Episode Four: The Hermits One Step from Victory

Meanwhile, back at the Hermits’ camp, Warden Appo was patiently waiting for Lukdun. When he saw the frightened goblins returning and then heard from them what had happened, he was once again seized by rage. He wanted to punish them all severely for retreating. But after calming down a little, he realized that this was impossible, since he would be left with no warriors. So he decided to punish the one chiefly responsible for the second disgrace of the day, who, naturally, was Lukdun.
But Lukdun did not appear. All the Hermits had returned long ago and now exchanged bewildered looks whenever the Warden approached them and sternly demanded to know where their commander had gone.
“So where is our great warrior, who has once again been thwarted by bees? It’ll be dark soon, and he’s still not here. What do you think, Torul?” Warden Appo asked with a mocking smirk.
“I don’t know, Warden. Perhaps he ran away, fearing your anger. If so, he has surprised me greatly. I considered him a strong and proud warrior. As for the bees, though, I don’t quite understand what happened this time. As far as I know, there are no white bees, much less hot ones. Although perhaps the Bignoses breed some special kind of bees that live in pots. These goblins have proved far more cunning than we assumed.”
“More than you assumed, because I never said anything of the sort about them. And what difference does it make what color the bees were, or whatever else they were? They should have kept pushing forward, ignoring the pain. I didn’t hand out Ant Power just so our warriors could satisfy their hunger. And now I’ll have to give them more.”
“You’re right, Warden. Everyone will need Ant Power to deliver the decisive blow. The fire has burned out, the bees are gone, which means the way is clear. But it would be better to attack tomorrow morning, so our warriors have time to forget today’s unsuccessful day. And let us light fires as well. Perhaps those who became lost in the forest after the bee attack will see them.”
“That’s what we’ll do, Torul. The more warriors, the better. Besides, they must atone for running away so disgracefully.”
“I completely agree with you, Warden. But who will lead the army now? I believe Lukdun is gone forever.”
“I think Dagul will lead it. What do you say?”
“Dagul is a very wise choice. He has been here before and knows the surrounding lands. But I would still like to help him. Allow me, as Counselor, to go with him tomorrow. Perhaps I will notice something he does not.”
“All right, Torul. You may go. I should have sent you with Lukdun as well. Perhaps today would have been more successful for us.”
“Perhaps. But nothing has been lost yet. The important thing is that we have Ant Power. And with it, the advantage remains on our side. It is only a matter of time before it bears fruit.”
“I don’t doubt that either. But I would like to get everything done quickly and with little bloodshed. And that is how it would have happened if not for the three Bignoses who escaped. Once the goblinum is captured, they must be found and properly thanked. I hope you can guess how.”
“Of course. And it will be a fitting reward,” the Counselor said with a sinister smile.
Mor, Vuk, and Nuk did not hear this conversation because, as soon as the forest became too bright, they had been forced to move farther away.
“Would you look at that? Those Hermits still can’t leave their Warden alone. And he’s no better — he could at least let half the guards go. What a coward. And because of that, we’re stuck here hungry,” Vuk said irritably, lazily glancing toward the Hermits.
“Maybe Warden Appo is afraid, but probably not so much for himself as for the casket. All his power is in there. And if he loses it, he’ll immediately turn back into an ordinary goblin,” Mor replied.
He, too, was tired of sitting in one place and waiting for something that might not happen at all. But there was no choice, so he continued watching. The forest was already beginning to grow dark, and it was becoming harder and harder to make out anyone among the Hermits.
“Let’s get closer. Maybe we’ll hear something interesting,” Nuk suggested when night fell.
The goblins crept closer and, just in case, hid behind a large tree. In their haste, they had forgotten to take even a little food with them and were now desperately hungry. As always, Vuk was suffering the most. He complained that hunger was robbing him not only of his strength but also of his eyesight, and that little transparent clouds had begun floating before his eyes. A suspicious ringing had appeared in his ears as well. So it was becoming harder and harder for him to peer into the darkness and make out voices.
“Nothing’s going to happen there during the night anyway. And if I’m not completely blind and deaf by morning, I’ll keep watch. Besides, why do all three of us need to watch them? Remember how we guarded the camp? Let’s take turns,” he suggested.
“We can rest, of course. But the main thing is not to sleep. Because if you start snoring, brother, not only will the Hermits hear you, but so will our goblins in the meadow,” Nuk reminded him. He was no less tired than his brother but was trying to hold on.
