| Fantasy Fiction posted November 8, 2022 | Chapters: |
...9 10 -11- 12... 
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Tuggle City falls.
A chapter in the book Lords Of The Glen
Death of a King
by Douglas Goff
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
| Background In the last chapter High King Tronin met with the kings of the Lower Glen and gave them orders to prepare for war. |
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Fighting continued all along the Upper Glen. Lord Partom swung his sword hard, chopping the goblin in half that was hovering over him. He then sprung to his feet and cut down a second goblin.
The man grimaced when he caught site of his yule lying dead with several spears sticking out of its side. The animal was his favorite mount and had been a great companion.
Lord Partom glanced about and knew that his patrol was in trouble. The goblin attack had caught them by surprise, killing three of his men instantly. The remaining men had attempted to fall back, but had run into a wall of goblin archers who had been waiting for their retreat. It was a well-planned ambush.
Lord Partom could see his four archers to his rear. Two lay on the ground dead, while two were still astride their yules, firing arrows into the advancing wall of goblin archers. Just in front of him, he could see the muscular Lord Stucky, dismounted and engaged in combat with several goblins. Nearby, both of his captains lay dead, along with Lord Grisom.
Partom caught sight of Lord Kilt riding by. For a second, he thought the man was alive, until he realized that he was dead in his saddle with four arrows stuck in his chest. Goblin archers were still shooting at the deceased lord.
Thud, the sound of a goblin arrow rang out when it struck the red dragon emblem in the middle of Lord Partom's brown shield. This caught the squad leader's attention, and he started moving towards Lord Stucky when an arrow struck him in the upper thigh, knocking him down.
Three goblins with swords rushed at the wounded leader. Lord Partom swung at the first, opening its middle, and then he thrust his sword into the belly of the second goblin. The creature fell, its belly jerking Partom's sword from his grasp.
The third goblin charged in, raising its sword. The fallen lord raised his arms in a futile attempt to block the death blow. At the last moment, a spear head popped through the goblin's chest, spraying thick green goblin blood all over Lord Partom.
The wounded goblin gazed down at the spear head with a look of utter confusion on its face, and then fell over dead. Partom was equally confused, while he looked about for who had saved him.
A large black gorilla on horseback thundered by, leaning over and ripping the spear from the dead goblin, as he passed. The gorilla let out a howl and charged into another goblin, his horse trampling it to death.
Lord Partom managed to rise as several more apes raced by on horseback, slaying every goblin unfortunate enough to be in their path. Another group of apes were spearing the archers that had been picking off his men.
Three more ape men dismounted and began slaying the goblins that had been fighting Lord Stucky. The big man was nearly as muscular as his ape rescuers.
A large black silverback gorilla rode up and dismounted his horse with an ease that seemed impossible for his size. The gorilla removed his leather helmet and let out a low grunt, wiping sweat from his hairy brow.
Lord Partom recognized him as Togris, one of the Raider Patrol leaders.
"Look like man needed ape help with the big bellied green men," Togris grunted out, still breathing heavily from the exertion of combat.
"Skin Peelers," Partom responded, kicking the head of one of the nearest dead goblins to expose the forehead tattoos.
Several more apes rode up and dismounted. They had a ghastly array of goblin heads hanging from their saddles. It looked like they had collected all seven tribes. A large black gorilla and a caramel colored one approached the pair.
"I am Togris and they are Tuc and Tobin," the silverback made introductions. "We are the leaders of the Raider Patrols."
"I am Lord Partom, one of King Darian's squad leaders. I thank you for your help," Lord Partom said honestly, having never been so happy to see ape men in his life.
Lord Stucky walked up with the surviving two archers and a wounded warrior, saying, "Thanks, we were done for! But wait, I only see three Raider Patrols here. Where is your fourth?"
"Green mens ambush killed Tig and his raiders. We must return to Tuggle City and tell King Gorin of this bad news," Tuc, the caramel-colored gorilla said.
"Things are bad with the green mens running everywhere in the Upper Glen," Togris said. "Maybe ape and man needs to work together."
"We men won't forget your help Togris. You saved our lives. If you need us, we'll be camped in the large field just below the pass to Frontier Fortress. If you ever need us, we'll help you." Lord Partom promised, meaning it, and he was well known for keeping his word.
