The Invisible Chain

{Meer Calendar, 20 October, 1 Year Before Demon War}

Everyone present in the meeting room fell silent.

The coldness of the dark room spread throughout their bodies and pierced their trembling bones.

The Lost Hope.

The Forgotten Sacrifice.

The Dreams become Myths.

Hoddurt's breath caught in his throat, his parched lips trembled, his wide-eyed eyes didn't even flinch.

He wanted not to believe whatever Moku said, but Moku's story made so much sense and made what he believed in all this time wavered.

If Moku's story was true, then all this time the goblins had really insulted their ancestors.

It wasn't just insulting, they even beat their ancestors down and then spat on them.

Hoddurt didn't want to believe it, but guilt crept into his heart, making his whole body tremble.

"Even though the Mage destroyed the orc tribe and left nothing but ruins and young children, I managed to find some writings in the orc ruins.

One of them was an inscription that wrote down the words of the goblin shaman when he refused to stop training for the second time.

I repeated it again when I told the story earlier." Moku took out a piece of paper made of bark on which there was an inscription written in red ink made of fruit juice.

Of course this is not the original writing of the goblin shaman but the writing that Moku made himself before leaving for the goblin tribe.

Orcs and goblins share the same characters indicating that the two tribes have been closely related for a long time. For Moku who lives in a modern world where anything can be faked, faking goblin writing is easy.

Especially since Hoddurt wasn't a high-ranking goblin before so he probably never knew if the goblin shaman ever wrote this or not.

Some races of monsters have no interest in writing such as orcs, goblins, and slyphs, but some of them have a hobby of storing ancestral writings or making writings such as alraune.

Moku stepped forward and handed the paper to Hoddurt. Hoddurt accepted it with his shaking hands. Then he read it in a choked voice,

"and the goblin shaman replied,

'What's the use name for me?

What the use the name that glorified by the oppressed people?

What the use the name that glorified by those who have lost hope?

I would rather be known as a coward who enslaved his own people than a liar who gives false hope.

I would rather be known as a traitor who sold his own people than a liar who gave false hope.

I had no other choice and I closed the path to another choice.

For me! If we can't find a way to evolve, I better die as coward and traitor!

what's the use name for me?'" Hoddurt's trembling voice echoed throughout the meeting room.

Hoddurt's voice trembled as if the stern voice of a goblin shaman ancestor was heard.

Full of courage, full of authority, and full of sacrifice.

The voice came from someone who was willing to be called a coward and a traitor just for the sake of the future of his tribe.

The voice came from someone who was willing to die and be burned to the ground by a mage's spell for the future of his tribe.

The voice came from someone who loved his tribe so much that he was willing to be hated for the future of his tribe.

The voice of the goblin shaman.

Hoddurt was no longer able to stand, he embraced the paper which had become a letter full of love and sacrifice from the goblin shaman to their future generations.

Hoddurt knelt down and wept like a child. His tears and cries of regret could be heard throughout the meeting room.

But no one mocked him and no one thought Hoddurt looked weak, because every goblin who heard the contents of the letter full of love and sacrifice also burst into tears.

Their tears flowed profusely, tears filled with regret and guilt.

"Ancestors! forgive us for insulting you!!" Tam cried loudly and begged for forgiveness.

"I have sinned! I have sinned" Hez prostrated, pounding her head on the ground.

"What sin is this!! I have told lies and vilified our ancestors in front of the children!" Shizz's body shivered with guilt.

"No! No! No! No!" Volx pounded the ground and kept repeating 'No!' and 'No!', his hands were crushed and bleeding.

The state of the five goblins on the podium described the state of all the goblins in the meeting room. They cry, struggle, regret, prostrate, and shout for forgiveness.

None of them were still on alert, if Moku wanted he could order the orcs to attack and slaughter them all.

The goblins wouldn't put up a fierce fight like before, they would all be killed quickly like cows in a slaughterhouse.

This is what Moku learned from Datuak Sri Maharajo, how to kill without a sword, how to win without fighting, how to conquer without invading.

This is the beauty of winning the battle without having to fight.

This is the fear of a word and writing.

This is art.

Art is Adversity.

However, Moku will not slay the goblins with his weapons and will not order the orcs to kill them. Moku wants the goblins to submit forever under the orc rule.

Moku wanted the goblins to give up the reins and chain their own necks. He just needed a little push, a little trigger to make thousands of goblins surrender and beg to be enslaved.

Just a little more slump.

"KuMoku!! I beg you!! I BEG YOU!! please tell us if our ancestors didn't die in vain! please tell us if they managed to find a way to evolve into hobgoblins! please tell us!!!" Hoddurt stared with tear-covered eyes.

He is like a blind man seeking the light, the light of hope.

