《Sixth Finger》


 Foreword

    Year 506 could only be described as spectacular. Such a grand year to live in. What a joy. This was truly a magnificent year to be alive and well. Every aspect of reality seemed to merge in this single word. Grand.


    The fire that burned the horizon was grand. The number of people gathering to watch this spectacle of Majin Lord entrance was grand.The number of humans gathered could only be compared to the number of warriors that stood against them in their previous battles... but it was unwise to speak of the dead in such a manner.


    And so Emerald retracted his foolish sentence, digging it a grave of its own, never to rememberthe fools they left behind everagain. He smiled and returned to the grandshowunfoldingin front of him.


    The entrance parades were always a special sight and a joy he couldn''t possibly miss. Especially given his current position. Giant contraptions pulled by equally giant beings called by the north man Espeqi worked their way forward through the city gates.


    Their thick skin and giant legs gave them a massive appearance. They looked and were giant, but sadly they didn''t possess dignityequivalent of their size. If he were the one to choose, he would have never picked a monster lesser than a King''s Griffon. Sadly, no one asked him for such opinions.


    Still being Grand was not a bad thing to show off. Especially to the citizenship of the last important city on their conquest road-map. The war was over. It was, but a spectacle left to unveil itself.


    Everything was grand. Everything was huge. Emerald was unsure of his own vocabulary. It was splendid. Majestic. it was... Well. He could call the spectacle great, but he knew that this word was kept in his mind for a very special being.


    He chuckled and looked at the Great Majin Lord sitting next to him on the throne made in its entirety of gold. The skeleton of his lord despite his title was everything but great. Just some bones covered in a simple dark robe. Emerald loved this striking difference.


    For someone who conquered many dungeons and interacted with undead kind regularly, such a sight must have been a shock. The more powerful the undead the more precious their surroundings, yet it wasn''t the case for the lord and his humble attire.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Was he bored by his wealth or was he just a fool surrounded byit? Was it cynicism? Or was it a cold calculation? Some movement caught his attention.


    Emerald casually stepped left and unsheathe his short sword. Blocking arrows flung towards his master was a must. Not because mere arrows could damage his king. It was about his lord''s image he wouldn''t dare to stain. He blocked three projectiles with his buckler and slapped the fourth with his blade. Childs play.


    Looking back, he saw that his lord caught the arrow shot at him from the other side of the crowd. He wanted to apologize in an instant, but the Majin Lord actedin an instant. Before anyone caught up to the quick attack a single scream of an archer assassin engulfed in a fiery blaze of hellfire could be heard.


    His lord didn''t bat an eye on thehumanhe just killed. GiantEspeqi continued to move the platforms forward letting Emerald watch whatever was left of the fool who attacked his majesty.


    "Shall I pursue the rest?"


    "There is no such need,"


    Emerald stepped closer to the Lord. His majesty was examining the arrow he caught. Some unknown black substance was dripping from the tip.


    "Black tar my majesty?"


    Skeleton slowly moved his head so that his empty eye sockets roughly met the gaze of Emerald''s enclosed helmet.


    "Coated with holy water..."


    Skeleton lord moved his bony jaw further and shook his skull. It was the closest thing to laughing he was capable. It was grotesque and terrifying. Splendid sight for someone as Emerald to enjoy. The moment he started to laugh the crowd panicked. Many creatures of their army were placed among the crowds to keep them in check. The shouts turned back into cheers in mere moments.


    Majin Lord looked to the charred corpse of the assassin he killed and spoke in his empty, distant voice.


    "Notify the Herold,"


    "It is time to gather one last time,"


    Year 506. The last human empire surrenders to the Great Majin Lord and joins his cause. As the continent in its entirety is submitted to the absolute rule of an undead stories arise of inhuman creatures that led his majesty''s armies to terrifying success.


    While the demon lord grasps thewhole worldin his hand, generals and comrades eleven of his most loyal and trusted serve as an extension of his will and power. Common world knows these beings only by their position names.


    Fingers.

 Chapter 1 | Loot

    Amidst the echoes of water dripping down the rocky pavement an annoying sound of metal grinding against the stones was heard.


    The cave wasn''t too deep. Spacious enough to house a pack of wolves nothing more. Among many others he knew, this one could easily be overlooked as its entrance wasn''t easy to find in the surrounding foliage.The weeping he heard was looming closer. Dragging the sword twice his size Gob slowly approached a woman hidden in a small rocky burrow.


    She was obviously different from his kin. Her skin much brighter than that of a goblin. Long locks of brown hair, previously packed tightly under the ornament on her head was now left in a mess.


    The woman was gasping for air shaking, her discomfort clear to watch. Such a pitiful sight. Despite no one physically touching her she was flailing her arms like someone whoundertakes serious abuse.


    Gob carefully smelled the surrounding air, which caused her to shrivel in fear and squirm even more.


    She reeked of ether.


    Gob took a step back in disgust. It took him a while to recover from the spell''s effect.Fear magic effect''s were contagious, yet this young human seemed to take its force in entirety. No wonder some soldiers escaped the initial slaughter. They run away from her hiding in the forest. Gob could also be affected if he were to stay too close.She was dangerous right now. He would come back to her later.


    Wait. Wouldn''t she ran away from here?Gob was about to poke her with his sword, but decided against it. It was too big and there was no need to injure the girl. He instead chose a small stick.


    The woman screamed loudly moving in panic. Her arms and legs were scratched. Her left leg was in an especially bad state. Despite that she ran out of her burrow crawling away from him. She didn''t seem to understand what made her move. She reacted to his moves if she could feel orhearthem.


    Gob stood silent until her sobbing filled the cave once more. Hewasn''t sure what to do.Recently he was unsure of everything. He couldn''t decide on the spot. He began to throw rocks at the girl. Not too close to harm her and not too far for her not to move. Sudden sounds guided her in the direction he wanted her to go.


    He left her in the deepest part of the cave when she reached a simple stone ledge and lied in it. It was good enough for now.Despite the dark he felt her gaze. For a moment she realized that his presence was in fact real. Or maybe he started to see things.


    He started tofeelscared himself and moved away leaving his opportunity alone in the cave.Quickly walking back he left the cave dragging his giant sword with him. His work was waiting for him outside.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    As he walked back to his kin, he shook his head. It was important to focus. Magic was dangerous.Comingto a hobgoblin twice as big as he was he threw the great sword he was carrying at the ground.


    "You... Gob... Live?"


    "Me fine."


    This quick conversation was all the hobgoblin needed to know. He reached to the sword Gob had problem dragging and took it with ease. Then among shouts of others he gathered over thirty goblins and hobgoblins in one spot. Their numbers were greater than usual.


    The battlefield was a mess. Many human soldiers killed that day were laying in the grass. Gob got pushed by the leader hobgoblin. Work work...


    "Kreuk."


    He said and pointed a good-looking corpse to his kin. They rushed to take the soldier''s equipment and armor.


    Goblins weren''t stupid yet among his kin Gob knew better to choose what the tribe needed over the shiny junk. Goblins gathered around him presented themselves with loot they already gathered during his absence. It was quite a lot. Humans came rushing to the forest in fear. It was an easy fight for the goblins.


    He moved through junk. Sometimes he praised goblins that gathered decent stuff, sometimes punched the moron who tried to take a bunch of garbage or destroyed whatever he gathered already. It was his job to choose.


    One goblin tried to punch him back, yet a large hand of hobgoblin stopped him. Gob had no authority. Goblins were to work, hobgoblins were to lead. Luckily in his case ones that can show how useful they can be didn''t need to work like others. He was protected by his hob.


    Angry goblin ended up beaten. He was also lucky. Gob was almost sure Spinecrack would just use the great sword he gave him and kill the fool on the spot.


    He continued to gather. Mostly equipment like pouches and purses witch goblins living in the mountains couldn''t make themselves.He also took a dagger he liked and hid it in his cape. Among othergreenskinshe was a lone user of clothing. It made him stand out like a sore thumb.


    The gathering trip was almost over. Whoever survived the ambush was already hunted down by the goblins or killed by the forest creatures.Gob stood next to the hobgoblin leader. He was ready to leave when a single arrow pierced through the sky and struck the ground.


    The goblins were about to start a racket, but hobgoblin leader''s roar brought them back to their senses. Spinecrack wasn''t as foolish as others. Gob wanted to run away, but hecouldn''t just abandon his hobgoblin without further repercussions.


    Group of knights made themselves known to the goblins. Among them a noble looking man stepped closer and looked upon the monsterswaiting for their reaction. The goblins gathered in one group. It was bad to face those humans.


    Gob took a step back. He wanted to just run yet a steady hand of his leader brought him back to the front. Gob gulped. His blood was boiling.


    "Kreuk."


    Itwasall the Spinecrack said, while pushing Gob forward to face the knights.


    Authority isn''t as unimportant when your protector is outmatched.With this thought Gob slowly approached the knights that not so long ago made the other humans run into the forest. In fear for their lives.

 Chapter 2 | Chains of command

    Gob slowly walked towards the knight.


    Despite the low growling of other goblins he smiled to the commander and while standing a few steps away from the heavy armored humans he silently bowed. He knew already that an act could be stronger than most words.


    The knight chuckled amused with a nasty grin and whispered something to his servant who quickly turned away and went back into the forest shade.


    Gob was panicked. Did he made a wrongmove.He could count up to twenty humans and none of them had bows in their hands.How many were there? Would they shot him on the spot?


    He continued to bow waiting for any reaction of the human commander yet the knight was standing still. They both didn''t move an inch.


    After a short silent pause an arrow was sent towards a lonely goblin. Gob wasn''t surprised, but it didn''tmeanthe wasn''t scared for his live. He didn''t waver. The arrow was stuck just between his legs missing him by a small margin. Gob already could tell that he wasn''t lucky, he was being toyed with, but it could be changed. Had they tried to kill him on the spot he wouldn''t even have a chance.


    "They all dead majesty..."


    The commander who surely ordered his death stopped grinning and raised his hand up. Presumably to stop the killing order. There were no other arrows flung in his direction.


    "Talking goblin. What a joke."


    He was now glaring at Gob with either curiosity or pure hatred. Because of a long scar on his cheek and cold eyes of someone well acquainted with death Gob couldn''t quite tell.


    "We caught everyone majesty."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Even the girl?"


    Gob knew he couldn''t lie here. He was shocked to hear that. Even he didn''t connect the dots fast to know that she was important. Instead of a bad lie he chose a terrible truth.


    Grinning in the most terrifying way he could, showing all his bare teeth and slowly licking them with his tongue he replied.


    "No. The girl is still alive..."


    It was a gamble. He gambled whether this man was here to protect or kill. If he was to protect than Gob would live long enough to show them where the woman was. If not. Well. Where hobgoblins came from was common knowledge.


    Was this man despicable enough to not check?


    A long silence was set at the forest. Silently leaves where losing their place at the tree tops as the wind kidnapped them from their original home.Beads of sweat were rolling down Gob''s spine. He was banking his life on this man''s one whiff alone. And then...


    The man laughed.


    "Make her suffer."


    Cold words combined with autumn winds made Gob shiver. The knight seemed pleased with Gob. After a short order humans started to go back towards the road where they first ambushed the girl''s convoy. Gob was still bowing, waiting for them to leave, but just when the commander where to hide in the shade of trees he said:


    "It would be unwise to leave the ambush like this. Chose five of your.. brothers. They will go with us."


    "What is with that look of yours? Can''t you count to five."


    "Wouldn''t three be enough?"


    "Do you understand what I am about to order."


    "Each goblin Four limbs. Three enough majesty.."


    The man just laughed. Gob then rushed towards his tribesman. He chose the least important members. Goblins only. To be honest they were assigned to him only because they needed someone to move the gathered crap back to the village.


    Hobgoblins weresurprisinglyquick to catch up. They hold down the unlucky few and tied them down.


    Gob wasn''t waiting for humans to take the goblins. Quickly ordering retreat they rushed back with loot as fast as possible.He then noticed two of his fellow gathererssuddenly felldown arrows in their necks.


    He sure could count to five.


    Human commander''s laugh was following him together with autumn leaves.

 Chapter 3 | The Shaman The Elder

    Twelve goblins were lost.


    His brethren finally reached a single coherent group so he could properly count them. Most of the losses were manageable.Spinecrack''s company lost only four goblins. Luckily no hob''s were killed, a single unlucky one got injured in the arm. Nothing serious.


    Gob wasn''t discouraged by the loses. Most of the loot he gathered was being safely delivered back to the tribe. He also knew for a fact, that the remains of the soldier''s equipment won''t be plundered by the enemy knight''s.It was an example set to the humans living near the mountains. They would be left to rot.


    They kept a steady pace. Frail looking goblins were following their respective hobgoblins. Obviously the hob''s weren''t carrying anything from the common spoils. They strong wouldn''t carry out the duties of the weak.


    Gob was silently following hisSpinecrack. Giving him the great sword payed off. He wasn''t forced to carry any excessive luggage apart from a dagger and a pouch he chose himself. They were safely stashed under his cape.


    In this crowd ofgreenskinshe stood out even more. No other goblin wore anything resembling clothing apart from a few rugged pieces of cloth between their legs. Some had basic pants covering their asses, but it wasn''t even close to Gob''s robes.


