked at the Vex Queen and said: “Anyway, could you still tell Trakk about the Vex Queen? Even if he can't come out, I think that he'd still like to know that she’s here.”
“Probably.” The guard nodded in agreement. “He does like to be informed of everything that goes on.” He thought about it for a moment and then said: “Fine, I'll go tell him. Wait here until I come back.”
The hobgoblin turned away, entering the house and quickly closing the door behind him, while the other guard put himself between the entrance and the two visitors, watching them carefully.
Having nothing else to do, the Vex Queen waited patiently as the minutes passed. The wind, which had calmed down when he had first reached Goblinia, had started blowing again, forcing him to move around a bit to prevent the copy-drone from freezing, though luckily this didn’t really bother him since his real body was comfortably sitting in front of a stove.
Then, about twenty minutes later, the door opened again and the first guard came out, accompanied by another goblin wearing a striped bathrobe and pink, fluffy slippers. In his real body, Marcus raised an eyebrow after seeing this strangely dressed goblin, wondering who that newcomer was and what was the deal with that attire.
It was only when the goblin spoke that he realized that it was none other than Trakk himself.
“Ah, greetings sir Marcus.” The General said cheerfully, stopping right under the doorframe. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”
The Vex Queen took but a moment to get over his surprise. He had never expected to ever see Trakk in a pink bathrobe, but after all, it was none of his business what the goblin did when off-duty. Besides, considering that he usually spent his days off in his undies, he was in no position to judge.
“Good day, General.” He replied. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I have a rather pressing problem and I was hoping that you could help me.”
A spark of interest flashed in Trakk's eyes.
“A problem you say?” The goblin said, stroking his chin. “Does it perchance involve the ogre in your custody?”
“Yes actually.” Marcus confirmed. “How did you know?”
“I just guessed.” Trakk smirked. “When I left Brettholz, you were going around asking clerics to help you keep the ogre alive, so there was a good chance that you came here to ask me the same thing.” He paused for a moment and pointed at the copy-drone. “By the way, is this a body double you’re talking me through or have you finally learned how to conceal your aura?”
“I wish.” Marcus said. “This is a copy-drone too.”
“I see.” The General nodded. Then a sudden gust of wind blew in his direction, making him shiver and take a step back in the warmth of the Mother's house. “I guess this is also why you’re so lightly clothed despite the cold. Your minions do seem generally unaffected by the weather.”
“Yeah, they are very tough.” The Vex Queen replied, feeling a hint of pride at the hardiness of his drones. “But it's not as if they are completely immune. For example, this double I'm currently using almost froze to death on the way here.”
“Oh dear.” The General said, his tone getting more serious. “Are you alright now? Do you need to warm yourself up?”
“I'm fine.” Marcus replied. “The wind is not blowing as hard inside of the town, so this drone shouldn’t freeze to death for now. Besides, it wouldn’t really be a problem even if it did. After all, I could always make another.”
“It's a relief to hear that.” Trakk said, as his usual smile returned on his face. “Still, it wouldn't do to leave a guest in the open with this weather, not even an expendable one.” He narrowed his eyes, studying Marcus for a few seconds before adding: “How about you come inside to warm yourself up while we talk?”
The other goblins gave their General a shocked look, but Marcus just made his copy drone nod.
“That works.” He said, and started moving, only to be stopped by the two goblin guards, who immediately put themselves in his way again.
“Are you out of your mind, Trakk?” One of them cried without taking his eyes away from the Vex Queen. “We can't let an outsider inside the Mothers' house!”
“Get aside, you two.” The General replied. “Sir Marcus won't harm the Mothers. I vouch for her.”
“That's not the problem!” The hobgoblin replied angrily. “You know the rules better than anyone else, General! No outsider is allowed to see the Mothers under any circumstance!”
“That’s not completely true though.” Trakk said, his calm tone contrasting with the hot fury in the other's voice. “Chiefs of allied tribes were sometimes allowed to meet the Mothers. Sir Marcus is the leader of our Vex allies, so it’s kind of the same.”
“Yeah but... those were goblins!” The guard objected. “And this creature here is clearly not a goblin!”
“So what?” The General asked.
“We've never let a non-goblin ally meet the Mothers before!”
“Times are changing.” The General explained patiently. “Back in the forest we just couldn't trust anyone but other goblin tribes, and even then only occasionally, but now we're trying to form a stable relationship with our neighbors, both humans and Vex, and integrate into their society. It makes sense to treat them as our equals, including granting them the right to meet the Mothers.”
