Lucian surveyed the scene before him—the goblins kneeling, trembling in submission. A wicked grin spread across his lips. Yes… this is how it should be. The first step in reshaping the world—the Lucian way.
"Now then!" He clapped his hands together, confidence gleaming in his violet eyes. "Lead me to my palace!"
The goblins flinched at his booming command, then scrambled to their feet, scurrying ahead with shaky legs. They weaved through the ruins and into the dense forest, Lucian following close behind.
As they trudged through the tangled underbrush, he let out a low chuckle. "I must say, you lot really went out of your way just to loot my former empire. I take it the hero's little light show was quite the spectacle?"
None dared to answer. Not that he needed them to. The silence was enough.
Then, a shift.
Lucian's keen eyes flickered toward the shadows stretching between the trees. Faint red glows flickered in the darkness—grubby little eyes, watching. Stalking.
He sighed. "So… my name truly no longer inspires fear, does it?"
His voice cut through the silence, commanding and cold.
"Show yourselves."
A rustling. Then, movement.
From the branches above, from the thick underbrush, even from the very path ahead, goblins emerged. Dozens of them. Maybe more. They surrounded him and his newfound 'followers,' their weapons crude but their intent clear.
An ambush? Or just another band of scavengers? Either way, Lucian's smirk only widened.
"More goblins?" He mused, amusement dripping from his tone. "My, my… how fortunate I am today."
His gaze snapped to the goblin at the front, the one who seemed to hold some authority. "Tribe?"
The goblin flinched, eyes wide with barely-contained terror. Then, slowly, he nodded.
The goblins didn't move. They didn't attack. They didn't flee.
One goblin, clutching a rusted dagger, let out a tiny, uncertain squeak. Another shuffled his feet, glancing between his weapon and Lucian as if suddenly questioning every life choice that led to this moment.
Then, like a wave, the tension broke. Weapons clattered to the ground. The goblins collapsed to their knees, eyes wide with something between reverence and existential dread.
Lucian smirked. Much better.
A familiar glow.
With a flicker of violet flames, the Dominion Codex materialized before him, its pages flipping of their own accord. His eyes flicked to the latest inscription beneath the Dominion of Villainy:
Dark Lord Among Goblins.
Lucian chuckled, low and rich, as he shut the Dominion Codex with a dramatic snap.
"Already? Man, this new Dominion sure is convenient." His violet eyes gleamed as he scanned the goblins before him.
He straightened his tattered cape, clearing his throat. Then, with the flair of a seasoned stage actor, he threw out his arms.
"At ease, my men!" he bellowed, voice dripping with theatrical grandeur. "Today, we march to my new palace, where I shall forge you into a force to be reckoned with!"
The goblins, still reeling from the supernatural fear he'd inflicted upon them, blinked in confusion. As the Dominion's effect faded, their terror melted into something else—awe.
Lucian smirked, drinking in their attention. "My friends! My warriors! Stand tall, for you now serve Dark Lord Lucian!"
The goblins erupted into cheers, their crude weapons flailing wildly in the air.
Lucian gave an elegant bow, grinning to himself. Now, how was that for a performance?
With his newly acquired army—if a handful of goblins even counted as such—Lucian strode forward, continuing to follow the goblins to their camp. Or, as he now decided to call it: his new palace.
When they arrived, Lucian took in the sight before him.
A wooden fence, barely taller than he was, surrounded the settlement. The gates creaked open to reveal an assortment of shabby goblin huts, a bonfire roasting some very questionable meat, and at the center of it all…
A slightly larger goblin hut.
Lucian's smirk faltered. His gaze lingered on the so-called "palace."
"…You're kidding me, right?" He turned to his goblin followers, searching for some sign that this was all a joke.
They just grinned at him, their grotesque little faces brimming with excitement.
Lucian sighed. "Seriously? This is it?"
The goblins nodded enthusiastically, clearly unaware of human standards of living.
Lucian exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "By the abyss… I really am starting from the ground up."
His gaze drifted toward the largest hut in the goblin encampment. It was crude, barely standing, and smelled like a mix of damp fur and bad decisions. He wrinkled his nose. This is what I've been reduced to?
Before he could lament further, a new goblin emerged from the shadows—this one taller, draped in tattered robes, its body covered in strange tattoos. A wolf skull sat atop its head like a grim crown, and in its clawed hands, it clutched a gnarled ritual staff.
