"Raider Bog greets Lord Raider."
"Raider Klukz greets Lord Raider."
"Raider Erong greets Lord Raider."
"Raider Tir greets Lord Raider."
"Raider Kirsa greets Lord Raider."
"Raider Tosall greets Lord Raider."
Six Raider titled goblin paid their respects one by one. With the command given to me by Gor Uhn, I had no equal.
"You may all have a seat." I gestured to the stone pillars erected from the earth to form a crescent shape in front of me.
The Raiders looked a bit confused but reluctantly followed my order. Once they were all seated, I looked out to the Warband and the nonfighters caring for our soldiers while we rested five miles away from the gates of Black Goat Town after a day and night of constant marching.
I finally looked inward and addressed the Raiders present. "Are the sentries posted?"
"Yes, Lord Raider," Kirsa replied. She's a female goblin of medium height and deep purple skin. She carries a long handle battle axe and several throwing axes.
"All adventure slaves from each Raider." She added, "May we ask why Lord Raider wants slaves to walk around the woods?"
I smirked, "Protection. We're close to town. Until we're ready, no one should know we're here. And the best people to keep this secret is adventurers. When they kill each other, it's infighting. When we do it, it's terrorizing. This close to town, it's an invasion." I explained.
"Lord Raider has lived amongst the common races (Races besides Beastfolk and Demons)?" Raider Kluks asked.
"Many years." I replied, "They think we are cave dwellers, idiots, weak, murderous dicks for brains. A gathering like this would shatter what they know about us and high-level adventurers would surely be summoned."
"Haa, we praise Lord Raider's foresight." Raider Tosall tittered. A petite green-skinned goblin following the path of a Lust Fiend.
"Enough praise." I waved a hand, " At nightfall, we attack. No war drums, battle cries, or prayers. We attack in silence. Pay attention."
A stone pillar erected in the center of the gathering and rough layout of Black Goat Town from my memory was laid out for all to see.
"The town has three entrances. The front gate which we have to cross the one and only bridge to get to it, it's heavily guarded. Next is the waterway through the moat, we'll have to swim. But first, kill the guards on our side."
"What about the third way?" Raider Erong interrupted with a low raspy voice. He was the oldest and strongest amongst. His white be reached the middle of his chest and his hair was styled in a bun held by the bone of his first two whom he killed for touching one of his Bed Slaves.
"The hardest entry." I sang, "The well. Its reserve comes in from a lake a few miles North. And before you ask, we will be attacking all three. My slaves Dahlia and Sahyia have already gone to town. Sahyia will open the way through the well. My Slave Dahlia is will meet you at the waterway. And finally, those remaining will attack the gate."
"That's absurd!" Raider Bog roared and Prax slapped the spit out of his mouth as he tumbles off his seat to the ground.
"You need to lower your voice!" I growled, "Everything you think you are, put it in a little box and set the bitch on fire. We have one goal, take the town and that leads to another goal, take the college. And that will lead to another goal. But we can't get to any of them without achieving the first one."
Raider Tir, Raider Bog's closest friend emitted anger, but my slaves behind me kept him in line.
"Lord Raider." he ground his teeth, "What about our warriors?"
I laughed mockingly. "I just spoke about goals. Naturally, before we attack, we had to get here. Goal complete. But before we attack the town, I have another goal of preparation. The Waterway, the Well entrance, and the Front Gate. Two of three are nearly complete. The only preparation left is you all. I will take my party to the well. And you remaining will divide yourselves equally...
The front gate party will start with archers to thin the guards on the walls and draw attention. Then you will use interlinked shields as coverage to cross the bridge and attack the gate but the archers must never stop firing.
When attentions are held, the water party, who will use Hollow Reed plants to breathe underwater and cross the moat unnoticed, will create havoc in the town. Both parties will need to hold their own until the gate is opened and we merge as one. Now, let's start this lesson, How to use Hollow Reed."
Meanwhile, in Black Goat Town, the streets were bustling with life, the market was merry as passing, and local adventures traded and purchased new gear for their next quests. Restaurants and bakeries were open and their ovens burning hot as the aroma filled the air.
Civilians, children, and warriors alike lived merrily without worry. And with the backing of the Hebarlist College, the economy was rich and the slums that plagued many towns and cities did not exist in Black Goat Town.
In the center of the red-light district known as Lumin Row, a beautiful Amazonian woman with alluring olive-brown skin sat across from an auburn-haired, fair-skinned, green-eyed beauty. Through they drank in a brothel, the world had a common manner not to bother women on business, be it whoring or adventuring no matter the time or place.
So, with a casual wave, many of the men that took a liking to Sahyia and Dahlia were turned away without much fuss, considering the building was full to the brim with women and men looking to have a debaucherous night for the right amount of coin.
"Glad to see you made it without problem," said Sahyia as she sipped her eighth mug of ale.
"The world worries about the world. Very rally do they fear the outsiders. Beasfollk are walking animals, Demons rarely bother with them, and in their minds, goblins are horny brainless savages that stick to their caves and the countryside. Black Goat Town is neither." Dahlia replied thoughtfully.
"How is your aunt?" Sahyia asked.
"One angry bitch." Dahlia replied casually, "She's had a sad life and her death won't be any different. Hopefully, one of the raiders claims her, she is quite pretty."
Sahyia tittered. "It's best to think that way. We belong to him now. Things like family and old friends come last. All we do is take care of him and each other. Besides, after being claimed, the world knows that he fucked us senseless and we enjoyed it. Quite shameful, isn't it?"
