We continued on our way. As we advanced, the goblin groups became more and more numerous in the surroundings, though they still appeared in small squads of three individuals.
At first, I personally took care of eliminating them. However, after several encounters, I decided that it was a waste of time.
From then on, I let Goliath deal with them. It only took him an instant to finish off the three goblins. Afterward, he returned to my side with a radiant smile, as if he had just taken a stroll through the forest.
His skin remained as white and impeccable as always, as if dirt refused to touch him. Not a single drop of sweat beaded on his face, and his breathing remained calm.
[Name: Varka Lakan Saberius]
[Race: Primordial Homunculus]
[Level: 1]
[Specialty: None]
[Stats]
[Strength: 8 + 1]
[Defense: 7 + 2]
[Magic: 10 + 1]
[Luck: -1]
I narrowed my eyes.
We had finished off so many goblins that I had lost count, but my level remained stuck at one.
At least my stats had increased slightly. It wasn't much, though I couldn't complain either. My current body was pitifully weak, so any improvement was welcome.
"Master..."
Goliath's sweet voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I raised my gaze.
"I think we're close to the nest. I can sense a lot of activity up ahead."
I nodded.
"Good. Let's not make any noise."
We slipped into the bushes and advanced cautiously until we reached the edge of the undergrowth. I slowly pushed aside some branches to observe what stretched out in front of us.
A wide clearing opened before my eyes.
At the other end was the entrance to an enormous cave, from whose interior thick columns of dark smoke poured out and drifted outward.
I examined the surroundings more carefully and soon understood why.
Along the clearing, barely any traces of vegetation remained. The ground was covered in upturned earth and, here and there, the stumps of numerous trees that had been felled could be made out. Some were so thick that it must have taken several people to bring them down.
It didn't look like an area cleared by accident.
Someone had deliberately removed the vegetation to open up that space and obtain a clear view of everything approaching the cave.
"Is that normal?" Goliath asked beside me.
His expression reflected the same confusion I felt.
"No. Not at all."
Goblins were primitive creatures, but that didn't mean they were incapable of organizing themselves. Even so, felling so many trees and clearing such an extent required more than a few monsters armed with clubs.
Besides, there was that smoke.
And the strange tactics we had encountered along the way.
Everything pointed to someone being in command.
Perhaps the troll that had settled in the area. Or perhaps... An idea began to take shape in my mind.
"I think I know what's going on..." I murmured.
"Master?"
I turned toward Goliath.
"Finish off all the goblins within a five hundred meter radius. Don't let any of them get close while we advance."
"Understood!"
Goliath nodded enthusiastically.
The next instant, he disappeared from my side. I couldn't help but smile slightly.
I had complete confidence in his abilities. After all, not just anyone could face a snow lion and survive. Despite his delicate appearance, Goliath was a true beast in combat. A few goblins wouldn't pose any problem for him.
And, just as I expected, he returned shortly after.
"Done, Master!"
"Good. Let's go."
We left the bushes and crossed the clearing toward the cave.
With each step, the smell became more intense.
The interior was dark and damp. The rock walls were covered in patches of mold, while the floor, uneven and slippery, still bore the marks of countless footprints.
The stench of rotting flesh permeated the air. It was so penetrating that I had to hold back the urge to cover my nose.
However, amid that nauseating aroma there was something else.
A sweet smell. An intense fragrance, almost intoxicating, that contrasted absurdly with the filth of that place.
My steps stopped while I narrowed my eyes.
"An aphrodisiac?"
I recognized that smell.
In my time as emperor, I had known enough slave traders, alchemists, and criminals to identify it without too much difficulty.
Goblins didn't need such substances to reproduce. Their methods were brutal and primitive: they subdued their victims by force and, when these stopped being useful to them, they abandoned them.
So why was there such a smell in their nest?
I began to piece things together.
The groups of three, the goblins that fled instead of fighting to the end, the cleared esplanade and now, that fragrance.
Everything was beginning to feel too familiar.
Someone who possessed enough intelligence to turn a horde of monsters into something far more dangerous.
"A non commissioned officer..."
"A what?" Goliath asked, tilting his head slightly.
I didn't get to answer. A shrill voice echoed from the depths of the cave.
"IDIOTS?! HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU CAN'T FOLLOW A DAMN ORDER?!"
The shout reverberated through the tunnels, causing some small stones to fall from the ceiling.
Goliath's eyes flew wide open.
I, on the other hand, remained motionless.
The voice continued, charged with barely contained fury.
"I TOLD YOU TO STRIKE THIS WAY! WHY THE HELL DID YOU DESTROY THE METAL?!"
I exchanged a glance with Goliath.
Then I gestured for him to stay silent.
We approached carefully, following the source of the shouting. As we advanced, the darkness began to give way to an orange light that flickered on the walls.
Finally, we reached the entrance to a wide chamber illuminated by several bonfires.
I peered in from one side and I immediately understood where the smoke was coming from.
The room was full of goblins. Some carried stone hammers; others worked around a series of rudimentary furnaces built from clay and mud. The heat was suffocating, and the air was saturated with the smell of coal, hot metal, and sweat.
They weren't simply gathering provisions or preparing weapons to defend their nest. They were manufacturing something and in the center of that chamber was the creature that had captured all my attention.
It was a gigantic being.
So tall that it barely fit under the cave ceiling. Its shoulders were broad, its arms thick as tree trunks, and its body, considerably more robust than mine, seemed built to crush anything that stood in its way.
Its skin was a pale blue that contrasted with the reddish light of the furnaces.
A troll.
However, what caught my attention most wasn't its size.
It was its clothing. It wore a shirt of thick leather, reinforced with a metal mesh, and over it wore a steel armor that, despite the conditions of the place, seemed to have received meticulous maintenance.
The pieces fit together with a precision unworthy of a creature that, under normal circumstances, would have used little more than hides and bones for protection.
And in the center of its breastplate was an emblem.
Two eagles intertwined, locked together as they plunged toward an abyss.
My breathing stopped for an instant.
I knew that symbol.
I had seen it for decades. It had appeared on banners, armor, military documents, and on the uniforms of the men who had served under my command.
There wasn't the slightest possibility of mistaking it.
My eyes slowly widened.
"The emblem of my empire..."
Before I could assimilate what I was seeing, the troll turned toward one of the goblins working near the furnaces.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT IT?!"
The goblin barely had time to raise his head.
The troll brought down a punch against his body.
CRACK!
The small monster was sent flying and crashed against the ground, writhing as several bones broke under the impact.
The other goblins cowered in fear, but none dared to intervene.
The troll swept them with a furious glare.
"I'VE ALREADY EXPLAINED THE PROCEDURE TO YOU! YOU ONLY HAVE TO FOLLOW IT TO THE LETTER! IF YOU MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN, A FEW BROKEN BONES WILL BE THE LEAST OF YOUR PROBLEMS!"
His voice made the chamber tremble.
Then he let out a snort. A cloud of vapor escaped from his nostrils as he turned around and walked toward one of the side tunnels.
The goblins remained motionless until his silhouette disappeared.
Only then did some dare to move, hurrying to pick up their injured companion and return to work.