The Apostle of Chaos

Damien exhaled harshly through his nose; behind him were three hobgoblins. Besides the heavy steps of the monsters, the forest was quiet; not a creature could be heard.

Steadily, the group walked on, slowly approaching a tall rock formation. He glanced around sharply, making sure he didn’t see or sense anyone near them.

“You three, stand guard!” he ordered his summons. “If you see anyone approaching other than me, kill them with no mercy!”

The three let out a small grunt and turned around, walking off. They each took a direction and began to patrol it.

Damien watched them for a second to make sure his orders stayed before facing the wall.

He channeled a small portion of his magic into his left hand and placed his palm against the cool stone. A small click sounded as it absorbed his magic.

Soon the rocks began to rumble, knocking small stones to the ground as it moved, opening up. He took one last glance around before walking through the entrance.

Immediately, once his foot left the threshold, the stone slammed shut behind him.

It didn’t take long for the darkness to be swallowed by the light coming from the gems embedded in the hallway.

Uncaringly, Damien marched forward; the heel of his boot was in rhythm with the sound of his heart. His sweat began to build on his forehead; a pit formed in his stomach.

I can only hope that he wouldn't be mad for having part of my army wiped out so early, Damien thought.

Soon the path opened up to a small chamber, with a table in the middle of the room, and behind the table was a statue of Hedo, God of War. There was moss on the walls, and a sense of darkness, of evil that seeped deeply into one’s soul.

Damien took a deep breath and approached the table.

On it was a silver ball that looked see-through, as if it were glass. Underneath the ball was a golden stand with runes engraved. He placed his hand on top of the orb and channeled some magic into his hand. The ball greedily ate it up, flashing random colors.

He took a step back, trying to keep his face under control to not showcase the fear.

The ball flashed multiple colors, followed by the small sound of a bell ringing. After a couple of seconds, the ball turned white, and a projection shot up into the air. It was the visual of a man dressed in attire similar to a noble. He wore loose-fitting red robes with white pants.

On the man’s pale face was a frown; his brown eyes were flashing red.

“What do you want, Damien?” the man growled, his voice low.

“I-I’m sorry, sir, to contact you out of the blue—” Damien started.

“Get on with it, boy!”

“I tested out the goblins, and they were wiped out by an adventurer.”

The older man blinked; his mouth turned downward, and his eyes flashed red. “You imbecile! How many of the soldiers did you end up losing?”

“Roughly fifty, including one of the generals.”

The older man gripped his nose, letting out a deep breath. “How much longer until you’ll be able to evolve more of the hobgoblins into Goblin Lords or Mages?”

“I haven’t been attacking villages, so we haven’t been able to drain magic. If we restarted today, it’ll probably take a few months to get at least one of each,” Damien answered, keeping his voice steady.

The older man placed both of his hands behind his back and paced. He mumbled words that Damien couldn’t understand. Eventually, he stopped and turned back to the projection.

“Make sure to keep summoning regular goblins. We’re going to need at least ten thousand if we are going to attack the capital. I also want you to continue attacking the villages.”

“Adrian, are you sure that’s what you want me to do?” Damien questioned, uncertainty entering his tone. “What happens if the guild sends strong adventurers again, and we lose more of them?”

“Let me take care of the Adventurer’s Guild… just continue with the plan. We have at least three months until the dungeon begins to overflow with monsters and they unleash on the capital. So we have until then to grow our army!”

“Yes, sir!” Damien bowed his head.

“Oh, Damien, who was the adventurer that defeated your goblins?” Adrian asked, rubbing the beard on his face.

Damien raised his head. “A young woman wore a white hoodie and a black skirt. She also had silver hair.”

“Silver hair, huh? I’ll take care of it. Go, and contact me in a month to keep me updated on the Goblin Army!” Adrian said, cutting the connection before Damien could reply.

Damien wiped the sweat from his face. “I’m glad it didn’t get more heated than that,” he muttered, turning around.

He knew if Adrian wanted to hurt him, he could from a distance. Being an apostle of chaos had given the man powers, ones that still scared him to this day.

Though without him, Damien wouldn’t have awoken to his ability to summon goblins. He would still be a nobody in both the adventurers' guild and in the village under his grandmother.

Letting out a breath he had been holding in, he stepped outside the cave. The hobgoblins immediately stood in front of him, waiting for commands. He tilted his head up to the sky, thinking about what the next path would be.