“But…” The hobgoblin guard tried to protest, but he stopped half-way, as he couldn’t find a counter argument. Then, after a moment, he sighed with resignation.
“Alright.” He said. “But you’re going to take responsibility for anything that happens.”
“That is my intention.” Trakk replied. “Now, can you let sir Marcus in, please?”
The guard who had protested nodded and stood aside, imitated by his companion.
“Excellent.” The General said in a cheerful tone. “Please, do come inside sir Marcus.”
The Vex Queen hesitated a moment before making his drone walk past the guards. He was rather surprised by the exchange he had just witnessed, as he had never seen any goblin go against Trakk’s orders like that, but it seemed that whatever the Mothers were, they held a more important place than the General for the humanoids.
This made him even more curious to find out who or what these Mothers were.
As Marcus entered, a pleasant warmth washed over the drone’s body like a balm, dissipating the persistent cold that had tormented it during the trip. Trakk immediately closed the door behind the Vex Queen, who studied the place with interest. He was in a long hallway, with three doors opening on each side. Small magical lamps, similar to those in Klara's house, provided a dim, warm light, and the walls were covered in salmon pink wallpaper. Several coffee tables occupied the space between the doors, and on them there were several flower pots, filled with delicate blue flowers.
The last detail surprised the Vex Queen, since this late in the winter all flowers should have long withered, and he approached to study one more carefully. It was similar to a lily, but its petals were thinner and vaguely translucent, to the point that it looked as if it was made out of ice.
“That's a Snowbloom.” Trakk said, noticing his interest in the plant. “It's a flower that blooms only in winter, and withers as soon as the snow melts. It also somehow makes the air cleaner, so putting some of them in our houses prevents the air from going stale. That's quite convenient during winter, when opening the windows would let the heat out.”
“Interesting.” Marcus commented. “I should definitely pick some for my house as well.”
“There is a whole field of them not far from Goblinia. I'll have someone pick a bouquet for you before you leave.”
“Thanks, but I can go pick them up myself, so don't worry.”
“It’s not a problem. We do send our children to pick them up everytime there is a snowstorm, so there should be a fresh supply of them by tomorrow.”
“Why would you send children out when there is a snowstorm?” Marcus asked, a bit appalled.
“Oh, we’re trying to make them become shamans. Making them face nature at its worst is a good trigger for that transformation.”
“But… won’t they die like that?”
“Some do.” Trakk shrugged. “But it’s worth it to have some more shamans.”
“I see.” Marcus replied, feeling rather appalled despite already knowing of this goblin custom. Putting their young ones in danger to make them evolve was apparently perfectly normal for the humanoids, but for the Vex Queen’s human sensibility this sounded utterly horrible.
Still, he couldn’t really do much about it, as the goblins were legally free to practice their customs in their lands, and besides he hadn’t come here for that.
Instead, he decided to change the subject to a less touchy subject.
“So, since you seem to have a perfectly pragmatic reason for everything, may I ask why you insisted that I come inside of this house?” He asked. “I could have just waited for you at your headquarters and that way you could have avoided that discussion with your underlings.”
“Well, technically those aren’t my underlings.” The General replied. “They’re the Mothers’ guards, and they are outside of my authority for the most part. But anyway, besides just trying to be a good host, I did have a specific reason for wanting you to enter this house.”
“Of course you did.” Marcus thought. “You’re the kind of guy that always has an ulterior motive or two even for going to the toilet.”
“And what would this reason be?” He asked out loud.
“Well, if we are to live in this land and integrate in this kingdom's society, my people will have to get used to strangers, and some of them will have to eventually meet the Mothers.” Trakk explained. “And I'd rather start with you, since you are our closest neighbor and you have proven yourself to be trustworthy. Besides, the fact that you are a female is also good in this situation.”
“That makes sense.” Marcus nodded. “But why is the fact that I'm female relevant though?”
The General gave him an amused smirk.
“You'll see.” He said. “Follow me.”
And he guided his guest down the hallway, until they reached the third door, which he opened for the Vex Queen.
The room Marcus entered was a living room, filled with many big sofas, pillows and the floor almost entirely covered by thick carpets. A stove in a corner sent out a pleasant warmth, and like in the hallway there were several flower pots with Snowblooms in them. The environment was maybe a little cluttered, but undeniably warm and cozy.
