After several days of travel, Midas and his gang of goblins approached the Mosquito Mountain in the west.
Their journey was slowed, as catapults and ballistas weren’t lightweight equipment. Moving them on their own was slow enough, but having to trek through dense jungle made it much worse.
Fallen logs and overgrown roots would always get in the way; the most common deterrent of travel was the thousands of bushes spread across the entire forest.
Due to Gool’s expertise, the entire crew was able to go unseen by most mosquitoes. Mosquitos held a tight surveillance all over the west side of the island, so only experienced minds could perform such a feat.
Still, dozens of the insects caught them out. They were quickly dealt with...
Their bodies were scavened, the chitin from their exoskeleton being of great use for armor. Midas also had one more plan regarding the corpses of the mosquitoes...
Despite not being seen by many eyes, Midas and his group encountered a fair share of wild beasts that exerted great power.
Several boar-beasts similar to the one Erho rode atop were slain by Midas and his gang.
During the weeks of travel, Midas even gained two levels.
[Level: 16-->18]
[Vitality: 13/13-->14/14]
[Strength: 15-->18]
Wolf beasts mixed with hyenas, gorillas the size of rhinos, and crocodiles with jaws that could fit a human were the most common behind the boar beasts.
As they neared the end of their journey, Yemo walked up to Midas with a new invention in mind.
"It’s simple, but in warfare, it will grant unspeakable value." Yemo led on, explaining his new invention to Midas and the others.
He walked over to two ballistas and gestured his head for a couple of goblins to approach.
They held a massive rolled-up cloth that looked to be woven out of vine and leaf material.
It was pounded over and over again with rocks, loosening the cloth to make it a more flexible fabric.
"Hmm? What’s this?" Midas asked, his intrigue spiked.
"A bog curtain, I like to call it." Yemo replied with a confident smirk, "Each of the two front sides of the square cloth can be holstered onto a ballista arrow. Weaved inbetween the cloth are dozens of bog plants. When the two arrows fire at once, the bog curtain is unleashed over an area spanning 30 by 30 feet (9 by 9 meters) in the air. It will fall over the mosquito homestead, exploding multiple bog plants at once in a large combustion of smoke. All mosquitoes trapped underneath will be taken out, and many of those in the area will succumb as well."
Midas’s eyes lit up with satisfaction.
"Seriously?" He smirked, "That’s amazing, Yemo. I’m proud of you... truly!"
Yemo grinned as wide as he could. He resembled a child being given a compliment by a parent.
The other goblins soon approached, murmuring compliments to themselves as they inspected the new weaponry.
"Midas, we have arrived at the desired location," Gool said, walking from the front of the gang toward the player. "Any further than this, and we would risk being spotted easily by the mosquitoes."
Midas narrowed his gaze, "Hmm... I wonder how large the main base of the mosquitoes is." He said.
"The one you encountered on your first day on the island... it was one of the smaller bases of the mosquitoes. Those bases are meant only for drone mosquitoes, whose job is to live on the outskirts of the western area of the island and report back anything dangerous or of interest to the main colony." Gool spoke, referring back to Midas’s story of the mosquitoes. Midas had told everyone about his encounter with mosquitoes, along with the entire plan during their travel.
"That colony... is a mere spec compared to the real one. The real colony houses over two thousand mosquitoes by itself, let alone the outer smaller colonies." Gool said, his tone serious.
Midass’s brows furrowed.
"Fuck me... that’s more than I was expecting." Midas replied, "But the number really doesn’t matter. We aren’t here to defeat them, but to subdue them."
Gool nodded, turning and facing west.
"Let’s attack." The goblin uttered.
Midas smirked, "Indeed... let’s attack." He turned, facing the goblin company, "Head to your allotted locations! Do NOT reveal yourself until I give the signal."
Yemo walked over to Midas, handing him a flag on a long pole.
The pole was made out of a bamboo shoot and was 10 feet (3 meters) in length. The flag was made of the same greenish-gray cloth that made up the bog curtain. On it, black paint represented a specific symbol.
A long straight line existed in the center, leading to an arrow that pointed up to the sky. Three large, powerful-looking wings jutted out from either side of the line, representing ascension. A horizontal line served as the base of the arrow, finalizing the design.
The symbol was indeed the same mark that Midas had etched into the forehead of the archer orc he had sent as a messenger to the orc homestead. It was the mark of Midas, the player.
Gool began walking west, Midas following behind him.
All the other goblins split up into several groups, beginning to fan out as they also walked westward.
Several minutes later, Midas and Gool approached a massive hill in the center of the forest.
They held large leaves atop their heads, making sure they wouldn’t be spotted by any droning mosquitoes.
As they approached the top, Gool hid behind a nearby tree.
Midas, on the other hand, walked over the hump of the hill, peering into what was a vast divot in the center of the hill.
It was like a volcano, but not nearly as deep or hollow.
The divot within the hill was approximately 1,500 feet (457 meters) in diameter. Within were buildings that resembled the much smaller mosquito hill that Midas had entered in the past.
Houses made of mud were scattered everywhere and etched into the ground. Hundreds of large red mosquitoes could be seen traveling across highways that spread throughout the divott.
Tunnels led underground, and hundreds of insects entered and left them.
In the center, a massive dome-shaped mud establishment towered over all other buildings.
It was probably over 100 feet (30 meters) in height, its walls rounding outwards as they reached the floor.
"I told you that the last time you saw me wouldn’t be the final time... bugs." He smirked, turning and walking to where Gool was.
"It’s about time, right?" Midas asked.
Gool nodded. "Yep. Thirty minutes have officially passed as of right..." He paused for a second or two. "Now."
Midas turned, and out of nowhere, dozens of bog plants appeared in the sky above the divot. They all seem to come from different directions, exploding randomly in the air above the mosquito homestead and instantly cloaking the sky with a green cloud.