    Hobgoblins wore some occasional pieces of metal strapped to their bodies, mostly their shoulders. Some were wearing coned helmets they plundered from corpses. Their equipment was always new, because they were always the first to claim the spoils they liked.


    It was far past noon when their half naked fellowship crossed the village border. Outside the giant mountain range a series of caverns could be seen. It was an old mine complex. Goblins gathered here and there. Many were busily finishing their jobs in the fading sunlight. Works assigned byhobgoblins was always prioritized. Tiny goblins tried to complete whatever tasks they were assigned to before the dark.


    The sun was going down and so their time was limited. Any disappointed hob was free to punish their goblins however they saw fit.


    The group passed a small barricade made of wooden boxes and other rubbish and entered the village. Gob could already see the so called night guard preparing for tonight''s hunt. Hobgoblins loved to hunt in the dark. They would likely plunder whatever human they could find in the forest.


    Spinecrackinstantly joined the guard''s practice leaving his goblins under Gob''s management with a simple "Keruk". Gob knew it would turn out this way. It always did. He quickly assigned his kin into groups. Weapons were sent to the armory back in the caves. They were to be used by hobs.


    Leather was sent to the magazines. Gold was given to thehobmanaging valuables. Other junk was sent to whoever Gob found worthy which meant that he sent it to whoever was smart enough to use it properly.


    Few goblins had very distinct jobs. Apart from gatherers and hunters only a few had work regarded by the community as even remotely useful. And so the special skinning knife was sent to theHoundmasteralong with some brokenchainmailwhich Gob considered good enough to use as a basic wolf collars.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Some trinkets with symbols of human god''s were sent to the clan shaman and finally an ornamented buckler which Gob deemed elegant, although not practical, was sent straight to the chiefs chambers. Hobgoblin chieftain loved such junk.


    Last rays of sun licked Gobs skin with a simple goodbye kiss when he finally left the busy village square and headed straight to the elder''s cavern. It wasn''t the biggest one out there. In fact if you were to search for the biggest entrance into the mountainside you would miss it.


    Gob went past the simple curtain of some old red material and entered the domain of the elder. He would usually go to the shaman''s place, but things had changed recently.


    Elder''s room was decently sized. It had a simple fireplace and a few wooden shelves. Among many house appliances there were a few features that would make a normal goblinuncomfortable.


    For starters the room was clean. Not a sign of mud or cobweb. Second a few rugs and carpets made it look somewhat cozy. For third several dissected animals were stretched on the table.


    Few birds, a bat and three squirrels. Meanwhile an old looking goblin and a village shaman were immersed in some deep conversation. They didn''t even noticed Gob''s arrival.


    "It came back."


    "It is gone, it can''t back."


    "Black tar is seen."


    "It wasn''t the only to knew the tar."


    Gob came closer and greeted the elder.


    "Keruekelder Gob."


    "Keruekyoung Gob."


    The elder stopped arguing and replied shortly. The shaman snorted visibly displeased.


    "We need find him and tell we accept the tar."


    The elder didn''t respond and tailed the leaving shaman with his sight.Nozguhated Gob to the point of not wanting to stay in the same place with him for too long. After he left Elder goblin spoke to Gob. He was talking the way he talked with the shaman. Goblin language was limited so whenever a better word was needed he would at its human counterpart.Human vocabulary was more reliable whenever goblins were to talk about more complicated things.


    "KeruekThey tell me aboutambush, tell more."


    "KeruekHuman knights attack other humans fromlake."


    "Lake humans for sure?"


    "Sure. Leather armor."


    The elder paused for a while and touched his chin. Gob waited for a moment before he spoke again.


    "They killed goblins trick others we attack."


    "Deception is the true art of warafter all."


    This was a line from the elder''s book Gobcould oncelook at.


    "Will war ...."


    Gob wanted to ask, but he suddenly lost a word he needed.The elder saw his distress and foresaw his question.


    "It will happen soon. All human dead. Waste."


    He then turned around dismissing Gob.


    "Keruekyoung Gob."


    It was a formality with which the elder would finish their conversations, yet Gob disregarded it completely.


    "Elder teach?"


    The question didn''t reach the elder as he stood next to the table and began to extract a black like substance from the corpses of dissected animals into a small vial.


    He was turned backwards to Gob. Old, creepy goblin that didn''t go away from his cavern even for a short walk. The only goblin possessing true knowledge. The only goblin that had human books.


    Gobcouldfeel the dagger he took. It fit his hand just right, hidden under his robe. Scent of animal blood filled his nose while helooked at the elder''s back.


    Elder shivered when something touched his unprotected spine. He turned back to see that a curtainwasmoved by the leaving Gob letting some wind into his room. He shivered once more to the gust of autumn and continued his grim task of collecting the tar into his vial.


    They would need to deliver it soon.

 Chapter 4 | Collector

    Laying down in his own small cavern Gob sharpened his daggers. He possessed quite the collection.


    From curved daggers of weird looking travelers to skinning knives he pillaged from unlucky hunters that ventured too far in thegreenskin''s woods. He gathered them all to himself and didn''t show anyone.


    Goblins weren''t interested in weapons all that much. Apart from hobgoblins whose position in the tribe correlated with the size of the weapon they could wieldgreenskinswouldn''t care for something that wasn''t shiny or bright. Especially normal goblins. They wouldn''t care for a knife when they could wield a sword and if it was shiny, they would disregard its quality completely.


    Gob knew they were foolish. Good weapon was likely worth more than other things humans possessed. Best swords and hammers the hobs wielded as their trophies rarely broke. Despite clear misusage they were still in great shape, in contrary to whatever scraps the goblins would use. His kin weapons would often break into unusable chunks resulting in respective goblins death.


    Gob couldn''t become a hob. He was a goblin. He also wasn''t all that strong to wield some great sword or axe, but he knew that at the very least his daggers were as goodif not better quality than hobgoblin''s armaments.


    He finished polishing his most prized possession the dagger he plundered from a corpse of the most dangerous human he ever saw apart from the knight''s from the knights he met today.The huntsman that kept up with twohobs. Gob recalled him in his memories.


    Green forest. Roar. Two hobs rushing the lone human armed only with a short sword and a weird dagger with many teeth like parts. First hob raised his sword to finish the human with a devastating attack yet he was blocked. Human held his weapons crossed and took the hit with relative ease.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    In a flash hobgoblin''s sword was broken and as he was left with an useless hilt in his hand he was quickly slaughtered. Second hob was enraged. Wielding a sword and a club he unleashed a flurry of attacks. The human wasn''t weak yet hobgoblinstrength seemed supreme.


    Suddenly with a quick faint human hurt the hobgoblin hand resulting in him dropping the club. Gob was looking from afar yet he could see that the human smiled. He won. As the hob raised his sword in the last desperate attack, the hunter raised his weapons in the same cross like technique.


    Gob screamed at Spinecrack to retreat but it was too late. As the sword got caught in the humans knife, he crossed his short sword to break his opponent''ssword and..


    .. and his short sword broke leaving his shoulder open to attack. Human screamed in pain dropping his guard. Waiting for this moment Goblins rushed to attack.


    Gob knew this from the moment he was born. If there was a single trait, each goblin had it was the ability to strike the weak with the most despicable timing.


    Gob finished polishing the sword breaking dagger and finally closed his eyes. He should sleep. He needed to be in his best shape.Alwayson his guard. Because Gob could not suddenly become the almighty hob. He didn''t have strength nor ability like the tribe shaman.


    He was to be preyed upon. Not by stronger hobgoblins who deemed him useful, not by the elder who refused to teach him more in fear he would replace him, not by the shaman jealous of his ability to think. No. He would be attacked by his own weaker kin. He would kill many that would attack him just like the strong hunter did, but didn''t the hunter die giving Spinecrack his name in the process?


    The nobody''s ready to kill the wounded hunter who could likely slaughter them all in a blink won.


    The fools that took the shining metal for a treasure.


    As Gob fell into his sleep, last thought formed in his mind. It was simple.


    ...


    His short sword mustn''t break

 Chapter 5 | The Fishcatcher

    Village was peaceful in the morning. Whatever warriors or hunters there were they surely started their job before the sunrise. Goblins usually started their day by creating ambushes for any forest trespassers. No wonder they needed to start the day early.


    Despite few still active campfires Gob shuddered from cold and continued to walk outside the barricade. It was guarded by a lowlygreenskinwith a spear. He was also active, snorting and growling in his sleep.


    Gob went past him with no issue. He wasn''t needed near the elder before the afternoon when the old goblin woke up.Spinecrackalso wouldn''t mind his absence as their loot from tomorrow was highly praised by the hob chieftain.


    He wanted to look in the cave, but he knew that he shouldn''t rush things. Every year the shaman would gather some stonesin orderto perform a winter ritual. Said stones would turn into ember like gems and would keep their heat for three days of the ritual.


    Gob was once ordered by the elder to dispose of them after the celebration and they still reeked of ether. Although he didn''t understand magic principles at all, he could tell that the human girl smelled way worse than them. Whatever magic wascastedon her she shouldn''t be able to leave the cave for some time.


    His steps turned east as he followed a small path towards the mountains. It wasn''t steep yet he couldn''t really walk all that fast. He was too small and so it was easier to walk around many giant rocks and boulders instead of climbing them.


    After an hour-longwalk he finally reached the riverside.


    The water was flowing down the mountain range. Amongst its clear droplets smashing on the rocks several small fishes could be seen.Gob ignored them despite not eating today yet. He instead followed the river bed until he reached a small shack made of branches.


    "Keruek."


    With no other invitation Gob peeked in the shack only to see an old goblin sleeping on a makeshift bed.


    Quess she isn''t home.


    He turned back and moved further upstream until he saw a much younger goblin tinkering with a small wooden dam. The goblin was female. As long as Gob know she didn''t have any distinct name. Just like the rest of the low class gobs she would be at most referred to as "you", but Gob already gave her a nickname before.


    "FishcatcherKeruek."


    "Keruek."


    She looked at Gob and continued with her work. She patched a small hole in the dam and regulated the flow of the water a bit. The whole construction was rather simple. Wooden hatch would allow the water flowing from the dam to enter a small enclosed basin on the left creating a small pond. There was nothing in the pond. Yet.


    Gob came closer to the Fishcatcher and helped her regulate the water flow. It was a simple yet tedious task. Some wood here. Some rock there. Check if there are any leaks big enough to allow the fish to escape, if so try to minimize it and hope for the best.


    After the dam maintenance both goblins set a simple net on the bottom of the pond by putting rocks all around it so it wouldn''t swim away or enable any fish-escape possibilities.


    "Looksgoodkeruek"


    Fishcatcher nodded and departed to take wooden spears from the shack. In the meantime Gob stood near the hatch waiting for the female. Few grown fishes jumped over the dam and swam downstream to safety. It didn''t matter. They were way too big to catch easily and some of them even possessed the ability to shoot water-diluted poison.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    They weren''t dangerous by any means yet being dangerous and easy to hunt were two different things. Gob looked over the dam and checked how many fish were remaining. A few times a year grown up fish would swim upstream to lay eggs in the riverbed. Here were the river wasn''t as fierce goblins would try to catch them for their meat and even low quality poison.


    The Fishcatcher finally came back and gave Gob the signal to raise the hatch. It wasn''t easy. The wooden part which the hatch was made of was heavy. It was probably a part of a metal enforced carriage he salvaged a few years prior. He wasn''t sure though. There was a lot of junk he touched over the years of hunting.


    He opened the hatch and watched as the fishes, lazily enjoying their artificial habitat were suddenly pulled to swim forward in a much stronger current. The dam made a few creaking noises, but it stood still. Gob could already see some damaged parts they didn''t properly patch earlier. Nothing mayor though.


    After he counted a few dozen fish, he closed the hatch. Now was the fun part. He quickly rushed to help the Fishcatcher. She was already attacking the fishes with her spear. She also brought one for Gob. Together they stabbed the fish in the pond and hit those which tried to jump out,but didn''t make it to the river. They were flapping helplessly trying to breathe with their gills.


    Gob would just pound them with the blunt part of his spear fearing their annoying spit. The Fishcatcheron the other handwas skilled in dodging their shots. Sherushed the unlucky bunch and grabbed them by their tails. Then with little ceremony she would pound their heads on the nearby rocks.


    They worked for about an hour until they caught or lost all the fish in the pond.


    Gob was then sitting and watching the Fishcatcher preparing the fish for transport. She would wait a bit for them to dry. Then remove their heads and stab them on a series of sticks. Gob always found this process fascinating.


    The Fishcatcher was the first to break the silence.


    "Old not learning menothing."


    Gob could tell she was practising the words he told her.


    "The elder didn''t teach me either."


    "Gob already smart. Old just wanted mate."


    She smiled and looked at Gob.


    "He askeda lot."


    "He can still move?"


    "No... You... Can???"


    She lost her words and fell silent. Gob couldn''t tell if it was because she was embarrassed that she asked him or because she couldn''t communicate properly. For all he cared she could forget about him already. For him to sleep with another low goblin would be to admit he is low.


