It Echoes Onward 1


    As Imp and Scamp slumbered and grew, cknail was hard at work. As the leader of the goblin tribe he had many important duties that he couldnt ignore, like yelling at random goblins and ring at everyone that tried to talk to him. Usually, when someone approached him they wanted him to do something annoying or answer a question he didnt actually know anything about. Making up answers that satisfied his minions was a pain so cknail went out of his way to discourage such behavior. The goblins could figure out how to make tools and build stuff on their own now, or they could ask Gob. It wasnt his job to help others; he was leader.


    There were also more important things that cknail had to concentrate on, like eating, and preparing for the hobgoblins awakening. Someone had to focus on the big picture, someone intelligent and resourceful. Hobgoblins were dangerous and cknail wasnt going to let them wander off or sleep unattended. Under his orders, the two sleeping goblins were moved into secure cages made fromshed together stakes. The cages would remain sealed until cknail could appraise the new hobgoblins and make sure they could be trained to obey orders. He had no use for them if they were unruly.


    Hobgoblins made cknail uneasy. They were untrustworthy, and cknail was an expert on the subject because he was one. He knew exactly how twisted and dark their minds were. Gob wasnt so bad and he had proven his loyalty, but cknails gut told him that Gob was a weirdo and that other hobgoblins would be much more difficult to deal with. As a young goblin, Gob must have fallen and hit his head against a rock or something.


    Two days passed while Scamp and Imp slept and changed, and the goblinir continued to develop. As more and more hides were tanned, the previously naked goblins began to wear fur and hide clothes which they decorated with feathers and trinkets. They also began carrying more stone tools such as spears and axes. Most significantly of all, Gobpleted his longhouse. Dozens of goblins now slept inside the long dark building. It was far morefortable than a cave and all the body heat warmed it at night. It didnt smell great, though.


    Ferrar had be obsessed with making y bowls. He had a group of overseers forcing goblins to constantly bring him materials and refine it for him, and that suited cknail just fine. The goblin himself spent all day building and experimenting with different types of firing pits and shapes of bowls. His eyebrows grew singed from constantly standing next to the mes, but his efforts werent wasted. Dozens of crude y bowls were now stacked up in therder, where they wouldnt be stolen or broken by curious goblins. There were even a fewrge pots meant for cooking. cknail wasnt sure whose idea those had been, but it had been a good one. He would have to take credit for it.


    The sun was just reaching its noonday peak on the third day, as cknail was sitting down by the cooking fire to make himself some lunch. Most of the camp ran fine without him now anyway. He was just about to start cooking the mix of meat and veggies he had cut up, when Elyias ran up next to him.


    Scamp is awake, the man exined breathlessly.


    cknail eyed his uncooked meal carefully for a few seconds before responding. It was tempting to let Scamp wait, but he decided he didnt want to deal with this situation on a full stomach. That could get unpleasant.


    Fine, lets go, cknail muttered as he put his frying pan down on a rock. It was unlikely any goblin would be brave or suicidal enough to steal it.


    The pair quickly walked over to the cages, which were right beside each other. Inside the one on the left there was movement. A tall shape slowly withdrew from the bars, as if it was trying to pretend hadnt just been chewing on them. cknail wasnt fooled, though. He was very observant and there were teeth marks clearly visible on the bars.


    Go get Gob, cknail told Elyias.


    Without another word, the human went off to do as he had been told. cknail focused on the cages upant. The new hobgoblin inside was thin and gangly. His ribs were exposed by his thin flesh thatcked any sort of fat. Although, cknail could still recognize him, Scamps face had changed a lot. It had grown longer and less chubby looking. However, Scamp still had soft round eyes that made him seem almost friendly instead of vicious. It made cknail want to punch his dumb face.


    Also, Scamp had always had a bit of messy ck hair on his head, but now it looked like both the length of his hair and the area covered by it had grown out quite a bit over the past few days. The result was a mess of hair with patches of different lengths. cknail was d he was naturally bald. Having hair seemed like a pointless inconvenience.


    Pulling out his knife, cknail cut the cord holding one of the cages vertical bars in ce. It fell away and opened up a space wide enough for a hobgoblin to step through. cknail took a step back out of the way, so Scamp cautiously stepped out of the cage.


    The two hobgoblins faced each other. cknail kept his face neutral, but Scamp was clearly dealing with a confusing mix of emotions. He fidgeted and had difficulty meeting cknails eyes, like he was ufortable in his own skin. Neither of them said anything for a few moments, until Scamp broke the silence.


    Hey there, cknail. Hows it going? he asked as he shifted his weight awkwardly.


    That was when cknail punched him right in the face. Scamp squeaked as his nose was ttened against his face, and he fell over backward. The blow had taken himpletely by surprise.


    Thats not what you should call me, cknail hissed as he leaned over to stare menacingly into Scamps eyes. There hadnt been nearly enough fear there before, but that could be fixed easily enough by gratuitous violence.


