December 14, 6:52 PM JST / Eldora, Northern Lunarest Border, Thrash War Tent (Dawn)
The war tent swallowed the outside world in one breath.
Heat rolled over Rin as the flap closed behind him. Coal, blood, oil, and sharp incense sat heavy in the air. Light leaked through thin seams in the canvas and caught on metal and edges.
A big table filled the middle of the tent, its surface scarred and stained. A rough map of the borderlands was spread across it, corners pinned under knives and stones.
Sevish stood on the far side of the table.
Up close, he felt even bigger than he had on the ridge.
Wyx leaned at his right, one hip hooked against the table, arms folded under her fur coat. Her gold eyes tracked Rin, slow and steady.
“Great. I wonder what that look is for.” Rin Thought
Drosh held his place at Sevish’s left, spear grounded, both hands resting on it. At a glance he looked relaxed.
The flap settled shut behind Rin with a dull brush of canvas.
For a second, nobody moved.
Sevish’s gaze ran over him from muddy feet, to ash and sweat-stained armor, to the Call of the Bones hanging on his chest.
“Welcome back,” Sevish said, voice filling the tent.
Rin’s stomach tightened.
“‘Welcome back,’ huh.” He kept his face straight, letting the sarcasm sit in his head instead of his mouth.
“Warchief. Huntress,” Rin said. “I reported back like you ordered. The squad that hit our rally is handled for now.”
Wyx’s mouth curled into a small grin for a moment.
“For now,” she said. “That means you are expecting them to return.”
As the words left her mouth, her eyes narrowed a little. The smile stayed, but Rin could tell she was testing him with that look.
Rin’s fingers brushed the necklace once, then dropped back to his side.
“They will not be back quickly,” he said. “The ones we took out, anyway. That does not mean their leaders will sit still.”
Sevish watched him for another long breath, then rapped his knuckles against the table.
“Come,” Sevish said. “Look.”
Rin stepped closer until the map filled his view.
Thick dark lines marked the Lunarest wall and nearby kingdoms. Lighter strokes sketched out fields.
A smear of blue showed the sea, with a small ship drawn along a hooked bay. A little carved marker shaped like a tent sat where the Thrash rally rested.
Sevish tapped the marker with a broad finger.
“This is where we are,” Sevish said. “We have held this ridge for two months. If you say they are coming back, we can hold our ground like before. I have been itching for a good fight.”
His finger dragged from the marker toward the pale fields on the map.
“You carry Shiv’s relic on your neck,” Sevish said. “I am sure you are hungry for glory too.”
Rin kept his eyes on the map.
“I cannot tell if this guy is joking or if he really thinks I can take a whole guild in a straight fight.”
“Let me put it this way,” Rin began. Explaining. “We had every advantage. Mist. Terrain. Surprise. I am not doing that again with my current strength. Even with Shiv’s blessing, if we sit on this ridge and wait, we all die.”
Wyx lifted one brow, like she was waiting for a punchline.
“And you know this how,” she asked.
Rin snorted.
“Because those four alone beat a pile of your people before I ever showed up,” he said. “And based on what I saw while scouting, they are the weak arm of their clan. If their ‘weak’ hand already cut down twenty of ours, we are begging to get farmed when the rest come back. I am the one who went down there and actually fought them. If you think you can handle their full strength, you are welcome to find out when they wipe the clan.”
He pictured Wraith’s ego. The stream. Chat losing its mind.
Sevish’s stare stayed locked on him.
Rin pushed before that silence turned into a kill order.
He jabbed a finger at the map.
“And they will not come in a cute little party next time,” Rin said. “They will come in numbers. Enough to bury this ridge.”
“You would have Thrash run,” Sevish said.
The words fell heavy.
Rin felt his back tighten, but he did not drop his eyes.
“I would have Thrash live,” Rin said. “Long enough to kill things that actually matter.”
Wyx laughed under her breath, low and pleased.
Drosh’s eyes opened the rest of the way.
Sevish studied Rin for another beat, then the corner of his mouth twitched up.
“You talk like a coward with a clever tongue,” Sevish said.
Rin’s temper jumped.
“Coward, huh.”
He shifted his weight and leaned in just enough to show he was not backing off.
“Last time I checked,” Rin said, “I am the one who turned those raiders into smoke while your warband watched from the hill. If you really think I am a coward, I do not mind whooping your old ass too.”
Stolen story; please report.
The tent went quiet.
Then Aria exploded in his ear.
“Yo,” she hissed. “You are crazy. Keep going, I am grabbing popcorn.”
Rin kept his face straight, ignoring her for the moment, eyes on Sevish.
“Too late to walk that back now.”
Wyx’s smile sharpened. Her eyes slid from her brother to Rin like she was seeing him with a different lens.
A faint system ping brushed the edge of his HUD.
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE]
Wyx – Thrash Huntress: +15
Status: Neutral → Wary Interest
Sevish’s hand tightened on the greatsword hilt.
For a second, Rin wondered if he had just queued himself into a one-sided duel.
Then Sevish barked out a laugh,loud enough to rattle the table.
“There,” Sevish said. “That is better. Fire in your mouth to match the fire you used in your hands.”
He lifted the sword a thumb’s width, then let it settle back into the packed dirt.
“You want to move my warband,” Sevish said. “Fine. You point. Where.”
Rin looked down at the map again, forcing his brain to stay on the lines and not on the giant goblin waiting for his answer.
The little marker that showed their camp. The wall. The pale fields. The smear of blue where the sea hooked into the land.
“You have your ship marked,” Rin said. “Hidden bay. We pull the warband back there. You let me do what you actually sent me to do. I walk the walls, I scout the city, and I find you a way to gather information on Shiv.”