    Hobs didn''t sleep with gobs. They would take human woman...


    Gob suddenly wanted to go, butFishcatcher''s silent gaze stopped him in his tracks. He forced himself to change the subject.


    "Down the river islakewhere human live.Many fish there."


    "Many fish here."


    "Many many down the river."


    Gob added the second many to make her understand him better.She gasped and fell silent for a while.


    "Fishcatcher go there."


    "You would rather die. Human kill Fishcatcher."


    "Fishcatcher die and teach."


    Now Gob was silent. He knew how the dam was made. The Old goblin got paralyzed by the fish spit. As he sank downstream, he ended up in a small pond near the river where the current led him. He survived and gathered manyfish. How was the pond created Gob couldn''ttell.Maybe a landslide created a small oasis for the Old goblin.


    It was dumb luck.


    The Old goblin lived. He saw the fish in the pond and created a barrier so he could catch them easier. He evolved the fish catching of all goblins. He changed the fate of the Fishcatcher. He also lied about all this bullshit.


    Fishcatcher was still silent. Was shereallythinking about going?Would she survive the trip to the human lake? Could she learn by some dumb luck...Could it be that hewasbeinglucky right now?


    He quickly stood up. He hated all those fools butmaybehe needed something dumb to push him further. Something unheard of. Something unlikely.Like a human girl with a wounded leg trapped in a cave only he knew about.


    The Fishcatcher saw his rush movements and gave Gob a stick with some impaled fish.


    He grabbed it and ran down the stream without looking back at the Fishcatcher.


    Hecouldn¡¯t even hear her say a simple:


    "Keruek."

 Chapter 6 | Fear

    As he reached the cave, he suddenly felt anxious. She would scream. It will surely happen.


    What should he do?


    Moment prior he would just barge inside and do what exactly...


    He looked at the stick in his hand. Number of fishes couldn''t even look back. They were headless.


    He slowly looked around the cavern entrance. There were no visible tracks. They should be alone.


    He walked carefully. Step after step as quietly as he could. Why did he feel this need to stay silent? She was no threat to him at all. What happened to all the adrenaline he felt prior.


    He didn''t even noticed her at first.


    She was laying where he left her. Clothes still torn a bit. Hair in disarray. Nothing had changed.


    After a short wait he felt a burst of anger. What was he doing? Where was his pride? He violently stabbed his fish stick onto the ground.


    Loud noise woke her up, yet she barely moved her head to look in his direction.


    "Keruek!!!"


    Gob shouted and instantly felt stupid.


    He looked at her eyes and could see it.


    "Oliver.."


    She was dying.


    ~


    Tears were suddenly formed in her eyes. She was on the ground. The cold stone underneath. Was she in the city?


    She barely could feel that something was wrong. Why was she in the city?


    Sudden sound made her look up. A figure of a boy in tattered robes was looking back at her. Then she remembered.


    I''m sorry.


    .


    .


    I''m so so sorry...


    "Oliver..."


    ~


    Gob won''t let her. He won''t. It was his. She was his.


    As he came closer, he could still smell the ether.


    Magic.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It wasn''t important. Not now. Not to him as he was right now. She was his dumb luck.


    And he truly cared for his luck.


    ~


    Memories were shaking in her mind as she saw Oliver coming and leaving. Why won''t you stay. I said I am sorry. What do you want from me? Can''t you see that I cannot move. Why not stay... Was it because I left?


    Do you hate me?


    "...sorry..."


    She couldn''t speak yet somehow knew she needed to. Streams of tears were running down her cheeks.


    "..my.."


    She needed to...


    "fault.. Aghh!"


    Oliver suddenly rushed towards her leg and the world ended up black.


    ~


    Gob could barely stand. He already gave her wound some herbs and used his own robe to bandage it around, but he was scared. Someone would come. They would kill them both. He needed to go.


    Water.


    He needed more than a few cave pools.


    Bucket.


    He needed something, but he needed it fast. They were coming. The knights. The shaman told them. He knew about her...


    As Gob finally moved from the girl he was shaking violently himself.


    Faster.


    He started smiling and laughing as he ran outside. Not the village. They know.


    On impulse he headed north. They must be behind him. He could tell. The hunter. The hob killing hunter was right behind his back. Gob swinged his dagger to block his attack.


    It needlessly pierced some air.


    He cackled again and continued to run towards the human road.


    ~


    Grimmar was a bad merchant. He knew as much. Despite his father''s fortune he couldn''t keep up with the others. The berduskan black brew was a failure. Why would he believe this friend of his again? Still. Luck was on his side now.


    There were remains of a battle just fresh to be plundered. Many soldier corpses and a few goblin bodies. He suddenly could be on a roll.


    "We should go Grimmar."


    "Shut up and take the chainmail off."


    Even his mercenary didn''t obey him. Didn''t he have any some in other people''s eyes? This barely a swordsman of his should really understand his place. The chainmail, even broken, could be repaired cheaply or sold straight to the blacksmith. Easy money for the willing.


    He looked as his servant started to take metal of the corpses and stack them on top of their carriage.


    "Ohh!"


    Grimmar shouted as a random goblin covered in some destroyed robes barged onto the road. Grimmar looked at his servants face. The mercenary was just pale as he was.


    "Move it.."


    The mercenary looked around the road searching for other goblins, but there didn''t seem to be any. Still, he didn''t move.


    "I will double your pay. Kill this thing and continue your work."


    The mercenary wasn''t convinced he instead wanted to get on the carriage and run, but then the merchant said.


    "Look at him. It clearly is dazed..."


    The goblin seemed oddly out of his mind. Well goblins were stupid, but this one was just peculiar. He walked from corpse to corpse poking them with a stick and jumping back like they could harm him.


    "..he must have lost his mind. Maybe he had eaten some bad berries. He''s not a threat. Just kill him."


    The mercenary finally gathered his courage. He needed to make this stand. He wasn''t just some random peasant. He was a warrior.


    The man grabbed a short spear and approached the goblin. It only caught his glimpse when he was close enough to attack.


    "Hya!"


    With a simple shout he tried to stab the goblin in his stomach, but the monster dodged his attack with a swirly movement.


    As ripped goblin robes caught on his spearhead swirled around, he saw a clear outline of trained green muscles aiming at his head.


    He never saw the dagger.

 Chapter 7 | The one that helps

    Fishcatcher slowly walked towards the dam. It was still early in the morning, yet she couldn''t stand the snoring of the Old goblin. She was supposed to keep him warm at night and well fed throughout the day. It was a simple task.


    Old goblin rarely did much. He mostly slept through both days and nights. Two meals a day were plenty. Lately Fishcatcher needed to feed him properly. He wasn''t eating without her around. Gob even made her a special wooden spoon to help her feed the Old fart.


    It''s not like Fishcatcher disliked the Old hermit that much. He sometimes spoke a few words about the river and fish. He seemed nice for a goblin. It was his needs she was worried about.


    The elder sent her here with a simple quest. Bear his child.


    For female goblins it wasn''t anything special. Go to the chosen goblin and mate with him. It was how goblins were made.


    There were manygreenskinsborn without elder''s command, but they werenever given anytasks and would either die or prove useful to the stronger well fed hobs. Such was the goblins way of life.


    Sadly Fishcatcher didn''t know she would be permanently stuck here. If she knew she might try to get pregnant and so any other female would be sent. It wasn''t the case. She was here to babysit the Old impotent goblin for the rest of his life.


    If she were to stay with the tribe, she might become the tribe mother with her own flock, or at the very least find some other less demanding job than fish catching.


    Gob somewhat changed her view. Gob was smart.


    "If Old death, you the new Old. Fishcatcher."


    It was true. New goblins needed the knowledge of fish catching. The elder needed the poison. Shaman needed the fish and finally Fishcatcher herself liked the taste of fish. She only needed to have someone to help. Goblin child would be enough.


    In three months a goblin would be born. In another month he would be ready for some simple work. The only problem was she couldn''t come back to the tribe without a child.


    And then there was Gob.


    Fishcatcher forgot to breathe for a moment. At first she thought Gob was injured as she saw a bunch of bloodied clothes laying near him. Blood left a trace in the water as it was slowly washed away. He wasn''t injured. No, it wasn''t the case. Gob was fine... And she couldn''t take her eyes off him.


    Gob was always covered in cloth from top to bottom, but now he only wore some leg covering cloth. Fishcatcher never saw a goblin like him. Sure the hobs were big, but they were also fat and chunky like. Some goblins having hard labour works had muscular arms or legs. Sure.


    But Gob... Gob was... was. Fishcatcher couldn''t find a word. She suddenly felt weird heat on her cheeks as when she was doing something she shouldn''t. Gob was skinny yet muscular. He didn''t seem fat in the slightest yet she felt like he was strong.


    As she loomed closer, she almost forgot about the blood he was washing off. He noticed her before she could say anything and silently looked at her. He froze and so did she.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Stay... back"


    Only now she could see that he was shivering. It looked like he was just cold, yet Fishcatcher glimpsed something sinister in his eyes. She suddenly wanted to step back. Still she asked.


    "Human?"


    Gob''s eyes pinned her down the moment she spoke, but after a dreadful moment he simply spoke.


    "Near the road. Dead."


    Fishcatcher nodded to him and sat down. She needed to catch some fish, and despite Gob''s odd behaviour she still wanted to look. As she sat down Gob returned to his work. He used a bunch of white flowers called by goblins Etra to wash his clothes. Etra''s petals left a bubbly substance on the cloth he later washed in the water.


    Blood was still visible to some extent, yet its scent was gone. He sat on the dam and finally made an assessment. His robe was in terrible shape. He knew this from the start yet hecouldn''t shake off the feeling of fear. Simple task of washing the cloth over and over seemed to help.


    He looked at the Fishcatcher. She wasin the process offitting the metal cap on her head. Gob walked over to her and took the helmet off her. He would need it. Fishcatcher looked at him weird when he approached her, but he didn''t pay it much thought.


    Instead he pulled his old robe over her head. Fishcatcher looked at him with surprise. Female goblins would often wear more than male goblins to cover their privates and Fish catcher was no exception. Female milk was an important resource.


    Right now Gob added the torn robe to her collection. He commanded her to stay still and spread her arms. Then he started to shorten the robe a bit as it was too big for her. He also removed the torn parts with his dagger. Hefeltlike he was finished yet something was wrong.


    "Try running."


    Fishcatcher started to sprint and almost killed herself by tripping on the rocks. The robe which was now a dress was still too long to move freely in the mountains so Gob quickly improved it further. He then nodded and turned to the pile of clothes he gathered after he assaulted the merchant.


    Fishcatcher watched Gob weara complicated construction of leather straps over his chest. She smirked. With only his legs covered in cloth and a bunch of leather parts on his chest he resembled a shrunken down hob. She quit smiling when Gob added four daggers to the pouches on his body. One dagger was soaked in dried blood.


    Gob then looked through the cloth he took. He wasn''t in his prime while looting. In fact, he was surprised to find that he instinctively took some decent stuff. To be honest, he only remembered killing the guard and pillaging the metal cap. He was unsure if he even killed the other human. He spent the night somewhere in the forest and barely slept. It was a miracle he was alive at all.


    Choosing the clothing was something he really enjoyed doing. He would check a bunch of bundled cloth he gathered from the carriage. After a while Gob chose a long gray robe with a simple red ornament near the hood. He looked at Fishcatcher.


    She was twirling around with her dress enjoying his gift. It weirdly improved his mood. He checked whether he can reach all of his daggers with no problems and drew them a few times.


    Fishcatcher followed his moves with her eyes and approached him when hewasdone.


    "Go."


    He said while gathering his stuff. After a short pause he gave her a few more clothes he didn''t need.


    "You can take."


    She looked like she wanted him to stay, but he didn''t stop. Her new dress reminded him of someone else.


    "Keruek."


    She said as he turned to leave her with her fish. She observed this weird goblin that would always came here to help her, once again go somewhere alone.

 Chapter 8 | Awakening

    She finally woke up. Everything was blurry. She blinked a few times. It was dark. She slowly moved her arms. Her body was stiff.


    Sudden pain made her squirm. Her leg hurt badly. As the pain made her surroundings clearer, she slowly corrected her breathing. With a slow push she sat up. She wasn''t in the city.


    A small rocky cave with barely any light. There seemed to be some clothes and furs scattered around her. There were some herbs and white straps of cloth left on the nearby rock. An improvised table?


    She tried to reach her injury. Her leg was tightly wrapped with a white cloth. She didn''t muster the courage to unwrap her wound. She couldn''t see any blood. Did someone used the herbs to heal her?


    She didn''t know much about forest vegetation. Only medicine she ever saw was already in either the form of a liquid or a powder.


    She reached to the table and took some herbs. They left a nice faint scent. After a few failed attempts she recognised the same smell coming from the bandage on her leg. This forced gymnastic was brutal. She tried to assess herself afterwards, yet after a while she concluded a bigger problem than some scratches and a torn dress.


    With a small growl her stomach made her wake up fully. She looked around once more. Over a small extinguished campfire a large metal cap was left. It was filled with water.


