Centaurus

All the adventurers moved at the same time and the air was suddenly filled with screams. Cum lances plunged down instantly skewering hearts, green and black fireballs slipped inside open mouths, wreaking havoc on the unfortunate Kobogon’s insides and destroying their lungs leaving them choking and dying. Axes and swords fell, Raeger’s bow loosed taking one through the back of the head as he nocked another arrow.

Even as this slaughter happened the Kobogons who were not being attacked carried on their conversations, completely oblivious to the fact that their comrades were being killed right in front of them. When one fell across another they simply laughed and pushed their corpse onto the ground mocking them for getting blood drunk.

The two bands moved efficiently, as soon as the first strike had taken place they were already moving on to the next.

But as Vivi’s blade decapitated her target and its head flipped and tumbled through the air a light of shocked understanding seemed to go through its still momentarily alive head, as well as a flash of magic. The head landed in the lap of another Kobogon and they picked it up rolling their eyes with mirth.

“Oh really? if you do not wish to feed then it is I who shall make up the difference,” said the Kobogon in Common.

The Kobogon opened its mouth to take a bite out of its comrade’s severed head, but then the severed head reacted and a cone of fire exploded from its mouth. The Kobogon screamed as its upper body was engulfed and it used its own magic. A hailstorm of needles suddenly exploded from its black scales, a shower of slender agony that shot in every direction, everyone still upright being struck by the vicious little things, the needles digging deep into flesh and eliciting howls.

Agitation. Instant agitation.

The illusion Broke and the remaining Kobogons went from cheerful eating to fury as the adventures were revealed amongst them and all hell broke loose.

The Kobogons didn't hesitate for a moment and they put the full breadth of their magic to use, a positive broadside barrage of spells exploded at the bands. Worse, it seemed they had a fire manipulator amongst their number as the green fireballs in the choking Kobogons were pulled free, which didn't help much with the Kobogon’s destroyed insides, but that still left Ellaria desperately fighting for control over her own extremely dangerous fireballs.

Astrid screamed a warcry and charged into battle, a gigantic red and black halberd forming in her hands which she swung down as hard as she could.

Braddox let out a bullish roar and switched to a massive hammer pulled from his back, or at least that was what it looked to be at first glance, the hammer was in fact a massive solid iron blacksmith’s anvil atop a leather grip staff. He swung it and the unfortunate Kobogon that took the hit didn't so much as die but splash, cratering into the ground and causing fractures to run across the cave floor for dozens of feet in every direction. The captain didn't pause and used the momentum to leap forward ripping it from the crater and swinging it around, it hit a second Kobogon and they were launched into the nearest wall where they became a bloody smear dotted with scales.

Despite the bands’ extreme aggression the Kobogons were not going down easy and the adventurers were taking hits. Averys ran past holding a shoulder wound, his situational awareness shot. A disc of darkness was flung from one particular furious Kobogon and took him in the hip. He fell, or rather the top half of him did, his legs managed to make it a few more steps before toppling over. He looked at his severed body in abject horror even as his guts spilt free and puddled on the cave floor in a steaming mess.

Fey recognised he was already going into shock and acted quickly, charging forward and slapping her hands down, grabbing his legs and hauling them up to his hips. Green light and particles poured from her hands so fast that some of it missed and went streaming across the ground. It didn't matter, his flesh was already knitting together, his spine aligning, his intestines snaking back into position, his skin zipping back up. It didn't take long with Fey applying everything she could and soon the paladin was whole again.

It was then that she realised she was touching his bare skin, she was touching him, a male.  With a yelp she snatched her hands back but it was already too late, Averys was over an inch shorter and looked like he had de-aged by about ten years.

“What in the…” murmured Chloe looking over Fey’s shoulder.

They didn't have time to talk further however as a heavily injured Astrid slumped nearby, and Fey was forced to dash over to help.

Ellaria and Braddox were fighting back to back as Ellaria desperately wrestled with the fire manipulator, and Braddox smashed apart incoming plasma blades from another

They were being pressed, the powerful magics of the Kobogons working together in concert, none more so than when Flora rose up, her hands spread wide and an undeniable force slammed into every Kobogon slowly crushing them against the ground and allowing the others to go in for kills. This, unfortunately, drew the attention of every Kobogon onto the gnome and they let her know their disapproval with a barrage of magic that positively erupted into her sending her screaming out of the air, tumbling across the ground. She coughed and fell limp, struggling to move.