However, what drew the Vex Queen's attention the most was not the room itself, but rather its occupants. They were goblins, about a dozen of them, but they were different from the ones he had seen so far. For starters they were bigger than average, and their faces had finer and more delicate traits. They also had a far more shapely and voluptuous structure, and this, coupled with the fact that they wore feminine clothings like gowns and dresses, finally clued Marcus to their identity.
“Are these goblin females?” He asked.
“Yes.” Trakk confirmed. “They are our Mothers.” He turned towards the goblin females, who were frozen and staring at Marcus with wide eyes. “Don't worry ladies. Sir Marcus here is a trusted ally of ours who has come to see me. She won't harm any of you, so feel free to greet her.”
As if a dam had been broken, a literal tidal wave of excited female goblins immediately hit the copy drone, drowning him in a sea of high pitch chattering and no shortage of physical contact.
“Kyaaaa! You're so cute!”
“Why do you have a horn?”
“Your hair is so pretty! I'd eat some of it! Can I?”
“What's that stuff on your arms? Is it armor?”
“Aren't you cold wearing just that tunic?”
“You have a tail! Can I touch it?”
For a few moments, the Vex Queen lost all control over his copy-drone as its sensory inputs were overloaded, and all he could do was to let his spare body be treated like a doll by the goblins. Only after a few seconds he managed to recover enough to speak again, though he still wasn’t able to move since he was piled up upon by at least a dozen goblin girls.
“Uhm… please ladies, could you contain yourselves?” He muttered to no avail, as the Mothers were too excited to really listen to him. “Ladies please!” Marcus turned to the General in search of support. “Trakk! Could you tell them to cut it out?”
“I could, but they wouldn’t listen to me.” The hobgoblin replied with an amused smirk. “I’m afraid that you’ll have to tough it out for now, sir Marcus. They should calm down in a minute anyway.”
“Ass.” He thought bitterly, shooting a venomous glance at the General. “As if I didn’t notice that you’re having fun right now!” He sighed in his real body. “Well, at least I’m not actually here in person. That would have made this even worse!”
Then, all of a sudden, a raspy but authoritative voice spoke, as the sound of a cane hitting the floor echoed in the room.
“Enough! Calm down, you little brats!”
The Mothers immediately froze again, letting the copy-drone go and taking a step away from it, looking like a bunch of children being scolded by their parents. With his field of view now free, Marcus managed to spot the one who had spoken.
It was a visibly ancient goblin female, hunched with age and walking with a cane. Most of her body was covered by gray and black clothes and gowns, draped around her so that only her wrinkly face was visible, and a few pieces of gold jewelry shone over the dark fabric.
The other females parted at her passage, respectfully making way for her. The old goblin ignored them and stopped a few meters away from the drone, studying it for a few seconds before turning towards Trakk with a rather annoyed expression on her face.
“Trakk! Come here!” She ordered.
“Yes, Grand Mother.” The General promptly replied, approaching the wizened goblin.
However, as soon as he got close, the old female moved with surprising swiftness and started hitting the hobgoblin with her cane.
“You brat!” She snarled. “How dare you let a stranger in without telling me first!”
“Ouch!” Trakk cried in pain, trying to block those blows with his arms. “Wait, Great Mother! I can explain! I have a good reason for letting sir Marcus in!”
“I know you do!” The woman said without stopping her assault. “You wouldn't do anything if you don't have at least three good reasons for it!” She paused for a moment, recovering her breath and pointing a bony finger at the General's chest. “However, you have to remember your place! You have free rein to do whatever you deem necessary outside, but this house is under my responsibility, and you'll ask me before doing anything here! Are we clear?”
“Yes, Grand Mother.” Trakk bowed his head with a contrite expression on his face.
“Good!” The old female nodded. “And now, introduce me to our guest.”
“Of course, Grand Mother.” The General said, and he turned towards Marcus. “Sir Marcus, let me introduce you to Grand Mother Grakk, our most esteemed Mother. Grand Mother, this is Sir Marcus Vitali, the Queen of the Vex and our ally.”
“Nice to meet you, ma'am.” Marcus made his drone bow respectfully. Once again, he was glad that he wasn't actually there in person, because otherwise he would have struggled to hide the fact that he was grinning from ear to ear. Watching the usually smug General getting scolded like an unruly child was oddly satisfying for some reason.
“Likewise.” Grakk replied, waving her hand dismissively. She then pointed her finger towards one of the sofas. “Take a seat. I'll have some tea prepared for you.” She turned towards the other goblin females. “And you girls leave the room. We’re going to have a talk here.”