Mor was tired too and wanted to sleep no less than the others. He did not snore, but he had no intention of sleeping anyway, no matter how hard it was.
Before long, fires were lit among the Hermits. Now they could not only hear but also see what was happening in the camp. Mor tried to catch every word Warden Appo said, hoping to learn at least something useful that might help them. He even pulled at his already protruding ears because Vuk’s rumbling stomach was beginning to interfere more and more often.
At first, it was a quiet gurgle that gradually turned into a loud, prolonged rumble.
“What’s wrong with your stomach? They’ll hear us any moment now,” Nuk protested.
“What can I do? It’s been empty for a long time, so it’s starting to complain. I have willpower. But apparently, it doesn’t. We need to feed it urgently before it gets even louder,” Vuk replied and began desperately feeling around on the ground for something edible.
But only the ever-present ants scurried over his fingers.
“Here.” Mor took out the pouches of Ant Power. “I think now is the right time. The Ant Power will last for two days, and we won’t need more than that. Either everything will be decided tomorrow, or we’re finished.”
“That’s right, Mor. Why wait any longer? It’ll go bad in the heat,” Vuk said, carefully taking a pouch and trying to examine it.
“What are you looking at? Come on, swallow it quickly before your stomach comes alive again.” Nuk had already tossed a pouch into his mouth, bitten through it, and swallowed the contents.
Vuk said nothing, but at the mention of his stomach, he immediately followed his brother’s example. Mor did the same.
A moment later, the three goblins felt a pleasant warmth spreading through their bodies, followed by a surge of strength that was familiar to Mor and unusual for the brothers. The feeling of hunger disappeared at once, and then the fatigue was gone as well. They were full of energy again.
Vuk badly wanted to test himself. The thought even occurred to him to charge at the Hermits, scatter everyone near Warden Appo, and take the casket containing the Ant Power. It seemed to him that it would be easy.
“Calm down, Vuk. There are too many of them. And they have Ant Power too,” Mor said, holding him back.
But Mor himself understood perfectly well that the tricks prepared for the Hermits would soon run out, so they had to act.
After much thought, he made up his mind:
“We’ll have to take the risk. Are you ready?”
“Of course. With Ant Power, we’re ready for anything. Right, Nuk?” Vuk turned to his brother.
“Yes, we’re ready, Mor. We can’t just wait while our Bignose brothers are dying. Let’s do what we planned and let whatever happens happen,” Nuk said firmly.
“All right. Then we’ll do as we agreed,” Mor said.
Nuk and Mor divided Vuk’s kegs between them, chose two trees, and carefully began climbing them. Vuk remained where he was, waiting for morning and Mor’s signal.
With the first rays of sunlight, all the Hermits were ready for battle again. Dagul now led them, with Counselor Torul riding beside him. Warden Appo had told them both that they could return only to tell him that the anthill and the goblinum had been captured.
Dagul, who had not expected to be entrusted with the army, was ready to do anything to please the Warden. He was already imagining the Bignoses falling one after another to his sword. But feeling almost limitless strength within himself, Dagul had forgotten that first he still had to reach the Bignoses.
As he approached the edge of the forest, already preparing to charge forward, he saw a curious sight.
The entire meadow was overrun with forest rats.
Big and small, they seemed to have gathered there for some celebration of their own. And for them, it truly was a celebration. With their keen sense of smell, forest rats from all around had followed the scent of fish throughout the night and eventually reached the meadow. A true feast awaited them there. They could not have dreamed of anything like it.
Their favorite fish lay everywhere. No one was eating it, and no one was guarding it. There in the distance, of course, stood two-legged creatures that also ate fish and usually chased away anyone who tried to approach it. But now they were not moving from where they stood. And even if they did move, the rats were already prepared to defend what they considered their rightful prey.
At dawn, the whole scene unfolding in the meadow was revealed. Entire rat families sat in circles around the fish, eagerly gnawing at it. The parent rats were very caring and left the tastiest part — the guts — for their young. The old rats got the soft backs, while the others ate everything else.
And so, in a cozy family circle, the forest rats greeted the morning and intended to remain in the meadow until the very last fish was gone.
Everything remained peaceful until many more two-legged creatures emerged from the forest.
Unlike the ones standing motionless in the distance, these began to approach. The rats glanced in their direction more and more often. Their small eyes began to narrow with hostility.
“Interesting…” Torul drawled, surveying the meadow. “So they’ve decided on another trick. And which one of you is so clever? Well, never mind. We’ll certainly find out when we conquer you. What do you plan to do, Dagul? After all, there’s another obstacle ahead.”