He tapped the bay with his finger.
“I cannot do that if you park the clan in the middle of the road and wait to get trampled,” Rin said.
Sevish’s grin came back, wider now.
“We pull back to the hidden shore,” Sevish said. “But you owe me a fight. Not now. Not while we stand in enemy land. Later. When we are home.”
Another soft ping nudged Rin’s HUD.
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE]
Sevish – Thrash Warchief: +5
Status: Neutral
Aria whistled low in his ear.
Rin kept his eyes on Sevish and nodded once.
“Deal,” Rin said. “You pull back the clan, and I will give you a fight worth the wait.”
“If I am still breathing by then.”Rin Thought
Wyx’s gaze stayed on him, bright and thoughtful, like she was already planning something else.
“Glad we figured this out for now,” Rin said.
Wyx let out a short breath through her nose.
“I do not like retreating,” Wyx said, “but there are things we have to handle at home. Smashing a few rival clans, reminding them why Thrash still has a name.”
Her gaze slid to Rin, and he felt it like a blade laid flat against his neck.
“And we did not come here empty,” Wyx said. “We came to hunt Shiv’s trail and somehow ran into his blood wearing his bones. We would be fools to pretend that is nothing, brother.”
Sevish grunted, not disagreeing.
Drosh finally spoke.
“I saw his strength,” Drosh said. “I can vouch for his words. I do not think we would have done as well without Elder Kaiseki’s orders.”
He paused, eyes steady on Rin.
“I have never seen the warband fight that clean,” Drosh added. “Not since I first took a spear in my hands.”
His voice stayed quiet and even. To Rin, it sounded more like a report than bragging.
“He also has Nalli,” Drosh went on. “On patrol. On his call. You know how she is. Best scout we have in this camp, and she does not give her allegiance to just anyone. She watched that fight and chose him.”
Rin turned a little toward him.
“So Nalli is not the type to follow orders just because someone shouts loud enough. Good to know.” Rin Thought
Drosh shifted his grip on the spear.
“I will follow whatever orders you give, Warchief,” Drosh said. “But I agree with the Elder. Regaining numbers is best. I crossed blades with those raiders. They were not all human. Beastfolk. Elf. Dwarf. All with their own tricks. If their clan is mixed like that, we need time to train for more than one kind of enemy.”
Rin nodded once.
“Well said,” Rin said.
Drosh gave a small nod back.
Sevish’s hand tightened on his sword hilt.
He tapped the map once, right where the bay curved in.
“We will give you time,” Sevish said.
Rin’s throat felt dry, but he kept his voice steady.
“How long,” Rin asked.
Sevish held his gaze, then answered.
“One month,” Sevish said. “We pull back to the hidden shore and wait. When the sea paths open, we sail. With or without you.”
Rin understood exactly what that meant
“If you are not back when we leave,” Sevish said, “you find us there. And do not run. I want my fight.”
Rin nodded.
“Dont worry boss I don’t run from a good fight,” Rin said.
Wyx stepped in closer again.
“We are not sending you alone,” Wyx said. “You are an Elder under Thrash. You get an escort, whether you like it or not.”
Her gaze slid to Drosh.
“Drosh,” Wyx said.
Drosh straightened a little.
“I know,” Drosh said.
Sevish watched him.
“Drosh,” Sevish said. “You have carried my spear since you were tall enough to steal it from the rack.
Drosh dipped his head once.
“I have,” Drosh said.
Sevish jerked his chin toward Rin.
“Now you walk under his command,” Sevish said. “You watch his back on the roads.”
Drosh turned to Rin fully.
“I will walk with you,” Drosh said. There was no heat in it. Just a simple promise.
Rin met his eyes.
Rin’s HUD flickered at the edge of his vision.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
New Unit Assigned: Drosh – Thrash Hob Goblin – Lvl 23
[GARRISON UPDATE]
Nalli – Active Deployment – Perimeter Patrol
Drosh - Standby
Garrison Slots: 2 / 25
Rin let the windows fade before they dragged his focus out of the room.
Wyx watched the two of them like she was weighing something on a scale only she could see.
“If you come back alive,” Wyx said, “and you bring us something worth the wait, maybe we start talking about whether you are worthy to lead.”
Sevish snorted.
“Do not puff his head up too big before he even reaches the walls,” Sevish said. “If his skull swells, the gate guards will see him coming from the fields.”
Rin let out a slow breath through his nose.
“Appreciate the concern,” Rin said. “Truly.”
Sevish looked back to the map, then to Rin.
“You have our answer, Elder,” Sevish said.
Rin nodded once.
“Then I start walking,” Rin said.
He turned toward the flap.
Cold dawn air hit his face when he pushed it aside. Fires, voices, metal. The camp already sounded different, energy shifting like someone had kicked an ant nest.
Rin squinted out over the ridge as Thrash goblins started yanking up palisade stakes and rolling tents.
Aria snapped back into his ear before he could take three full steps.
“Quick update,” Aria said. “New Covenant’s people are spamming world chat and some are headed toward your region. Your kill clip is doing stupid numbers. Also, Winter Bash registration is now up.”
Rin watched a line of goblins haul a bone totem up the slope, the whole ridge slowly folding itself into march formation.
“No worries, Any updates from Leon? Rin asked
“Perfect timing,” Aria said. “Find a place to park it for the night. He wants to talk to you, and Sakura’s closing soon.”
END OF CHAPTER 16
Hey everyone, sorry for the short hiatus.
Life on my side got a little busier than expected, so I had to hit pause for a minute.
Thank you for sticking with Goblin Smashing and being patient with me.
The next chapter will be dropping next Friday, and we’ll be right back to Rin, Thrash.