    She gulped and instinctively touched her throat. It was painfully dried. She wanted to reach for the helmet, yet a smaller rocky "table" came into her view. It contained a small wooden cup and a bunch of red berries left on the giant leaf.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    She didn''t hesitate. First she filled the cup and drank some water. It was cold. Whoever left her here must have been away for some time. The water was still painful to drink even after a second cup. Still she felt much better. Berries were also tasty, although she pillaged them all in a matter of minutes.


    After such feast she finally caught up to her current situation. Sitting down she covered herself with furs. Whoever took care of her couldn''t move her to create a decent bed. She felt her mana filling the cave. It must have been quite a capable creature to withstand all that. The magic attack she took was way out of her league.


    She barely remembered how they were attacked. The moment she felt some sinister presence she tried to shield the soldiers around her taking the ether head on. It was foolish of her to do so. It was a massive spell directed at the entire area of the road.


    There was some running afterwards, but she couldn''t tell how far away she was now. Did she run here herself? Did someone drag her here?


    She likelytankedthe area of effect fear spell.


    Her own mana was running wild for at least a few days. Creating all those dreams or nightmares. Every worst day. Every mistake and every single tear she ever shed. This whole darkness was still somewhere deep in her brain. Still...


    She survived. Someone must have also survived with her. It was likely that some of her guards were still alive and well. They must have brought her here to hide and treat her. Maybe they even found some forest creatures to aid them.


    She was alive in this mountain forest. Somebody helped her.


    She would likely need to return to the town. She would see all the kids once more.


    Maybe she was saved by a dryad? It would make a great story to cheer them all up.


    Surely. Some people were still alive. They would call the city for help. She just needed to believe.


    Surely...


    Gob looked at her from the shadows once more. She regained enough of her vitality and he already knew how to start the conversation. Hemade up his mind. Without leaving the shade he focused all of his senses on the girl and said:


    "They are all dead."

 Chapter 9 | Name

    He didn''t approach her. She said nothing.


    Dead silence. Gob could even hear droplets of water dripping down deeper in the cave. He was hidden from her point of view. She seemed completely stunned. Gob started to debate what to say next. Luckily she broke the silence first.


    "Thank you for your help. I suppose you are the one to nurse me, are you not? I... I will reward you for your kindness."


    She waited for a response, yet none came back. Did she imagined someone to speak? There was no movement in the cave.


    Meanwhile Gob was panicked. Too many words he didn''t know. At least he knew the context when he was forced to negotiate with humans, but now? Did she only thanked him? What was the question about? She stuttered in her last sentence. Did she realized who he was?


    "Are they really all dead? My convoy? Did no other survived the attack?"


    She said it with little hope. She must still be in a state of shock after the attack...


    "There is none else. Onlyyounot dead."


    Gob rushed his response and butchered the sentence. He was too happy to understand most of her questions to compose it correctly.


    Human girl shivered, and this time looked in the right direction. He could almost feel their eyes meet. She was suddenly worried. She might scream. Gob was worried, but there was a sure remedy to his predicament.


    "Do as I say. Cover your mouth."


    He was stunned to find out that his surefire plan wasn''t instantly sprung into action. The girl was surprised to hear such words. She slowly raised her hand to her mouth as soon as she did he walked closer.


    Despite hand covering her mouth and a bad premonition in her hearth the girl made a simple shout and backed away hitting her head on the cave wall.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Ouch,"


    She instinctively touched herself in the place that hurt her. Losing sight of the goblin for a moment. She panicked and focused on him once more. It didn''t move. It? By the voice alone she was sure it was male. Oh gods. Many unnecessary thoughts were forced into her frail mind.


    Among the panic she looked aroundin orderto determine her escape route. Both rock tables came into her view and she suddenly found a single point of serenity that somewhat calmed her mind. She kept pondering on it until she was forced to talk to the monster.


    "You are a goblin?"


    He looked at her weird. Did he not understand?


    "You are a human?"


    The goblin squatted and slightly turned his head.


    Oh he missed the point.


    "So.. Did you save me?"


    He looked like he didn''t quite understood so she pointed at the surrounding items.


    "Me save.. help??"


    "I saved you."


    She finished for him and shivered as the goblin seemed displeased. Was he annoyed that she helped him with the sentence?


    "Me coverwound. Me find food. Me take cloth."


    Yep. He was annoyed. Maybe his vocabulary was limited to whatever words he had heard. The girl looked back at the words he said earlier. Every time when he spoke confident he would either speak of death or in simple soldier tongue. He surely overheard their commands when they fought.


    She gulped. Her throat was now in a much better shape. How many people did he kill? Change the subject. Keep it safe.


    "What is your name?"


    The goblin stood up with fury in his eyes. Did she rub him the wrong way?


    "Low.. Goblins have no ... name."


    He slowly spoke with a painful expression. She held her breath. In the sudden silence she could hear water dripping somewhere in the cave. The goblin wasn''t too tall. She probably was twice his size. He was covered in robes. She could only see him barely. Green hands clenched into fists. Small bald head. Small nose. Sharp pointy ears. Not as long as the ones she saw in the picture books as a child.


    His eyes were yellow. They were well visible in the dark. Do goblins see better in the dark? She didn''t know. She tried to continue the conversation despite the goblin looking like he had eaten something bad.


    "You need a name.. How should I call you?"


    "Oliver isname?"


    She felt like someone who was recently punched in the stomach. Repeatedly. With a nail. She tried to smile, but she only managed a disgusting smirk.


    "Yes. Oliver is a name."


    "My name is Hestia."


    She pointed at herself and waited for goblins response.


    "I''m Gob."

 Chapter 10 | Smile

    "And so despite that the boy became a king and together with his only love he ruled the land he swore to protect."


    "The end."


    Hestia was looking at the goblin''s expression. He looked like Oliver, or rather behave like himat the time. They both listened to stories with such serious faces. They would only contemplate her words and remain in complete silence. Well. Gob would sometimes ask about some words he didn''t know.


    She wasn''t sure how she ended up in this storytelling position. Gob just kept asking about everything as they went deeper into the conversation. Many children back in the orphanage would also just ask. Maybe answering basic questions was her innate talent, or maybe she just knew what someone isolated from the world would want to hear.


    As she looked at his face she pondered. He sometimes looked despicable. His eyes were brimming with cold intelligence, yet the longer she talked the less threatening he truly was. After all this time she could say without a doubt. He was like a child. An intelligent child similar to all the noisemakers from the city.


    If Gob were human, he would without a doubt fit in the dangerous crowdof theunderagebandits. It''s just that he isn''t human.


    "Why end.. ending happy when they not dead yet?"


    He finally finished thinking about the story. Hestia continued to study him. If his skin wasn''t green, he would just be yet another bandit hidden in the depth of this forest. She looked right into his eyes and asked.


    "Would you rather finish the story when they weren''t happy?"


    He looked a bit shocked at her remark. Like he didn''t consider the possibility of happiness.


    "They might be happier when dead..."


    "No one wants to die. That is surely true for every race."


    "Why would I want someone to be happy? Why not me happier?"


    Gob stood up and looked at the girl. He wanted to leave as it was getting late yet he stopped in his tracks. Hestia was suddenly crying. He was completely stunned. Did he do something to her? He watched a few lonely tears roll down her face. As she realised that she was crying she turned her face away from his gaze.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Oh sorry.. it''s not..ughm. Are you leaving now?"


    Gob didn''t understand what just happened. He knew human womandid crywhen hobgoblins were coming to them, but never had he noticed it himself. Flustered, he responded.


    "Will bring food."


    "Oh will you get some berries?"


    He shook his head.


    "You like fish?"


    ~


    It was the first time in her life to see something like this. As she stood near the hut entrance she quietly observed this weird quarrel. Old goblin was laying at his bed like always. Meanwhile Gob was glaring at him with the most murderous aura she ever saw. It wassomewhatcute.


    "Give it."


    The Old goblin was smiling. His hands were clenched onto a small rectangular object.


    Although Fishcatcher didn''t know what kind of treasure, it was she knew it must have been valuable to both the Old goblin and Gob alike. Gob was furious. He didn''t mind letting the fish she gave him trample on the ground. Old goblin was smiling with an uncommon tenacity Fishcatcher never saw prior.


    He was truly fighting for the object with all his might. Despite Gob''s strength he couldn''t budge the treasure even an inch.


    "Oh!"


    Fishcatcher screamed and covered her mouth with her hands when Gob suddenly took out his dagger. She felt her cheeks getting hot when both goblins suddenly looked at her.


    "Ugh Keruek?"


    Gob ignored her antics and focused on the Old goblin. His dagger slowly moved towards the old chief throat.


    "Give."


    The Old goblin smiled despite the lack of teeth and spoke up.


    "Say the word."


    Gob was surely pushed to his limit. A small bloody line could already be seen at the Old goblin''s neck.


    "Say the word."


    "Give please."


    "Other."


    "Give Keruek."


    "Other."


    Gob shouted something and pulled the dagger away from the Old man''s neck. With a bewildered look he spoke.


    "Give...      Father."


    The Old goblin somehow extended his smile even further and laughed in celebration letting go of his treasure. Gob took it from his hands and recollected the fish. He even took a small basket with him. As the laughing continued and slowly turned into a regular old cackling Fishcatcher finally entered a hut only to be passed by leaving Gob.


    She stayed near the Old goblin as his last bit of strength was spent. He breathed with visible problems, yet he was still smiling.


    Fishcatcher looked around the hut and wondered what kind of treasure was being kept here? She was rummaging through Old goblin''s stuff many times, yet she found nothing of value...


    Meanwhile Gob was coming straight back to the human girl. Basket full of fish on his back and the only book he ever touched clutched safely in his hand.

 Chapter 11 | Teacher

    Hestia was slowly but surely making her way towards the cave exit. Gob wasn''t careless. He didn''t leave her anything shecouldpossiblyuse as a weapon. She almost tripped down. Her left leg was in a bad state. Gob didn''t even left any sticks long enough that she could use as a cane. She found herself in an unbalanced position leaning on the cave wall.


    It wasn''t a hopeless escape. It was merely foolish. Still.


    Hestia was almost sure Gob would not harm her even if he saw her escaping right now. She reached the entrance on her wobbly legs. Certain dizziness made a surprising comeback to her unprepared mind. She stopped. As she was now, she couldn''t even reach the entrance.


    There wasn''t even any light in sight. Slowly she turned back and returned to her makeshift bed. She was a prisoner of a monster. Despite him looking like a needy child he was a monster. She mustn''t forget.


    As she was walking deeper into the cave Gob was studying her moves. What should he do? If she gets out someone from the tribe might spot her. What if the humans were to come back and slay her? Gob couldn''t protect her. He liked the stories though. Even the fake ones.


    He liked how she talked. It seemed like she was comfortable while storytelling. She must have done it earlier. Many words were new. He could improve fast just because he could ask her anything. He looked at the book in his hand. Colorful pages came into his mind.


    Did adult human read those? He didn''t think that was a case. Even in the tribe there were heralds and elders. They would speak in goblin gibberish while making signs and shadows with their hands. When they talked to the young, they were patronizing.


    And so was Hestia.


    How should he keep her here? Was it worth learning those words?


    He needed some other knowledge. Something goblins couldn''t know. Something that made him feel furious as he couldn''t know himself. She made him admit he was a low gob. This human. Happiness of others? Why?This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    She was stuck here, yet told a story about a glorious return of the hero that saved his lover? Was she dumb enough to think he would let her go?


    When he asked about this lover word, she said it was referring to someone important for the other person, but it made no sense. What was the motivation? She right now was important to Gob, but the moment she would truly leave the cave she wouldn''t be any different from other humans. She was no lover. Just his dumb luck.


    Her wound was a stroke of luck though. Gob didn''t need to hurt her. He saw hurt humans many times. They never talked much.


    With his book and a basket full of fish he finally went deeper inside. He wasn''t sure when he entered earlier but now he could tell that the cave was weird. It felt imposing and somewhat scary when he was about to enter. Something was making him anxious, yet the moment he broke in this mysterious feeling was lifted and he couldn''t tell what was wrong.


    He made it further into the cave and finally caught up to Hestia. She was near the prepared encampment. He didn''t plan to startle her. She was shocked to see him pop up from the dark. The embers of the campfire were almost extinguished. Gob left the basket on the floor and started to take care of the fish.


    TheFishcatcherwas fast, yet not fast enough. Catching all those fish surely was hard.


    Gob took out the dagger sat down and started to remove scales and other unnecessary parts. He wasn''t as good as his... He wasn''t as good as the Old goblin. He was only proficient.


    Gob paid no mind to Hestia. After the initial shock she quietly sat down. Did the goblin noticed her short-lived departure? Did he came here with the dagger to intimidate her? She could tell that he was smart. How smart exactly can this Gob be?


    Was she here because he wanted her to tell him new words? Was she in danger? Dumb question, she was. As she wondered about her current situation Gob would methodically swipe his dagger. Left and right. Left and right.


    The blade was barely visible in the dark. After a while she couldn''t see him properly. The campfire was almost extinguished, yet Gob wasn''t paying it no mind. Goblins could see decently in the dark.


