IDWTBTHQ Chapter 86 - Grating Greetings

It was a beautiful spring morning. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, without a single cloud in sight, and the chill of winter had finally disappeared. It was a perfect day for a picnic, or pretty much any outdoor activity.

Sadly, Marcus was a tad too worried to really enjoy the weather.

He was standing right outside of Stonebarrow, on the road that led to Brettholz, surrounded by several hundred Warrior drones, while many Flyer drones patrolled the sky, searching for any possible threat. Meanwhile, many more drones were hiding in underground tunnels, ready to climb up at the first sign of trouble.

Maybe this level of security was a bit too much for what was coming but Marcus wanted to be as safe as possible and it wasn't as if those drones had anything better to do. Besides, it never hurt to discuss from a position of strength and he needed every possible advantage in the upcoming discussion, since it was Trakk he’d be speaking with.

The previous evening, the Marquis had sent him a message through Hoggs, telling him that some orcs had been sighted near his old hive and that the Goblin General would arrive in the morning to discuss strategy. He hadn't given any order to Marcus, but just asked him to listen to the goblin and discuss strategy with him, since the Vex and the Goblins were the first line of defense against the orcs and would have to hold until reinforcements from the capital would arrive, which could take a while.

This didn't really make the Vex Queen very happy.

To be clear, he didn't have a problem with the Vex acting as the first line of defense, since all of his drones —minus Cooper, for sentimental reasons— were perfectly expendable, and he would have gladly had them all killed in order to save a single human life.

What actually bothered him was having to work with the goblins.

It wasn't that he hated them or had any prejudice against them, but he didn't really trust them either, and while he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and letting them be, fighting side by side with them made him uneasy. It would be terribly easy for them to betray him amidst the chaos of a battle, so if the orcs came, he would have to fight them off while simultaneously keeping an eye on his so called allies. And while he was confident that he could pull this off —mostly thanks to his own telepathy and the current might of his forces— it would still be a huge pain in the ass.

And the cherry on top was he had to discuss strategy with Trakk, who was a devious little bugger used to scheming and plotting, while Marcus was, self-admittedly, very bad at those things. He utterly sucked at concealing his emotions, something which had made him a terrible poker player in his previous life.

Consequently, his enthusiasm right now was about at the same level as the one he'd feel about discovering that the medic performing his prostate exam had huge, callous and cold hands. However, just like a medical exam, it had to be done, so he just gritted his teeth and focused on not making too much of a fool of himself while speaking.

He looked at his companions in order to find some moral support.

Hoggs appeared as calm and confident as ever and did provide a modicum of comfort. The bald old man looked just like an old tree that had weathered countless storms and would keep doing so for a long time.

“Guess that's the advantage of old age.”  Marcus thought. “You've been through so much shit that nothing fazes you anymore.”

Then, there were Felix and Klara. The Vex Queen had initially worried about their presence, considering the boy’s literally volatile temper, but Hoggs had said that the apprentice sorcerer was capable of controlling himself by now, and Felix himself had insisted that he wanted to watch the discussion. So Marcus had relented, on the condition that Klara was also there to keep an eye on him, and now they were both there, the boy with a serious expression on his face, while the girl stood close to him while holding his hand.

That sight actually made Marcus smirk despite everything. Apparently, those two had a rough time during their trip to Oakfell, but they had also grown closer than ever before. They were rarely apart in these days, and the emotions they broadcasted were a constant source of amusement for the Vex Queen. After all, there wasn’t anything quite as wholesome as an awkward, intense first love between teenagers.

He was still smirking, when he turned to see the three horseback figures that were riding towards them.

The person on the right was an old but still rather beautiful woman who wore a chainmail armor. Marcus recognized her as Belinda, the leader of the group of knights called the Order of the Rose.

The one on the left was a man that Marcus didn't know. He was wearing an ornate suit of plate armor, and had long, curly blonde hair, tiny black moustaches and overly long eyelashes. From his appearance and the way he moved, the Vex Queen couldn't help but to think that he looked incredibly effeminate.

And finally, riding between the other two, there was Trakk. The goblin General looked exactly like Marcus remembered him, though now he wore richer and more well made clothes.

They approached slowly, since the horses were visibly spooked by all the Vex drones standing around them and required their riders to force them to advance, but after a while they finally entered the village, and Marcus stepped forward to greet them.

“Greetings!” He said as politely as he could. “Welcome to Stonebarrow!”

“Greetings to you, sir Marcus!” Trakk replied. “Thank you for receiving us with such short advice.”

“It’s not a problem.” The Vex Queen said, and turned to Klara and Felix. “Klara, Felix, could you take their horses to the stables? I think that they are getting scared by my drones.”

The two nodded, and when the trio dismounted, they took the horses by the reins and led them away. Meanwhile, Trakk also stepped towards Marcus and made a little formal bow towards him, which the Vex Queen returned. Then the two stared at each other in the eyes, almost as if trying to read each other’s thoughts… something which, in Marcus' case, was actually true. The monster girl tried to focus his mental powers in order to better sense any emotion or thought coming from the goblin, but much to his surprise and alarm, he could feel nothing. Or, to be precise, he could still feel the humanoid’s presence, but all of his emotions were hidden, kinda like what happened with Hoggs when the telemancer shielded his mind.