"Thank you, man Partom. Now ape raiders ride for Tuggle City. We are days away and these lands crawl with green filth. I must warn King Gorin that the danger is great," Togris said, ending the conversation.
Partom began cleaning the green blood from his clean-shaven face and bald head. He was only thirty-five, but the rugged life on the Upper Glen made him look more like forty-five. Once the goblin bodies were burning, the apes and men parted ways.
At the same time, farther to the south, chants of "Kill the monkey men!" filled the air. They were followed by the loud pounding of goblin drums, preceded the final assault on the three remaining gorilla huts in Tuggle City.
The attacks against the stable, the meeting hut, and Gorin's lair were launched simultaneously with about a hundred goblins charging into each structure.
The large meeting hut fell first. The dark-black gorilla Tero, and his apes, formed a circle around the females and their young. The first row of goblins died quickly, but the second and third rows soon overwhelmed the apes, killing several and wounding the rest.
Fifteen goblins lay dead at Tero's feet, with the strong dark black gorilla having killed them with his bare hands. Finally, he was the last fighter standing, before he took a spear though his large heart, killing him.
The victorious goblins spent an hour netted the hostile females and their young, dragging them out of the hut and into a new life as goblin slaves. A few of the more aggressive ones had been killed.
Tintock, the tough old silverback leading the stable apes, had more success. The stable was approximately a hundred and twenty feet long and twenty feet wide. It had one entrance, a five-foot wide doorway.
There was a loft, the width of the stable, extending twenty feet out from the rear of the hut. Tintock had placed about half of his warriors in the loft with long spears.
His remaining fifteen warriors were positioned in the stalls under the loft. That meant that the goblins had to cross about a hundred feet of open ground in order to engage the gorillas.
After they entered, fifty Bloody Thrashers remained near the entrance firing arrows, while the remaining fifty goblins rushed towards the gorillas. The green foe was packed in tight groups of eight to ten, while they rushed across the open ground. The air rapidly filled with spears and screams.
Half of the enemy had fallen before they reached the apes below the loft. A quick melee ensued under the loft, but the twenty-five or so goblins were no match for the fifteen ape men.
Tintock killed six goblins himself. The rest were killed at the cost of four ape warriors. Only one ape from the loft had died, slain by a lucky goblin arrow through the ear.
A few moments of quiet passed, before smoke began to pour into the stable. The goblins had set fire to the roof, and it didn't take long for large billows of smoke to fill the hut.
Tintock could no longer see more than a foot in front of him, but he could hear the chitters of the advancing goblins, just ahead of him in the smoke. They were coming in fast.
Tintock heard a goblin chittering directly in front of him and rushed forward, grabbing the Bloody Thrasher by its red mohawk, lifting it off its feet. The big ape speared the goblin through the middle and tossed it aside.
Another he hadn't seen, sprung forward, plunging a small and jagged knife into the old silverback's upper thigh. Tintock brought his fist down on the creature's head, killing it.
He freed a spear from a goblin corpse at his feet and spun around, just as another goblin rushed at him swinging a sword. Tintock easily blocked the goblin's attack and speared the beast in its back when it rushed by. The goblin fell dead, breaking Tintock's spear in half when it went down.
Tintock pulled his broken spear free and flung it at the next dark shadow charging at him. The broken spear struck the new threat, a large yorg, in the throat. The goblin leader fell at Tintock's feet, kicking about and gurgling green blood.
Tintock felt a sharp pain in his back. He looked down, just in time to see a spear head pop through his chest, ripping and splattering his leather armor with his own red blood.
A goblin had skewered him from behind. Tintock reached down and grasped the protruding spear shaft below the flat steel head. He broke the spear head off, and swung about, staggering a bit.
The goblin that had speared him rushed in with a knife. Tintock struck hard with the spearhead in his hand, nailing the attacking goblin in its left eye. The creature let out a shriek and ran off into the smoke, the spearhead protruding from its eye socket.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, the familiar sound filled the stable, causing Tintock to instinctively crouch low. The arrows flew in all around him, three of them striking him in the left shoulder, knocking him to his knees.
Two goblins immediately ran out of the smoke, thrusting their spears forward. Tintock managed to grab one of the spears, ripping it from the charging goblin. He quickly spun it around, his years of spear training paying off, and shoved it into the attacking creature's chest.