    Sorry, boss! Scamp whined as he cowered on the ground in front of cknail.


    Who is your boss?


    You are!


    Are you going to do everything I tell you? And obey my every order?


    Yes, boss!


    Good! cknail growled as he lunged forward, grabbed Scamp by the throat, and pinned him against the ground.


    If you dont then I will rip your neck open! cknail growled as he squeezed. Remember this, you puny wimp. If you try and run away I will hunt you like prey and gut you while you scream. Fleeing through the forest wont save you from me.


    cknail wasnt messing around and his tone of voice made that clear. He sounded more like an enraged beast than a thinking being. Hobgoblin minions were an important part of cknails n, but that didnt mean he had to like them. If there were going to be other hobgoblins around then they were going to have two choices: submitpletely or be torn apart. cknail wasnt going to take as much as a single insubordinate look from another hobgoblin. He was the leader and it was going to stay that way. Challengers would be put down.


    Up, stand up, cknail ordered Scamp after letting him go and stepping back.


    The new hobgoblin rushed to obey and hurriedly climbed to his feet. Even standing, Scamp kept cowering in fear. Before cknail could give him anothermand someone else spoke up.


    Can you let me out too, great leader? a familiar yet odd voice asked.


    A twinge of irritation went through cknail. He turned towards the source of the voice and saw a figure stand up in the other cell. It was Imp. He was awake, and he had changed a lot. The goblins form had been stretched out into that of a hobgoblin. His long nose was pointier than Scamps but it was his eyes that stood out the most. They were narrower with red irises that shone with intelligence. He looked very different from Scamp.


    I promise to obey, Imp remarked as he waited by the bars. He seemed perfectly respectful and in control of himself.


    cknail considered his options. He didnt feel like letting Imp out, but it was actually convenient for him to deal with both the hobgoblins at the same time. cknail got his knife out and opened up the cage. When Imp stepped out, cknail punched him in the face. There was a loud crack.


    Ow, why did you do that? Imp asked as he held his bleeding nose. He had fallen onto his ass from the impact.


    Because I could. Now get up, cknail hissed in answer. He hadnt believed Imp was actually nning on being obedient for even a second. Even as a goblin he had been creepily good at hiding his thoughts, so cknail was just going to assume he was untrustworthy and keep hitting him.


    Imp climbed to his feet and walked up next to Scamp. There was now a rebellious spark in his eyes that hadnt been there before, and that cheered cknail up greatly. Now he could look forward to beating it out of him. Both Scamp and Imp red at cknail as Gob and Elyias arrived.


    Like cknail, Gob was taller and more heavily built than Scamp and Imp. However, both the newly transformed hobgoblins would quickly put on weight and grow a bit once they started eating.


    Our numbers grow, Gob eximed happily. He eyed both the new hobgoblins with a mix of excitement and suspicion.


    Dont kill either of them without permission, cknail replied absently. That would be inconvenient.


    Yes, boss, Gob said as he sheathed the dagger he had just drawn a second ago.


    You can hit them a lot, though. Discipline must be beaten into them, cknail added.


    He remembered how he had felt after bing a hobgoblin. His paranoia and blood thirst had been difficult to suppress. He never would have managed it without his lost master. Even now, cknail could sense resentment and rebelliousness from Imp and Scamp.


    Both of you must do as Gob says. His words are mine, cknail told Scamp and Imp. He red at them until they reluctantly nodded back.


    I shall teach them proper respect, mighty leader, Gob responded eagerly. They wont dare question you.


    Thats all I ask, cknail said as he nodded happily. Gob really understood him.


    Just then, Scamps stomach grumbled loudly. cknail turned and gave the hobgoblin an appraising look. He should probably let the new hobgoblins eat something now. They looked really hungry, and they hadnt eaten in days.


    You have my permission to go get some food. When you are done you will be given chores. If you try and run away I will hunt you down and carve out your hearts, cknail told the two hobgoblins. It was important they knew the consequences of misbehavior.


    What if we both run in opposite directions? Scamp asked.


    cknail scowled at him and considered the question. Imp took a step away from Scamp.


    Why are you asking? cknail inquired. He was surprised by the question. It was a stupid thing to ask, even for Scamp.


    Im just curious.


    If you both run then I will send Gob after one of you, cknail answered.


    Scamp nced at Gob out of the corner of his eyes, as if he was weighing his chances. Gob sighed, stepped forward, and punched Scamp in the gut. The new hobgoblin gasped and fell to his knees. cknail watched and nodded approvingly. This was a sessful learning moment.


    You are weak and I am strong. Do as our great mastermands or suffer and die, Gob hissed as he red down at Scamp.


    Alright, fine. I will do everything you say. Scamp replied after a few moments of painful sounding wheezing.


    Yes, me too. I live to obey, Imp quickly added as Gob turned his way.


    It seemed like they were under control for now, so cknail dismissed them. Imp and Scamp quickly retreated towards therder.