The goblin girls obeyed immediately, moving out of the room, but many of them remained just out of the doors, peeking inside with curiosity while occasionally whispering to each other and giggling. Meanwhile, after a moment of hesitation, Marcus also did what Grakk had told him and sat down on the sofa, while the old woman and Trakk sat in front of him.
“Sooooo...” Marcus said, trying to start a conversation. “May I ask what's the deal with your females? Do you keep all of them locked in here?”
“No one keeps us locked anywhere.” Grakk sneered. “We stay here simply because we choose to. Our duties lie inside of the house, and we have no need to get outside.”
“That's essentially correct.” The General confirmed. “No male goblin, myself included, could force the Mothers to do anything against their will.”
“Weren't you the leader though?” Marcus asked.
“I am.” Trakk replied. “But even so, my authority technically extends only to male goblins. The Mothers are above all males, myself included, in our hierarchy.”
The Vex Queen, in his real body, raised an eyebrow at that revelation, feeling quite puzzled.
“But aren't you the one making all the decisions?” He asked. “I mean, from what you told me you were the one who united the tribes, planned the attack on Brettholz and all that.”
“I am, and I did plan it all myself.” The General confirmed. “But I think you're misunderstanding something. While the rulers are at the top of other races’ societies, that’s not really the case for us goblins. While amongst male goblins I am indeed the ones who stand at the top as their ruler, we consider our females in general to be more important than any male goblin, at least in our societal hierarchy. After all, finding a new leader wouldn’t be difficult, while the Mothers are truly irreplaceable. Their duty is to keep our race alive, and we wouldn't exist without them.”
“And what would that duty be, exactly?” Marcus asked.
“Giving birth to new goblins of course!” Grakk intervened in an annoyed tone. “Are you slow or something? What else could the duty of us females be?”
“Ehr...” Marcus hesitated, unsure whether or not the Grand Mother's last question was rhetorical or not. While it was kind of a given that the biological function of a female was to produce offspring, putting it that way seemed rather indelicate, to say the least.
Noticing his uneasiness —despite his drone's face being completely emotionless— Trakk intervened to fill that awkward silence.
“Indeed, producing offspring is a Mother's main and usually only duty, since we can't afford risking their lives in other pursuits.” He explained. “Unlike most other races, who usually have a roughly equal number of males and females, our Mothers are exceedingly rare. Because of this, the loss of even a single female is a significant blow to our race, which is why we male goblins go out of our way to protect them.” He smiled apologetically. “That's why the guards were so reluctant to let you in. I'm afraid that we can get a bit paranoid whenever the security of our Mothers is concerned.”
“Understood.” Marcus nodded.
That actually made a lot of sense to him. If female goblins were so rare, it was only logical for the male goblins to protect them with their lives. In a way, this was similar to how the Vex themselves behaved, with the drones instinctively protecting their Queen.
From a hidden corner of Marcus’s mind came the thought that a Vex Queen should also ideally behave like the Mothers, staying hidden and protected while popping out new drones all day long, but he quickly suppressed this realization, as it made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
“I have no duty to the Vex as a race.” He thought while grimacing. “I can live however I want! The drones are just a way for me to live more comfortably, and nothing else!”
“Sir Marcus?” Trakk’s voice called him. “Is everything alright?”
The Vex Queen realized that he had stopped moving the copy-drone, and quickly got a hold of himself and resumed the conversation.
“Yeah, sorry. I was just processing what you told me.” He replied. “It was... very enlightening.” He paused for a moment and then said: “Now, if it’s not a problem, I’d like to talk about what brought me here to begin with.”
“Ah, your ogre.” Trakk said. “Sure, we can do that.”
“Ogre? What ogre?” Grakk chimed in, raising an eyebrow. “Didn't you guys kill all of them in that human city with the weird name? Trabal or something.”
“Treval, yes.” The General said, turning towards the crone. “We did kill most of the ogres there. But sir Marcus actually took one of the survivors prisoner.”
“Why?” The old goblin asked. “What does she plan to do with it?”
“I mostly spared it in order to soothe my conscience.” Marcus answered, hoping that the old goblin would leave it at that since he was quite tired of people criticizing his decision, especially since Grakk, like most senior folks, seemed like a pro at criticizing and berating people.
Sadly, that laconic answer seemed to only make the old woman more curious.
“Soothe your conscience? And what does that mean?” The Mother asked, raising her eyebrows even higher. “Is it a way to say that you're going to eat it?”
“No, it means that she would have felt bad killing that ogre.” Trakk corrected her.