“Ride on and ignore the rats. We’ll simply trample them and keep going,” he replied confidently.
“And what do you know about forest rats?” Torul asked.
“What do you mean? I know they’re rats and they live in our forest. And they’re far too small to hold us up,” Dagul said dismissively.
“The bees were even smaller, yet they managed to hold us up,” Torul calmly objected.
“The bees appeared unexpectedly. That’s why we were caught off guard. And they fly. How are you supposed to fight them off? It won’t be like that with the rats. We’ll deal with them quickly.”
“Do you know that forest rats are very loyal to one another and are used to defending each other? Especially when they’re eating.”
“What are you suggesting? That we wait until they eat all the fish and leave?” Dagul asked irritably.
“I’m suggesting that you think, so you don’t repeat Lukdun’s mistakes. If you move your entire army across the whole meadow now, there’s simply no way you’ll get through without hitting a single rat. And then they’ll definitely attack. I think that’s exactly what the Bignoses are counting on. If I were in your place, I would send a small detachment ahead — one that might even have to be sacrificed. But what can you do? There is no war without casualties. While the rats are distracted by them, the rest of the army can go around and easily reach the Bignoses.”
“All right, I’ll agree with you. But I think I’ll allow them to retreat once they see that we’ve succeeded. It’s one thing to die in battle by a goblin’s sword and quite another to die at the teeth of forest rats.”
“Yes, Dagul, that would probably be right. If they manage to break free, of course.”
Dagul summoned two dozen goblins, quickly explained what was required of them, and they moved forward. When the Hermits came very close, they saw that the rats had stopped chewing and were now staring intently at the uninvited guests. The goblins also began studying the rats carefully, choosing their first victims.
A moment later, twenty swords rose above the goblins’ heads and, glinting in the sunlight, slashed sharply downward. Some of the rats managed to leap away from the sharp points at the last instant, while others suffered mortal wounds and squealed pitifully. Meanwhile, the swords rose toward the sky again and came down upon the next victims. Once more, several rats shuddered and became still forever.
The Hermits wielded their swords as though the creatures before them were their worst enemies. But soon, not a single rat remained near them. No, they had not fled for safety. They had merely run farther away to stay out of reach of the swords. Now they would not leave this place, because they could hear the dying cries of their kin.
The entire meadow seemed to come alive with running rats. They rushed in from all sides to take revenge on the merciless two-legged creatures. And the goblins were already beginning to realize that they themselves would soon become the victims, so they glanced nervously toward their army.
Dagul watched what was happening closely, and as soon as part of the meadow was clear, he immediately charged toward it. Only Torul remained at the edge of the forest. The army had not yet reached the Bignoses, so for the moment, he kept his attention on the rats.
And there, a terrible scene was unfolding.
The enraged rats surrounded their killers and slowly closed in, tightening the ring. The Hermits formed a circular defense, hoping somehow to fight them off and break free. They could see that the army was already approaching the Bignoses, which meant they could retreat. But they had never expected the rats to surround them so quickly.
Dozens of pairs of eyes stared at the goblins with hatred, choosing where their sharp teeth would soon sink in.
One more moment — and the revenge began.
The smaller rats targeted their legs. They leaped at them, biting and tearing with their claws, turning them into a bloody mess. The goblins could do little more than grab their tormentors and hurl them far into the grass.
The larger rats first jumped onto the rams and then easily reached any part of the goblins’ bodies. They clung to arms and shoulders, climbed onto heads, and gnawed at large goblin ears. The laziest ones did not jump anywhere at all but simply sank their teeth into backs and bellies.
No matter how hard the Hermits tried to fight back, there was no escape from such an onslaught of rats. Neither Ant Power nor swords helped them. Covered in rats and bitten from head to toe, they fled into the forest.
But the Hermits probably did not know these furry forest dwellers very well. The rats clinging to the goblins had no intention of leaving them, while all the others who were still waiting for their turn raced into the forest after them.
Torul watched the goblins disappear among the trees with an indifferent gaze, as though an ordinary family of wild boars had just vanished into the forest, and turned his attention to the distance, where the battle was already unfolding.
The Hermit army had reached the Bignoses and begun to drive them back.
Just as Warden Ogl had said, the Bignoses could not fight them on equal terms. They resisted desperately but were still slowly retreating toward the anthills.
