It Echoes Onward 10


    It took a few seconds for cknails brain to start working again. During that time he continued to stare at the female hobgoblin in front of him. She was standing in line with the other three new hobgoblins.


    Ah, I see, cknail mused to himself to fill the awkward silence. He had been nning on acting tough in front of the new recruits, but he had been thrown off track.


    Why was this such a surprise anyway? It wasnt like cknail hadnt considered the idea of female hobgoblins before. He had. It was just that hed grown used to all of the new hobgoblins being male. Why now had one finally appeared now? There were as many female goblins as there were male ones.


    So, youre a female, he told her.


    Yes, I am, she replied. The female hobgoblins eyes shone with excitement as she stared directly at cknail. Her intensity was a little unnerving.


    Good... cknail mused aloud. He knew he sounded stupid, but he couldnt help himself. Why are you a hobgoblin?


    Dont know. I just follow you around everywhere and watch you all the time, and eventually I became like you, she answered him.


    Huh, I dont remember you cknail replied uncertainly.


    No reason a great one such as you should. I was small and unworthy. I stayed back. I avoided other goblins that would distract me.


    Ah, that makes sense, cknail told her while he forced a smile. That didnt make sense. He was getting a weird vibe from this female.


    The hobgoblin chieftain coughed and took a step back so he could see all the new hobgoblins. He shouldnt focus on just one of them.


    Im going to give you all names now, he told them.


    We have names already, one of the twonky hobgoblins remarked as he looked at the other.


    You do? Goblins dont usually give themselves names, cknail replied. He was more than a little surprised.


    Normally, cknail only named hobgoblins because no one else did. If they wanted to name themselves that was fine with him. Coming up with good names that everyone had to use forever was sort of annoying anyway. It was too bad he couldnt just name them all Gob. That was a great name for a hobgoblin.


    No, we gave each other names, the secondnky hobgoblin exined. I call him Twig Arms.


    And I call him Bone Face the other added with a smile.


    Were they being serious? cknail scowled at both of them. Why would they insult themselves? This had better not be a joke at his expense, or they were going to get it.


    His look didnt go unnoticed. Bone Face quickly spoke up to exin. We fight and insult each other a lot.


    Well, those names are still too annoying to say. Youre Bones and Twig now, cknail told them before turning to the third hobgoblin.


    Do you have a name? he asked him.


    No.


    Then now youre Rolly, because youre almost as fat as a human, cknail told him.


    Sure, the chubby hobgoblin replied as he shrugged. He didnt seem to care all that much.


    What about me? Youre giving me a name, right? It will be a connection between us, forever, the female goblin asked.


    Er, how about you name yourself? cknail suggested. He didnt know what to call her. His mind kept going back to Tits, but he didnt think that would work well.


    You should name me, she insisted.


    Since he apparently didnt have a choice, cknail racked his mind for a name that wasnt Tits.


    I think Ill have to name youter. Its hard, he told her. He wasnting up with anything. The weird way she was staring at him wasnt helping him think either.


    Because its so important to you?


    Sure.


    This made her smile fiercely enough that cknail grew ufortable again. He looked away and addressed the entire group. He ordered them to remain loyal to him and exined that he would be taking over their swordsmanship training.


    and if you disobey then I will make your skulls into cups, cknail said as he finished up his motivational speech. It had been one of his better ones. Any questions?


    The other hobgoblins wisely remained silent, except for the female.


    Wanna sex? she asked him.


    Er right now? cknail replied uncertainly. Her sudden question had caught him off guard.


    Yep.


    Im busy. Maybeter, cknail told her.


    He had a feeling that he shouldntmit to anything. It could end badly. He needed to think things over first. Her weird behavior made him more than a little suspicious. She might simply be nning on getting close to him so she could kill him and take his ce as leader. Also, she reminded cknail of Khita. That was a huge turn off.


    With his speechplete, the hobgoblin chieftain then made a break for it. He wanted to get some advice so he went to find Gob. He was the only hobgoblin cknail could trust, and they came from very different backgrounds. Maybe he would have some wisdom to share.


    What do you think of the new hobgoblins, cknail asked when he found Gob over by his longhouse.


    They will serve you or die, Gob replied seriously


    Well, of course, but one of them stands out, dont you think?


    True, it''s weird how he is still fat. Is he going to get even bigger if he eats? Gob replied thoughtfully.


    No, the female! cknail hissed. Why is she the only female to transform?


    I dont know. I havent thought much about it, because you havent ordered me to.


    Fine, what do you think about her, as a female? cknail asked him. This was obviously one of those times he had to be very specific with Gob.


    Umm, she looks a little thin, because she just transformed, but she will probably thicken up and be attractive after a while. Gob replied uncertainly.


    Do you have any advice for dealing with her?


    Well, she is a hobgoblin, so try not to get killed?


