New Followers
For but a moment there was nothing but silence. Small, green beings stood frozen as their minds processed the words they had just heard. Should they accept? Their only other option was to be ruthlessly torn apart like their dead leader. But something about the beast's words triggered the survival instincts of the goblins, her offer felt like it was too good to be true. The sound of footsteps broke the silence, as a goblin wielding a staff fashioned out of wood stepped out of the crowd. Its aged demeanour revealed intelligence, an attribute rarely found in lowly beings like goblins, the appearance of this goblin triggered quiet discussion amongst the goblins.
Raising her eyebrow at the scene before her, Faye concluded that the aged goblin likely possessed high status within the village, this meant that whatever it was about to do would either make the conversion process easier or throw a wrench in her Lord's plan. With this in mind, the young Asura focused her senses on the goblin that now stood before her, any suspicious movements would result in a bloody execution; setting an example for any goblins with rebellious thoughts. The eyes of the two beings met, one pair filled with resolve whilst the other flashed with understanding, a smile stretched across the demoness' face as the goblin dropped to its knees and said the words she had been waiting for.
"I accept"
Murmurs rippled through the goblin horde as Thrag wondered if he had made the right choice before shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, it was too late for regret. He had thrown his lot, and now all he could hope was that the other goblins joined him in this decision. This hope arose from his role as village shaman, though the old goblin didn't possess the same level of influence as the deceased village chief, his words still held some weight. Surprise streaked the shaman's wizened visage, it would seem his words carried more weight than he thought they did as almost every goblin from the crowd stepped forward and dropped to their knees like he did.
From the looks on their faces, it was clear that the goblins were unsure about their choice however they had the utmost trust in their shaman, unlike their chief, the shaman possessed a gentle demeanour which earned him the goblin's respect. Furthermore, having seen the rise and fall of three chiefs, Thrag was the village's oldest goblin, and with this age came wisdom; wisdom they hoped would allow them to survive this calamity. Relief washed over the shaman's mind seeing that his brethren had not left him on his own, however, a sense of unease assaulted his mind upon seeing the few goblins who had yet to have made their decision.
Suddenly, arcs of red flew over the heads of the goblins who had submitted and zoomed towards the necks of the indecisive remainder. Thrag could only turn his head away from the scene of rolling heads and fountains of blood, and look upon the visage of their tormentor which currently sported a cruel smile. Her sweet, raspy voice trickled into their ears, waking them from their shock, "Their indecisiveness could only mean they did not trust our Lord, do not mourn their deaths, they don't deserve the tears of those graced by the Lord of Corruption"
Whilst the other goblins tried to ignore the fate of their fellow villagers, Thrag focused his attention on the final words of the red-skinned beast, more specifically the name of their new god, the Lord of Corruption. This information triggered something deep within the shaman, causing his eyes to widen as he felt a presence that he hadn't sensed in a long time. The presence of a divine being. This was one of the abilities that was necessary to become the village shaman, this was what allowed him to sense Hemocris, the Blood God before he disappeared and now it was attesting to the existence of the Lord of Corruption. This was an opportunity for the goblins! Ever since Hemocris had disappeared, the goblins' growth and expansion had stagnated, and with the loss of divine support, they were hunted down by the other races and forced into the folds of the Forest of Aeternitas.
After suffering such humiliation, the goblin population split into many different groups, all following different paths and ideologies but all save for one group abandoned their faith in Hemocris. These loyal followers of the Blood God were the group that Faye had subjugated, and their years of undying devotion had been left unanswered. They had held the belief that one day, their god would return and guide them to victory but that day never came, instead, what lay before the goblins was a new, unknown path that would either lead them to their demise or take them to heights they had never seen before.
This was it! This is what the goblins had been waiting for. The elder goblin was sure that they were about to experience growth unlike any other, their reach would once again stretch past the boundaries of their verdant prison. The Lord of Corruption was presenting all of this to them in exchange for their faith, and why did the shaman believe this? Their new god's very title hinted that he wouldn't just stop with the goblins, the goblin was sure that he desired to paint the world with his corruption and Thrag wanted to see this world that his Lord would create. The aged goblin's heart had decided to devote itself to this new cause, faith began to bloom as formed a connection to the large presence enveloping his senses. With this, the first Priest of the Lord of Corruption had been born.
Ruby orbs twinkled with interest as the presence around the old goblin kneeling slowly transformed, the sensation that it began to emanate was reminiscent of her Lord's corrupting abilities, only that it was significantly weaker. Faye was sure that the goblin had received a high-ranking role from her Lord, though the reason behind his instant promotion interested her, unless her Lord revealed the reason himself she would refrain from asking. The Asura let her eyes wander over the kneeling goblins, taking in their reactions to their brethren's change, eliciting an amused grin from the Apostle upon seeing the dumbfounded looks of her Lord's new followers. Despite the shaman's change being spiritual rather than physical, the goblins could tell that the Elder Thrag whom they all knew and respected had undergone a great change.
The crowd held their breath as the elder goblin began to stand, fearing that their tormentor would put a swift end to their de facto leader, however, this fear never came to fruition as the shaman bowed towards the demoness as if he were greeting someone of a higher position, evoking a grin laced with satisfaction from the demoness. Having received approval from the being that he had identified as the Lord's chosen, Thrag turned towards his people causing them to reel back in shock and wonder, as his eyes glowed with purple light with no traces of the yellow that had originally coloured his eyes. The newly inducted priest ignored the surprise of the crowd and instead raised his arms and addressed his people in the same gentle tone that they were all familiar with, "My people, we have long waited for the return of our Blood God, we have kept our hearts alight with our faith in him...hoping for the day he will once again guide us but despite all the time that has passed there has been nothing. No signs. No guidance. No great return."
He paused, allowing his words to sink into the minds of his brethren, the unbreakable trust in Thrag allowed his words to dig deep into the very existence of the goblins, leaving them questioning their faith, wondering if all had been for nought. They desired an answer. Their eyes looked up towards the shaman as if to ask if he had the answer, and right on cue, he continued, "And now a great calamity befalls us, our leader and fellow brothers are ruthlessly slaughtered, and those of us who remain face an uncertain fate. Wrong!"
Many jumped at the priest's sudden exclamation but they were also wrought with interest at the reason behind his rejection of their current state of affairs, was it not like how he described it?
"I can see many of you are confused, of course, you would be, you haven't felt his grand presence. The Lord of Corruption. He offers us what Hemocris was supposed to, an answer to our faith and devotion. We are being offered a place in the army that shall conquer the world under his banner. With his power and our faith, we will break free from the shackles that have been forced upon us and once again walk upon the lands that our enemies have stolen from us. My brothers and sisters, we are being presented with the opportunity to soar to heights that surpass our ancestral glory. We have waited long and hard for salvation, and it has now come. The Blood God may not have returned but we have our new Lord."
Stopping herself from laughing at the theatrics of the goblin, Faye couldn't help but appreciate the skilful tongue of her brother in faith as she watched excitement and hope surge in the previously fearful goblins. The hunger for conquest blossomed throughout the crowd and at that very moment someone called out,
"PRAISE THE LORD OF CORRUPTION"
No one knew who called it out but they didn't care as they began to chant.
"PRAISE THE LORD OF CORRUPTION"
"PRAISE THE LORD OF CORRUPTION"
"PRAISE THE LORD OF CORRUPTION"
Purple eyes inspected the scenes of the goblin village.
"He'll be a useful pawn"