    Left and right. Swipe and a sound of damaged flesh. As the shadows rose Gob''s eyes were more and more prominent. Hestia could hardly keep her breathing in check. Left and right. Swipe. Sound. Those cold eyes looking down on something.


    Left right.


    Left.


    right.


    swipe...


    "Aaah!!!"


    When the meaty sound came back Hestia screamed and pointed her hand to the extinguished embers. With a crackling sound of air turning itself into ether, a small bolt of magic reached the leftover embers. As the fire rose hand in hand with a blinding light, the cave was illuminated once more.


    Hestia finally caught her breath as the shadows of screams went away. What remained was a scenery of a cave littered with junk, a campfire, some rocks and a Goblin with an excited expression, pointing his dagger at her head.


    As Hestia realized what she had just done a scent of fish entered her nostrils. She looked at her jailer and heard exactly what she expected:


    "Teach."

 Chapter 12 | Ether

    "There are three basic types of mana caster can encounter."


    "First the Ether created by exhausting the mana pool between the caster and his target. Mana flows naturally through almost everything. Only few materials can either resist or repel this natural power. Everything else will be evaporated and changed into the Ether."


    "Ether isn''t dangerous on its own. It''s a byproduct of direct casting. It is most commonly described as an unpleasant smell. It''s because most spells arecastedbetween two objects divided by the air pocket. There are subtle points I will omit like air density and mana capacity of casting environment."


    "The most important part is that the Ether cannot exist long in one place. The mana is bound to fill the blanks and such a process can lead to suffocation of thespellcaster. Therefore, it isn''t wise to cast many spells directly in one place, or try to create to big of an effect with no precautions."


    The cave was illuminated by two light sources. Long shadows of two beings were cast on the walls.


    "The secondtype ofmana is referred to as either Plasma or the Sorrow. It is a special mana which could be visibly molded into any shape. It''s used in creating enhancements as it''s easier to bound something visible with new properties rather than creating them by hand with runes."


    "The second name refers to the word Ectoplasm which is what most undead are created from. I''m no necromancer so I know little about it. Still, Idorecall a simple explanation. If someone with deep regret died while creating Plasma chances are it would turn into Ectoplasm and forcefully try to contain itself in its original form."


    "Most skeletal undead would also be referred to as the Sorrows. Oh and most spells cast as direct projectiles use Plasma as their core element while only using Ether to direct them properly."


    The shadows began to flicker a bit.


    "Please try keeping it upa bitlonger."


    Hestia looked at Gob who was struggling to keep a tiny flame above his hand. It danced around despite the lack of wind. Gob''s hand was painted with few simple symbols. They protected him from exerting the Ether. Hestia painted them herself with a bunch of charcoal.


    She wasn''t too good with glyphs, or maybe they were runes? She couldn''t even tell at this point. Small amounts of Ether were generated from Gob''s shaking hand. She didn''t properly painted them. She was in a hurry. Gob didn''t want to wait for an explanation.


    Even when she was painting he kept his dagger near her throat...


    Gob regained his composure and as his flame became stronger she continued.


    "It doesn''t matter what effect you want to create as long as you have enough mana to invoke the Ether or create visible Plasma. Direct casting is obviously dangerous. There should always be at least some ways to reduce the stress of mana leaving your body."


    She pointed towards Gob''s hand.


    "To lower it, I painted three symbols. First the top one to lower the output of your mana. Then the second to invoke the symbol of flame and the third to specify its property. Light."


    Hestia came closer to Gob and said.


    "Do not move your hand and focus."


    She waited a while and slowly touched the flame with her own hand. It suddenly became twisted as Gob thought of the damage she would receive, yet Hestia didn''t seemto bein pain. It was only being harder and harder to keep the flame alive.


    He struggled for a while. He was almost at his limit.


    "Ouch!"


    Hestia unexpectedly moved her hand away and the flame he controlled began to dwindle. Gob lost his focus and despite his best effort the flame disappeared darkening the cave.


    Hestia smiled at his bewildered expression and showed him her undamaged hand. She tricked him.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "The symbols can help you achieve your goal, but what is the most important thing to remember is the concentration. The more you can concentrate on your spell the more potent it will become. The opposite is also true. You thought about the damaging side of the flame and so it was harder to keep it up, because the symbol was opposing the flow of your mana."


    "It''s impossible to change the effect of the spell midway through casting. If the effect is in opposition with the flow, it will fail. If you don''t concentrate enough it will fail, and if you were to stop feeding it with mana, it would immediately fail."


    She picked up a stick and looked at Gob.


    "Try once more."


    As he focused on his hand, she could feel the small amount of movement created around him. His own mana was slowly converted into the spell. She was surprised when he instantly cast it the very first time he tried. Albeit it was quite a short-lived attempt.


    Gob focused enough, and the flame appeared. She could almost see his concentration crystalize in front of her, so she broke it with ease. She didn''t even need to throw the stick at him. She barely poked him and the fire went away. He looked equally irritated and exhausted, yet he wouldn''t stop trying to recast the spell.


    "It just needs a little practise."


    Gob failed a few times and said.


    "What''s the third?"


    "Oh right."


    She waited for the flame to be formed and continued her little lecture.


    "The third commonly seen mana form is called Miasma. It is atype ofmana derived from the dead. It usually gathers naturally in corpses when their mana converts back into the environment. It''s hard to observe in normal circumstances, but..."


    Hestia looked at him with caution.


    "It''s not uncommon to find on the battlefields or unattended graveyards. It can create a lot of gross effects."


    Gob letgo of his flame and lay down exhausted.


    "Like what?"


    "Many diseases came from unchecked Miasma. Some undead can sometimes rise from the ground with no magic intervention. They are mindless and target whatever has the most mana in their vicinity. They continue to spread the plague that spawned them. They aren''t just some unholy skeletons filled with despair. They can hardly be called living."


    "Many people lose lives to those husks."


    Hestia became silent and watched the campfire flames. It was already late, but Gob didn''t seem eager to go. She already eaten the fish he roasted for her. It wasn''t half bad, yet it only made her feel even more lonely than she was.


    "In the village there is a pit."


    Hestia looked back at the goblin.


    "Shaman keeps throwing dead green skin down and says it keeps safe."


    Gob looked back at the girl. She appeared to be shocked by his words.


    "He lies?"


    "They shouldn''t be piled together! They might rise back."


    "They never came back. He always throws them in parts."


    Hestia was suddenly pale. Gob didn''t want to scare her. She didn''t hide much from him, so wasn''t it fair to also properly tell her the truth?


    "Why I can magic?"


    "I told you everyone can use magic."


    "In tribe Shaman always gives new goblin a bunch of embers to touch. They burn the skin if you can magic. My skin not burnt."


    Hestia carefully chose her words.


    "Each person has a natural resistance towards the mana. The greater the resistance the better the spell caster. If your resistance is low, it means that even a small amount of concentrated magic can leave a trace on your body. People with lower resistances usually have bigger mana pools than others, but each spell is a threat to their lives."


    "Meanwhile everyone with higher resistance would be less affected by spells, yet they would suffer from a small mana pool making them unable to cast."


    As she noticed his curious gaze she added.


    "It is easier to improve one''s mana pool rather than natural resistance to magic, as the first requires only a lot of tedious training while the other needs some external help to control spells, like magic wands and whatnot."


    Gob fell silent then asked.


    "I''m resistant?"


    "When you helped me and touched the Ether how did you react?"


    "I was scared and ran away and then I... returned here after the night."


    "The spell that attacked me invokes fear over the large area. It would likely kill someone without a great resistance."


    She wasn''t lying. Gob''s talent must have been at least decent in order for him to come unscathed from such a contact. Especially if it was the first time he saw a true spell being cast on someone. Hestia suddenly remembered a certain fact.


    "Gob?"


    "Yes?"


    "The ones with the mark from the embers were usually frail weren''t they?"


    "Shaman and helpers often sick."


    "Aretheremany of them?"


    Gob suspiciously paused and then responded.


    "Only a few."


    Hestia didn''t press him further.


    Gob didn''t want to scare her more.


    The ones to pass the test wereusuallydeemed not worthy of becoming shamans and ended up in the pit. Except for the Old Shaman only the current Shaman was still alive.


    Hestia covered herself with furs and turned away from Gob. Meanwhile hewatchedthe extinguishing fire before leaving the cave. A single thought was racking his brain.


    "The Shamanwasweak, and Gob could be strong."


    With this thought he entered the night.

 Chapter 13 | Life

    Fishcatcherwas worried.


    It wasn''t just that he came and go as he pleased. Gob rarely visited her in the Old goblin''s hut. In fact, it was abnormal for him to visit so often in those few days. She wanted to tell him, but he barely even spoke to her. He just came for the fish.. Despite that she was always assured that someone else was with her, albeit for a moment.


    Maybe that was why she was so worried that the Old goblin will die with no one''s presence. She didn''t know the word Gob spoke to the goblin, and the goblin didn''t spoke to her anymore. It was more days that she could count on her hand. Gob took many fish and went away.


    She wanted him to stay. She was scared.


    She was scared to go to the tribe alone and notify them of the Old chief''s death.


    ...


    Hestia was at her limit.


    It was yet another day of uselessstruggle. She reached the entrance and looked at the forest. She didn''t know where she was. She was crushed completely to the point of crying. She reached a nearby tree and stopped to rest. Then she slowly walked to the open plain nearby. It was filled with white flowers.


    She recalled it was Etra.Whitebloodinthe commontongue. She sat down surrounded by flowers. Etra was a common female name. Many girls at the orphanage would often bear such a name. She cried surrounded by the children she left.


    ...


    Grimmarwas a terrible merchant.


    He lost his carriage to this random goblin. He didn''t even have a piece of silver in his possession. It was three long days since he started walking back to the town. Among all the humiliations he suffered the worst was the random group of bandits. They didn''t even consider him to be a merchant and left him a piece of bread so small he barely felt it drop to his already empty stomach.


    He was broken in so many ways. He didn''t even look up when he heard a rider approach him. He barely answered the call of the knight, yet when the voice got angrier he looked up and forget all the suffering he received.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    A Paladin in full shiny armor, was sitting atop a giant war horse.Grimmarcould finally speak! He babbled about his misfortune, but then his tongue slipped. As the Paladin heard the news of the roadside slaughter, his expression changed to a wicked mask unfitted for someone of his order.


    Grimmarwas a big man. He felt little though when he got lifted from the ground by the enraged holy knight. With one hand.. The following seconds of his short conversationGrimmarwould remember to the day of his peaceful death in one of the many coastal inns in Vermouth...


    ...


    Nozguwas a smart goblin. He knew not to play with humans who came to the pit. He also knew that the child of the chief was dangerous. The chief was smart.


    Albeit dead.


    He needed the Elder to let him take this child, but he didn''t respond.


    He asked the female about smart Gob, but she didn''t know where he went. She assumed he was here in the tribe, but it wasn''t the case. She didn''t know when he went, but he had many fish when he left. Did he feed something?


    He asked the hobgoblin. He didn''t see Gob around the tribe, and he was last seen after the scavenging here in his cave.


    Nozgugot suspicious. He knew not to play with humans.Did smartGob know? He could talk. What if he found a human that knew of the pit?


    He used all his connections to reach the Hob''s Chieftain right-hand goblin.Shadowstepwas one of the few he considered smart in this tribe of his. First, he used him to poison the bedridden Old Shaman once more. Then he sent him to the source of his suspicions.


    It was late at night whenShadowstepreturned to his place. The report was short. One spooky cavern. One missing goblin and one human girl.


    Nozguthe only Shaman of the tribe knew all too well not to play with humans. It was delightful to hear that smart Gob, the only child of the last goblin chief, didn''t know not to...


    ...


    Gob was unaware of his Father''s death. It was a week filled with the joy of teaching and magic. He didn''t want to come back to the tribe. He saw Hestia leave the cave. She was important. She was teaching. Not like Old goblin, just showing pictures in books.


    Not like the Elder who didn''t like to teach the young.


    Not like stupid Shaman who despised him for even speaking human words.


    Gob looked back at his tribe and then back at Hestia crying on the flowerbed. He came closer to her and said.


    "Me go to tribe. You wait in the cave."


    She looked at him with tears. Her eyes were filled with hopelessness.


    "Road is here."


    He pointed north. As he did her eyes flashed once more.


    "Tomorrow I guide."

 Chapter 14 | Tribe

    "Why are all the stories about happiness? Aren''t there any about people that cry?"


    "I will tell you some sad stories if you really want to hear them, but wouldn''t it be better to hear about something that makes you smile?"


    "But you said that I only smile when you tell happy stories!"


    "And that is precisely why I tell them Oliver."


    The night fell quicker than he expected. He wasn''t in a rush to get to the tribe. There were a few things he should prepare before venturing away with the girl. He was sure it was the right decision to make. She needed to go now. She would escape by herself otherwise. He knew that just by looking at her.


    Other girls contained deep in the caverns would often end up with such expression. They didn''t move be themselves. They didn''t talk. Hestia was important. She needed to talk. Gob didn''t have the means to make her. She probably could kill him. Since she lit the fire, he was certain of her dominance.


    Yet she was lost, and this was exploitable. Gob will be strong. He could always return here afterwards. He didn''t need anyone apart for his dumb luck. Apart from Hestia.


