Conquest by Champion Part 1

The cell door opened. Khet looked up to see a human priest with copper hair and bright blue eyes stride into the room, opulent robes streaming behind him.

“Father Wattie,” Khet greeted him. “Have you finally decided on how you’re going to kill me?”

 

“Not before your trial, Ogreslayer.”

 

“Thought you’d forgotten about that,” Khet stood and smirked at the human. “Or are you just hoping I’ll make myself look bad in front of the townsfolk, so you can pretend you’re justified in killing me?”

 

“All are afforded a fair trial in Zrorrud.”

 

“You mean Hellgard.”

 

“Hellgard is what it used to be called. Queen Adrya had it renamed.”

 

“Queen Nivarcirka prefers its old name.”

 

The human’s eyes flashed. “Despite what the Young Stag and her horde of goblins thinks, she holds no sway over Zrorrud, or any part of Zeccushia. We do not care for the preference of a ward of the elves with delusions of being the true queen of the goblins.”

 

Guards stepped into the room and rudely shoved Khet into the hallway. One of them slapped shackles on his wrists, and another slapped a manacle attached to a metal ball along his right ankle.

 

“The chains,” said the human. And the guards draped Khet with chains.

 

“Well, this is a bit excessive, isn’t it?” Said the goblin.

 

The guards didn’t answer. They shoved Khet forward again.

 

They marched Khet down the corridor in silence. Khet, once again, eyed the hallway for a chance for escape. Still no luck. He was surrounded by all sides by the guards, and even if he did manage to slip away from them, the chains were too heavy for him to outrun them, and he had no weapons to fight them all off, or anyone else who noticed that there was a goblin wandering Hellgard while draped in chains and shackles.

 

The priest scowled down at him. He was walking between Khet and one of the guards. Khet looked up at him. Maybe he could punch this lad out and make a run for it? But the guard would be a problem. In fact, all the guards would be a problem, and they certainly wouldn’t like Khet punching out a priest. On second thought, maybe attacking the priest would be a piss-poor idea.

 

“It’s such a shame, Ogreslayer.” The priest said. “You had such potential once. You are a brave warrior. Everyone who has seen you fight agrees. You could’ve served the orc prince faithfully. Instead, you have thrown your lot in with the Young Stag and her horde.”

 

“I make it a point to never be one of the good ones.” Khet said, but felt a twinge of guilt. Sure, he’d served Prince Tadadris faithfully, well, as faithful as an adventurer fighting for coin could, at least, but that was before he’d known how the orcs had enslaved his people, burned their temples, and had forbade them from speaking their own language. He could never take back fighting against his own race, or fighting for coin. The other rebels couldn’t forgive him, and even if they did, Khet couldn’t forgive himself.

 

The priest sneered down at him, annoyed by Khet’s refusal to take the trial seriously, but he said nothing.

 

The guards marched him out of the castle, and into Hellgard itself. A crowd of people had gathered along the streets. None of them threw anything, and Khet figured it was because they didn’t want to hit the priest. They were all too happy to boo and hiss at Khet as they passed, though.

 

Whatever lies the orcs had been spreading against Khet, since the Adventuring Guild had allied itself with Queen Nivarcirka and her cause, they’d worked. Or they just hated Nivarcirka and anyone who fought for her, for whatever reason. Or they were booing and hissing at the priest, either because they did like Khet and hated the priest for trying to execute a folk hero, or the priest was unpopular in general. Crowds of common folk were an unpredictable lot.

 

Khet was marched to the center of town.

 

“Thought you said I was having a trial first,” he said to the priest.

 

“You are.” The priest said.

 

As they passed the crowd, Khet could see that the town square had been set up as a courtroom. There was the bench for the magistrate, a box for anyone else important hearing the case, a smaller bench next to the magistrate’s bench for the witnesses, and a cage for the prisoner being put on trial. Someone had brought chairs for the audience, and it was packed with eager commoners. A guard stood between the court and the audience, in case some mad man tried rushing the court, for whatever reason. Just behind it was the gallows, in case Khet got any illusions that this trial was going to be fair.

 

The guards marched him to the cage and Khet rested his manacles on the bar. Two guards stood beside him, and a third stood behind him, spear lowered, like Khet was a cornered manticore that might spring loose and attack its captors the second the spear was lowered.

 

The priests of the various human gods were standing in the box. No one was at the magistrate bench. At least, not yet. The magistrate would show up shortly. Probably running late.

 

Since nothing was happening, the crowd was amusing itself by booing and hissing at Khet. The guards did nothing to stop this. Khet didn’t expect them to. The goblin just ignored the insults.

 

The priestess of Gaotz, the goddess of youth, birth, and journeys, stood and raised her hands and the crowd fell silent. The priestess was a woman with a lean face, ginger hair, and gray eyes.

 

“People of Zrarrod!” She said. “Rejoice! For at last, the traitorous and ruthless goblin brigand known as Ogreslayer has been brought to face the queen’s justice!”

 

The crowd cheered. Khet cocked his head, confused. Had they brought Queen Nivarcirka to judge Khet? Why? Khet had been fighting on her behalf, and besides, the village priests were loyal to the Zeccushians.

 

“I bring you, Queen Adrya Singleroar!” Cried the priest and the crowd roared.

 

Guards escorted an orc with long graying blonde hair and brown eyes to the magistrate bench. She looked familiar. Khet tried to place where he’d seen her before before he realized that this must be Tadadris’s mother. He must be noticing the family resemblance.

 

Queen Adrya sat at the bench and gazed down at Khet coolly. The goblin held her gaze.