"You… human… no… belong!" the goblin rasped, jabbing a bony finger at Lucian.
Lucian arched a brow. "Woah, a talking goblin? That's a rare sight. I only had a few of you in my old army." He stepped forward, eyeing the goblin with interest.
The goblin shaman let out a sharp krieee!—a shriek of alarm rather than defiance.
Lucian smirked. "I'm guessing you're the shaman around here?" He tapped the goblin's staff with mild curiosity.
"You!... Die!" the goblin screeched, raising his staff high.
A thick, tattered tome materialized before him, glowing with eerie green symbols—the Dominion Codex of Goblins. The pages flipped wildly, settling on a single inscription:
Dominion of Goblins.
The runes pulsed. The book shuddered violently, glowing an ominous green. The air crackled with barely-contained power. Goblins gasped. The shaman cackled triumphantly.
And then—
Fwip.
The glow vanished. The book hung in the air uselessly, pages fluttering like an embarrassed pigeon.
Silence.
One goblin coughed. Another quietly shuffled away, as if hoping no one noticed he'd been part of this.
The goblins stood still. No battle cry, no surge of power. Instead, the other goblins exchanged nervous glances before one hesitantly pressed a finger to his lips, subtly motioning for the shaman to quiet down.
Lucian blinked. Then he grinned.
"Oh, that's adorable." He leaned in, lowering his voice to a mock whisper. "Looks like my Dominion outranks yours."
Before the goblin could respond, Lucian snatched the shaman's codex clean out of the air. He barely even looked at it before flinging it into the sky with the practiced ease of a man skipping a stone across a lake.
The goblins craned their necks, watching as the book soared into the heavens… and kept going. And going. Until it was nothing but a speck.
Somewhere in the distance, a faint whoosh echoed.
"Huh." Lucian dusted off his hands. "I think I broke some kind of record."
The goblin shaman let out a strangled whimper, his staff slipping from his trembling hands as he collapsed onto the ground, wide-eyed and utterly terrified.
The goblin shaman gasped in pure disbelief.
This—this wasn't how dominion battles were supposed to go! Humans weren't supposed to just grab the book and chuck it into the abyss! That wasn't in any of the ancient teachings!
He stared at the grinning human before him, mouth dry.
The goblin shaman gasped. His Dominion Codex—gone. Just gone.
"N-No… no, no, no…" He clawed at the air. "Codex… come back. It must come back!"
The other goblins watched in silence. Somewhere in the distance, a faint whoosh echoed.
"You!... Filthy human!" The shaman screeched, jabbing a clawed finger at Lucian. "You not do that! You not throw… Codex! Is sacred!!"
Lucian tilted his head. "I just did."
"Wait! W-Wait!" The shaman scrambled forward. "You give back Codex, yes? Yes! Goblin give gift! Big gift! Uh… stronger goblins! Ones with… big teeth!"
Lucian merely grinned, shrugging his shoulders.
The shaman slumped, eyes hollow. "No Codex… no power… me… just weak goblin…"
A nearby goblin patted his shoulder.
Lucian chuckles at the utterly ridiculous sight in front of him.
"You…" Lucian leaned in closer, his piercing violet eyes locking onto the trembling goblin shaman. His voice dropped to a low, ominous murmur. "Hmm…"
The goblin shaman quaked under his gaze, eyes darting wildly as if searching for an escape. The tension thickened. The air grew still. Even the other goblins held their breath, paralyzed by suspense.
Lucian let the silence stretch—drawing it out just long enough for maximum effect—before finally…
He pointed a dramatic finger at the shaman, cape fluttering behind him (or at least, what was left of it).
Lucian loomed over the trembling goblin, violet eyes gleaming with dark purpose.
"A warrior must recognize strength," he mused, voice deep, commanding. "And you—you dared to stand against me. You wielded power, you led your people, you challenged the Dark Lord himself…"
The goblin shaman swallowed hard, sweat beading down his green forehead.
Lucian smirked. Then, with all the grandiosity of a seasoned conqueror, he threw out his arms.
"You shall be my second-in-command!"
A beat of silence.
The goblin shaman blinked. Once. Twice. His trembling subsided, replaced by an expression of sheer, unfiltered bewilderment.
"...What?"
Somewhere in the crowd, a goblin fainted. Another let out a confused squeak. One more cautiously raised his hand, as if about to ask a question—only to slowly lower it when Lucian shot him a look.