    He was becoming obsessed. He could tell. What else could he do apart from focusing on this rare opportunity?


    The night was dark when he reached the tribe. He noticed something was different. There barely were any guards at the barricade. The ones that were present looked bored. The nearest goblin face showed an expression familiar to Gob. They wanted to be somewhere else, but they were forced to stay here by the Hobs.


    Gob walked straight to the entrance and startled a guard while passing by. It was then he noticed something was up. The guard shouted at him and nearly stabbed him with his spear. Gob jumped back and frantically looked around. All the guards were shouting at him.


    He could probably fight. Probably. As the giant hobgoblin came running in his direction Gob dashed towards the caverns. He wanted to lose them in the complicated tunnel system. Suddenly he stopped. First his blood froze. Then his body. Only his tightly clenched fist were shaking.


    With his yellow eyes he looked at the spike. It was stuck in the ground, near the entrance he usually used. At the top of the spike a single goblin head was skewered.


    Gob turned his gaze back at the goblins. They did not pursue him further. Giant hobgoblin was looking at him with anticipation.


    He could still run. He could disappear in the forest and never come back. It wouldn''t be a bad decision. This tribe was no longer those of goblins. It was run by the foolish Hobs. Half breeds of goblins and humans. There was no place for the weak.


    No place for pure goblin chief. Nor his son..


    Gob slowly came to the spike and reached for it. He could feel the blood that dripped down its whole length, soaking in the wood.


    He pulled it out. Then he removed the head of his Father and threw it into the nearby campfire. He watched it as it slowly burned.


    It looked like this wrinkled old corpse still smiled back at him. He knew his Father was smart. He left the tribe when he needed to fight in the losing fight. He left all the commotion behind and shut himself in his river hut. He told many bullshit stories about luck to theFishcatcher.


    He didn''t tell her he knew his ways from humans. He didn''t tell her he left because he was weak. He didn''t tell her he left Gob to rot in the tribe for so long. It wasn''t surprising. He explained nothing to Gob either.


    And now he smiled at him engulfed in the fiery blaze.


    Gob looked back and smiled.


    "Don''t let anyone run away."


    He turned to the Hob. With the bloodied spike. With the blood of his ancestors he would fight for his future. He raised the spear over his head.


    "Keruek!!!"


    As his voice echoed the Hob and all the goblin sentries cried in unison.


    "Berk! Keruek!!!"


    Gob would fight for his position as the previous chieftain''s son.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ~


    Hestia shuddered and woke up. Did someone enter the cave? Was Gob back. She struggled to explain what she felt. Was it a presence of someone? Maybe a premonition? Bad omen? She couldn''t tell. She was a beginner in magic anyway, and the natural flow of mana was a mystery reserved only for the most daring magesto describeproperly.


    She still wasn''t sure what she felt. It went away as fast as it appeared. She was certain that no ordinary animal or monster could enter the cave. The aftereffects of the fear were still looming over the entrance. Outside of Gob she didn''t expect regular monsters to break such an unpleasant barrier.


    Her thoughts went astray. As she closed her eyes, she saw the figure of the man she tried to escape from.


    Hestia did notmanage toclose her eyes throughout this entire night.


    ~


    "Keruek!!! Berk!!! Keruek!!!"


    Goblins were restless. The arena was nothing more than the part of the mining pit a little above the actual hole. It was naturally big enough to house a few hundreds of goblins sitting above Gob on the rocks and old shaft entrances. Almost the whole colony was here.


    Gob didn''t see the Hobgoblin chieftain, nor could he spot the Old Shaman. The other Shaman made up for their absence tenfold. He was sitting atop the chair made of bones. Giant staff adorned with the skull of the mountain goat was firmly placed in his hand.


    It was so easy to spot his smirk that it truly required goblin level foolishness to not see through his plan. Gob was to die here today. Why didn''t the Elder stop the shaman this time? He used to stray from the Shaman''s domain, yet would never allow mindless slaughter of useful goblins. Why didn''t he stop this madness?


    "ZerDe Kuruk WirNeter BerekKeruek!"


    The arena fell silent as Nozgu spoke. It was an old incantation of goblins entering the path of blood. Whoever won against his opponent would take the place of the beaten in the goblin hierarchy. No goblin would challenge the Hob which made such official events a rarity.


    Luckily Gob needed to prove himself, and this time the Elder, who would keep hierarchy in check didn''t have any reasons to protest.


    Shaman eyes focused on Gob. He had contacted a human. Other goblins didn''t know how dangerous to the tribe it could be. The Elder was an exception, and it played quite a part in Nozgu''s plan. He had his backing to kill the goblin who was smarter, who was dangerous, who would refuse to die, who would refuse bribes other than knowledge. This accursed child of the Old chieftain he overlooked.


    The one who could destroy his tribe by talking to humans. The one who might notice the pit.


    "Berdrakhergegrukberk Keruek!"


    No one dared to destroy his presence in this moment, he was the true leader of this tribe. He spoke, and they listened!


    "How many do I fight!"


    Gob''s voice cut through the silence. He had spoken in human language only.


    Nozgu felt that a smile escaped his composure. It was not a smile he should show as a new chieftain. He couldn''t help it though. His wicked voice covered the arena.


    "First the Hob."


    The arena fell silent for a moment just to erupt with screams a while later. For a goblin to fight a Hob! It would be bloody!


    The shouts continued as Nozgu basked in this moment. They ended when Gob raised his hand up in the air. Shaman was right to kill him right now. With this well timed gesture he controlled the whole crowd. He was dangerous.


    "Can I chose which one I will fight?"


    He still used the mocking tongue of the humans. Nozgu was sure it was on purpose. He waved his hand around lazily. He didn''t mind it. If Gob were to choose even the weakest of the Hobs he would still lose, and even if he somehowmanaged tobeat them, he would insist on him fighting the tribes elites. He was fighting as a son of the chieftain. He couldn''t just chose someone weak and walk away.


    Gob didn''t lose a moment. With a loud "Thump" he buried the spike into the ground and shouted atop of his lungs.


    "Spinecrack!!!"


    The silent arenawentwild once more. Nozgu looked at Gob with shock. Then he smiled. Having to fight something familiar. Was this his brilliant plan? Was this all the smart Gobcouldcome up with?


    He approved the fight with a quick nod.


    "Berk Keruek! Berk Keruek!"


    With the arena full of chanting Gob looked at his opponent while checking his daggers hidden under his robe. The giant Hob was walking towards him. It was the tribe elite warrior who defeated many humans and hobs alike. He always had the best loot. He always hunted proficient. He was at the top of the tribes food chain.


    Gob looked atSpinecrackand welcomed him with a nod. He also nodded and readied his Great sword which Gobmanaged to scavengefor him. They looked at each other with the respect worthy of the years they worked together, albeit not as friends.


    As the chanting intensified Gob felt serenity he never felt before. Itwasthe time to break from the tribe he despised. He faced the hob he followed all these years prior, and he somehowfeltno fear. He will survive and break free with this dumb luck of his.


    And he will smile through all the fire he will face.


    Like his Father did.


    And he would rather win than run away.

 Chapter 15 | Stars

    Gob barely heard the chanting.Inhis current state he was solely focused on the hobgoblin. Notably at his sword. He needed to dodge his strikes. He breathed cold night air. It filled his lungs. He was ready to gamble. He needed to gamble. He will be strong.


    Spinecrack roared. He didn¡¯t have his armor on. Just his regular pants made of the overgrown sheep one could rarely find in the mountains.


    They were both ready.


    In this colosseum of sorts they clashed. Spinecrack rushed Gob from the very start. Quick movements of his muscular arms were supposed to overwhelm his goblin. It wasn¡¯t the case.


    Gob dodged his attack easily. Spinecrack continued to attack. He expected Gob to fight with the spear he brought, but it wasn¡¯t the case. Gob didn¡¯t use any weapons. He kept dodging Hobs attack like they were nothing.


    It was true that hisopponent was way bigger than he was, yet his moves were easily telegraphed. He could dodge by pointing out Spinecrack¡¯s obvious movements. Not because it was easy to spot the attack, but because the attack itself was well known to Gob.


    He followed him for five years. He saw his Hob fighting many times. It wasn¡¯tclearfor someone who didn¡¯t saw Spinecrack in action before. His attacks seemed fast and efficient, yet not for Gob. They were sluggish.


    After he dodged yet another swing of the Great sword, the crowd erupted in screams. They wanted blood. His blood in particular. Blood of the weak.


    Spinecrack wasn¡¯t as stupid. He allowed Gob to do many things in the past. He knew Gob was smart. He stopped his attacks the moment he felt his arms getting numb after swinging in the air.


    Hobgoblins were stronger than goblins.They were bigger. Sometimes bigger than humans. Their arms and legs were thick. They sometimes had hair, which was unheard of in the male goblin case. And they were always male.


    Gob knew of their strength. This knowledge allowed him to find their weakness. They were strong from the start. They did not train. Their arms and legs were muscular, yet their bellies were fat. They were stronger than even some humans¡­


    .. but rarely faster.


    Spinecrack felt that something has changed in Gob. He held his sword in two hands ready for anything the goblin might bring up.


    He was big and fat. Throwing the dagger at him might wield no results while dodging was ineffective. One mistake could cost Gob his life. Still, he wanted to playsomemore. He never went ahead in the fights. He knew the cost of mistakes. Goblins died easily. Hobgoblins died easily. Humans died easily.


    With a quick swipe he left his robe on the ground. Goblins were still shouting. Not impressed with the reveal, but Gob could see the shock of the Elder and a tall goblin who stood next to him. If he recalled correctly, he was the head goblin serving the Hob chieftain.


    They looked at him with glaring eyes. Goblin that looked like a hob. Without the giant belly.


    Gob saw the glint of surprise in Spinecrack¡¯s eyes. This time it was Gob who rushed him, with two long daggers in his hands. The attack was fast.


    Move the leg outwards. Step back and let the horizontal swing pass you. Gob felt the air pressure applied through the hobgoblins blade. He dodged, but didn¡¯t step back. He instead walked one step further towards the Hob.


    Spinecrackerwas twice as big as Gob yet he couldn¡¯t reach him with his sword when he was so close! He tried to push the goblin away with his body and felt pain in the chest. He stepped back only by pure instinct. Gob¡¯s other blade passed his head by inches.


    He stumbled back and swung hisgreatswordfrom an uncomfortable downwards position. Gob was done for he had to jump upin orderto reachSpinecrackersneck. Goblins screamed. ShockedNozgustood up from his chair. The blade loomed closer to still airborne Gob.


    He couldn¡¯t dodge. No matter how muscular he was he couldn¡¯t just block an attack like this. And so he didn¡¯t. Gob caught the incoming blade with his dagger and with a powerful twist of his body he flew away unscathed.


    Spinecrack regained his posture. Just to see Gob land a few meters away. He took this blow with ease. Spinecrack¡¯s expression changed completely. Until this point he wasn¡¯t fighting seriously, but this technique. He remembered it.


    Gob stood silent. He couldfeelthe attack he took all over his body, but he didn¡¯t mind this pain. He was now certain he could win. His blood rushed to his head.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Two warriors were fighting to the death. Illuminated by the flames of the campfires. Surrounded by the tribe ofgreenskinsscreaming for blood. They were being watched by the stars shining above their heads.


    The champion of the tribe armed with a giantGreatsword, adorned with a small wound on his chest, resembled the mountain. The other warrior holding two long daggers in a reverse grip resembled a certain hunter who once dared to approach said mountain.


    Once again they clashed.


    Move quick. Keep breathing. Don¡¯t mind the sweat. Do not block. Dodge. Step closer. Bend your body. Attack! Fall back. Aim for the arms. Aim for the hands. Dodge!


    The flurry of attacks were hard to follow. The mindless spectators remained mindlessly screaming.Nozgudid not sit back. Gob was keeping up with the hobgoblin elite. He couldseethat the match was close. It was too close!


    Hobgoblin could lose. Gob did notattempt toattack his head anymore. He was pushed back by the reach of the sword. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop him though. Wounds were showing up on theSpinecrack¡¯s body.


    Gob was bruised here and there but it wasn¡¯t serious. He slowly chipped away his opponents defence. If the fight were to continue, he would win.


    They came closer once more. Spinecrack tried to keep Gob in his range yet not too close to be grazed by his daggers. It was an impossible task. Gob rushed in his openings. Every time he swung he needed some time to reclaim the blade in the correct position.


    Gob would always approach him in this moment. He would try to catch him when he did yet it seemed pointless. His left arm was severely bleeding. He tackled Gob a few times with his shoulders, but it only worked for a while. Gob was adapting to his opponents size.


    Still it wasn¡¯t an easy fight Gob was expecting. He was bruised and even cut in a few places when he miscalculated the size of the blade.


    Spinecrackattempted to swing his great sword overhead with a single arm. Gob used this opportunity to dodge it effortlessly, yet was instead caught by Spinecracks fist. He flung his right dagger thoughtlessly which likely saved his life.


    Spinecrack got painfully hit in his belly and didn¡¯t change the way he held his sword. Gob was pushed away with the tremendous force of Spinecracks sword. He got pommeled with a dull side crushing his right arm.