 

“Ogreslayer stands accused of treason! Of rebellion and of fighting alongside the false pretender, the Young Stag!” The queen said to the crowd, who booed and hissed. “Now bring the witnesses!”

 

Guards escorted the guard who’d captured Khet to tell of the goblin’s defiance.

 

Khet started to tune out the testimonies. It was all the same anyway. Someone talking about Khet’s defiance, and various acts of rebellion. He examined his fingernails. He could hear the crowd whispering about his callousness, but he didn’t care. The Zeccushians had declared war on the Adventuring Guild. Did they really think Khet would be loyal to a nation he held no bonds to, over the Guild, which had accepted him, and had provided him with everything he needed, and had forever been a place Khet knew he could turn to for help?

 

Queen Adrya banged her mallet on the bench and Khet looked up.

 

“Have you got anything to say for your defense, Ogreslayer?”

 

Khet thought of making a speech on how Queen Adrya was not his queen, and the true queen was Nivarcirka. A final act of defiance before they sliced him in half. But then he thought of orc customs, and had an idea.

 

“I declare a trial by combat,” he said.

 

The crowd gasped. Queen Adrya narrowed her eyes.

 

“You deny your treason?”

 

“No.” Khet said. “I still declare a trial by combat.”

 

Queen Adrya’s eyes flashed.

 

“A trial by combat,” she said coldly. “Is letting the gods decide your fate. They prove your innocence, or your guilt. It is not for escaping your rightful punishment.”

 

“You’re not understanding me.” Khet said. “I’m not guilty of treason. I’m fighting for the rightful queen.”

 

“The Young Stag has no right–”

 

“Let the gods decide it then,” Khet said. “I’ll fight on the Young Stag’s behalf, and you can choose a champion to fight for your family’s right to Badaria. Whoever wins is whoever the gods want to rule Badaria.”

 

The crowd started muttering amongst themselves.

 

“Did you hear that, lads?” One of the guards guarding Khet called to the crowd. “We’ll get to watch a decent fight, for once!”

 

The crowd cheered and started to chant.

 

“We want combat, we want combat, we want combat!”

 

Queen Adrya slammed her mallet down for silence.

 

“Badaria is no more.” She said to Khet coldly. “It is territory of Zeccusha now! Who rules it is no longer up for debate!”

 

“Sounds like you’re scared your champion will lose!” Khet said.

 

“Either confess, or we’ll hang you by your thumbs until you learn your manners!” Queen Adrya growled.

 

The crowd booed. They were a simple folk. Sure, they hated Khet, but they’d been promised a fight. To watch an adventurer fight against whoever the queen picked to represent her family. Not to have the goblin tortured before being chopped in half.

 

They started to chant again. This time, there was only one word, over and over.

 

“Fight, fight, fight!”

 

Queen Adrya called for silence, but the crowd only stomped their feet and spoke their demands louder.

 

“Fight, fight, fight!”

 

“Fine!” Queen Adrya said. “If you wish to see Ogreslayer fight so badly, then you shall have it! I accept your challenge, Ogreslayer! I’ll pick my champion, and you’ll be the Young Stag’s. The gods will choose: Do the orcs rule, as right of conquest allows? Or do we leave, and let the Young Stag take the throne she so desires?”

 

The crowd cheered.

 

Queen Adrya waved a hand for silence. “For now, it is fitting that you spend some time alone, to pray to your heathen gods, and to speak with a priest for any final confessions. In three days time, you will face my champion. Guards? Take the prisoner back to his cell!”

 

The crowd started talking excitedly as the guards marched Khet back to the castle.

 

 

 

The cell door opened and Khet stood, cracking his knuckles. About time. He’d been spending the past hour bored out of his mind.

 

An orc with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a moustache stepped into the cell. He carried a spear, and wore iron armor with wolf heads as pauldrons.

 

“Nice armor,” Khet said dryly. “But I thought the queen’s sigil was a lion. Wolves are adventurers.”

 

“I wear whatever armor I please,” said the orc.

 

“Bold.”

 

The orc grunted.

 

Khet rolled his shoulders. “I’m ready. Tell your queen to order her soldiers out of Baradia.”

 

“Your trial by combat is tomorrow,” said the orc.

 

“Why are you here then?” Khet asked.

 

“I bring news from the queen, Ogreslayer.”

 

Khet snorted. “What? Is Queen Ardya wanting to make a deal with me? Tell her she can go to Dagor!”

 

“Not that queen.” The orc snapped his fingers, and transformed into a big gnome with blonde hair and amber eyes. “I’m with the Guild.”

 

Khet raised his eyebrows. Gnurl had brought a lot of adventurers with him aboard the Seawolf. Khet didn’t know the names of half of them. This gnome looked like one of Gnurl’s crew, but Khet couldn’t safely tell for sure.

 

“Got a name?” He asked the gnome.

 

The gnome’s expression didn’t change. “My name is Konamij-Chetsun Grakukag. You can call me Bloodthirsty.”

 

“Nice nickname. Were you aboard the Seawolf?”

 

“Aye. I crewed under the White Wolf. Speaking of, he’s got a message. He’s coming. He’s bringing the Seawolf up the river and into Hellgard. Hold out till then, Ogreslayer.”

 

“Got a time estimate on when that’s happening?”

 

Konamij-Chetsun shrugged.

 

“Also, Reaper’s coming, and she’s bringing the goblins of Drulnoch Castle. They’ll be besieging Hellgard.”

 

Khet smirked. “Didn’t know Mythana had it in her to raise an army.”

 

Konamij-Chetsun shrugged. “The goblins seem to like you. I don’t think they needed much convincing.”

 

Khet nodded.

r/TheGoldenHordestories