Trakk made a smug smile, almost as if he knew what Marcus was trying to do, and then started speaking, in his usual confident voice.

“Normally, protocol dictates that now we exchange some more pleasantries before getting down to business, but from what I remember you like to go straight to the point.” He said. “So, if you want, we can skip all that.”

“That'd be appreciated, yes.” Marcus replied, still a bit miffed by the fact that he couldn’t feel the goblin’s emotions.

“Alright then.” The goblin nodded. “I assume the marquis has already briefed you about the current situation, didn't he?”

“Yes, I think.” The Vex Queen confirmed. “He told me about the orc attack on my old nest, and he asked me to collaborate with you in case we have to defend Brettholz before reinforcements arrive.”

“Yeah, that's pretty much it.” Trakk said. “So, I’d say we start our collaboration with an exchange of information. After all, we need to know what we’re working with if we have to mount up a proper defense. Would that be alright?”

“Sure.” Marcus said. “But first, I want to make clear that I don't take orders from you.” His voice turned hard. “You can scheme all you want,  but it's up to me to decide whether or not I stick to your plans. Understood?”

“That's fine.” The goblin promptly replied. “In fact, it's probably for the best.”

“How so?” The Vex Queen asked, taken a bit aback by Trakk's utter lack of disappointment.

“For starters, I'm going to have my hands full managing my own troops, so having the Vex act independently would be of great help.” The General explained. “And besides, judging from our little skirmishes in the forest, you seem to be a passable commander on the field... that is, if it was you who commanded the Vex who waged war against my kin in the Ashwood Hills.”

“Yeah, it was me.” Marcus confirmed.

“Well, if that's the case then you're probably better suited than me to lead your forces!” The goblin said with a smirk. “After all, during our little quarrel in the forest, the Vex acted in perfect coordination, almost as if they shared the same mind, or something like that.”

Trakk shot Marcus a meaningful glance as he made this last comment, a glance whose implications the Vex Queen didn't miss. The General knew, or at least suspected, the existence of the mental link between the Vex Queen and his drones, and that last insinuation was clearly a bait for some kind of confirmation.

Marcus managed to keep his poker face, but at the same time pondered whether or not actually telling the goblin about his mental link with his drones, since it seemed a pretty important information for someone planning a battle. But at the same time, he didn't want to reveal that all the Vex shared his mind, as that would have been just like painting a target on his back in case the goblins were plotting to betray him.

So, in the end, he decided to go with just part of the truth. Just enough info to let Trakk know what he was capable of, but without giving any solid evidence about a possible weakness.

“You are on point.” He said. “I can communicate mentally with my drones. This is how I coordinated them during our fights in the forest.”

“My my!” The goblin said, with a display of fake surprise that bordered on sarcasm. “Who would have thought! That's certainly one interesting power! May I ask how it works, exactly?”

“Well, let's just say that you're safe to assume that if one Vex knows something, then all Vex know it.”

“That's wonderful.” Trakk said. “If that's the case, could you tell me exactly what happened at the outpost when the orcs attacked it? From what I've heard, it was the Vex who repelled that attack.”

“Ehr...” Marcus stuttered, caught a bit wrong footed. “I can't, actually. My... mental link has a maximum range. Over that distance, I can give some simple commands to my drones if I focus a lot, but I can't really receive information from them.”

“Interesting.” The goblin muttered. “And what would you say is this maximum range?”

“Why do you want to know?” Marcus asked, starting to feel a bit suspicious.

“Well, if we're to communicate in the battlefield, it'd be useful to know at what distance I can speak to you through your servants.”

“Fair enough.” The Vex Queen said, though he wasn't completely convinced. “I'd say my maximum range is about twenty-five kilometers.”

“And it's growing.” He thought. “But you don't need to know that for now.”

“Good.” Trakk nodded. “That's actually quite a good distance.” He paused and then added: “If you have enough troops, you could even cover the defenses of half the province with such a range. May I ask how many fighting-capable Vex do you have right now?”

Marcus smiled when the goblin asked that question. He was waiting for it, and he was confident that, for once, the answer would take the smug little humanoid by surprise.

“Oh, not nearly as many as I'd want.” He said, in a tone of fake regret. “Before starting making drones, I had to stockpile enough food to feed them, so I didn’t really have that much time to increase their numbers.”

“That's... not really great news.” The goblin commented, as his expression became slightly worried. “So, how many troops do you have exactly?”

“A bit more than thirty thousands.” The Vex Queen said, as his smile grew even larger. “But I could push that number up to forty thousands by the end of the month.”

As Marcus had anticipated, that took Trakk completely by surprise. With immense satisfaction, he watched the General's usual unfazed expression being replaced by one of pure shock.

“Wait a second.” The goblin said, still deeply shaken. “Did you just say thirty thousands?”

