Raiden looked down at the calluses spread throughout the palms of his hands. He had been training for most of that morning and thought that he deserved a small break. He took a swig of water from a bottle that appeared minuscule in his massive hands, eliciting a laugh from his younger brother. He glared at the mirthful figure. Taking in the bulging belly that characterized Tusk brought a sense of disgust to him. How could his own blood be so undisciplined?

He returned to practicing his katas with his blade. It was a therapeutic act, swinging his blade again and again in a mechanical motion. He disregarded the goblin children and adults gazing at him from afar. Hobgoblins were a rarity in this village, but not so much in Maglubiyet's army, an army which he took pride in. Though Maglubiyet was often regarded as a god, he truly had not yet ascended to divinity, leaving him as more of a pseudo-god than anything.

"Brother!" Tusk said, entering into Raiden's personal space. "Will you be joining us for the feast tonight?" Earlier in that day, Raiden had seen a sorceress and her skeleton slaves come into the village. He decided that getting a few silver coins would be easy if he sold them to the nearby goblin city headed by a young hobgoblin named Yurip. It was petty business but a quick way to earn some money.

"I will not," Raiden replied sonorously. "I have no need for festivities."

"What made you so stoic?" Tusk wondered. "You were always so cheerful when we were kids."

"People grow up," Raiden said. Indeed, people do grow up. Raiden was young and naive when he and Tusk were still young hobgoblins venturing into the wild. They had grown up in the slums, a rarity for genetic hobgoblins like them. Older goblins attacked and stole from them out of fear, fearing that the two hobgoblins would seek vengeance from them once they grew up, which was well-placed. Hobgoblins are stronger and more intelligent than goblins most of the time. Trying to deter the more powerful goblinoids from growing up is by no means a rarity in poorer goblin sectors.

Tusk shrugged, clearly not satisfied with such an answer. Raiden and Tusk were like night and day, two hobgoblins that had vastly different experiences in life, even if they shared a childhood together. Raiden had joined the army when he was young and intermittently sent money back to Tusk, money that would eventually lead the younger brother to purchase the village they were currently at.

Raiden saw atrocities occur in the army that would make lesser men gag. Not only that, but he was one of the few creatures who had seen Sol and come back alive. He shuddered when he thought about that man, no, that being.

Footsteps that sounded like running could be heard coming from the woods. Using his keen ears that had been honed over many years, Raiden quickly readied himself for any potential enemy. A goblin appeared, with typical beady yellow eyes and green skin. However, unlike many other goblins, this particular goblin had an athletic build that distinguished him as a runner. Thick, muscular thighs and lean arms were the characteristics that told Raiden he was trained as a messenger.

"Oops!" the goblin yelped, tripping over a rock. He quickly recovered. "I have an important message for Raiden, directly from the Mighty One's army."

"Speak," Raiden's voice thundered, purposely trying to scare the young messenger.

The effect worked.

The goblin shook in front of the giant hobgoblin in front of him, trying to calm his nerves. "The Mighty One wants to decimate an unnamed city led by a hobgoblin named Yurip." He slowly found his composure and looked at Raiden in the eyes. "Do you know which city I am referring to?"

"Yes," Raiden answered, laconic as always.

"Then you will be given approximately three weeks to prepare. The Mighty One will provide you with dragons, so don't worry," the goblin said. He seemed to remember something. "Ah, the reason. Yes, the Mighty One wishes to destroy this city to show that elves and goblinkin should never work together. Goblinoids are the one true race that must dominate the world!" He got excited towards the end.

Raiden nodded and waved his hand, dismissing the young messenger. He would still sell the woman and her skeletons to Yurip's city, but he would also raze it to the ground after the fact. Maglubiyet wouldn't tolerate any pillaging, so this was the only way he could make some extra silver.

Raiden sighed. Why was he always given these boring tasks?