    He flew a short distance. Terrible pain filled his entire body. Still, he got up slowly.


    Spinecrack didn¡¯t remove the dagger that was stuck in his stomach. It was a wise decision. He would likely bleed out before the end of the duel. Which meant that he needed to kill this goblin.. No. He needed to kill Gob in the next attack.


    He held the Great sword with both hands. He would rush Gob and swing with all his might. Like he killed the human hunter.


    Gob checked his right arm. It barely moved. Despite the pain he took another dagger out. He changed his position. He held theswordbreakerin his right arm creating a familiar pattern he once observed.


    Spinecrack roared at his sight and dashed towards his opponent. He raised his sword. Gob raised his guard. The time stopped for a short breath.


    When the sword clashed against the two daggers Gob moved slightly to the right. Spinecrack didn¡¯t prepare for that. Gob didn¡¯t need to prove anything to thehob. The hunter failed so hecouldlearn from his mistakes. He didn¡¯t block the attack. He instead dodged at the last second by dropping both daggers to the ground.


    He didn¡¯t need to block. He instead kicked the dagger still intact inhobsstomach with all his might.


    Hobgoblin screamed and dropped his weapon. Gob was certain of his victory. Suddenly he got caught by the Spinecracks arm. He was trying to break his neck.


    With the last ounce of strength Gob draw his last fourth dagger. Hob realised he was in danger andwentto block the strike with his other hand. He won¡¯t die. Gob will be strangled. He will win.


    As the dagger loomed closer Gobs other hand suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. It was too far to gouge his eyes he was safe¡­


    The flashing light made him lose his vision and remove his grip. Gob droppeddownand cut down his legs. Spinecrack fell down to the ground. He stillmanaged to catchGob¡¯s right hand. It didn¡¯t stop him. With a furious expression Gob twisted his arm. He reached for hobgoblins throat.


    He stabbed him, but the thick skin stopped the blade. Spinecrack tighten his gripin orderto tear Gobs arm, but it stillwasn¡¯t enough. With pain well visible on his face Gob moved his body twisting the arm Spinecrack latched onto.


    With the sound of breaking bones and a mindless scream of the audience Gob hit the dagger further down hobgoblins throat. As it reached the hobgoblin''s spine, he finally died.


    The arena fell silent as Gob moved away from the corpse. He barely raised his left arm up.


    ¡°I am strong!¡±


    He whispered.


    He stood there in the middle of the tribe. Victorious. Watched by the stars shining above his head.

 Chapter 16 | Death of power

    It was frantic. It was way too frantic to tell what will happen. Gob stood alone with his fist in the air. The goblins were restless.


    ¡°He beat him!¡±


    ¡°Spinecrack dead!¡±


    The Elder didn¡¯t care about the outcome anymore. He knew Shadowstep well enough. He didn¡¯t take any risks. Never. Which in turn meant that the girl was alive. He will get this chip first.


    Nozgu has failed. Gob will learn about the pit and so he will become dangerous. The only barrier keeping the tribe''s secrets were the foolish gobs and meathead hobs. Gob will need to die or adapt.


    He looked at the goblin in question while he himself hurried towards the nearest exit. This fool will not stop here. He will go and see just how much power he can gather. The Elder didn¡¯t need them both.


    It was either Gob or Nozgu. Both bad in their own respective way. With this thoughts Elder goblin rushed the exit. There were no guards at the post. Everyone must have gathered to see the fight. Fools.


    He will take the girl and force the outcome of an upcoming fight.


    Neither Nozgu nor Gob would win. He would. As he ran towards the barricade an unpleasant feeling stopped him in his tracks. It was the feeling of his body being cleanly cut in half by the sword.


    The paladin walked over the corpse of the Elder and entered the tribe. His armor was sprayed with the blood of the barricade sentries.


    It didn¡¯t matter if he will find Hestia or her corpse. He already chose to slay them all. He was about to enter the caverns when he heard the goblin commotion deeper in the pit.


    ~


    Nozgu was furious. His plan failed. Gob was alive. His right arm was crushed, but it was it. He won against all odds. Nozgu wasn¡¯t sure what Gob did in the end, but it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was the outcome.


    Frustrated he looked around, but he didn¡¯t see the Elder anywhere. Where did this fool go? He was supposed to help kill the nuisance. Gob was on the path of becoming an important leader of the goblins.


    They would follow him rather than hobgoblins that barely worked and took all their stuff. Gob was smart. He would never openly go against the Hob war chief they created. They needed the goblins. Namely they needed the bodies.


    The pit was restless. Its miazma was slowly converting to the poison they gathered. They wouldn¡¯t survive without this poison. They needed to give other tribes something of use.


    Goblins couldn¡¯t craft. They barely could hunt for their own food. They needed more women. They needed the humans to give them women.


    And humans only wanted the tar. They taught the Old Shaman the ceremony. They gave the Elder the means of captivating hobs. They gave them power. The power Nozgu craved for.


    He jumped down from his throne. He will do it himself.


    Gob looked at Nozgu walking towards him. He will leave them all behind to rot. All those goblins and hobs. He didn¡¯t need them. Neither the Elder, nor the Shaman. He was strong. It was all he needed to prove. He was smart. It was all he wanted to be.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Approaching Shaman raised his staff and focused on Gob. He felt the pain in his body, but he didn¡¯t fall down like Nozgu would expect. He instead slowly licked hobgoblins blood of his dagger taunting him.


    ¡°Why are you mad? Was I supposed to die?!¡±


    The feeling of pain continued yet Gob didn¡¯t bother to move. He could see the truth. Nozgu was a goblin chosen by the embers. He was a sick little goblin before, and he certainly wasn¡¯t better now.


    Gob could feel the power that Nozgu kept throwing at him. He was simply pushing his mana at Gob, which was harmful to them both. He did use the staff¡­


    ¡°All magical equipment would either be covered in the runes or have a strong catalyst in its core, like a crystal or a rare mineral.¡±


    ...Nozgu¡¯s staff had neither. As Gob was focusing on the mana in his own body Nozgu¡¯s face kept turning more and more pale.


    It took a few seconds to determine the victor. As Nozgu¡¯s attack dispelled into Ether Gob took a step back. He was breathing hard, yet he didn¡¯t fall down. He wouldn¡¯t give Nozgu any satisfaction.


    ¡°It seems...¡±


    He started to taunt the Shaman, but a loud noise turned their attention. Nozgu somehow became even more pale. Gob stopped breathing. As the army of goblins rushed towards the intruder a slight pale light entered their vision.


    Nozgu was the one to get hit first. He flew into the air and then deep into the abyss of the pit.


    Gob rolled onto the ground. His dagger in his left hand. Terrible pain moved through his crushed arm, but it was nothing compared to the horror he saw.


    The human in a shiny white armor, ornamented with gold and silver, went through the tribe¡¯s arena. Each goblin that was near him was obliterated in a blink. Gob only saw the faint light of the blade and a staggering amounts of goblin corpses.


    Over the years Gob saw many gruesome deaths of his kin, but it was never like this.


    Goblin bodies were decimated. They were cut like leaves falling from the tree. Their weapons. Their meat and bones. Nothing except for the blood could reach the human.


    What was it? Why?


    He killed everyone by himself? How?


    Was he not damaged? Was he not tired?


    What was this?


    Suddenly he felt that he was shaking. The human looked at him and slowly made his way towards him. Most goblins escaped. All the hobs escaped. Unlucky few were hacked just like the rest.


    The human swung his sword when he was a few meters away. A strip of pale white light, the same that pushed Nozgu to his doom engulfed Gob, but only for a second. Then it went away with a slight smell of something that wasn¡¯t quite the Ether.


    ¡°Surprising.¡±


    The human muttered as he reached the trembling goblin and raised his sword.


    Gob didn¡¯t know what to do. In his panicked state he turned towards his dumb luck and shouted atop of his lungs.


    ¡°Hestia!!!¡±


    The sword never came down. Gob looked at the human searching for any sign of mercy. The paladin slowly removed his helmet. His face was twisted. His eyes were cold. The mask of pain and anger welcomed Gob¡¯s shout.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    He asked while violently stepping on Gobs left hand, instantly breaking it. He looked at the goblin wriggling in pain on the ground. He could barely hear the voice of the creature as he made sure to painfully break all of his finger bones.


    Through the tears and cries Gob conveyed the location of Hestia. His reward ended up being a devastating kick in the ribcage.


    Oliver, Paladin of the highest order of the Dawn slowly approached the goblin who flew quite the distance away.


    ¡°Wonderfully. Guide me then my child. She surely is waiting for me.¡±

 Chapter 17 | Innocence

    The path he traversed so many times during the past week was hellish. Among the shadows, trees and foliage he slowly walked. Both his arms hanging down useless. Both his legs bruised, barely managing his weight.


    The moon was his only source of light, yet it wasn¡¯t the only witness to his pain. Each step was made despite the pain. He walked out of fear. Slowly, yet steady. He feared what was following him. This presence.


    It wasn¡¯t an aura of death. It didn¡¯t bring suffering. In fact, the paladin behind the goblin gave off a warm and welcoming feeling. It was so painfully real. The man behind him did not harbor any hate, any regret. Right now in this moonlit forest Gob couldn¡¯t see the face of the man following his steps.


    This face was full of anger. Twisted. Out of place. Only his expression was impolite. When he kicked him, he did with efficiency and grace. He slaughtered everything without remorse or second thought. He walked without a burden. He killed so many and didn¡¯t budge. He was something to be scared off. This human.


    He didn¡¯t feel human.


    How?


    How would Gob want to ask him for help? How could he feel comfortable near this butcher? This human. No. This monster was filled with mana Gob couldn¡¯t understand. It made him trust the man behind him. It was fooling him with every step.


    He wanted to ask him for help. Despite the slaughter.


    He wanted to be near him. Despite the pain he brought.


    He wanted to show him how good he was for Hestia and¡­


    Only the pain he currently felt was keeping him awake. Each step. Slowly reminding him he should look at his own hands. Crushed shivering hands.


    The moon wasn¡¯t the only witness to his pain.


    They walked down the forest path without rest. Gob was in agony. Each step took more and more out of him. He was barely conscious when they arrived at the cave. It was then when a small push made him collapse on the ground.


    He painfully hit his right arm. Tears continued to fall down his face. He looked at the entrance where the man disappeared and tried not to sleep. His mind was in an inconceivable state. Even the pain he felt was gradually getting dull.


    He bit his tongue to stay awake. Blood filled his mouth. He coughed nearly choking to death. Somehow he sat upright with a nearby tree at his back.


    He wasn¡¯t shaking anymore. He was too tired to be scared. He focused on breathing.


    Regain your composure Gob.


    You aren¡¯t dead.


    You aren¡¯t dead.


    You aren¡¯t dead.


    He finally realized that Hestia would be gone! He could enter the cave and sleep. There was some fish left for him to eat. Noone knew about this place. He would survive for sure.


    As he kept his subconscious awake, he began to ponder more and more. It wassomehowrelaxing.


    The shaman is dead. The hobs are scared. He would come back. He would be strong again! He would win. No. He won. The human didn¡¯t matter. Nothing mattered. He won!


    He looked left to the sudden sound coming from the bushes nearby when the human came back out.


    He didn¡¯t have his helmet on. In the moonlight Gob could see his young twisted face, but itwas differentfrom before. He looked puzzled. Gob gasped. The human was holding a small object in his hand.


    ¡°It seems that Hestiaisn¡¯t at home. She must have gone back to the orphanage. The housekeeping is so irresponsible! She even left the book behind!¡±


    Gob looked at the book with shock. It was his book. Containing children stories and pictures, mainly about kings and knights. Why was this human talking about this book?


    ¡°Hey child! We need to hurry to the orphanage! We might miss the stories if we don¡¯t hurry!¡±


    The knight was suddenly smilingin a vicious way. His expression didn¡¯t change even when he made Gob scream in agony by pulling him by his hand.


    ¡°AAAAAAghghhhh...¡±


    The human stopped and looked at the goblin wriggling in pain. With a puzzled look he asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go? Hestia''s stories are the best in the world!¡±


    ¡°...SHE¡­ NOT¡­ ROAD...¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The knight removed his hand and looked at Gob with a weird expression waiting for continuation.


    ¡°I¡­ Lied.. She.. North...¡±


    With the shaking hand Gob pointed towards the flowers where he found her crying yesterday.


    ¡°She.. went.. there.. Likely¡±


    ¡°New place? Guide me thanchild. She would always be in the most unlikely places.¡±


    The knight nodded, the smile returning to his face.


    ¡°It''s our Hestiaafter all.¡±


    And so the march continued. The Gob set in his place with the knight following him. Step by step deeper into the hell. Crushed and slowly realizing just what it took for this human to kill with such ease.


    He was insane.


    Soon the cave became a distant memory. As Gob traversed the plains of Etra¡¯s the flowers slowly moved towards his body. They felt the blood coming from his wounds. Not only his arms but also his feet. Tired and damaged by the trip.


    It was slowly getting brighter. The sun was about to come up when the human suddenly rushed into the forest ahead of them, pushing Gob on the ground. As Gob stumbled, he rolled onto a small grassy plain encircled by the trees.