"Right!! You said that you are proof that hobgoblins exist!! You must have found a way of evolution from the ruins of the orc tribe right?! YES?!" Volx with bloodied hands screamed.

He was like someone screaming in the thick fog, trying to find a way of hope.

All the goblins stopped crying and struggling, they looked at Moku asking him to grant their wish once again.

But Moku shook his head "I'm sorry, my evolution has nothing to do with goblins! I didn't find anything in the ruins of the orc tribe. Just a story about how orcs live and the paper I gave to Hoddurt"

Even though orcs didn't like to write, they loved to draw. Moku finds some paintings in the ruins of the orc tribe, the paintings are of course R+18, more like hentai manga than historical documents.

Once again Moku wants to change his race, he can hardly accept being born as a very perverted race like this.

Suddenly all the goblins became silent, they didn't cry again but their gazes became blank.

They imagined the feelings of their ancestors and the goblin shamans who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the future of their tribe.

But all they get is insults and spits from their next generation.

How sad.

Seeing the desperation in the goblins' eyes, Moku knew that if they were at their limit, it was time to give them some bait.

"Why are you guys down like this?

Is this the next generation of goblin shamans who are willing to be abused for the future of their tribe?

Is this the next generation of goblins who are willing to die to believe in a myth?

Is this the next generation of their who dares to challenge the Mage?

Don't insult your ancestors more than this!!

I'm not telling you this just to get you down!!

Listen, goblins.

I had two goals when I came to this tribe, the first goal was to find out the real reason why you guys wanted to fight with us.

The second goal is..

When I name the new orc tribe the Dawnmist Tribe, I swear!

I will make the orc the ruler of the entire Bog forest!

I WILL MAKE THE ORC RACE THE STRONGEST BEING IN THE MEER CONTINENT!

and This is my second goal, JOIN US!

Join us, just like your ancestor joins us!

Fight with us, as your ancestors fought with us!

What the goblin ancestors and the goblin shamans did was not useless!

You are the future goblins!

Prove that hope is not lost!

Prove that the sacrifice was not in vain!

Prove that dream is not a myth!

JOIN US!

JOIN ORC!!

AND I WILL MAKE YOU THE STRONGEST BEING IN THE MEER CONTINENT!!!" Moku's booming voice shook the empty goblins' eyes.

....

Outside the goblin cave, the wind gently blew the dry leaves that fell from the trees.

The sun that has started to sleep looks tired, he will fall asleep and will not wake up even though the mountains erupt calling him to wake up.

Cold air descended, rolled up, and became a white mist that began to creep down Wolf Slope Mountain.

Nocturnal bugs and bird cuckoos began to be heard, signaling a change of power in the Bog forest.

Creepy beasts and terrible creatures began to creep out of his prison waiting for the god of mist to come.

The Sun is Set.

and

The Mist is Rise.

The goblins' eyes that were no longer empty began to glow in the darkness of the meeting room. They rose again from adversity and held tightly to their fallen weapons.

Hoddurt, Tam, Volx, Hez, and Shizz got up, straightened their clothes, and got off the podium.

Without any warning at all, the goblins approached and surrounded the orcs in their midst.

Their fiery eyes didn't seem as dark as before, there was only red and fire.

The orcs who saw the change from goblins became nervous.

Their weapons were tightly held and prepared for whatever the goblins would do.

Moku didn't smile, he looked into Hoddurt's burning eyes. Moku saw hope, his heart smiled. They won.

The sound of chains rattling against the floor and ceiling was heard.

The flowers hanging and growing on the roof of the room began to tremble violently.

Hoddurt opened his mouth and said which was followed by the rest of the goblins.

"WE SWEAR!!--"

The chains wrapped around all the goblins one by one, creeping from the tips of their feet to nick of their necks.

The flowers hanging and growing on the roof of the room shook their stalks.

The goblins tilted their heads.

"We will make the orc the ruler of the entire Bog forest!--"

The chains wrapped tightly around their necks leaving only room to breathe.

The flowers hanging and growing on the roof of the room opened their petals.

The goblins puffed out their chests.

"WE WILL MAKE THE ORC RACE THE STRONGEST BEING IN THE MEER CONTINENT!--"

The end of the chain waved in the air and rolled up Moku's hand, making them just bow to him.

The flowers that hung and grew on the roof of the room shone brightly on the room.

The goblins knelt down simultaneously.

and from now on we are part of the Dawnmist Tribe"

Moku didn't answer he just kept quiet and looked at the thousands of kneeling goblins.

'How fearsome you are my teacher!!' with a heart in awe of his teacher, Moku welcomed Hoddurt's raised hand, then pulled him to his feet.

With hands that still holding each other, Moku patted Hoddurt's shoulder and said,

"Welcome Brother!"

The chain tied them tightly.