“Yes.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.” Marcus replied with a smug smirk. “Of course, that’s counting the Workers and the technically non-combat drones. If you only count the drones made for battle, then I have only about twenty four thousands of them.”

“Twenty four thousands.” Trakk repeated. “And... uh, are these drones as strong as the ones my army fought in Brettholz?”

“Oh, good heavens, no!” The Vex Queen replied, as her smile turned from smug to dangerously predatory. “They are much stronger than the past generations. I improved them a bunch during the winter.”

After receiving this information, the Goblin General fell silent for a minute, too dumbfounded to even speak. Moreover, whatever trick he was using to conceal his emotions had also been compromised and now the Vex Queen could feel confusion, surprise and a healthy dose of fear radiating from him like heat from a stove.

“He's not as infallible as he'd like to make me believe.” He thought with satisfaction. “He can still slip if caught unprepared. That's something worth remembering for sure!”

But then a new emotion surged up inside of the goblin, drowning all the other feelings.

It was relief. Pure, unadulterated relief.

And it wasn’t just obvious to Marcus’s telepathic senses, as that emotion also showed on Trakk’s face. The General looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulder, and his eyes were much more serene, as was his voice when he spoke again.

“That was quite a cruel joke, sir Marcus.” The goblin said with a smile. “You really had me worried for a moment. Leading me to believe that we wouldn’t have enough troops! Ah!” He chuckled. “I have to admit, though, that it was well played. I completely fell for it!”

“Wait…” The Vex Queen muttered, feeling a bit wrongfooted by Trakk’s reaction. “You mean… you’re happy that I have so many drones?”

“Yes.” The goblin answered. “Why wouldn’t I be? After all, we’re allies now.”

“Ehr… yes. That’s true.” Marcus replied, still feeling a bit confused. He couldn’t question that logic, but at the same time he felt that there was something wrong. Then, it dawned on him that Trakk being relieved to hear about how many the Vex were meant that he truly considered them allies. Which, in turn, meant that the goblin most likely wasn’t planning to betray him.

This came as a surprise for Marcus, who realized he had always subconsciously expected that the goblins would turn on him. All those talks about giving them the benefit of the doubt had been some self delusion, because in reality he was just giving them rope for them to hang themselves with.

And he didn’t really like that.

“Preparing for the worst is one thing, but lying to myself about it is not.” He thought while grimacing. “That’s the first step on the path of hypocrisy… and that’s the ONE thing I don’t want in my life. I mean, if I’m not honest with myself, then with who could I be!?!”

“Uhm… Sir Marcus? Ma’am? Is everything alright?” Someone called him, distracting him from his thoughts, and the Vex Queen noted that Trakk was staring at him with a worried expression on his face.

“Oh… yes, I’m fine.” Marcus replied hastily. “I just realized something and got lost in my thoughts as a result. Anyway, let’s continue our discussion. Now that you know about my forces, could you tell me about yours?”

“Sure.” Trakk nodded. “For now, I’ve got about twenty thousands goblins capable of fighting… but only less than ten thousands are strong enough to fight against the orcs.”

“Why not use the others too?” The Vex Queen asked. “Even if they can’t fight an orc individually, they should be able to help us a bit with their numbers.”

“That’s because they’d help the orcs more than they’d help us.” The General explained. “The orcs get stronger by eating sentient creatures, and the weakest of my troops would basically be an all you can eat buffet for them.” He paused for a second. “Speaking of which, I’d also advise you to only select your strongest troops to fight against the orcs in melee… though it’s fine if you take as many of those flying things you have, though you’d have to make sure they don’t get close enough for the orcs to eat them.”

“Thanks for the suggestion. I will do that.” Marcus replied, though he wasn’t really sure whether or not his drones counted as sentient. However, he felt it was better to err on the side of caution in this case. He then asked: “Anything else you can tell me?”

“Plenty.” Trakk said. He rummaged in his bag and took out a big piece of folded paper. “I’ve taken the liberty of bringing a map of the Brettholz province with me, in order to better plan our defense with you. Do you have a table or a board where we could open this map?”

“There is a table in my house.” The Vex Queen said, pointing at the inn. “We can discuss the rest of our strategy there… and maybe we can also have something to drink while we’re talking. Would you care for some tea, or maybe coffee?”

“A tea is perfect for me.” The goblin nodded.

“Good.” Marcus said. He then turned to the two knights. “And how about you two? Is there anything you need?”

“A cup tea is always welcome.” Belinda said. “But talking about coffee… I hope you’re not going to drink it yourself, are you? You know the effect it has on you.”

Marcus blushed as the woman brought out that embarrassing accident, when he had gotten drunk on coffee and propositioned Yasen while getting naked.

“No, no.” He said while shaking his head. “I… I don’t drink coffee when I need to stay focused.”

“Good.” The old woman said, while Trakk looked at that exchange with a puzzled expression on his face.

Wanting to change subject as soon as he could, Marcus started asking the goblins various other questions while he guided the group inside of his home.