Grakk's expression became even more confused.
“Why?” She asked the Vex Queen. “Didn't you kill a lot of other ogres during that battle? What's different about this one?”
“It's complicated.” Marcus said. “Let's just say that I felt better by keeping her alive. And speaking of which...” He turned to Trakk, taking the chance to change the subject before Grakk could really start picking apart his reasons. “Tiny is dying, and I don't know what to do to save her. Do you know anything about the orcs that could help me?”
“Maybe.” Trakk nodded. “I have picked up a few things about orcs while fighting against them.” He made a small smile once again. “Anyway, could you tell me what exactly is wrong with your ogre?”
“Well, for starters she has stopped eating ever since we arrived in Stonebarrow.” The Vex Queen explained. “That's the reason she's dying, by the way. I've tried to give her all sorts of food, from raw meat to cooked meals and even a few live animals, since I've been told that orcs like to eat their prey alive, but she won’t touch anything.”
“That's actually pretty strange.” The General stroked his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face. “As far as I know, orcs naturally have a bottomless appetite, and I've never heard of one intentionally fasting. Can you tell me something else?”
“Well, she usually spends the day huddled in a corner of her prison staring at the walls.” Marcus said. “The only exception is when she screams, which she does for a few hours before going back to stare at the walls in silence. Though she stopped with the screaming as of lately. Now she just stares at the walls all day long.”
“Interesting. I've never heard of an orc or an ogre behaving that way.” A spark of interest shone in Trakk's eyes. “Has she ever tried to escape?”
“No, never.” The Vex Queen made the drone shake its head. “She was a bit more active while we were in Treval, but even then she did nothing more than scream and huddle up in her cage. Back then she ate though.”
“How peculiar.” The general said. “The few orcs we managed to catch alive were always trying to escape, often eating through their cages, and would attack anyone who approached.”
“Wait, you caught orcs alive?” Marcus asked back, feeling a bit confused. The goblins were the last people he would have expected to show any kind of mercy towards the orcs. “Why did you do that?”
“Occasionally.” Trakk replied. “If we thought we needed some more orc-hobs, we'd catch an orc and let it loose on our young ones in order to make them evolve. However, we would usually injure the orc beforehand to slow it down and give our boys a better chance to survive. And that also made killing it afterwards easier.”
“Ah, I see.” The Vex Queen nodded. That ruthless pragmatism was indeed more like the goblins’s MO.
“Anyway, from what you told me, your ogre is acting in a very atypical way for her kind.” The goblin continued. “Do you have any idea about what could have caused this?”
Marcus remained silent for a few seconds, pondering how much he could tell Trakk. On one hand Hoggs and Klara had both advised him to not reveal that he had brainwashed Tiny to anyone, as this fact could be used against him, but on the other it was unlikely that Trakk could help him if he didn't know what exactly had happened to the ogress.
In the end, Marcus decided to tell Trakk what he needed to know. If keeping his secret meant sacrificing a life, then he'd rather deal with the consequences of his powers becoming public knowledge than having blood on his hands —even if said blood belonged to the ogre.
Still, that didn't mean that he would share more than it was strictly needed.
“I think that Tiny's behavior is due to her mind having been changed.” He explained, trying to find the right words. “When she attacked me, she was being controlled by the Blue Terror, who had planted some kind of mental parasite inside of her head. During our fight I managed to rip off that parasite and subdue her using my mental powers, but while doing so I also removed her ability to intentionally harm others. Right now I don't think that she could even want to attack someone, no matter how much she'd like to.”
A stunned silence followed this revelation. Grand Mother Grakk seemed puzzled and confused, while Trakk managed to keep a poker face but still somehow gave the impression of being surprised.
“I see.” The General then said after a few seconds. “Just to be clear, what do you mean by mental parasite? Was it something like a Brain Spider?”
“No, it wasn't a living creature. It wasn't even a physical thing.” Marcus replied. “It was more like a piece of his aura lodged inside of Tiny's subconscious. It forced her to obey the oni's order even against her will.”
“Uh. Interesting.” Trakk mumbled. “I didn't know that the Blue Terror could do something like that.” He narrowed his eyes and studied the Vex Queen with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Marcus waited for the goblin to say anything, but as the seconds passed the General remained silent, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Then, just when the Vex Queen was about to ask him if there was something wrong, he suddenly nodded and then started speaking again.
“In light of what you told me, I think that the mental damage the ogre sustained is the main reason for her current behavior.” He declared.
