Out of Space
Chapter 438: Two Face

North of the Borders of Falledge, Somewhere in the Hills, Cave

An illegible squeak of pain came from an old and wilted looking goblin as a pair of steel boots slammed into its side, sending it sprawling across the stone floor of the cave lit by torches fuel by animal fat. The orange glow of the torches made the shadows of the naturally formed cavern look alive as they flickered from the light.

"Hurry up scum!" The owner of the steel boots yelled and gave another kick at the fallen goblin which curled up to protect itself from the kick before scrambling away to do the tall meat bag's bidding before it got more pain for any delays.

The elder goblin hobbled into another opening and the cave had a natural hole in the ceiling which a ray of light shone down, illuminating the dozens of alchemical pots under a fire being silently stirred by several scrawny goblins. A table covered with strange looking herbs and pouches of unknown items stood next to the pots. At the side of the cave wall, two towering meat bag clad in that hard metal clothes watched over the goblins in the cook cave and they both eyed the elder goblin with distaste as it entered.

"Hurry up and do your thing!" The metal clad meat bag next to the elder goblin yelled out and kicked the goblin forward again. The rest of the goblins stirring the pots hissed with displeasure and the two guards flicked their whips in response, the wick barbs drawing greenish blood from the goblins who yelped in pain and fright. "Back to work! Scum!"

The elder goblin struggled to his feet and dusted itself solemnly as it cast a baleful glare at its captors. It hobbled over to the nearest pot and gave it a good sniff and imagined the bodies of these metal clad meat bags were floating inside the boiling pot.

After a while, the elder goblin gave a nod and it took a pinch of arcane dust from a small satchel and sprinkled over the pot while chanting in goblin gibberish. The guard standing over him growled and warned, "Remember, scum! Any tricks... And I will enjoy chopping your limbs off one by one and beating you to death with them!"

The rest of the goblins paused at their work and stared wide eyed at the elder goblin as it continued to chant, constantly sprinkling and dropping one or two different components taken from the table next to the pots.

Slowly the boiling mixture in the pot started give off a sick eerie green yellow glow and the liquid turned into a thick syrupy mixture. The elderly goblin stopped its chants and took another sniff of the mixture and jabbered in some goblin gibberish to the rest before he moved over to the next pot and repeated its actions.

The goblins received its instructions, carefully poured out the thick mixture out onto a bed of leaves piled over a simple frame made out of twigs. Once the mixture was spread evenly over the leaves, two goblins carried the makeshift frame out and carried it outside of the cave and the mixture joined the dozens of others drying in the open air under the sun.

Once, properly dried, the mixture will harden into a block and the goblins with tied cloth masks over their faces will pound and ground the blocks into a fine dust. And all these was overseed by a group of armoured elves who did not hesitate to kill any goblins that did not follow their orders.

-----

"My Lord!" An steel clad soldier saluted as he pushed aside the cloth covering the entrance to the cave. "The goblins have finished the next batch of the powder..."

"Bring... st in..." A whizzing voice came from the depths of the cave. The soldier gestured to two nervous slaves who each held a bowl filled with a white powder that had a greenish glitter. The two frightened elves, once refugees seeking shelter, now turned slaves by these soldiers, nervously entered the cave with their heads bowed down lowly.

They did not dare to raise their heads up and kept their eyes firmly to the stone floor. They quickly placed the bowls of powder on the table and quickly backed away.

A smooth hand reached out and dipped a finger into one of the bowls, snagging some of the powdery substance on to its fingertips before the hand retracted back into the shadows. A female moan came from the shadows as the figure fondled the female in his arms.

"Aishhh... yess..." A hiss came from the Lord who sniffled the powder. "Tiss... pain... iss gone..."

"My Lord!" Another soldier suddenly appeared at the cave door. "Urgent news!"

"Whatss... iss... st?" The voice spoke with a lisp, air could be heard hissing out from his mouth.

"We have lost contact with the people we recruited in the city..." The newcomer replied nervously. "The refugees that we recruited and sent into the city... has not signalled us for days! I... I am afraid... They might have run away..."

"Imposssible!" The angered Lord shoved the female slave away from his arms and stormed out into the light of the glow lamp hanging next to the entrance. "Did they forgetss the livess of their familiess iss in ourss handss?"

The soldier shrunk back from the fury of his Lord and kept his eyes averted away from his Lord's face. "I- I have... no idea... what happened... to them..."

"LOOKSS ATS MEE!" The Lord hissed as he stood before the frightened soldier. "ISS MINES FACE SSO HORRIBLESS?"

The soldier trembled and forced himself to face his Lord. He swallowed back the averison and schooled his face to be as neutral as possible and fiercely denied his Lord's words with shaking his head rapidly. "N- No. my Lord! Your face is not horrible at all!"