When Dagul saw that the first objective was very close, he ordered his warriors to press the attack harder. He could hardly wait to capture the anthills and please Warden Appo. And once the Bignoses were completely defeated, taking the goblinum would be easy.
Then Dagul would prove to everyone that he was better than that arrogant Lukdun, who had disappeared to parts unknown.
Meanwhile, Warden Ogl was becoming increasingly aware of how hopeless his warriors’ situation was. Some of those who did not hold on to their rams well were simply sent flying by the Hermits’ blows. If this continued, they would all be killed. And then there would be no need for the Ant Power — there would simply be no one left to give it to. So he had to preserve at least some kind of army.
After fending off another attack by two Hermits, Warden Ogl once again looked hopefully toward the forest and then at the goblinum behind him. Perhaps Mor had already returned? But there was no one there.
At last, he decided to abandon the anthills and retreat toward the goblinum, where the narrow streets would allow them to hold off the enemy longer. Even so, they could not simply turn around and run all the way to the goblinum. The Hermits would quickly catch up and slaughter the retreating warriors. But the Warden had already thought of a way to gain a little more time.
He signaled to the goblins sitting in the trees. Each of them still had several kegs left. Right now, they were useless because the enemy was too far away. Seeing the signal, the Bignoses climbed down with a great deal of noise and ran along the edge of the forest toward the fields.
At the same time, Warden Ogl ordered his warriors to retreat quickly from the anthills toward the fields.
Seeing this, the Hermits surrounded the anthills with shrieks and shouts and were already preparing to rush onward. But Dagul unexpectedly held the army back. He had noticed the Bignoses climbing down from the trees and managed to see that their bags were not completely empty. That meant they still had some of the terrible weapon that had sent an entire army fleeing the day before. So he did not rush and sent for Torul, who was still watching the battle from a distance.
Taking advantage of this, Warden Ogl ordered a retreat to the outskirts of the goblinum.
“As you can see, the anthills are ours, and we’re one step from victory. But the Bignoses still have those damned kegs. Tell me, Counselor, what should I do?” Dagul asked as Torul rode up.
“I must congratulate you,” Torul replied. “You quickly won your first victory, and once you capture the Bignoses’ goblinum, you will win your second. And I have no doubt that you will. As for the bees, they pose no problem at all. Why do you think no kegs were thrown at you during the recent battle at the anthills?”
“Because we were too far away,” Dagul replied confidently.
“Yes, but that is not the only reason, dear Dagul. The Bignoses could have climbed down from the trees and come closer. But where would they have thrown the kegs when everyone was mixed together? The bees would hardly have attacked only the Hermits. Both you and the Bignoses would have suffered.”
“Well, yes, probably. How did I not think of that myself? So what do you advise?”
Dagul still did not understand what the Counselor was getting at.
“I advise you not to stop. Ride as fast as your rams can carry you, and in moments you’ll be right beside the Bignoses. Then no kegs will be thrown in your direction, and no one will stop you from finishing what you started. So act, Dagul. As you yourself said — take the final step.”
“Very well. That’s what I’ll do,” Dagul replied, raising his sword above his head.
Torul rode aside so as not to interfere with the advance and to get a better view of the coming clash. He did not have to wait long. The Hermits quickly crossed the fields, trampling the potato plants, and rapidly closed in on the Bignoses.
Soon, the decisive clash began.
Things did not happen quite as Torul had expected, but the Bignoses still failed. They managed to throw the kegs far ahead, hoping to create at least some kind of living barrier and frighten the enemy. But the Hermits raced past the bees so quickly that the insects did not even have time to figure out whom they were supposed to sting.
Only a dozen goblins riding at the rear were unlucky. The bees took out all their anger at their long confinement in the wooden kegs on them.
The Hermits reached the outskirts of the goblinum, where they split into detachments and began advancing through the streets. Fighting here proved more difficult than in the meadow. There was not as much open space, so the Hermits could not bring their full power to bear. Even so, they managed to advance slowly, forcing the defenders back toward the central square.
Warden Ogl also divided the goblins with Ant Power into small detachments and sent them to every street to help the other warriors. He himself continued to fight desperately, but the forces were far too unequal. Dozens of warriors had already died. The Hermits’ Ant Power swept aside everything in its path, and the Bignoses had nothing they could use against it.
Torul watched with satisfaction as their army gradually filled the streets of the goblinum.
Everything is just as I said. Victory is inevitable, and it’s time to report this to the Warden, he thought, and turned his ram around.