The second goblin's spear rammed deep into Tintock's stomach, causing blood to trickle from the old warrior's mouth. Tintock grasped the spear protruding from his stomach and pushed the shaft with all of his strength.
This had the dual effect of sending the weapon through his body and pulling the goblin at the end of it towards him. Tintock let out a loud growl and head butted the green foe, which sent it sprawling into a nearby corner with a crushed skull.
The old silverback let out a long sigh and fell onto his back, blood pouring from his many wounds. He could hear the sounds of battle all around him in the smoke, and up above in the loft.
He knew the stable was lost, but they had taken a lot of goblins with them. Tintock made one last effort to rise, but could not. The silverback let out one last sigh, while his blood pooled in the dirt around him, and his life dwindled away.
Meanwhile, in the king's lair, Gorin sat on his throne. His blood shot eyes darted about, while blood ran from a deep cut on his chest. The attack on his lair had been fierce, evident by the dozens of Bloody Thrashers lying dead at the mighty Gorilla King's big black feet.
Gorin sat still for a moment, enjoying the adrenaline rush brought on by the victory, but it had been costly. Goth and Geezbo, his two personal guards, lay dead among the goblins, along with more than twenty apes.
The remaining twelve warriors that could still stand were all wounded. King Gorin had heard the goblin cheers rising from the stable and the meeting hut, signaling that both had fallen.
Gorin rose to his feet and let out a fierce growl, "If this be ape last stand, then make the green mens pay!"
The remaining apes began howling and beating their chests, working themselves into a fervor. The noise brought on a second wave of goblins. They poured through the entryway, trampling the fallen cowhide covering into the dirt.
The gorilla king let out a loud howl and rushed forward, slamming his huge body into the group of advancing goblins, sending them scattering in fear. Gorin let out a ferocious growl and continued his attack.
Gorin reared back and launched one of his long spears towards the entrance of the hut with all of his strength. The weapon speared through three goblins, sticking them all to the wall of the hut with a loud thud.
Gorin then grabbed two of the nearest goblins and crushed their heads together, dropping their limp bodies to the floor. King Gorin was oblivious to the battle that raged about him, as he killed goblin after goblin.
He was knee deep in goblin corpses when the sounds of battle ended, with only a few lucky goblins managing to scamper from the hut, including one that Gorin had just ripped the arms off.
Gorin looked about the carnage, seeing about a hundred and fifty dead Bloody Thrashers scattered about. The gorilla king realized that he was alone, with not one of his apes having survived. No matter, he would kill them all himself.
"Death, death, death," the goblins outside the hut began chanting in a low, unified voice. "Death, death, death."
Gorin felt the first small tingle of fear in his stomach when a small dark cloaked figure entered the room. A bank of knee-high black fog entered with him, swarming over the bodies that covered the floor, dimming the well-lit room.
"I'm here to kill you Gorin Monkey King!" the dark figure said in a firm voice, and reaching up, pulled the hood off his head.
The dark figure was a bald, middle-aged human male, with eyes as black as midnight. Gorin could see black veins running under the man's pale scalp.
"No man can kill Gorin the Gorilla King!" the big aped growled, nervous from the man's piecing black eyes that stared at him, unflinching.
"I am no mere human. I am Daggart the Dark!" the man said in the same monotone voice.
Gorin hesitated for a moment, fighting his instincts to attack the magic user. Then he charged forward, but the human quickly waved his right hand. A black ray emanated from the wizard's palm and struck Gorin's chest.
The beam knocked him back into his own throne. The gorilla's massive weight crushed the throne and sent both him and his seat tumbling to the dirt floor with a loud crash.
The giant gorilla responded by grabbing a nearby spear and launched it at the wizard. Daggart simply waved his left hand, turning the spear into a fine dust that settled on his black cloak.
At the same time, he launched another black ray from his right hand which struck the gorilla in the chest again, throwing him across the room into the rear wall of the hut. The gorilla was hurt.
Gorin felt a sharp pain in his chest, and was sure that some of his ribs were broken. He ignored the pain and grabbed part of the broken throne and rushed forward, using it as a shield. A powerful blast knocked it from his hands.
At a speed uncanny for his immense size, Gorin rolled to the floor, causing another of the black bolts to miss him and blow a hole in the rear wall of the hut. The gorilla king rolled back to his feet and came up right in front of the black wizard, swinging his massive fists.
