Introduction
Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.
If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!
Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex started HERE with Part 1 and ends at Part 111 HERE
The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found HERE.
So that army was greenskins... and we have a Goblin in the throne room with Mary, Derric and others... hmmm... where to go from here?
Let's go!
Part 6
The Goblin's features scrunched up. "You look like... Garric of Loghaven!" The little green man's face split in a massive grin, his mouth was lined with a row of long sharp teeth. Adiran lowered his hands and the magic balls winked out of existence. The mage dug around in a watched at his belt and pulled out a dog-eared manuscript and began paging through it, ignoring the conversation.
"I am not Garric. I am Derric." The shapeshifter morphed into a human again. "See? I am not a wolf."
"Well obviously. I saw you. Hawk, man, wolf... you still looked like Garric to me..." The Goblin strode forward on his short legs to Derric, completely unafraid. "Derric... Garric... the sound is the same... many races to enjoy naming their family similarly to one another. But I must be more certain!"
The Goblin pointed his mushroom staff at Derric and the wood began to glow green. Noxus raised her own hands and a magic circle of purple light appeared before her.
The Goblin looked in her direction and raised an eyebrow that wrinkled his green forehead and he sneered. "The Magic of the Kai... you are skilled young one, but I can sense you are not as powerful as Hiral. Relax, I am only trying to divine some information from this one before me. He may look young... but he is... old..."
The Goblin looked away from Noxus and his staff issued forth a plume of spores from the mushrooms on the staff. Energy lanced out from Noxus's magic circle and sped to intercept the spore-cloud. Holes were punched through the cloud, hitting the stone of the wall on the other side. The rest of the spores billowed on and enveloped Derric.
Derric merely stood there waiting. If he was really in trouble, Vitex would be able to defend him or heal him. He had a feeling that magic that relied on mushrooms would not be impossible for a Nature Goddess to influence.
The Goblin guffawed. "Told you, girl." The Goblin looked at Derric and his eyes shone in the same green as his staff. "I see... I... feel it! You are Garric's... his... son... oh my boy! I am so glad to have finally met you! You were but a child when the curse trapped us!" The glow of magic disappeared from the Goblin's eyes and staff. The spores dropped and fell to the floor.
"You know my father?"
"Of course I do! Where is he? Is he well? If you are here, then perhaps he is near?" The Goblin was smiling again, his mirth evident.
Derric's face became passive, he was not sad, but he was serious. "I never knew my father. He died when I was a child."
The mirth broke on the Goblin's face and he sank to his knees. A gurgling cough issued from the greenskin's throat and he laid his staff down on the ground beside him. Tears flowed from his face and the Goblin looked truly miserable. "Oh Garric! I am saddened to not be able to see him again. I am sorry for your loss Derric. Even if you did not know him... wait."
The Goblin looked up from his kneeling position and again his emotion was etched clear to all on his face. Anger. The Goblin's mouth was twisted into a toothy grimace. His eyes flashed in anger and he frowned so profoundly that his forehead was covered in wrinkles of drawn together skin.
"If Garric died before he could raise his son... he was killed! Garric had a fierce love for family!" The Goblin stood, taking a step closer to Derric again. Despite Noxus' trepidation, she realised that the Goblin was not angry at Derric. Her training at the Temple told her that greenskins were dangerous and though one could negotiate with some of the Goblins, there were other Goblins and greenskins that the Temple's have fought for nearly a thousand years.
This Sporeseer knew Derric's father... this Sporeseer knew her Temple but did not seem to think of her as an enemy... what was going on?
"Who?! Who killed your father Derric?" The Goblin demanded angrily. "Who would attack the King of Loghaven?!"
Derric was quiet. "Like I said... it happened long ago. There were... mad mages... they sought to become immortal and..."
A shriek of anguish filled the air and the enraged Goblin threw his hands into the hair. The shriek was replaced by an angry wordless scream and the Goblin stared at the ceiling. "It was them! The Council of 17! By Innana and Tumuz I swear..."
"You may wish to hold off on swearing an oath before you understand what has happened in the last two to three thousand years." Adiran said, interrupting what the Goblin was about to promise.
"Three thousand years?" The Goblin's face dropped once again. His emotions were intense and changing rapidly from one extreme to the next.
"Enough!"
The order bellowed out in the throneroom and everyone turned to the one who sat on the person who sat upon the focus of the room. Queen Mary's face and tone was stern. "This is my throneroom and my Kingdom. While all of this has been filled with revelation and intrigue, you are all breaking protocol and ignoring the crown. Let us be civil and begin again."
The Goblin nodded and had the grace to look embarrassed. Noxus quickly dropped her arms and the magic circle disappeared. Derric merely nodded and waited, looking relaxed. Adiran coughed into his fist and inclined his head in apology to Queen Mary.
"Approach me Goblin." The Queen commanded.
The Goblin took a step back and picked up his mushroom staff from the floor and walked slowly toward the throne. Immediately Noxus seemed to tense and Mary shot her a dark look.
The Goblin kneeled on one knee before the Queen and lain his staff on the ground beside him and waited to be addressed. The Queen took note of this etiquette and filed this information away in her head. There were many cultures in the world, different groups of nations had different conventions that they shared. This Goblin was following a certain custom native to him.
She decided to employ what she know of this cultural convention.
"You have come to the Kingdom of Dragonshold. You are before Queen Mary, first of her name. Wife of the late King Johnathan of Dragonshold and Sister of King Sebastian of Clarprati. Rise and introduce yourself."
It worked. She had been right in taking this trend of etiquette. It may have been slightly different to what they Goblin was expecting, but it was familiar to him.
The Goblin inclined his head so deep it was a bow from his kneeling position and then stood up on his stubby legs. "I am Zreld Erd Stretmong. Sporeseer of the Blackhollow Tribe of the Goblinkin. I am the messenger of the Tribal Chiefs of the Mawlands."
Mary inclined her head in greeting.
"Welcome Sporeseer. You are the messenger of the Tribal Chiefs at the head of an army in my Kingdom... what is your message?"
Zreld looked uncomfortable. "Forgive me, Queen Mary. I regret that the message that I bear would be the incorrect one to deliver and that I should give council to the Chiefs before rash decisions are made."
"Oh? And what was your original message?"
Again, Zreld looked bashful. "I do not think this is applicable anymore... I just found out that we have been... away, due to the curse for thousands of years, thus the message does seem to be invalid."
"Nevertheless, let me understand what you would have said to us two or three thousand years ago." Mary commanded.
"Leave these lands, they belong to the Tribes of the Mawlands or die."
Thank you!
Here is an explanation of Chain Stories and here is the current Chainstory Library
Vetitum Nemus
| by @zakludick | by @lex-zaiya |
|---|---|
| ---- | Part 1 |
| Part 2 | Part 3 |
| Part 4 | Part 5 |
| You are here! | Coming soon! |
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