    It was obvious that Gob wasnt an expert on female hobgoblins, and that he really wasnt understanding what cknail was trying to get at. He had been hoping Gob would have knowledge to share since he hade from a wild tribe that had been ruled by a hobgoblin. With a disappointed sigh, cknail headed off towards his cave.


    Was he just over thinking things? Gob seemed fine with her. Maybe some form of human stupidity had rubbed off on him. Their mating rituals were weird andplex. Females and sex had never bothered cknail before. He had mated with quite a few female goblins in his life, but he had mostly lost interest in them over the past year.


    Was he attracted to the female hobgoblin? He wasnt sure. She was a lot more human-like than a goblin. That was both a turn on and a turn off. In particr, memories of his experiences with one human in Daggerpoint kept popping into his head, Luphera. Thinking about her always set cknail on-edge. Actually, it had been after Luphera had ambushed him that he had started to lose interest in female goblins No, that was just a coincidence. There was no way he found humans attractive, not even the ones with big breasts like Luphera. Er


    Was it toote to leave this vige and find a new one?


    La, cknail hummed loudly to himself as he headed for his cave. He was trying to drown out his own obnoxious thoughts. It was even sort of working.


    What are you doing? Khita asked from where she was standing outside the cave. Thats some of the worst singing Ive ever heard. Barking dogs sound better when theyre in heat.


    Her voice made cknail stop and look up. Khita wasnt someone he would usually go to for advice but maybe she might have an idea about naming the female goblin. She was technically a female as well.


    Shut up and listen, the hobgoblin told her before exining his problem to her. He left anything even remotely connected to sex, though. He didnt want to confuse her simple brain.


    Oh, there are female hobgoblins? I cant wait to meet her! Khita replied as she grinned and looked around. There were no female hobgoblins in sight so she turned back to cknail.


    Of course there are, you idiot, he told her.


    Ah, I was beginning to wonder since all of you were male, but then I thought it might just be because of you,


    Because of me?


    Ya, I was thinking maybe hobgoblin women were avoiding you.


    This statement earned her an annoyed re from cknail. Why would anyone avoid him? Female goblins had thrown themselves at him. He was both strong and incredibly handsome. His nose had a perfect pointy tip.


    Stick to the name, stupid. What should I call her? he told Khita.


    I dont know. A lot of women are named after flowers, especially ones from romantic ys, not that Ive ever watched anything dumb like a y. I um spend all my time fighting and shit.


    Since he had no idea what she was on about, cknail ignored theter part of what Khita had said. It didnt sound important anyway.


    Hmm, flowers cknail mused to himself as he began walking away from Khita. She called after him but he ignored it. He was done talking to her.


    Saeter had taught cknail the names of quite a few flowers, like Goats Beard or Stinging Creeper. Stinging Creeper sounded like a good fit for the female hobgoblin. Hmm, it wouldnt hurt to get more input first, though. Geralhd might be worth talking to.


    With the mutant wolf dead and his pack scattered, cknail was probably safe making the journey to Shelter by himself. It would take a while for other creatures to move into the wolfs old territory. However, cknail didnt feel like walking all the way there. He had just gotten back and his feet sort of hurt.


    Maybe he would just take a stroll around the camp instead. He still hadnt seen everything that had changed, and it wouldnt be a bad idea to check in on Imp and Ferrar. Who knew what they had gotten up to?


    They didnt disappoint him. After crossing the camp, cknail found Ferrar over by the y firing pits. The little goblin wasnt alone. Imp was right beside him, and they were both studying a furnace.


    The sight of the huge oven surprised cknail. It was a long structure with an entrance at the front and a chimney at the back that was taller than him. It wasnt made from just y either. The walls and roof had been reinforced with countless bricks. The roof even looked to have been made from a brick arch.


    What in the deepest Green is this for? cknail asked as he walked over.


    Making bricks, Imp replied.


    But you already have bricks and you needed them to make this, cknail pointed out.


    We used a smaller kiln to make the bricks for this so we could make even more bricks, Imp exined.


    Looking around, cknail saw the other kilns. There was the small one Ferrar had created first. It looked like one big lump of y the size of a goblin. Beside that, there was also another kiln that was about three times asrge as the first. It was bee hive shaped and it looked like it had been created using crude bricks that had been stered with y. Three tall pots could be seen cooling down inside of it.


    Why do we need to make so many bricks? cknail asked.


    To burn more interesting things! Ferrar replied cheerfully.


    So we can build important things, like even bigger kilns, Imp added.


    cknail sighed. Why do you want a bigger kiln?


    Magic! Imp exined as he raised both his arms dramatically. I need better tools. I need to tame the mes. Crystals must have steady heat to grow.


    That was probably the best answer cknail was going to get. He had no idea what Imp got up to when he was doing his magic stuff. It wasnt like cknail couldnt see a few ways to use the bricks himself. He was just surprised Imp and Ferrar had gone to such lengths. They had obviously worked hard on this since cknail had left, and that thankfully meant that they had been too busy to get into trouble.