"Whoosh," Daggart whispered and when Gorin's fists made contact the wizard burst into black smoke.
Gorin staggered back, stumbling over a goblin body that was hidden by the black smoke swirling about his feet. He sensed the wizard behind him, but it was too late. He spun about, just in time to see a metallic black mirrored ball about the size of an apple, strike the floor between his feet.
An explosion sent Gorin flying, tossing the gorilla like a rag doll, sending him head over heels until he finally landed in a heap on the floor. The gorilla shook his head, trying without success to clear the ringing in his ears, but his blurry vision did gradually come back into focus.
Gorin tried to rise, managing only to get to his knees. The explosion had broken both of his legs, just above his feet, causing intense pain to shoot throughout the lower half of his body.
Gorin looked over at the wizard, who seemed to be enjoying himself. Daggart stood with a smirk on his face. He was tossing another of the black mirrored balls, back and forth, from hand to hand.
"Your city is finished monkey king," Daggart said in his firm, matter-of-fact voice.
A spear flashed through the air, catching the wizard by surprise. Gorin had picked it up from the floor, his movement hidden by the swirling black fog. He had thrown it with a speed that had caught Daggart off guard.
The black wizard had been lucky that Gorin's aim was affected by his many wounds. The spear pierced the wizard's black cloak just under his right arm, barely missing flesh.
The dark wizard responded by throwing the mirrored ball at Gorin, hitting him just below the neck. The explosion sent Gorin the Gorilla King's head bouncing across the room.
Daggart stared at the headless gorilla body. Well, it's a start he thought. He had been in a foul mood since his well-planned ambush had failed to kill the yule king. No matter. This made him feel much better.
Daggart the Dark turned and walked from the gloomy hut, where several goblins were crouching, waiting for him to reach a safe distance. After he passed by, they scampered inside.
A short time later, King Porg of the Bloody Thrasher Tribe began parading Gorin's head on a pole through the streets of Tuggle City. The surviving goblin warriors responded with cheers and hoots when the large, battered gorilla head, locked in a death snarl passed by them.
These sounds were soon drowned out by the boo gah drums of a large goblin army approaching. Several thousand goblins of the Skull Crusher Tribe came into view and began marching by, heading towards the Frontier Fortress at Kaylor.
King Porg smiled, knowing that the next head they took would be that of a man king.
The man grimaced when he caught site of his yule lying dead with several spears sticking out of its side. The animal was his favorite mount and had been a great companion.
Lord Partom glanced about and knew that his patrol was in trouble. The goblin attack had caught them by surprise, killing three of his men instantly. The remaining men had attempted to fall back, but had run into a wall of goblin archers who had been waiting for their retreat. It was a well-planned ambush.
Lord Partom could see his four archers to his rear. Two lay on the ground dead, while two were still astride their yules, firing arrows into the advancing wall of goblin archers. Just in front of him, he could see the muscular Lord Stucky, dismounted and engaged in combat with several goblins. Nearby, both of his captains lay dead, along with Lord Grisom.
Partom caught sight of Lord Kilt riding by. For a second, he thought the man was alive, until he realized that he was dead in his saddle with four arrows stuck in his chest. Goblin archers were still shooting at the deceased lord.
Thud, the sound of a goblin arrow rang out when it struck the red dragon emblem in the middle of Lord Partom's brown shield. This caught the squad leader's attention, and he started moving towards Lord Stucky when an arrow struck him in the upper thigh, knocking him down.
Three goblins with swords rushed at the wounded leader. Lord Partom swung at the first, opening its middle, and then he thrust his sword into the belly of the second goblin. The creature fell, its belly jerking Partom's sword from his grasp.
The third goblin charged in, raising its sword. The fallen lord raised his arms in a futile attempt to block the death blow. At the last moment, a spear head popped through the goblin's chest, spraying thick green goblin blood all over Lord Partom.
The wounded goblin gazed down at the spear head with a look of utter confusion on its face, and then fell over dead. Partom was equally confused, while he looked about for who had saved him.
A large black gorilla on horseback thundered by, leaning over and ripping the spear from the dead goblin, as he passed. The gorilla let out a howl and charged into another goblin, his horse trampling it to death.