Sahyia sighed, "It's because of that, that family and friends turn on women like us even we managed to get free and return home. We got lucky and met someone like Kane. Now I don't even fill the need to escape, what's left for me anyway. I'm Thirty-five years old and level 23. Even if I was still the Young Lady of House Kali, my husband will have three to five more wives all pregnant. Because I can't."
Dahlia kept silent as she watched Sahyia fill another cup till the foam spilled over the brim. Dahlia then felt something in her chest, moving to try and take the cup from Sahyia but Sahyia swatted her hand.
Sahyia's salve mark then shimmered.
"Do you think It can finally happen with Kane?" Sahyia asked.
"Sahyia...."
"Forget it... He's done enough."
"No... We should all get the best we can. Even Kane was dealt a bad hand. But together we can make the most of it. When we return to the Tomb, we should talk to Kane. If my sister wants to be a Momma, he should find a way to make it happen."
As Dahlia finished speaking, she slowly pulled the cup of ale away from Sahyia.
Sahyia sniffled with a peaceful smile.
"Oii! You look so pretty when you smile!" Dahlia sang. " You have four sisters, well seven now, so you should be happy. As you said, we'll take care of each other. No more crying. We're your family now."
Sahyia laughed at the auburn-haired cutie. And felt relief to be the one receiving comfort. After all her years as a slave, she had also taken care of the younger ones. But tonight was different.
"Alright, What did you see while you were with your Aunt?" Sahyia asked
Dahlia discretely looked around before she replied, "There's a bird nest by the pond. I'm sure daddy would want it left alone for a while. So we'll just walk by it. As for the hole in the middle of the yard, once the children got to sleep it shouldn't be a problem."
"And the front door?" Sahyia asked.
Dahlia smirked. "You can tell daddy I put two locks on it every night and not to worry about the trap door, it's to get the bandits that make it in and it only works when someone is at home."
"So someone should always be at home..." Sahyia raised her brow.
"Of course silly, but they're not going to be sitting by the fireplace all day. Rember the treehouse that daddy built before he left? It sees everything, but it is old. When he gets back tell him he can replace that roof. It's gotten dry and brittle." Said Dahlia before emptying her own mug.
"Haha, alright, Lia. I'll see you around." Sahyia left money on the table before leaving. Dahlia was soon to follow her lead but once outside the two beauties went their separate ways. And yes, they were speaking in code, so mind your damn business.
Sahyia made it to the square and people hustled about. She stopped at a small herb stand and bought a Teeny Leaf to clear her drunkenness. She then naturally moved with the crowd and left it without a trace. A moment later she found herself under the town treading water in the middle of the reservoir.
The place was cold dark and musty. The air was stuffy and the active town that lived above created a haunting echo through the well. It was like being in a cathedral with gossiping demons. Pulling out a bundle of sticks from her storage ring, she struck the flare and let it sink. It was her first marker of many as she dived into the water and began to map the way through the reservoir and out to the lake.
Every few minutes, she would drop another flare marking an air gap. After taking a breath, she continued on until she arrived at an opening that led to a greater body of water. Marking the spot with three flares, Sahyia tore through the water and resurfaced.
Climbing ashore, she proceeded to clear the area of any unwanted loiterers.
When the sun was getting low, I had taught the raiding parties enough to survive the siege and make it into the walls of Black Goat Town.
"Brothers and sisters, now it's time to do what we came here to do," I said. "Remember, there are no signals, just patience, and trust. The plan will flow naturally as long as we follow the rules I laid out."
With that being said, I took my party then made my way to the lake. The remaining force split in two. One went to the moat and the other to the main bridge.
Along the way, I talked to Ofia and gave her an image that I cast of Marika Sato.
"Alive and in one piece?" Ofia asked.
"Yes. The moat surrounding Black Goat Town is natural. The Herbalist College sits on the back end where the town meets the mainland. There's a service door there. Take Gigsa and Phele and use it. That door must then be sealed afterward. Find the girl, catch her and be ready to open the main gates to the college upon my arrival." I ordered.
"As you wish, Lord Raider." Ofia saluted then took her apprentice sisters to breach the service door at the back of the Herbalist College.
Time sailed and the moat party arrived first. One by one, with Hollow Reed, they sunk into the moat and began their swim from one side to the other under cover of darkness.
The Bridge party was next to arrive. The town guards that patrolled the bridge never saw their deaths coming. With the innate ability to see through the dark, we goblins traveled without light and saw them before they could see us.
With a few thrown daggers and twisting arrows, the guards were reduced to corpses.
"Thurin..." Raider Bog called out.
"Yes, Raider." the boy answered.
"Ready the longbows!" Raider Bog order.
"You see that, Bog?" Tir spoke, "The bridge has twelve guards. How do you want to handle it?"
"Call the shadow stitchers. When they move the arrows fly free." Bog replied.
As Bog and Tir prepared for their siege, I arrived at the lake and found Sahyia awaiting my arrival.
"Any problems?"
"All good, master," she replied.
"How's it looking inside?"
"The main gate has two locks and a second emergency gate controlled by a guard in the high tower to the left of the front gate. There's also the guard barracks near the waterway. Dahlia said she'll avoid it until the time is right, but the well is free of an audience during the night." Sahyia explained quickly as it was already after sundown.
"Now I have the way lit by markers leading to the reservoir beneath the well. We should get going." She added.
"What about monsters?" A goblin asked.
"Water monsteres are harbingers for parasites. So the town cleared the lake before they opened the well to the public." I explained.
"Every marker except the first three are for air gaps. Short breaths and swim fast." Sahyia finished before diving in. My beauties the followed.
I was the last one after my party. With that, my first raid was underway.