Throughout all this danced Vivi, fighting like a pregnant maniac. 

But when she saw Flora fall her demeanour changed, they were in trouble, and she knew it.

“WUMMY! I NEED YOUR HELP!”

The fox girls shorts exploded and dozens of tentacles whipped into the air, spreading the fox girl’s thighs wide. She gasped and let out a rising moan, her eyelids fluttering. Then she got ahold of herself, spinning her blade in paw.

“Fuck, and I thought I wouldn't need it. LIMIT BREAK: OMNIRAZOR!”

A second sword made of golden light appeared in her other paw.

Then a sword appeared at the tip of one of the tentacles.

Then another.

And another.

Then more, and then more, until the cloud of glossy white tentacles around her was armed to the teeth with glowing blades.

She held her dual swords out to either side and then she seemed to let herself fall forward on her feet, leaning, then dropping toward the ground. Then she simply disappeared.

She appeared in mid-air behind a number of Kobogons and the tentacles around her became a terrifying blade storm, a steel blender. The Kobogons didn't stand a chance, within moments they became half a hundred cubed chunks of meat. The cubes hadn't even started to fall before Vivi blinked away, jumping to another group, then another. The fox girl became a blinking hurricane of death, jumping across the cave, only appearing for a fraction of a moment before blinking away again to another group, or to finish off a previous one. The air became filled with nothing but the whirring of blades and the thunkthunkthunkthunkthunkthunkthunkthunkthunk of blade meeting flesh in such rapid succession the sound nearly became one.

It was over shortly after it began. The white furred foxgirl left standing in the middle of utter devastation, breathing heavy, her swords limp at her sides, the tentacles crowding the space between her thighs and pushing her legs apart. A moment passed and then the tentacles and Vivi all flipped their blades as one, flicking free the blood from the surface of their weapons.

Magic Mog and The Hammer Horns stood and stared bug eyed at the fox girl.

“See, I told you!” said Astrid from where she lay, a line of blood leaking from her lip as Fey healed her, “I told you they were good!”

“...what just happened?” said Braddox.

“Since when could you do that…” said Ellaria looking at the fox girl with a strange expression.

“Is that a fucking slime monster in her pussy?!” squawked Averys desperately trying to sit up.

It was at that moment that a trio of Kobogons stepped into the cave, each dragging behind them an unconscious human.

They froze up as their eyes came to rest on what remained of the other Kobogons. Truly not a lot remained after what Vivi had done with them.

Raegar turned and snapped a shot at them, an arrow taking one in the eye. The remaining two took one look at their comrade and then turned and ran for it.

“After them!!” roared Ellaria and Braddox in the same voice.

Fey grabbed up Astrid, throwing her on her back and raced after the captains. She was not about to let Ellaria go into danger without a healer. Not happening.

She quickly caught up, racing through tunnels she soon found them. Already they had caught and killed the two Kobogons. Behind her came the rest of the bands’ members, most of them injured in some small way, even Averys came, holding his recently healed stomach and looked faintly ill, and Flora, who floated with a hand held to her leg.

The captains put their fingers to their lips and shushed them as they arrived, commanding quiet. Fey looked between them wondering what the issue was, then Braddox gestured at her and she trotted forward slowly and silently. He glanced at her then to Baerinda on her back. Then he pointed past himself and Fey leaned by to see. There was another cave ahead, and in it one last Kobogon.

This Kobogon, however, was different. 

She was shorter than the others, and she radiated a surety of motion that was almost jarring. Her scales were snow white and fringed with pink, her breasts petite, her eyes violet, slitted, and glowing. She rolled her claws as she spoke to someone out of view, each motion smooth as though averaged out removing any minor imperfections of motion that were present in other creatures, she moved like flowing silk, the epitome of exquisite poise, and danger.

Beautiful terrifying danger.

“I’ve got her,” said Baerinda, “She’s under my influence, she won't notice us even if we put on a parade in front of her.”

“Excellent. Tell me, does anyone else in your band have a Limit Break Ellaria? I doubt I am the only one who senses that it would be wise to kill this one in one powerful attack.”

Ellaria hesitated. “We have some,” she glanced back at Fey, “But used recently.”