Lord Partom managed to rise as several more apes raced by on horseback, slaying every goblin unfortunate enough to be in their path. Another group of apes were spearing the archers that had been picking off his men.
Three more ape men dismounted and began slaying the goblins that had been fighting Lord Stucky. The big man was nearly as muscular as his ape rescuers.
A large black silverback gorilla rode up and dismounted his horse with an ease that seemed impossible for his size. The gorilla removed his leather helmet and let out a low grunt, wiping sweat from his hairy brow.
Lord Partom recognized him as Togris, one of the Raider Patrol leaders.
"Look like man needed ape help with the big bellied green men," Togris grunted out, still breathing heavily from the exertion of combat.
"Skin Peelers," Partom responded, kicking the head of one of the nearest dead goblins to expose the forehead tattoos.
Several more apes rode up and dismounted. They had a ghastly array of goblin heads hanging from their saddles. It looked like they had collected all seven tribes. A large black gorilla and a caramel colored one approached the pair.
"I am Togris and they are Tuc and Tobin," the silverback made introductions. "We are the leaders of the Raider Patrols."
"I am Lord Partom, one of King Darian's squad leaders. I thank you for your help," Lord Partom said honestly, having never been so happy to see ape men in his life.
Lord Stucky walked up with the surviving two archers and a wounded warrior, saying, "Thanks, we were done for! But wait, I only see three Raider Patrols here. Where is your fourth?"
"Green mens ambush killed Tig and his raiders. We must return to Tuggle City and tell King Gorin of this bad news," Tuc, the caramel-colored gorilla said.
"Things are bad with the green mens running everywhere in the Upper Glen," Togris said. "Maybe ape and man needs to work together."
"We men won't forget your help Togris. You saved our lives. If you need us, we'll be camped in the large field just below the pass to Frontier Fortress. If you ever need us, we'll help you." Lord Partom promised, meaning it, and he was well known for keeping his word.
"Thank you, man Partom. Now ape raiders ride for Tuggle City. We are days away and these lands crawl with green filth. I must warn King Gorin that the danger is great," Togris said, ending the conversation.
Partom began cleaning the green blood from his clean-shaven face and bald head. He was only thirty-five, but the rugged life on the Upper Glen made him look more like forty-five. Once the goblin bodies were burning, the apes and men parted ways.
At the same time, farther to the south, chants of "Kill the monkey men!" filled the air. They were followed by the loud pounding of goblin drums, preceded the final assault on the three remaining gorilla huts in Tuggle City.
The attacks against the stable, the meeting hut, and Gorin's lair were launched simultaneously with about a hundred goblins charging into each structure.
The large meeting hut fell first. The dark-black gorilla Tero, and his apes, formed a circle around the females and their young. The first row of goblins died quickly, but the second and third rows soon overwhelmed the apes, killing several and wounding the rest.
Fifteen goblins lay dead at Tero's feet, with the strong dark black gorilla having killed them with his bare hands. Finally, he was the last fighter standing, before he took a spear though his large heart, killing him.
The victorious goblins spent an hour netted the hostile females and their young, dragging them out of the hut and into a new life as goblin slaves. A few of the more aggressive ones had been killed.
Tintock, the tough old silverback leading the stable apes, had more success. The stable was approximately a hundred and twenty feet long and twenty feet wide. It had one entrance, a five-foot wide doorway.
There was a loft, the width of the stable, extending twenty feet out from the rear of the hut. Tintock had placed about half of his warriors in the loft with long spears.
His remaining fifteen warriors were positioned in the stalls under the loft. That meant that the goblins had to cross about a hundred feet of open ground in order to engage the gorillas.
After they entered, fifty Bloody Thrashers remained near the entrance firing arrows, while the remaining fifty goblins rushed towards the gorillas. The green foe was packed in tight groups of eight to ten, while they rushed across the open ground. The air rapidly filled with spears and screams.
Half of the enemy had fallen before they reached the apes below the loft. A quick melee ensued under the loft, but the twenty-five or so goblins were no match for the fifteen ape men.
Tintock killed six goblins himself. The rest were killed at the cost of four ape warriors. Only one ape from the loft had died, slain by a lucky goblin arrow through the ear.
A few moments of quiet passed, before smoke began to pour into the stable. The goblins had set fire to the roof, and it didn't take long for large billows of smoke to fill the hut.
