The Goblin Nation

Sun sat on top of Knight, bound by a chain, in the middle of a clearing. It was early morning at the time when the day barely started, and the fresh scent of dew from the grass was still the main aroma of the forest floor. The two waited for Everflow City's king, that ruled over goblin, kind this part of the forest. A king that Sun never even heard of or met when he was born. Like a parent that abandoned his child the day they were born. It was odd to hear that such a powerful authority exists, and yet Sun barely noticed his power.

Maybe it was because it was winter when he was born, and the cold storms isolated the city, unable to stretch its arms outside. But what concerned Sun the most was the King's inaction. Sun wants to get answers now, and thankfully, the King has arrived.

The King emerged out from the trees. His red coat was gilded with gold on its sleeves. "My King!" Knight called out.

Sun covered Knight's mouth with tape. "So you're their king, Andrew?"

"Yes, I am." The King took a deep breath, "But I am not Andrew Prince. Not anymore. My name is Carnegie King, and you, who are you?"

"Carnegie King. I heard that name before. Someone told me not to fight."

"And you should have listened to him."

"And why should I?"

"Because my name, my power is far too important to this world for some wild goblin," The King pointed at him, "Like you. A rude and wild goblin, who did not have the courtesy to even tell me your name."

Sun stabbed his sword to the earth, "My name is Sun, and I dragged this guy out in the middle of nowhere for you to come, Prince. And I want to know why? You have the key to unlock our race's true potential. You could have to rebuild the goblin kingdom, but you haven't."

"You're just like Pagasa. Tell me, what will you do when the very forces that destroyed the goblin kingdoms learned that another kingdom was born? They will come for us."

Sun stood up, "So instead of fighting back, you'd rather have hundreds of our kind remain clueless of their past!"

"And why do you care? I lost everything and now I'm stuck here!" The King gasped and covered his mouth, "I'm not going to end this madness before it starts. I told Pagasa that, and he never agreed."

"Are you from another world?"

Knight raised an eyebrow. Then suddenly, the King teleported behind Sun and kicked him away from Knight. "Get up, Knight!" He yelled at him while cutting the chains with his finger.

Sun got back on his feet and charged his mana into his fist. The mana ignited the air, and red hot flames converged around his fist until his fist was glowing red. More mana began to spread and seeped into his legs while the muscles flexed and jolted. "My King!" Knight pointed at Sun with his nose, "He's coming!"

"And?"

"He's strong enough to burn an entire forest down!" Knight yelled the moment Sun disappeared from where he stood, leaving a dust cloud.

The King turned around and saw Sun's fist five inches away from his face. The last thing they heard was Sun's words, "Red Fist!" Then a large fiery explosion erupted from the impact. A shockwave most powerful sent trees and rocks flying as blacks clouds rise to the sky. A blazing fire wave washed over the forest, burning everything in its path, letting nothing but the birds in the trees escape.

"That was hot." The King said with his raspy voice. The dark clouds floated away, revealing a large cyan barrier in front of the King and his Knight. Sun punched through the barrier and now glassy shards were stuck on his fist. The King leaned closer to his fist, "And you have a strong punch. But it will take more than that to..."

Sun opened his palm and release a turret of fire pellets at the King's face. "I hope that didn't sting!" Sun retracted his arm and swept the King's feet off the ground. Then Sun jumped on top of him and raised his fist to the sky. He set his fist on fire then delivered a hammer fist to the King's forehead.

"Get off of him!" Knight tackled Sun.

"Get out of the way!" Sun kicked him to the side. The two got on their knees and started punching each other, but Knight soon learned he was no much to Sun's punches.

The King ran to them and grabbed Sun by the collar and threw him away from Knight. "I'm sorry, my King." The King gazed at Knight, defeated. "I've become weak."

"No, you are strong. That's why I made you my knight, but he is stronger. That's all there is to it. Now go back to the city. They need you there."

"But what about,"

"I need you there!" The King turned to face Sun. "Go back to your goblins under the city and guard the Baptista!"

"Yes, your majesty!" Knight ran back to the city.

The fire grew larger around Sun. The King removed his cloth, revealing a lean muscular body. He had shaggy blonde hair with dark roots and purple feathers growing behind his ears and on his elbows. And his face had a soft and gentle complexion compared to Sun's rugged look. "Your flames are most impressive, but that's nothing compared to my..."

The King stopped talking and ducked as a fireball came flying towards him, thrown by Sun. "You talk too much!" Sun charged towards him. He released a mana string that latched on to his sword and pulled it to him. The King pulled out a sword as black as night from his cloth and parried Sun's strikes.

Seeing no opening, Sun opened his mouth to breathe fire from it, spewing out the flames and blocking the King's face. The King was startled by the strange attack giving Sun the opening he needed. He thrust his sword to the King's c.h.e.s.t, but mana reinforced his pectoral muscles, blocking the attack.