    Alright, whatever, cknail told his minions before turning and starting to walk away.


    Now that hed met with all the hobgoblins, cknail decided to see what had happened to the body of the fallen wolf. Hed brought it back with him to camp, but he hadnt seen it since. He wanted to keep its hide as trophy and its teeth would also make an interesting ne. Anyone that saw cknail wearing that would instantly know how big of a deal he was.


    What was left of the mutants corpse was hanging up on the drying rack. Someone had skinned the beast and hung the hide up to dry.


    cknail walked over to the wolfs pelt and gave it a sniff. He smelled brains. It seemed like it was being prepared correctly, but it wasnt done yet. It would be a few more days until it had dried out. Out of curiosity, cknail ran a hand across the grey fur that covered one side of the hide. The hairs prickled his skin and pushed back against him. They were much tougher and springier than normal hair, even if they werent as hard as when the wolf had used them to defend itself. Still, the hide was probably strong enough to make a useful cloak that would turn a blow or two.


    cknails thoughts were suddenly interrupted by someone yelling Hello, boss!


    He turned around to see Scamp headed his way.


    What are you doing here? cknail asked. Scamp usually skulked around so that no one could find him and force him to work.


    Gob ordered me to tan all these hides. I catch most the big beasts, and thats a lot of work, but he still gets mad if I let any of their skins rot, Scamp replied. He sounded annoyed about it.


    Good for him, cknail huffed. It sounded like Gob was doing an excellent job.


    It isnt fair! Why do I need to do everything?


    What happened to the rest of the wolf? cknail asked. He didnt feel the need to respond to Scamps sniveling.


    The meat smelled funny and went bad right away. The bones are in the cold cave there, and Imp took the crystal thing that was in its skull, Scamp answered.


    What crystal?


    The mutants horn, it was a magic stone that went into its head. Imp took it.


    Huh, cknail remarked to himself. He would have to talk to Imp about thatter. What about the little piggies? I remember iming those. No one ate them yet, did they?


    No one would dare, boss. The piggies are all in a cage.


    Good. Have you been feeding them? I want them nice and fat! Pig meat is so juicy. I cant wait!


    Theyve been getting food scraps, Scamp answered.


    There were things that goblins wouldnt eat? cknail couldnt picture that. Who exactly has been looking after them?


    Khita was doing it but she stopped. The piggies dont mind goblins, but every time she tried to pet them they squealed and bit at her. They really dont like her much.


    Im keeping them, forever, cknail eximed gleefully. He had finally found the means to keep the annoying redhead away. All he had to do was train the pigs to follow him around and then they would chase her away every time she bothered him.


    Um, boss. Are you going to talk to Gob about getting someone else to tan the hides? Scamp asked tentatively.


    Sure, no problem, cknail replied.


    Really?


    Ya, all you have to do is find another hobgoblin and get them to take your ce. Feel free to beat them up until they agree.


    Oh, Scamp eximed disappointment. He didnt sound too optimistic about his chances. cknail wasnt either.


    Now get back to work, cknail told him before starting to walk away.


    All the distractions had been nice, but now it was time for him to train the new hobgoblins. That meant he had to decide on a name for the female hobgoblin. He couldnt put it off anymore.


    Screw all this thinking. It was annoying. He was just going to go with the first thing on his mind. There was no point getting worked up over the name of a hobgoblin just because she was female.


    After crossing the camp, cknail met up with the new hobgoblins at the training ground. They were waiting for him with training des in their hands. cknail appraised them and gave the female a particrly long look before approaching them.


    Their features and attitude hadnt changed but the female was now wearing one of Khitas shirts. The redhead must have tracked her down and given it to her. That or she had stolen it. No, that couldnt have happened. She wouldnt have dared steal anything from cknails cave.


    cknail stopped in front of the female goblin and studied her for a second before speaking up. Your name is Herah.


    She had already been smiling as she stared at cknail, but the grin on the female hobgoblins face widened considerably as she listened.


    What does it mean? she asked eagerly.


    cknail snorted. Names didnt have to mean anything. He made most them up on the spot, and most the humans had nonsense for names. Although in this case he had chosen hers for a reason.


    Its based on the name of someone I used to know. She was angry all the time and killed lots of people before she died.


    Wow! I love it so much, the hobgoblin eximed breathlessly. Her eyes were practically shinning with joy.


    cknail was sure that Herad would have approved of her name inspiring that of a hobgoblin. The bandit chieftain had always been very hobgoblin-like herself: ruthless, cunning, and quick. cknail was unsure about her opinion on cheese, though.


    Now listen you rats. If you think Gob was hard on you then you were wrong! Im going to really train you, cknail announced as he stepped back and addressed all the hobgoblins.


    A grin appeared on cknails lips as he picked up a training de and held it up. He would probably feel better about Herah after he had beaten her up a few times. That was how hed grown to ept the presence of all the other hobgoblins.