Tintock could no longer see more than a foot in front of him, but he could hear the chitters of the advancing goblins, just ahead of him in the smoke. They were coming in fast.
Tintock heard a goblin chittering directly in front of him and rushed forward, grabbing the Bloody Thrasher by its red mohawk, lifting it off its feet. The big ape speared the goblin through the middle and tossed it aside.
Another he hadn't seen, sprung forward, plunging a small and jagged knife into the old silverback's upper thigh. Tintock brought his fist down on the creature's head, killing it.
He freed a spear from a goblin corpse at his feet and spun around, just as another goblin rushed at him swinging a sword. Tintock easily blocked the goblin's attack and speared the beast in its back when it rushed by. The goblin fell dead, breaking Tintock's spear in half when it went down.
Tintock pulled his broken spear free and flung it at the next dark shadow charging at him. The broken spear struck the new threat, a large yorg, in the throat. The goblin leader fell at Tintock's feet, kicking about and gurgling green blood.
Tintock felt a sharp pain in his back. He looked down, just in time to see a spear head pop through his chest, ripping and splattering his leather armor with his own red blood.
A goblin had skewered him from behind. Tintock reached down and grasped the protruding spear shaft below the flat steel head. He broke the spear head off, and swung about, staggering a bit.
The goblin that had speared him rushed in with a knife. Tintock struck hard with the spearhead in his hand, nailing the attacking goblin in its left eye. The creature let out a shriek and ran off into the smoke, the spearhead protruding from its eye socket.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, the familiar sound filled the stable, causing Tintock to instinctively crouch low. The arrows flew in all around him, three of them striking him in the left shoulder, knocking him to his knees.
Two goblins immediately ran out of the smoke, thrusting their spears forward. Tintock managed to grab one of the spears, ripping it from the charging goblin. He quickly spun it around, his years of spear training paying off, and shoved it into the attacking creature's chest.
The second goblin's spear rammed deep into Tintock's stomach, causing blood to trickle from the old warrior's mouth. Tintock grasped the spear protruding from his stomach and pushed the shaft with all of his strength.
This had the dual effect of sending the weapon through his body and pulling the goblin at the end of it towards him. Tintock let out a loud growl and head butted the green foe, which sent it sprawling into a nearby corner with a crushed skull.
The old silverback let out a long sigh and fell onto his back, blood pouring from his many wounds. He could hear the sounds of battle all around him in the smoke, and up above in the loft.
He knew the stable was lost, but they had taken a lot of goblins with them. Tintock made one last effort to rise, but could not. The silverback let out one last sigh, while his blood pooled in the dirt around him, and his life dwindled away.
Meanwhile, in the king's lair, Gorin sat on his throne. His blood shot eyes darted about, while blood ran from a deep cut on his chest. The attack on his lair had been fierce, evident by the dozens of Bloody Thrashers lying dead at the mighty Gorilla King's big black feet.
Gorin sat still for a moment, enjoying the adrenaline rush brought on by the victory, but it had been costly. Goth and Geezbo, his two personal guards, lay dead among the goblins, along with more than twenty apes.
The remaining twelve warriors that could still stand were all wounded. King Gorin had heard the goblin cheers rising from the stable and the meeting hut, signaling that both had fallen.
Gorin rose to his feet and let out a fierce growl, "If this be ape last stand, then make the green mens pay!"
The remaining apes began howling and beating their chests, working themselves into a fervor. The noise brought on a second wave of goblins. They poured through the entryway, trampling the fallen cowhide covering into the dirt.
The gorilla king let out a loud howl and rushed forward, slamming his huge body into the group of advancing goblins, sending them scattering in fear. Gorin let out a ferocious growl and continued his attack.
Gorin reared back and launched one of his long spears towards the entrance of the hut with all of his strength. The weapon speared through three goblins, sticking them all to the wall of the hut with a loud thud.
Gorin then grabbed two of the nearest goblins and crushed their heads together, dropping their limp bodies to the floor. King Gorin was oblivious to the battle that raged about him, as he killed goblin after goblin.
He was knee deep in goblin corpses when the sounds of battle ended, with only a few lucky goblins managing to scamper from the hut, including one that Gorin had just ripped the arms off.