“Even yourself?”

“Yes, I have one too, but I also used it recently, and time is the least of the prerequisites before being able to use it again.”

“Very well. Your band is fascinatingly powerful, we should discuss this over drinks after all this is done. For now it seems I shall deal with this last one myself.”

Braddox gripped his anvil hammer in both hands and slowly advanced forward into the cave. 

Fey and Ellaria followed close behind, Chloe who was still on her back floated a dozen cum lances above her, ready to rain death on this last Kobogon. 

As they neared voices became clear. Two voices. The Kobogon was speaking to someone just out of view, a tall stone formation blocking line of sight, the entire scene lit by a beam of sunlight from a hole in the cavern ceiling, and dotted glowing blue crystals that patterned the cavern walls.

“You are a curious one, children and goblins are as a rule not particularly intelligent yet you are both a child and a goblin and from what I can observe of an intellect that far outstrips both.”

“Appearances are deceiving Shiva, I am not as I appear, the lottery of memory rebirth did not favour me as well as I would have liked but one cannot always get their way, we make do as best we can considering the realities of our own situations.”

“And this is the answer to your reality?”

“It is an avenue I wish to explore.”

“An alliance between you and I? What a curious concept.”

“Not just you and I, but more, I wish to expand, to grow.”

“You cannot possibly think you can control or influence a power such as I as you are. You are the lowest of the low, a cockroach that will be stepped on by any greater power you near.”

“I have no need to be as physically or as magically powerful as you Shiva, I have something else. Knowledge. So much… knowledge.”

Shiva tapped a claw on her chin, even that otherwise hesitant motion gave the appearance of being choreographed perfection.

“And that knowledge led you to this, your… offering.”

“Yes.”

“I am perceptive enough to sense that there is something... unique about this item.”

“You are not wrong. To most eyes it is but a simple summoning stone, if a particular pretty looking one.”

“A summoning stone? What use have I of some dullard monster that can be called to heel.”

“Allow me to demonstrate.”

A flash of blue came from where the second person Shiva was speaking to was hidden, and then the sound of stumbling.

“Wh- what is this? Is this some kind of prank? H-hey wait! Stop!” came a third voice.

The fwhip of a knife and a spatter of blood and then a gasping gurgling came from behind the stone which ended in the sound of someone collapsing.

“Why did you just make your human summoning stone worthless? I admit that I have not heard of a human summoning stone before but you seem to have already destroyed this rarity.”

There was a second flash of blue and a woman’s scream and the spatter of more blood. Shiva raised a brow.

“I see. Interesting. Very interesting.”

“You will never run out of food. This is nigh infinite, I know, I have tested it thousands of times.”

The Kobogon shifted, her centre of balance suggesting a sense of withheld murder.

“You are going to give this to me.”

“Well yes, It is a gift. You will of course join me afterwards.”

The Kobogon paused. “Why?”

“Because I can provide the thing you want the most, this is simply a sample to prove I am worthy of trust.”

“You cannot give me what I want goblin.”

“Can I not? I know you want to see the dragons fall, all this time scurrying around in the backwoods of the world trying to avoid their attention, you are one of the original birthed Kobogons, as ageless as the Dragons, all this time and you have not even begun to approach thinking about taking her on, taking on… the Queen.”

This got a reaction out of Shiva and her lip curled flashing her fangs.

Fey thought the Kobogon was about to leap on the person she was speaking too but she withheld herself and it was as though that moment of passing fury had never happened.

Braddox was nearing by this point and Fey and Ellaria hurried after, they passed by the stone at near the same time, Braddox lifting his hammer.

Then the person Shiva was speaking to came into view. It took a moment for Fey to realise that the Kobogon had been speaking quite literally about what they were. A grubby goblin child with a split lip and a bloody knife in his hand was standing on a shelf cut from the stone to be of a height with Shiva, his filthy rags barely covering his unwashed body.

The goblin child blinked, squinting as though trying to see through a haze, and then his eyes seemed to find a focus and he looked right at Ellaria and then Fey and then he staggered and the knife fell from his hands as his eyes fell upon Flora who was casually picking her nose. Shock, then something else crossed his face, as though some horribly traumatic memory had suddenly been brought to mind.

“It- It can't be, h-how did you psychopaths find meeee!?”