Nonetheless, the King was sent flying backward. Sun ran after him, striking him in vital areas; the neck, his sides, the heels, but he couldn't through the mana infused skin. No blood was spilled, only sparks from the clash of steel and mana. "You are so strong, and you come from another world!" The King parried one Sun's strikes then punched him in the face, "What was the world called?"

Air surrounded Sun, forming a whirling and he created a tornado with it made of fire. The King's sword could not break through the firewall, so he chose to take this opportunity to use his ultimate attack. He created a tiny white glowing orb in his palm. "Well, are you going to tell me? Or were just crazy, spitting out nonsense like a drunkard." He taunted.

"They called it Earth. I don't know what country exactly, but I know it's near a sea. The Meditteranean Sea."

"I came from the same planet, Earth. What did you bring to this world? And what did you lose coming here?"

Sun raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I lost everything in the blink of an eye." The King tossed the white orb to the fire, and it exploded. A bright white light expanded from the epicenter, destroying everything in its path, leaving nothing to hint at their existence. The light was so bright it burned those that it could not touch and outshined the morning sun. And yet, the intense light had no sound to accompany it, just silence.

The light faded away, leaving a giant crater in its place the size of a soccer field. The King stood in the center between the two ebony swords. Sun was nowhere in sight, but the King knows he is near. Despite the speed of the light, Sun managed to teleport far away right before the silent explosion. But was it far enough?

The King's eyes suddenly lit up. He sensed Sun's presence near him. The earth began to shake at the edge of the crater, and out came a blue sphere. It opened to reveal Sun in a fetal position. He managed not only to teleport away from the center, but he also created a barrier protecting him from the blast. Sun got back up on his feet and stared at the King standing motionlessly. "That attack must have drained a considerable amount of mana, huh?" Sun yelled. The King did not respond, and Sun took this as a sign that he lost his ability to move. "Tough luck."

A flash of light appeared beneath Sun's feet, blinding the King. He regained his vision, and Sun appeared was in front of him with another burning fist aimed at his face. The King's hand moved fast, catching the punch. "It did so that I will be taking yours, Sun."

Suddenly, mana burst out from Sun's body and was absorbed by the King. Sun yelled from excruciating pain, as it felt like he was being skinned alive. Sun tried to fight back, punching the King, but he lost his strength rapidly until his Kas was empty of mana, and his lifeless body leaned against the King's c.h.e.s.t.

"And it's over," he dropped the dying Sun on the ground and turned around, facing the direction of his city. But before he could take a step, Sun grabbed his ankle. "Still have some life in you?"

"Why?" Sun whispered, "You had the horn. You could've freed everyone, our goblin kind, from this curse. Rebuild our kingdom."

The King crouched and leaned closer to Sun, "I don't need weaklings. Only the strong should be free from the curse. Those willing to face a god. Too many weak-minded and physically deformed goblins out in the world. They don't deserve to be free. They shouldn't even be alive. If we are to defeat that god and create our kingdom, only the strong and the brave must evolve."

"You'll leave them behind,"

"They're meant to be left behind because there's no hope for them. They lost everything because they had weaklings among them, just like I was, so I will not hesitate to cull the goblins for the strongest if it means winning. But I still need those weaklings. Who else can make my weapons for me?"

"I'll make you pay for those words." Sun's voice began to fade away.

"Never." The King stood up, "You think you were so clever. But I know how to deal with you and your so called army. I did not become who I am today to be beaten by Pagasa's pet! I am a Golden Condottiero. My existence itself can change the world. And you're just a dying goblin from some savage village. You're plan already failed the moment you sent that challenge." The King left the crater, leaving Sun to fate.

Meanwhile, beneath the sewers of the city, Shuja and her platoon climbed down a ladder and reached the lower levels of sewers. They were halfway towards the machine. But before Shuja could get off, she noticed something strange in the distance. She took her bow and shot a glowing arrow into the shadows. The light revealed water blocking the path.

They circled back around, taking a detour, but that path was flooded. It took them two more detours to realize that the labyrinth's lower levels were flooded by water, blocking their path. Then suddenly, laughter came from the shadows.

Lieutenant Elena, the goblin from the Maston tribe that guarded Stick and Rock's prison, spotted something moving in the dark. She became a red goblin not long ago, and her vision was far better than anyone in the tribe. She even impressed Shuja. "What did you see?"

"I saw glowing orbs," Elena pointed at the darkness, "Right over there."

The platoon raised their spear and shield, forming a wall. Shuja stood in the back, with her bow aimed at the in front of them. Slowly, more of the glowing orbs appeared, as if they were stars in the night sky. And then a goblin jumped out from the shadows.