Sand Goblin Raiders

Goblins.

In the Southern Continent, humans were not the only intelligent species. Orcs, elves, dwarves, beastmen...Each species possessed territory, and would often have conflicts with humans. After thousands of wars, the conflict still had not ended, but humans were eventually able to conquer most of the continent. Although the Dalian Empire was extremely big in terms of size, it was actually quite small in comparison to the continent, which was roughly ten times bigger than Europe and Asia reunited.

Goblins were not disciplined enough to be called a civilized species. However, it still lived in tribes, knew how to communicate with each other, and more importantly, it had instincts about capturing females from other species for the sake of pleasuring themselves. In other words, goblins were absolutely fearsome to any population, since they would target especially weak villages, and convoys to strengthen themselves, grow their numbers.

A hundred years ago, a goblin king had managed to establish a small kingdom, with millions of goblins defending it. It took the lives of 8 magi, a heavy famine, and hundreds of thousands of human soldiers to destroy it. After all, as weak as individual goblins were, their numbers made them extremely fearsome.

'Biochip, estimate their numbers', Greem spoke. Although it was quite difficult to count them one by one, his biochip possessed terrifying computing abilities. Counting goblins was not a very difficult task

[Visibility is low. Please approach for better accuracy. Estimated Number of targets: 178 humanoid Life forms identified as [Sand Goblins Raiders], each one of them riding a [Sand Wolf]. Individual strength is identified as [Weak] in comparison to the host's realm of strength. Battle danger is estimated as [Low]]

Whether to flee or fight. In either case, there would be losses. However, Greem's biochip always give him confidence in choosing either one of these. Against [Sand Goblins], however, fleeing was just a pipe dream. Sand wolves were considered as one of the fastest species in the desert, and even northern stallions that Greem and the other officers rode were not enough to escape the hunt of sand goblin raiders.

Goblins were devils. They would easily chase merchants for days, and they would not stop at killing them. They would usually play with them, taking pleasure in their misery, before capturing them or eating them alive. Thankfully, they were not very common in the desert, since the tribes were cautious of imperial soldiers, and they rarely attacked villages, as they hunted other monsters or merchants instead.

However, Goblins were quite smart in their own way. They knew that weapons would greatly increase their strength, and since the mines were all controlled by imperial soldiers, they would usually face a gear problem preventing them from arming themselves properly. Carriages containing ore was thus a primordial resource for any goblin tribe.

"Sharp observation, Lieutenant", Evangeline said upon realizing the sand storm, "You have really good eyes. There must be hundreds of them based on the size of their army"

Captain Sanders frowned: "Hundreds of Sand Goblin Raiders will definitely not be an easy battle"

Neeko, Hildir, and Ingrid all looked at each other with dumbfounded eyes: "Since when are Goblins strong? All the stories we have read about them depict them as a weak species, though?"

*SOLDIERS! RAISE YOUR SHIELD AND CREATE A PHALANX!*

As Captain Sanders began shouting orders, Greem explained: "I don't think that goblins are weak at all. For instance, based on your build, I would say that most goblins possess as much strength you do, Ingrid"

Ingrid gasped: "Really? But they are so small!"

Greem nodded: "Although they are small, they are wild creatures who fight on a daily basis for survival. You can't compare them to imperials who have been born and raised in safe environment. If they don't manage to hunt other creatures, goblins die from hungers. Humans are different. However, rather than the goblin themselves, the true danger of Sand Goblin Raiders comes from the Sand Wolves. Each one of them possess extreme speed. With goblins using spears, the charges make them as strong as a human light cavalry unit. Rather than mere goblins, I guess you could say that we are facing enemies roughly two times as many as we are, with a mobility advantage"

Neeko suddenly shook, and almost fell from her horse: "Then...Why are you grinning? Are we not in a very dangerous situation?"

Greem laughed: "You really are underestimating Imperial soldiers from Oasis. Although unprepared soldiers might be crushed by such a considerable force, goblin raids are not uncommon. A tribe of this size, however, is unprecedented. I have never fought against this many goblins at a time"

Neeko started to shake: "You...you know that we are not soldiers, right? It is actually our first mission, so we do not have a lot of fighting experience. We will do our best though"

Greem squinted: 'To think that she would lose confidence as soon as there is danger...Well, I can't deny that I was quite similar the first day I stepped onto a battlefield. If it weren't for the biochip, I would have lost my footing too, so I guess she is quite courageous already'

Evangeline approached Greem: "What do you think are the odds of this battle?"

Greem shook his head: "I do not really know the strength of the sixth battalion, but this will end up with dozens of dead soldiers at the very least. One good thing about goblins is that they are very cowardly. As long as we put off strong resistance, we will be able to shake them off for sure"

Hildir sighed in relief: "This is a relief, then..."

Greem didn't agree: "Actually, it is not. The goblins will begin a war of attrition, and hunt us down with waves and waves of attack. We can block them once or twice, but our soldiers' morale will crumble after dozens of relentless attacks. Qaarth is still quite far away, and we can't expect reinforcements. My suggestion is to cut down as many goblins as we can in each attack, even if it means breaking formation"

Evangeline nodded: "So that they would give up earlier, thus lessening the casualties...Excellent suggestion, Lieutenant!"

Greem smiled proudly. Although his hints were not anything amazing, it would be enough to earn some merits. Merit would turn in reputation growth, and progress in his quest of military glory. He had already received 4 medals of honor in the past three years. If he managed to get more than ten of them, then his position as the next household head would be cemented, even if he did not reach the Grand Knight Realm...