Within the obsidian throne hall of Dark City, the air was thick with dread.
Jagged black pillars rose like claws toward a ceiling veiled in shadow, flickering with dark blue flames that danced in the sconces. The floor was stained with old blood—some dried, some fresh. Every footstep echoed like a death knell.
And upon the massive stone throne sat City Lord Kahli, a towering goblinoid figure cloaked in jagged armor forged from the remains of slain beasts. His eyes—deep red and burning—glared through the flickering gloom. His muscles were taut with restrained rage.
A trembling messenger fell to his knees before the throne, clutching a cracked scroll.
"M-My Lord Kahli," the goblin stammered. "The army you sent to the human—Arthur—was... defeated. Vice Commander Kaldor has been captured... and—"
CRACK!
Kahli's clawed hand slammed onto the armrest, shattering a portion of the throne. The sound echoed like thunder through the silent hall.
"Kaldor. Captured?" His voice was deep, venomous, and barely contained. "You dare come to me with this filth and *live*?"
The messenger flinched, his head touching the ground. "Forgive me, my lord! I bring only the report from the front. Kazu… Kazu's death weakened our outer forces. This human—he commands an army unlike anything—"
"Silence!" Kahli roared, rising to his full, monstrous height.
The flames around the chamber erupted with his fury. His aura twisted the air, and the nearest goblin guards collapsed to their knees from sheer pressure. His eyes burned brighter than ever.
"I killed three human warlords myself in my youth!" he snarled. "I shattered their bones and hung their skulls from our gates! And now… now you're telling me one *child*—a mere *Lordling*—dares to defy *me*?!"
He stormed down the steps of his throne, each footstep cracking the stone.
"I gave Kaldor one order: burn that boy's territory to ash. And now he's groveling in chains?! Useless filth."
One of his captains, a lean hobgoblin with scars across his neck, stepped forward cautiously.
"My lord, if I may… with Kazu gone, and the kobolds pressuring our southern wall, perhaps we should not commit—"
**SPLAT.**
Kahli's greatsword cleaved through the captain in a single swing, cutting him clean in half.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Kahli turned to the rest of his captains and commander, his blade dripping with gore.
"We are at war with the kobolds. And now, a human rises in our shadow like a creeping disease. I won't allow it."
His voice lowered, colder than ice.
"Gather the Blood Fangs. Tell them to prepare for a purge."
Another goblin dared to ask, "But what of the key, my lord? If the kobolds reach the Vault first—"
Kahli's head snapped toward him.
"Then find the key. Burn down the eastern glades. Scour every cursed inch of this forest if you have to. But if *Kobolds* finds it first…" He growled, his voice rumbling like a beast on the brink of madness. "I will personally rip out kobolds lord spine and mount it on the Dark City gates."
His eyes gleamed with unholy light.
"And send spies. I want to know every move of that human lord. If he breathes, I want to feel it."
---
Meanwhile…
In the aftermath of the battle, Arthur's military base was a hub of activity as the wounded received medical attention and care. Tents had been set up to provide a safe and comfortable environment for the injured soldiers, and the medical teams worked diligently to treat their wounds.
Meanwhile, the goblin corpses were being collected and consolidated in a designated area, awaiting Arthur's attention. With lord's unique ability to extract valuable resources from the fallen enemies, the piled-up corpses represented a potential trove of items and materials that could be leveraged to strengthen his military capabilities.
Arthur stood in front of a caged, bloodied Kaldor. His arms crossed, his face unreadable.
Behind him, George, Lily, and Blaze stood silently.
Kaldor's mouth bled, but his glare was defiant—until Arthur stepped closer. There was no smile. No smugness. Only cold certainty.
"I don't need you alive," Arthur said. "Just long enough to tell me what I want."
Kaldor trembled—not in fear of pain—but in the realization that he'd failed.
Arthur's gaze remained locked on Kaldor.
Because he knew.
This wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.
---
(If i missed some details or plot then remind me, i have been writing all of these alone, so maybe i would have forgotten something.....)