    That went well, cknail told Gob. The other mature hobgoblin nodded in agreement, not because he agreed, but so he didnt get punched in the face by his chieftain.


    Yep, everything looked in order. Now cknail just had to wait for Scamp and Imps inevitable attempt to kill him. There was no way both of them wouldnt try it at least once. Scamps attempt would probably be pathetic and easily thwarted, but it was a good thing cknail had confiscated Imps bag. Magic explosive rocks would really have messed up cknails n to survive with all his limbs intact. Killing Werrick would be difficult with only one leg.


    Gob and cknail took a few minutes to discuss their ns as they waited for the new hobgoblins to finish eating. They could see therder entrance from where they were standing and cknail kept an eye on it in case one of the hobgoblins tried to slip away. You couldnt be too careful around the untrustworthy freaks.


    Saeter had beaten discipline into cknail by teaching him swordsmanship. Only when it became very clear to cknail that his attempts to fight back were utterly futile and that his rage was weakening him had cknail began to learn to control himself. There was no reason to change a system that worked.


    cknail was nning on personally training the other hobgoblins the same way. In preparation, he had already gone back to Shelter and acquired some wooden training des. He had also taken the time to teach Gob the basics of sword fighting so that he had a head start on the other hobgoblins.


    Imp and Scamp walked back out of therder cave with a pile of food. They didnt bother cooking any of it but instead immediately sat down and began eating. They shoved smoked meat and roots in their mouth as they sat on a pair ofrge grey rocks. When they were done cknail walked over. It was time to get them to work. They had to get used to following his orders.


    Scamp was sent to help Gob build tools. cknail decided to oversee Imp himself. Imp was definitely the more dangerous of the two and cknail wanted to keep an eye on him. He led the hobgoblin over to where a mob of goblins was working on firing some y. Ferrar was there leading the effort with the special enthusiasm he always showed when things near him were on fire. The goblin gibbered and pranced around the mes with his arms above his head.


    The goblins stirred uneasily as Imp approached them. They threw careful nces between him and cknail. Some of the goblins seemed to expect a fight to break out at any second, and they werent wrong in thinking that. However, Ferrar immediately left the firing pits and approached the hobgoblins.


    Show Imp how to make pots, cknail told the goblin. He was toozy to do it himself.


    Ferrar nodded at cknail and then exchanged a few squeaks and grunts with Imp. The goblin then led the hobgoblin over to the big t rock where the y was being strained. Imp followed him and studied everything with obvious interest. The pair quickly got to work.


    That was exactly what cknail had wanted them to do, but he was still very annoyed. What kind of hobgoblin meekly took orders from a mere goblin! Why wasnt Imp being more aggressive? This was no fun. He had been expecting to have to scream at Imp repeatedly to get anything done, but it was looking like he wasnt going to have to do anything. With a sigh, cknail walked over to a nearby rock andid down on top of it. At least it was a nice sunny day and the light was warm on his skin.


    With Ferrars help, Imp began building a series ofrge pots. He seemed rather excited about it actually. From atop the rock he was resting on, cknail asionally yelled things at them, but his heart wasnt in it.


    Eventually, it began to get dark and cknail got bored. It didnt seem like the hobgoblin was going to misbehave so cknail had something much more important that he needed to do. He was going to throw a feast and finally cook up some stew. It would be a huge event in celebration of the two hobgoblins waking up, but mostly it would be about how amazing cknail was. They also finally had enough bowls to serve most of the goblins. cknail couldnt wait. He was going to make the best stew ever, and everyone would know how great he was at everything. He had been the one to teach the tribe to hunt, fire y, and to cook. He was also a really nice person.


    The food for the feast had already been gathered by the goblins and was sitting in therder. cknail sent out minions to gather the ingredients he needed and to drag the big iron pot over. It had gone unused until now. Once the pot was propped up above the fire, cknail threw the ingredients in and started the fire below it.


    Soon, the stew was bubbling away and steam was rising up into the air. The smell attracted curious goblins who wandered over to see what was going on. cknail smiled to himself. His creation was almost done. Now, he just had to start handing out the bowls and then he would finally get to show everyone how great his stew was. Everything he cooked was tasty, especially his stew, and this batch in particr was turning out great. It had a nice spicy taste, which was probably from the purple leaves he had thrown in. He had never seen leaves like that before, but they had certainly looked tasty.


    Suddenly, an eerie howl echoed out across the hills. It hade from out in the forest. cknail kept on stirring. It was probably nothing. Another louder howl rose up into the air. The goblins near cknail began to look nervous and started mumbling among themselves. cknail thought they were being jumpy cowards. It was probably nothing.


    A terrified shriek suddenly erupted from somewhere near the edge of the hills. It was quickly followed by dozens of shrill goblin screams and beastly growls. That was probably something. cknail looked up and scanned the hills. It sounded like a mob of panicked goblins was headed his way, and judging from the growling, something hungry was chasing them.


    cknail let out a deep breath. Of course, this was going to happen now, just as he was finishing up his cooking.