“Well, no shit Sherlock!” Marcus thought. However, out loud he just said: “Good. And you have any idea about how I could help her?”
“Well, the most direct solution would be to use your mental powers to fix whatever is wrong with her, but I assume that you have a reason for not having done so already.”
“That’s right.” Marcus replied. “I don't know how to do that, and I can’t practice to get better at it either.” In his real body he grimaced, remembering the agony the ogress had suffered as he rummaged in her head. “Actually, I don’t want to go through other people’s minds ever again, if I can help it.”
“I see.” The goblin gave him a sharp glance. “In that case, this solution is not feasible then. So, what would you want to know from me exactly? If you're searching for some kind of medicine or spell to cure the ogre, I'm afraid that I don't have any.”
“No, I’m not searching for things like those.” Marcus made the drone shake its head. “I already spoke with some clerics and sorcerers, and they didn’t have a cure for a loss of will to live. At best they could give me some drugs, but if I’m to keep Tiny permanently drugged then it’d be better to put an end to her suffering right now.” He paused, struggling to find the right words since he didn’t know if they had any concept of psychology and psychotherapy in this world. “Instead, I'd like to have some insights on orc behavior. How their mind works, what their instincts are and so on. I want to find a way to reassure her and cheer her up, and make her want to live again.”
“That sounds like a huge bother.” Grakk suddenly grumbled. “I can't see why you are going through so much trouble to keep an ogre alive. It’s not worth the effort, I say.”
“Maybe, Grand Mother, maybe.” Trakk said in a respectful tone. “However, it’s not our place to judge what sir Marcus does in her lands, no matter how strange or silly it may seem to us. And as good neighbors, we should actually provide her with all the help we can in her endeavors.” He then turned to Marcus. “I think I understand your request. You want to know a way to appeal to Tiny’s instincts in order to make her willing to live again, right?”
“Yes.” The Vex Queen confirmed. “That’s it.”
“Good.” The General nodded. “In that case, I may know a way. It's just a theory mind you, since I have never tried to actually help an orc before, but it should have an acceptable chance of working.”
“Do tell.” Marcus urge him.
“Very well.” Trakk started to explain. “As you may know, the orc race instinctively values strength above everything else. For them, might makes right, and the only way the weaker members of their kind have to survive is to make themselves subservient to some strong master. A weak orc with no strong patron to look after it is as good as dead. You follow me so far?”
“Yes.” The Vex Queen said.
“Good, because this is the crutch of the matter. Orcs measure their strength mostly through fighting, and according to what you said, your ogre has lost the capacity to intentionally harm others. This means that she would be considered extremely weak by now, something that is bound to affect her, especially since she used to be one of the strongest members of her race. Moreover, since she is isolated from the rest of her race, she can’t even serve another orc in exchange for protection.”
“Oh.” Marcus exclaimed, as he was beginning to understand the point Trakk was making. “So you mean that since she's a weakling with no master, she doesn't see herself as worthy to live?”
“Exactly.” Trakk confirmed. “That's my theory at least. The fact that she’s kept prisoner probably doesn’t help either, since for the orcs prisoners are just food that is kept for later.”
“I see.” The Vex Queen replied. “I think you may be right. But then how do I help her? I mean, I can't restore her mind to make her strong again, and I don’t have any other orc that could become her master. I can’t even let her go, because she’d be killed quickly in the forest since she can’t defend herself.”
“Well, you could become her new master then.” The General suggested.
“What?” Marcus said, taken by surprise. “What do you mean?”
“As I said, orcs value strength and power, and you have certainly shown your worth in those areas during the battle against the oni.” Trakk explained. “This means that if you were to become her protector, she’d feel safe enough to keep on living.”
The Vex Queen considered that proposal for a moment, before making his copy-drone shake its head.
“This idea seems sound, but there is a small problem with it.” He replied. “I already tried to offer her my protection and it didn't work. She didn't even listen to me.”
“Ah, but how did you behave when you did so?” Trakk asked. “Were you gentle? Trying not to startle her?”
“Well, yes of course.”
“Then that's why she didn't listen to you.” The General said. “There is no room for gentleness between orcs when they are establishing their hierarchy. In fact, it would be seen as a sign of weakness. What you need to do instead is to establish your dominance. Make her fear and respect you, so that she would submit to you.”
In his real body, Marcus grimaced. The whole process that the goblin had described reminded him of how animals were trained, and the idea of using such a method of subjugation on a sapient being made him feel rather uncomfortable. However, judging from the info he had gotten from reading Tiny's memories, he could tell that Trakk was probably right, and besides he wasn't really spoiled for choice right now.
