Chapter 32: SURPRISE, SUCKERS! It’s the Fog Goblin Annihilation Holiday special: ALL FOG GOBLINS WILL DIE!

Chapter 32: SURPRISE, SUCKERS! It’s the Fog Goblin Annihilation Holiday special: ALL FOG GOBLINS WILL DIE!

Max, what just happened? Libby asked me as we slowly returned to consciousness. We were laying on the forest floor, covered in dirt and leaves, as though wed been there for quite some time. I leaned forward and shook my head hard, causing all sorts of things to come tumbling off of me.

Man, nature could be clingy.

__

Earlier in the day, wed just finished up at the bandit camp.

As we'd expected, they hadnt been willing to give up their key to the FG entrance. Instead, they chose to call us names and make several nasty threats about what they were going to do to Libby once I was dead.

I didn't find any of that to be very friendly, so I decided to convince them to take our request seriously, which I did.

Very, very thoroughly.

When I was finished, the survivors begged us to take the key and leave in peace, which we did, no fuss, no muss, only happy to oblige them. We were heroic adventurers, not murderous fiends, after all!

The captive women hadnt yet been delivered to the goblins, just like Libby predicted, so we freed them unharmed from their cages. They'd had a pretty harrowing day, so Libby and I let them have all the gold the bandits had managed to accrue from their varied dirty dealings.

And because, for some mysterious reason, none of the remaining bandits possessed any unsevered hamstrings, we also offered the girls free access to their pointy weapons, and some quality alone time with the now crippled men whod been mocking their tears, leering at their bodies, and threatening to rape them all day.

Heh, we could still hear the screaming from quite a distance away.

Being a hero feels nice!

But then, as we were making our way to the goblin den, we mysteriously fell unconscious!

I really dont know, Libby, I replied. One moment we were heading to the Fogs cave, and the next we were out cold. I think we were talking to someonesomeone whos important to our world but also clearly an unmotivated loser who wants to start slacking off just when things are starting to get interesting.

Its confusing, but what you said feels right, Libby concurred. Whoever that stranger was, I feel as though hes still single for a reason. Almost as though he leaves all the effort in maintaining a relationship to his partner but acts surprised when she gets tired of putting up with his bullshit and kicks him out of her apartment.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Yeah, I said. Lets never be like that stupid bastard. If, for some reason we needed to take a short break, lets do that in style with an action-packed cliffhanger thatll leave the audience looking forward to our return, instead of feeling like another great story has been suddenly dropped.

Thats a great idea, Max! Its an awesome way to show our appreciation. And who knows? If we do that, maybe more people will be inspired to leave ratings and reviews, Libby said before turning pointedly in the direction of where presumably this narration was being read and giving the presumed readers a hard look.

Libby, shame doesnt motivate an audience, I said chidingly.

Not our entire audience! Reddit has been great! Im referring to those other viewers.

Oh, God, this has gotten so meta! I said. I really dont know if were established enough to make jokes like this and get away with it! Also, your personality seems to have slightly changed! You seem darker and slightly more vengeful."

I might be slowly evolving into whats known trope-wise as a Dark Action girl, Libby said. Ill be dangerous in a fight, but my sarcasm and ambivalence will earn me lots of new fans in the name of character development. Oh, I should probably dye red streaks in my hair and start kissing women. But not today, because writathon is still going on!

You like girls? I asked in amazement. Libby, thats awesome! I never realized we were so progressive! Good for us! Were a story thats violent and inclusive!

I like guys too! Want to make out? Libby asked.

Seriously? I dont know, Libby. Theres been very little narrative buildup to something like that. I mostly view you as a friend and a comrade.

Its fine, Max, she replied. Were just doing it to tease the shippers.

We have shippers?

(Shout! Shout! Let it all out! These are the things I can do without! Come on! Im talking to you, come on!)

--me like a volcano. I didnt know you had it in you.

I smirked at her words. Well, Ive got a lot less in me now, thats for sure.

(Because he hasnt had breakfast yet, kiddos! Gosh, never skip your morning meals, guys. Youll feel emptier than a bachelor who realized he never took any chances in life and now hes alone and secretly a massive disappointment to his mother who still smiles and pretends to love him but secretly wishes he were like her nephew, Carlo, whos a married family man with a great paying job! But no,no, keep on twitch-casting and playing League of Legends. Were all sure YOULL be as good as a Korean teenager one day, you thirty-six-year-old do-nothing!)

We held hands and stared at the sky for a bit. Libby spoke first.

You know, in a way, Im glad we got this out of the way. But I have to be honest, Max. Im really not looking for a relationship right now.

Really? I asked her.

Yeah. I meanyoure sweet, but Im really new to this whole corporeal existence thing, and I feel like Im going to be in an experimental phase for a while, if thats the right term for it? I just dont want to feel locked down is all. Can we still be friends?

Uh, youre telling me I just got to have mind-blowing s

(He was going to say SNES time and he was perfectly right to describe it as mind-blowing! The SNES was the king of the legendary sixteen-bit era. Genesis does what Ninten-dont? Ha! Hardly! With legendary games like Super Mario world, Super Castlevania, the Legend of Zelda a link to the past, and Donkey Kong Country, the super Nintendo just may very well have been the most dominant home video game console of all time!)

--and I dont need to buy you any flowers or act weird around you? Hell yeah! Lets just chalk this off to experimentation and forget it ever happened, unless we have nothing better to do and no access to television, beer, or better-looking people.

Sounds good to me! Libby replied cheerfully. Hope you ate well, shippers! Cuz thats it for now!

Yep. Sorry guys! I said with a smirk.

Then we got dressed, repaired out duds and moved on.

(Welp, nice working with you, everyone! ol Writeys off to enforce compliance with any other potential rulebreakers! Im sure you all appreciated my efforts just as much as I appreciate ALL OF YOOOOU. Good nighty night!)

__

The creature howled in mindless rage as I backhanded it down with vicious force.

It had come leaping for me from a tree, but Id sensed its movements and reacted on instinct. Before it could recover, I swung down hard on its head and was rewarded with the sweet sensation of feeling its skull come apart beneath my blade.

Fraahhaga laah! screamed other voices. Soon, a swarm of ugly grayish-green creatures began racing towards me, springing up from hidden spots in the ground and the treetops, and the brush. Some of them wielded rust-pitted steel weaponry, but the majority of them held crude stone tipped spears and wooden clubs.

It was my worst nightmare. The fog goblins may have been blessed with a hilarious name, but there was nothing amusing at all about these grotesque beasts. I could see their eyes swimming with mindless hatred and animosity, and I could practically smell their desire to spill blood. Libby was right

these things were fucking gross.

Speaking of Libby, shed decided to borrow the stealth ability I had so conveniently acquired a short while back, and was now hanging out of sight, content to let me do what I do. I was grateful to her. Because there was no way I was going to hold back. Not this time.

These Fog GoblinsI couldnt express my disappointment in words. Wait no, I actually could, I'm very articulate and Id just done it a short while ago. I think what Im trying to say is that its okay not to be cute. Its okay not to be amusing. But its not okay to have an awesome name that brings laughter and joy to the blessed hearts of all good little axes everywhere, and then turn out to be a complete disgrace.

Sorry, Fog Goblins. But Youre guilty of not living up to your potential and I just cant forgive you for that.

Roaring with anger of my own, I lifted my axe and raced to meet their challenge.

The Slaughter begins in Part II.