Zigzax the Goblin Hero

“Now, my minion!” The Demon Lord roared, “Strike them in the back!”

Zigzax had been hanging back at the rear of the hero party, watching the showdown go down. He wasn’t an ordinary Goblin, but rather a highly evolved one. At six feet tall, sleek, all muscle, the goblin hero dwarfs the average human.

At the Demon Lord’s command, Zigzax lazily picked up his longsword and raised it to attack.

“Muahahahahaha!” The Demon Lord guffawed with glee. “Behold! The culmination of my ultimate scheme! You thought you had gained a dependable ally early in your quest, but it was a ruse all along!!! A cruel ploy designed by yours truly to bring you to your knees by betrayal!”

Zigzax burst forth with incredible speed and power, right at the Demon Lord and cleaved apart a huge chunk of his black form.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IMBECILE?!” The Demon Lord screamed.

“What Zigzax should have done a long time ago,” the Goblin Hero said before executing another mighty slash against the shriveling Demon Lord.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Betrayerrrrrr!!!” The Demon Lord wailed.

The hero, Roland, stood triumphantly over the wiggling form of the Demon Lord and smirked. “I bet you didn’t see that coming,” Roland said. “You see, I knew from the start that Zigzax was a plant in the party. That’s why I spent our entire journey winning him over with kindness, honor, and friendship. I knew that there was no way any creature would remain in the dark once they were shown the light. That’s why evil never triumphs. All it takes is….”

“Ummm, Roland?” Allisa interrupted, “I-I think the Demon Lord’s dead….”

“Huh?” Roland replied and glanced down. He watched Jasabera gingerly prod the lifeless form of the Demon Lord with the end of her axe. “Oh…. Um… Did he hear all the cool stuff I just said?”

Allisa gave Roland a chuckle. “I ‘m sure he did,” she replied.

“Oh, alright then,” Roland said, looking somewhat dissapointed.

Suddenly, Zigzax let out a cry and fell to his knees. The goblin clutched at his chest with his hands.

“Ziggy! What’s wrong?” Roland cried out and rushed over.

Sirene immediately blocked Roland with her hand. “Wait! Give him some space. I think Ziggy’s evolving.”

“Evolving again?” Roland asked. He had watched Zigzax evolve a handful of times before, from a humble base goblin, to a hobgoblin, to a highgoblin and goblin lord, all the way up to a goblin hero. “What comes after Goblin Hero?” Roland asked.

Jasabera grimaced. “That would be a Goblin King,” she said.

Roland studied Jasabera closely. It was common knowledge that greenskins like goblins, orcs, trolls, and ogres were the sworn archenemies of dwarves like Jasabera. Indeed, Jasabera was the last among the party members to fully embrace Zigzax as a comrade. It can’t be easy for her to stand by and watch something like a Goblin King come into existence.

“How is he evolving so soon?” Roland asked, “He just became a Goblin Hero right before our battle with the Demon Lord.”

“Nya…” Amaya the catgirl said, “Technically, he killed the Demon Lord, nya.”

“She’s right!” Allisa replied, “Ziggy was the one who landed the final blow.”

“Nya… I guess that proves that the Demon Lord didn’t die of boredom from Roland’s monologue, nya,” Amaya said impishly.

“Heyyyy!” Roland replied sourly.

Zigzax continued groaning and writhing on the ground for some time before finally relaxing and becoming still. Roland noted that his goblin comrade had grown slightly larger and was somewhat more muscular, though not hulkingly so like an orc.

“Alright, the spasms seem to have passed,” Sirene finally said, “I’ll heal him now.”