“I see.” He finally said, feeling a tad resigned. “And do you have any suggestions on how I could do that? I mean, I’m not really that strong myself.” He made the drone point at its rather thin arms. “So, do I make my drones pin her down or something else?”
“If you want the ogre to submit to you, I think you should actually subdue her in person.” Trakk immediately replied. “And you have already personally beaten her before, using your mental powers. So I think that you should do that again.”
“Wait!” The Vex Queen protested. “I can't do that again! Its…” He paused, trying to come up with an excuse. “I mean, I could, but it’d be far too cruel. She is utterly terrified of me right now. She goes ballistic whenever I get close enough for her to feel my presence.”
“That's perfect!” The General said enthusiastically. “If she is really that afraid of you, you shouldn't have too much trouble making her submit. You just have to keep pushing her until that point.”
Marcus gave the goblin a level stare.
“Isn't that torture?” He asked, intentionally letting a hint of coldness show through the copy-drone demeanor, but even if Trakk noticed that he decided to ignore it.
“Maybe.” The goblin shrugged. “But if it bothers you then you can think of it as a medical operation instead. After all, any suffering you’re going to inflict on the ogre is for her own benefit. It’s no different than a surgery in that regard.”
The Vex Queen remained silent for a few seconds, trying to process what the goblin had told him. He was still pondering when a female goblin suddenly entered the room, carrying a tray with her.
“Tea is ready, Grand Mother.” The female humanoid announced.
“Thank you, dear.” The old goblin replied. “Leave it on the table, please. I'll take it from here.”
The goblin girl did as she was instructed and then bowed slightly and marched out of the room, while Grakk started pouring hot tea in three old, chipped cups.
“Do you want any sugar in your tea, Sir Marcus?” She asked.
“No thanks.” The Vex Queen replied as politely as possible.
The Mother handed a steaming hot cup of tea to Marcus, who proceeded to make his copy-drone sip it. As expected, the taste was just a faint echo of what he felt when he ate or drank in his real body, but the hot beverage still pleasantly warmed him up, making the drone feel a little better. As a result, the Vex Queen also started to relax a little.
After Grakk and Trakk had also drank their tea, Marcus finally resumed the conversation.
“I don't really like your idea.” He announced. “But I can't see any alternatives, so I guess I'll try it out.”
“Good.” The General nodded. “Let me know what the results will be then. I admit I have gotten curious about how this story will end now.”
“No problem.” The Vex Queen conceded. “But I think I'll do that tomorrow. Right now I don't feel mentally prepared to do… what you said should be done.”
“As you wish.” Trakk replied. “May I ask what are your plans for the night then?”
“I'll just have a bath, dinner and then go to sleep. Nothing really fancy.” Marcus made his drone shrug. “It's not as if I have anything better to do in Stonebarrow right now.”
“Good to know.” The General said, smiling slightly. “What about your body double here then? What are you going to do with it?”
“Oh, this one?” The Vex Queen made the drone point at itself. “I dunno... if you want updates on the ogre, I can leave it here in Goblinia. Just put it in a corner somewhere in your headquarters where it won't get in the way.”
“That won't do.” Trakk said in an adamant tone “You are our guest, sir Marcus, and we can't just shove you in a corner like an object.”
“Well, I'm not really here, remember?” Marcus replied. “This body is barely anything more than a puppet I'm using to talk with you. It's not really worth it to treat it like a real person.”
“That may be true.” The goblin insisted. “But still I'd like for you to indulge me. After all, we barely get any visitors, and we could use this occasion to practice our hospitality.”
“Well, if you put it like that...” The Vex Queen said. “I guess there is no harm in letting you pamper this drone, even if it's not necessary.”
“Excellent!” Trakk said. “I'll arrange for you to have a room immediately.” He turned towards Grakk. “Grand Mother, if it's not a bother, could you let sir Marcus stay in your house for the night?”
“It's fine.” The female goblin replied. “We do have a few spare rooms. Most of the young Mothers do prefer to sleep together, after all.”
“Hey, wait a moment.” Marcus intervened. “You don't have to keep me here. I could stay at your headquarters or somewhere else in town.”
“I'm afraid that we don't have room to spare anywhere else in Goblinia.” Trakk replied, shaking his head. “Or at least, not rooms that are fitting for an important visitor such as yourself. And the other Mothers would surely rejoice the occasion to spend some time with you! Besides, I'm going to spend the night here as well.” A very wide, sardonic grin appeared on his face. “I still have to finish the business I left unfinished because of your visit, after all.”