Inwardly, the soldier felt his Lord's face was worse than a demon, a horror that only appears in nightmares. One half of his Lord was normal, even retaining the youthful and handsome looks, but on the other half, it was stuff from nightmares.

Skin that was once smooth, was instead charred, covered in boils and weeping pus. Half of his face was so badly damaged that the meat of his cheeks had either burnt or melted away, revealing a hole. Half of his face literally was gone, only bits of charred skin and boils sticking to his exposed skull.

His startling eyeball on his ruined side of the face was yellowed and covered with red veins that barely move correctly. The Lord stared in silence at the soldier with his good eye for a while before he backed off and returned to the frightened female.

"Kill... theirss... familiess..." He said, air leaking out from the holes in his cheek and mouth. "And... recruitsss... more... people..."

"Yes! My Lord!" The soldier saluted and made a quick exit as he ran off to convey his orders. There were hundreds of refugees living among them as they sought protection, thinking that these soldiers will protect them, but instead, they were enslaved and forced to do their bidding.

The Joker leaned back and wrapped his good arm around the girl, while his bad arm, bearing only bones reached over and cruelly squeezed the breasts of the girl, making her moan and bit back her cries of pain as his skeletal fingers drew blood on her flesh.

"Thiss... pain..." He hissed to himself as the effects of the powder drug eased off and scorching pain returned to him. He immediately remembered the sudden flashes of light, the searing heat and explosions, the screams of his men and his own. His eyes flashed with anger and hate as he hissed. "Thiss... woundsss..."

If it was not for the chance encounter with a band of feral goblins that tried to eat him and the survivors, and the discovery of the Power of Life as the goblins called it, the unbearable pain would had driven him crazy. Even with healing magic, it only saved his life but was unable to heal the damages. In the end, the goblin drug helped him and he changed the name of the drug to Happy as it made him feel happy as the pain from his burnt wounds disappeared.

Now with the goblin slaves, he could create as much of the powder as he wanted as long as they have the raw materials and components to make it. And not only that, he found out that prolonged use of the drug will make one highly dependable on it, and without taking it for some time, one would suffer even greater pain and turmoil.

And that was what he wanted his enemies to feel exactly what he suffered from every day of his life, pain and turmoil! He used the refugees as his carriers, sending them across the border of his enemy, telling them as long as they do what was instructed, their families will be safe in his hands.

Groups of refugees carrying the drug were able to cross the border easily at first, till the enemy started to prevent any crossings and even built a great stone fence that prevented people from crossing.

So he came up with the idea of having his drug carriers to swallow animal intestines filled with the drug so that they can past through the main border gates. Once those people had successfully infiltrated the cities, they were to use those drugs to poison the water or sell it to anyone willing to buy at any price.

Once the people in the city was addicted to this drug, the city will collapse as the people will become dependant for the drug and he will have his revenge!

"The United... Nationsss... shallss... pay..."

-----

United Nations, Seacliff Mining and Dungeon Town, Level 7 Dungeon

"RAAAAWRRR!" The ear shattering roar of the monstrous two headed rock giant slammed into the party as they took shelter behind the pillars of the dungeon. The mighty swing of its crude stone club smashed against the pillar and shook the entire dungeon.

Leon yelled as he took the chance to give a mighty swing of his greatsword at the rock hard leg of the giant. Sparks burst out from the impact and a crack appeared on the shin of the rock giant. The two headed rock giant roared out and slammed its club directly at Leon who dodged away.

A loud boom and one of the eyes on the left head of the rock giant exploded into dust as a .50 calibre round impacted it. The rock giant tettered backwards and in its fury it swung its club wildly, creating massive airwaves that could knock a person off their feet.

"Keep it up!" Leon yelled encouragingly. "It's just a rock giant! Nothing to be worried about!"

Justze rolled his eyes as he crouched down behind a pillar. His hands were on the floor as he channelled his mana and suddenly the ground under the rock giant wobbled and a huge clump of rock formations sealed the rock giant's legs, making it topple backwards. The full weight of the giant made the entire dungeon level shake, sending rock dust raining down from the ceilings.

"I can't use my magic to affect that giant!" Justze yelled. "It is too powerful for my magic!"

"Nevermind!" Leon yelled back. "Good job with trapping its feet!"

"Yill! Kat!" Leon turned to their two supports. "Use the bazooka!"

The two supports nodded and they quickly pulled out the tubed weapon from back of their porter golem which was shivering behind a pillar. The two quickly equipped the weapon and they ran out from cover and each took up a firing position at the struggling giant that was trying to regain its feet.

Both of them aimed down the sights, each targeting a head of the dungeon boss of level 7.

"EAT THIS! YOU TWO FACED FREAK!"