Heading To The Village: Part 2 (Over The River.)

All told there prove to be fifty-six Goblins and Hobgoblins in the tribe, counting the Chieftess and her council. It certainly looked like more before I saw them with thier ranks dressed and orderly out in the open, but no matter, they will serve. There are eleven each of blue, red, and green, with the remaining 23 being a mix of other colours. There are five yellow and black, three each of brown, orange and white, while the last few are each a different colour and mostly are Hobgoblins. Other than the Chieftess there are no party-colour members, but Bogmaggusha knows the location of a few such along our line of March.

"Do tell Lieutenant?" I ask of my new platoon of goblins' leader.

"Our tribe," and here, as expected, there is a hiss of breath in-drawn through clenched teeth on Mayfair's part, but I clench my arm around her waist in subtle warning and it goes no further than that, "have scouted these woods for some miles around this bridge where we spawn and discovered several other locations where strong monsters dwell. First is the lair of the River Wyrms, up stream some two miles. They never leave the water so they are little threat, but they have attacked our bridge on occasion." The Chieftess begins, enumerating the first of her four known targets.

"Second, and I think of more interest to thee, is the cottage which stands hardly fifty paces off the path a mile hence along our line of March. Inside dwell a trio of inhuman witches, one blue and black, one green and brown, and the third red and white. They are no friends to us, many times our Scouts have been captured by them and made into thier dinners, but we would gladly see them captured by you and **** into service, or with your backing and assistance slay the traitorous wretches in hopes of gaining evolution material," Bogmaggusha continues, seeming to reserve a particular venom for these witches...

"Third, further along our path twards the village is another monster of mixed colour, but like your Dragoness it is three rather than two. This is the Pyro-Hydra, which lairs in an abandoned copper mine. It is Brown, Red, and Orange, but though it would be a great asset to thee I advise we stear clear for the moment," Bogmaggusha states.

"Why?" I ask, perhaps feeling a touch over-confident after my recent Victories...

"The Pyro-Hydra, unlike us and thy Dragoness, is not capable of conscious thought," Bogmaggusha begins, before Cindra mentaly interjects...

[[Her own capacities for that action are somewhat debatable...]]

[[Oh hush, you're just annoyed that I've got an entire tribe of goblins to serve me now,]] I respond faster than any speech.

"-thee has won against both the Dragoness and my tribe by out-thinking thy opponents, with the Pyro-Hydra only raw power will matter, and it is incredibly strong," Bogmaggusha explains, utterly unaware of the mental repartee.

"But it's dangerous?" I ask.

"Sometimes, but it rarely strays far from its lair, best not to rile it up until thee's confident that we can best it in one strike," Bogmaggusha explains.

"Very well, I will steer clear for the moment," I begin. "Were there any more?"

"Just one of consequence for the moment," Bogmaggusha starts in on her last item.

"Fourth, up in mountains from which you came, there is a series of large Caverns: my scouts know the way well. In those caves there is an imense tribe of ogres, who are led by a tribunal of party-colours like myself. These ogres are a greater danger than the hydra, for they range far hunting other monsters for food and evolution materials, nor do they shy away from killing humans if they find them. They have been our enemies since our tribe has been, and we would be overjoyed to put them to the Sword! However, we understand that thou would no doubt prefer to have them join us in thy service, and we would find this an acceptable compromise, for at least they would threaten us no longer..." Bogmaggusha finishes.

"Humm..." I say as we start out down the road twards the village...