“I’m sorry about that delay then.” Marcus said. “Out of curiosity, what kind of business was that, if I may ask?”
The goblin's grin widened as he adjusted a fold of his bathrobe.
“You could say that I was making sure that we have a new generation of goblins soon.” He said.
“Wait... do you mean that you were...” He stopped talking, feeling incredibly awkward as he shifted his gaze between the Mothers and Trakk.
“Yes.” The General confirmed, as his smile grew even wider. “As the leader of our tribes, I am amongst the few who are deemed worthy to pass on our blood to the next generation, though tonight I’m not the only one. Lots of goblins who have distinguished themselves in the battle of Treval are going to be rewarded the same way these days.”
“I see.” Marcus said automatically while furiously trying to repress his graphic imagination.
“Yeah, and speaking of which, you should get back to work!” Grakk suddenly said, pointing her cane at the General. “You left Togga and Shagga hanging, you know. That was terribly rude.”
“I'm sorry Grand Mother.” Trakk said, making a contrite expression. “But I'm sure you see my reasons for doing so.”
“I do, but that still doesn't excuse your behavior.” The old female grunted. “If anyone else had done something like that, I'd have them ruled out of the breeding program until they learned some manners. But sadly, your cunning is too valuable a trait to risk our future generation losing it.”
“Well, hooray for my big ol' head then!” The goblin replied with a mischievous smile. “Especially since it allows me to use other parts of my body!” He got up. “Now if you excuse me ladies, but I have some other ladies that await me.”
And with these words, he walked out of the room, leaving Grakk and Marcus alone with each other.
“I'll have one of the girls take you to your room, sir Marcus.” The old female goblin said, slowly getting up herself. “I'd like to talk more with you, but I'm afraid that I also have things to do.” She sighed. “As Trakk said, it's going to be a busy night. Several young Mothers are going to have their first experience tonight, and I have to supervise them and make sure that things are done properly.”
“Ehm... it's fine.” Marcus said, feeling his embarrassment rise to a level that he didn’t think possible. “You go do your stuff. I'll just go to my room and rest a bit, if it’s not a problem.”
“Not at all.” The Grand Mother said. “After all, coming here through the snow with only those clothes, I’m surprised you’re not dead.” She got up slowly and carefully, leaning heavily on her cane. “Ow my back!” She moaned. “It always hurts when it snows.”
“Do you need help?” The Vex Queen asked, also getting up from the sofa.
“No, don’t worry.” The old goblin woman replied. “I only have trouble getting up, and I can go by myself from here.” She smirked and winked at Marcus. “I’m still as fit as a fiddle for my age. I’d like to see anyone else working as much as me in their hundred and sixties!”
“Wait, one hundred and sixty?” Marcus asked, completely taken by surprise. “Are you really that old?”
“One hundred and sixty two, to be precise.” Grakk massaged her back and sighed. “And I stopped being on active breeding duty only thirty years ago. It feels like yesterday.” A longing expression appeared on the wrinkled face. “I still miss it sometimes. The embrace of a strong male… ah, to be young again.” She shook her head. “But enough of those memories. I’ve got too much work to do, sadly. We can talk tomorrow, if you want.”
“Sure.” Marcus said. Internally, though, he seriously hoped that the old goblin wouldn’t speak of her sexual escapades ever again.
Grakk then guided the Vex Queen out of the room, and left him with the goblin girl who had served the tea, instructing her to lead him to his room before walking away.
The girl immediately started leading Marcus deeper inside of the house, up some stairs and through some corridors, all similar to the one he had seen before. Occasionally, some rather loud noises, like moans and rhythmic thumpings, could be heard from the doors they passed, and everytime the Vex Queen felt a surge of blood rushing to his cheeks in his real body.
“C'mon Marcus!” He told himself. “You're not a virgin teenager anymore! You're an adult man with plenty of experience! There is no need to be embarrassed!”
But still, he couldn't shake this awkward feeling from him, and when he finally entered his lodging —a small but comfortable room on the second floor— he immediately locked himself in, not wishing for any more interactions for that day. After all he needed to prepare for facing Tiny the following day, and he couldn’t afford to get upset or distracted.
Still, much to his chagrin, he couldn’t help but to feel very awkward for the rest of the evening.
Comments
Nilbog
Feed me, Seymour
ZCochraine!%
A longs and interesting chapter and conversation.
