First batch of mantic inspired writing

The heading says it all.

Waves crashed against the wooden hulls of the goblin armada as the vessels neared the white cliffs and sandy beaches of the island. Far off to the rear of this invasion force, the heavy beat of drums could be heard as the greenskins prepared for battle.

Nabbit Nosecutter, the captain of one of the lead vessels, peered through his spyglass at their opponent’s defences. He had battled the forces of the druids and Sylvan Lords on one previous occasion when the goblin column had been ambushed, seemingly spontaneously. Some mad old druid or other had probably been feeling touchy about the goblins trespassing in his forest or something like that.

Nabbit hawked and spat over the side of the boat. The forces of nature deeply confused him. They were too whimsical, if that was the word. He hadn’t the faintest idea what it meant but he had once heard the big boss say it and if the big boss had said it, it was a word and the right word.

The one thing on which Nabbit knew he could rely, was that their opponents on the beach, no matter what strange creatures they were comprised of, could not be trusted to do the expected.

He turned around and surveyed his troops. Just over fifty goblins were crammed on the deck. They were soaked to the skin and looked cold and miserable. Some were shivering and others were blowing their long crooked noses on their sleeves. The archers cradled their precious bows inside their shirts in the hopeful attempt to preserve the strings from the salt water that was splashing over the sides. Nabbit turned away to his second and shook his head. This pack of seasick goblins were the spearhead of the invasion force. This was going to be interesting.

He glanced back to the beach again. It was lined with sharpened stakes to prevent a mass charge by fleabag riders. Like the poor stinking beasts had it in them, after a week at sea in a leaky goblin boat.

Above the white shoreline, the beach gradually rose into a slope and at the top, trees grew in a dense thicket obstructing all vision of the enemy forces.

He hated this. Turning, Nabbit bellowed above the roar of the sea for his lieutenants. They assembled before him looking unhappy, soggy and desperate to get off the boat, even if it meant leaping over the sides out into the ocean.

“All right lads,” Nabbit bellowed, “It’s going to be a tough fight down there and many of our boys on this ‘ere boat ain’t gonna make it.” He gestured vaguely behind him at the mass of snivelling wretches huddled together on deck.

“Now I’m telling you this ‘cos you needs to know. The lads back there,” again he made vague gestures in the general direction of everything behind him, “don’t need to know this. It’d only confuse the lot of them. See they don’t need to hurt their ‘eads with the tactics ‘cos we lot is doing it for ‘em.” He delivered the last with an evil grin.

“Wot?” burbled the commander of his spearmen. “We is ‘urting their ‘eads now is we?”

Nabbit smacked a palm into his face and groaned softly. Some of these goblins…

“No, no, no. We is thinkin’ up the tactics and the strategy. All they is doing is the fighting.” Nabbit explained.

“So, as I wos explainin’, we is going to be losing a couple of our boys on that there beach. And that’s all right ‘cos there is plenty other boys out there lookin’ to join up with a good crew. Now,” the goblin captain began pacing.

“Now, I heard from the big boss that’s runnin’ this show that first scavenge rights go to the first group o’ lads that make it up that hill and of course survive long enough to claim what is rightfully theirs.”

He turned and pointed at the mass of ships sailing slowly towards the beach, each crammed with seasick goblins eager to be on land.

“Them at the back think that we is going to be smashed by them woody peoples on the beach. And yes some of us will, but that’s jus’ life and we is all going ta have to deal wif it. But the point is. If we clamber up to the top of that hill and dig in, and we survive then why, we have all the loot we will ever need!” he beamed at his shivering underlings.

Grinskull, his second in command, was looking thoughtful. Nabbit liked to keep his top lads in the loop so he cocked his head and smiled madly at the captain of the archers, displaying rows of sharp little teeth.

“Yers, wot is it, hey? Come on Grinskull spit it out, your face is looking screwed up and thoughtful like. Share the burden with your old boss, heh?” he spoke still grinning.

“Well, ya see boss, is like this. We is going to lose an awful lot of lads on that beach t’day and I was jus’ wanderin’ how is we going to get our lads up to full strength again. There’s no spawnlings on this here island that we can snatch and none o’ the other boys from the other boats will want ta join us if we just got all smashed up. So what’s we gonnna do?”

Clever little goblin, thought Nabbit. But not as clever as me.

“You see Grinskull my lad,” he began. “As long as we get all the best loot, nice shiny weapons for our armoury, lots of ‘eads for our trophy rack and mayhap a bit o’ gold here or there we is goin’ ta be fine.”

All his underlings were bobbing their heads and grinning stupidly except Grinskull who actually understood partially what Nabbit was talking about.

“But, boss, that would jus’ make us rich, it doesn’t make more lads to fight for us, does it?”

“Grinskull, Grinskull, my dear lad, listen ta me. The boys out on them other boats want to be rich and big and strong. Once we take the beach we will be big and rich and strong, ya understand? Now they see us livin’ the life with all the weapons and gold we can imagine, they will say to themselves, “I is wantin’ some of that!” so there we go.”

“So,” Grinskull spoke slowly his face all scrunched up in concentration. “So da plan is we get rich, t’ other lads wants ta be rich and they join us and we makes ‘em rich. This right?”

Nabbit’s smile split his face from ear to ear. “Exactly!” he beamed. Finally, progress!

***

I plan to add another part every day until all the writing I have done for this is finished.

Fare thee well, and a good morrow unto thee. :D