The race known by those not of that race as 'hobgoblins' are a proud warrior race with few wars to fight. We were on the decline in numbers and our Elders predicted that we would pass from memory with only the relatively weak offworld types to continue our name.It was in the Sixth Age that the fortunes of our race began to change, and it was one of the Elder Race - a human - who wrought that change.
We knew him as Mannin Shades and he won our respect and allegiance after many difficult trials and tasks. The other races eventually made him an Emperor, but it was we who were among his first disciples and followers. It was he who looked at us and told us tales of a warrior culture that he'd studied. It was him who described their weapons so that we could forge them ourselves. It was he who spoke to us of a code of honor so strong that it outweighed death itself.
What do we owe the Emperor? Our lives, our swords, our culture. It was his hand that gave us the chance, his mouth whose words filled our hearts, his eye that saw not a declining race of warriors but the warriors we could yet be.
Why do we, a warrior people, serve as guards and soldiers for an empire with some races that view us with distrust and some who fear and hate us? Because of honor and our debt to the Empire.
That and we get into some pretty good fights at a pretty good pay scale. We are a warrior race after all.
-from "Th'arkun The Wanderer, A Warrior's Journey" by Th'arkun Brokentusk as related to Ventel Reede.
Offworlder (aka common) goblins weren't very strong by themselves. Their strength came from numbers mainly, give ten thousand of them sharp sticks or swords and they could swarm over targets.
The local variety, called gobblins by some and 'true goblins' by others - among many less complimentary names - were a different breed altogether. In the long lost age where the stuff of life had been mapped and sculpted and shaped, these were grunt warriors. Adapted mainly for fighting at night, each had a digestive system that could allowed them to eat damn near anything and a resistance to disease that bordered the magical. You could kill one easily enough, but they tended to continue fighting even as their bodies shut down from accumulated injuries. Most of their bones had special bracers and their supportive tissues had a high tensile strength to be able to cushion the body from sudden accelerations and deccelerations. They didn't have good distance or color vision, and they were prone to mindless bloodlust, but they weren't exactly weak.
A large number of well trained fighters composed of both types met the defenders on the Dolphin ship.
Some of the attackers and defenders fell within the first two minutes of combat. This was normal and expected by both sides. It was after this that the serious fighting began.
Kaik was a hobgoblin warrior. He drew his massive sword and charged the attackers, who attempted to parry with their own weapons. He was somewhat impressed with the goblins, who switched to polearms in an attempt to keep him at bay while they called for archers. Seasoned troops then.
Then someone else was fighting alongside him.
"SHIT! A KLINGON!"
Kaik grinned, his tusks spreading under the uncommon expression. "You use the Emperor's term, whelp! See that you do not dishonor it. Mind helping me sweep the decks? We seem to have some trash that's blown aboard."
Ranma grinned. This guy might look like he could shatter mirrors just by walking by, but he was using a massive no-dachi and deflecting arrows with it while talking. MUCH better than dwelling on the past. "Didn't bring my broom."
"If you could grab those downed ropes," grunted the hobgoblin, kicking one goblin's shield to knock the enemy back into his fellows.
"Gotcha," said Ranma, seeing the plan. He jumped, grabbed a rope, jumped over the crowd, and then ran back along them while they were still trying to target him with arrows.
Kaik roared and began laying about him with renewed vigor, providing the distraction.
Ranma flipped the rope around one of the railing's supports and ran back.
"Bye bye," said Ranma as he passed a loop to the big guy and dug in his heels to haul on his section of rope.
A squad of goblins and archers started struggling, their own packed mass working against them, as the rope went tight and began hauling them towards the edge.
"Minute Meteors!" "Lightning Bolt!"
Ranma noticed two of them elf gals throwing spells at the pirates. Figured they'd wait until seeing if escape or fighting would work better. "I gotta go check on my employer."
"Honor comes before the joy of battle," agreed Kaik. "Go, warrior."
Ranma wasn't sure HOW he knew, but he got the feeling he'd just been paid a compliment. "Yeah, you too."
Ranma scurried to the assigned cabin to find:
(Posted Sat, 03 Apr 2004 07:47)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.