Gorin looked about the carnage, seeing about a hundred and fifty dead Bloody Thrashers scattered about. The gorilla king realized that he was alone, with not one of his apes having survived. No matter, he would kill them all himself.
"Death, death, death," the goblins outside the hut began chanting in a low, unified voice. "Death, death, death."
Gorin felt the first small tingle of fear in his stomach when a small dark cloaked figure entered the room. A bank of knee-high black fog entered with him, swarming over the bodies that covered the floor, dimming the well-lit room.
"I'm here to kill you Gorin Monkey King!" the dark figure said in a firm voice, and reaching up, pulled the hood off his head.
The dark figure was a bald, middle-aged human male, with eyes as black as midnight. Gorin could see black veins running under the man's pale scalp.
"No man can kill Gorin the Gorilla King!" the big aped growled, nervous from the man's piecing black eyes that stared at him, unflinching.
"I am no mere human. I am Daggart the Dark!" the man said in the same monotone voice.
Gorin hesitated for a moment, fighting his instincts to attack the magic user. Then he charged forward, but the human quickly waved his right hand. A black ray emanated from the wizard's palm and struck Gorin's chest.
The beam knocked him back into his own throne. The gorilla's massive weight crushed the throne and sent both him and his seat tumbling to the dirt floor with a loud crash.
The giant gorilla responded by grabbing a nearby spear and launched it at the wizard. Daggart simply waved his left hand, turning the spear into a fine dust that settled on his black cloak.
At the same time, he launched another black ray from his right hand which struck the gorilla in the chest again, throwing him across the room into the rear wall of the hut. The gorilla was hurt.
Gorin felt a sharp pain in his chest, and was sure that some of his ribs were broken. He ignored the pain and grabbed part of the broken throne and rushed forward, using it as a shield. A powerful blast knocked it from his hands.
At a speed uncanny for his immense size, Gorin rolled to the floor, causing another of the black bolts to miss him and blow a hole in the rear wall of the hut. The gorilla king rolled back to his feet and came up right in front of the black wizard, swinging his massive fists.
"Whoosh," Daggart whispered and when Gorin's fists made contact the wizard burst into black smoke.
Gorin staggered back, stumbling over a goblin body that was hidden by the black smoke swirling about his feet. He sensed the wizard behind him, but it was too late. He spun about, just in time to see a metallic black mirrored ball about the size of an apple, strike the floor between his feet.
An explosion sent Gorin flying, tossing the gorilla like a rag doll, sending him head over heels until he finally landed in a heap on the floor. The gorilla shook his head, trying without success to clear the ringing in his ears, but his blurry vision did gradually come back into focus.
Gorin tried to rise, managing only to get to his knees. The explosion had broken both of his legs, just above his feet, causing intense pain to shoot throughout the lower half of his body.
Gorin looked over at the wizard, who seemed to be enjoying himself. Daggart stood with a smirk on his face. He was tossing another of the black mirrored balls, back and forth, from hand to hand.
"Your city is finished monkey king," Daggart said in his firm, matter-of-fact voice.
A spear flashed through the air, catching the wizard by surprise. Gorin had picked it up from the floor, his movement hidden by the swirling black fog. He had thrown it with a speed that had caught Daggart off guard.
The black wizard had been lucky that Gorin's aim was affected by his many wounds. The spear pierced the wizard's black cloak just under his right arm, barely missing flesh.
The dark wizard responded by throwing the mirrored ball at Gorin, hitting him just below the neck. The explosion sent Gorin the Gorilla King's head bouncing across the room.
Daggart stared at the headless gorilla body. Well, it's a start he thought. He had been in a foul mood since his well-planned ambush had failed to kill the yule king. No matter. This made him feel much better.
Daggart the Dark turned and walked from the gloomy hut, where several goblins were crouching, waiting for him to reach a safe distance. After he passed by, they scampered inside.
A short time later, King Porg of the Bloody Thrasher Tribe began parading Gorin's head on a pole through the streets of Tuggle City. The surviving goblin warriors responded with cheers and hoots when the large, battered gorilla head, locked in a death snarl passed by them.
These sounds were soon drowned out by the boo gah drums of a large goblin army approaching. Several thousand goblins of the Skull Crusher Tribe came into view and began marching by, heading towards the Frontier Fortress at Kaylor.
King Porg smiled, knowing that the next head they took would be that of a man king.
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