    He could barelyscream. There were no tears left in him. His eyes were blurry, but he focused on what was important.


    ¡°...no¡±


    Hestia was covered in furs he gathered for her before. She managed sewn them together creating a blanket she could carry. Near her was a small bag made of cloth. She likely took some food with her.


    Her wounds were properly bandaged. She really escaped on her own, but now it didn¡¯t matter. Gob was lying on the grass, with his arms stretchedin an unnatural way. Meanwhile the Paladin was trying to attend Hestia, but she paid him no mind. She was looking at Gob with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°...no¡±


    She couldn¡¯t mutter anything else. The sight of the broken goblin was too much. It was the same storyover and over again. She finally looked at Oliver. This broken doll of the church. The paladin of the highest order. Oliver of the innocence. Filled with the grace of the gods. The orphan chosen to live the dream.


    The child she pushed towards madness.


    The knight was kneeling down before her and all she felt was disgust and shame. This twisted face of the orphan she once knew looked at her every move. His gaze was filled with adoration. She wanted to kill herself looking at his face.


    In his madness he barely felt that she didn''t pay him much attention. He turned his gaze from his saint and focused on the child that was left in the grass. His face was brimming with joy. As he pulled out his sword.


    ¡°I am grateful to you my child, I would never have found this place by myself.¡±


    As he approachedGobhe raised his sword. His face violently turned twisted.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any stories today.¡±


    Gob looked at Hestia. As she was crying looking straight at him hefeltthat it should end.


    This pain was too tedious. He would just go to sleep. It didn¡¯t matter. Nothing mattered from the start. He was strong. He closed his eyes. He only needed to sleep¡­


    ¡°Keruek!!!¡±


    The sword was raised when the Fishcatcher popped out from the foliage. She didn¡¯t evenlookat Hestia. With the dagger she took from the arena she rushed towards the knight.


    The light of the blade shined in the sun that was already passing through the foliage. The slash was clean.


    With an inhuman scream Fishcatcher raised her arm up. Her hand was completely cut off. The blood was gushing everywhere. It sprayed paladin¡¯s armor once more.


    Hestia was pale. Gobcouldn¡¯t think. As the Fishcatcher continued to scream Oliver raised his sword once more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring me rats. Hestia said that she doesn¡¯t like rats...¡±


    As he muttered Hestia tackled him from the back, yet he didn¡¯t even budge. She looked at Gob with terror. Then she started screaming trying to make her voice be heard over the wailing of the injured female goblin.


    ¡°I LOVED YOUR RATS! I LOVED THEM! SHOW ME THEM! BRING THEM! I LOVED THEM! I LOVE YOU! OLIVER I LOVE YOUR RATS! I LOVE YOU!¡±


    ¡°OLIVER!¡±


    It was only when the blade severed Fishcatcher¡¯s head Gob reclaimed his ability to talk..


    ¡°should have raped you¡±


    Hestia froze.


    ¡°should have killed you¡±


    Oliver slowly raised his sword.


    ¡°do you live?¡±


    It was all over again, her tears fell down.


    ¡°Why do you live?¡±


    ¡°WHY DO YOU LIVE!!!¡±


    With the last breath Gob gathered all of his mana into a single struggle. He didn¡¯t have his dagger. His arms wouldn¡¯t move. His mind was shattered.


    Despite that he threw his life on the line and completed the spell he envisioned. As his broken subconscious finally gave up he noticed Oliver raising his hand. Small cut was made in his neck despite nobody attacking him.


    As Hestia beganto furiously shakehim and kept shouting at him he left the unconscious child alone and moved to take her back to the orphanage.


    There surelywerechildren waiting for her stories.


    And so he took her...


    ...and left.

 Chapter 18 | World-builders Addendum I

    [Greenskin] Goblins and Gremlins


    Part III


    ¡°Goblins tend to live in tribal environment similar to other greenskin equivalents. Among many differences one can easily point out their lack of height. Many Goblins do not grow over one and a half meters tall, although cases are of Goblins reaching up to human height.¡±


    ¡°Their short stature in comparison to other Greenskins is lacking mostly because of environmental adaptation. Goblins prefer enclosed spaces like caves or small huts rather than open plains steppes or deserts.¡±


    ¡°They seem to naturally lower their backs either to hide or prey upon the unsuspecting victims. It might be possible for them to improve their posture during long years of evolution. I personally find them to be one of the most adaptive of the primal creatures.¡±


    ¡°Goblins are one of the few greenskins capable of using basic tools of their making and despite their size can pose a big threat to most humans.¡±


    ¡°As highly intelligent variants of Goblins can freely speak and craft they might naturally fit the role of leaders and strategists in their respective groups.¡±


    ¡°Apart from much bigger orcs, trolls and ogres Goblins do not destroy the ecosystem they exist in. However they quickly manage to control it as a tribe while other bigger primals keep their expansion in check.¡¯


    ¡°As I already compared the orcs to pig like boars I should probably search for the natural Goblin sample in the local fauna, yet they hardly compare to any surface dwelling creature. The closer I got was by refining their patterns by dissecting small critters like rats and mice, but it seemed to yield no definitive proof.¡±


    ¡°With the lack of fur I can¡¯t properly consider them the descendants of neither Furbolgs nor Gorith, which I consider the prime source of Gremlin populus. Despite Gremlins closely resembling Goblins in traits and behaviours I can¡¯t properly judge them to extend the Underground tribes for reasons which I will provide within the Gremlin chapter.¡¯


    ¡°To end the dispute I propose to either eradicate them completely or support the tribe of Greenskins with the highest level of intelligence. Their superiority will surely be seen in times of great turmoil. I do expect them to outlive the tribes superior in strength. Especially orcs.¡±


    ¡°At last it seems that the goblins adaptivity made the term greenskins a bit misleading as there appeared creatures with other types of pigmentation, which seems to be tightly connected to their birthplace location. In the end the term Greenskins will be still present in its current form as I find it tedious to come up with different terminology at this state of the book.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    From: The Guide to the World [XVI]


    Added in the fourth edition of the World-builder¡¯s Addendum


    By Sir Allan von Dreucht of the West Amari guildhouse


    [Greenskin] Hobgoblins


    ¡°Never have I dreamt to add a new chapter about Goblins so fast. It was barely two hundred years since I properly adjusted their existence. To improve in such a time surely is an achievement in its own!¡±


    ¡°Hobgoblins are a mix of races coming from the Goblin male and a human female. They seem to reach human size with ease. Usual Hobgoblin can reach a height of two meters which leads me to believe that with enough numbers Goblins will topple over the orcish populus.¡±


    ¡°The increase of strength seems to be tightly connected to the human hosts, albeit the Greenskin ability to naturally assimilate higher amounts of mana from the very birth might undermine their explosive growth.¡±


    ¡°All Hobgoblins I managed to check appear to be impotent in some crucial way. It doesn¡¯t matter if they would mate with human or Goblin females the outcome of such crossing always ends up being a regular goblin.¡±


    ¡°If this outcome is strictly tied to their genepool I cannot tell. Maybe further evolution will change this outcome. The goblins resulting from such breeding appear to be more capable in terms of basic intelligence than the ones I recall from the past.¡±


    ¡°Again. It doesn¡¯t prove that the Hobgoblin¡¯s children are superior. My information on the topic is limited and as the harpies studies showed I am a terrible judge of subraces intelligence levels.¡±


    Note:


    ¡°This ancient text is hardly translated. Despite the nonsense about the increasing intelligence of Goblins I decided to add it in its entirety to the current Addendum together with the goblin part for the sole fact of it being the only proof of Goblin breeding habits.¡±


    Added in the seventh edition of the World-builder¡¯s Addendum


    By Merith of Nerta Year 376 after the Cataclysm


    Magus Botanicus Chapter 14 Petra Destera


    Petra Destera classified in the mana invoking category of flowers. Derives from the Destera plant family.


    Often referred to as the Royal Death. The flower got its peculiar name from the popular minstrel ballad of the princess Petra in which said princess threw herself from the tower taking her own life and landed in the garden filled with the Royal Death. According to the legend the flowers covered her body, so no one will ever trample her beauty.


    The flower itself is a large plant ranging from 8 to 12 inches in size. Its large white petals do in fact react to the magic and try to follow its directional flow. Petra Destera sometimes acts as a natural dispeler which might cause the flower to bloom despite the harsh weather or in rare cases even snow covering the ground.


    Royal Death is a useful alchemical component as the juices flowing through the entire plant are an excellent mana extractor.

 Chapter 19 | Pain that lingers

    Fishcather¡¯s head was slowly being rolled in front of his eyes. He ignored it and moved his head the other side. Slowly he kept thinking, but the head was restless. It changed its course in an unnatural way and continued its grim journey. The moment it reached his vision Gob turned around.


    The head quickly adjusted its path. Gob wanted to turn once more, but he touched cold steel bars with his neck. He shivered. The cage wasn¡¯t that big. He moved to the middle and continued laying on the straw mat.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the head to adjust. It rolled right next to him. Gob pushed it away with his right arm. It felt warm when he touched it, but not quite physical. Like it wasn¡¯t there.


    The warmth could be felt even through his bandaged arm. Gob looked at the head which lost its shape for a moment and then continued to roll next to him. He looked up. The top of the cage was covered in cloth.


    He closed his eyes. The moment he did, he saw all the goblins he knew get slashed in half. Then the Fishcatcher. She was slashed just like the others, but she had this pained expression on her face. She was holding her cut off hand.


    Her skirt. The one he made for her was soaked in blood. She looked at him, terror in her gaze. Then came the sword. Gob opened his eyes, but the vision hasn¡¯t changed. Right between his eyes, hovering over his head, a carbon copy of his imagination was being projected.


    The smallest figure of Fishcatcher, so small that he could probably hide it in his pockets, was looking at him with a solemn silence. The figure itself was perfect. It was like Fishcatcher brought back to life. Except it was so damn small. And a fairy.


    ¡°Leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°No¡±


    Gob tried to push the fairy away, but she dodged and followed his gaze. He struggled to sit up. His left hand didn¡¯t heal properly. It was hurting with every move. As the fairy continued to bother him, he looked around the camp.


    The bandits were minding their own business. There were five men in total. The camp was run by the man named Curan. As far as Gob gathered that he was an equivalent of a goblin chief. He organised the camp and had his own spacious tent set up in the middle.


    The camp itself wasn¡¯t huge. A few tents, cages and boxes set up around a giant campfire. The camp was protected by trees from every side. Narrow passages of giant rocks made a natural entrance and also protected the bandits from the cold wind.


    One bandit knew basic medicine. It was a quiet, small man named Peter. Gob never heard him speak. The only thing he could say about him was that he seemed obedient. He was always standing near a chubby human that seemed to be the cook. The medic would always help him around the camp.


    The cook was grumpy. Gob at first thought he hated to give his food to a goblin, but it wasn¡¯t the case. He just loved to argue with everyone. Especially when they were assigned to help him by Curan. He would look at their half-assed attempts of cooking and shout them down to oblivion.


    He also tried to argue with Gob.


    ¡°Any good you green princess? Are potatoes to your liking? Not to salty?¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Not talking today? Well potatoes are all you got your highness green.¡±


    Gob wasn¡¯t sure what he said during the days he was unconscious. He hardly remembered. The bandits were trying to make him speak since.


    ¡°Go back!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    He replied to the fairy that seemed permanently attached to him.


    ¡°She will rot in my place!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere!¡±


    He was talking quietly. Noone seemed to hear fairy¡¯s loud squeaking except for him. Noone seemed to see her either. Unless it was normal in human societies to ignore small balls of light and warmth that rapidly changed into recently deceased.


    ¡°You need to go!¡±


    Gob was at his limit. He couldn¡¯t sleep. He couldn¡¯t think. The fairy added to his torment so much that he barely mourned the Fishcatcher. He just wanted everything to fade away.


    ¡°The aura of death will destroy my home and...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Despite Gob¡¯s best efforts his whisper was heard.


    ¡°Oh you awake? Would you look at that. Tell me something. Go on.¡±


    The man Gob hated the moment he saw him. Fritz was someone to despise. He was a replacement for a shaman, as the fifth member of the group, an actual second hand of the tribe, was rarely seen. He was probably doing some task that Curan deemed important.


    Fritz was the only one that bothered Gob all the time he could. They wanted to sell him, that much was clear. Curan set them rules and mostly slept in his tent. Peter was tasked with Gob¡¯s health and politely change his bandages never speaking a word.


    Piper the cook was always shouting, but he never gave Gob a portion of food too small for him to feel any hunger, nor had he bothered Gob outside of meals, but Fritz. Fritz was an asshole. An asshole that found the caged goblin to be his new personal toy.


    ¡°What no talking? Oh come on! I heard you mutter something. Speak up greenshit! I want to hear those words of wisdom you so desperately keep in your tiny brain!¡±


    Gob didn¡¯t budge for a week, but it wasn¡¯t like Fritz was the only one to bother him all the time. The fairy, currently transformed into a rolling head of Fishcather was still complaining to him.


    ¡°Go to my home!¡±


    ¡°Say Somethin!¡±


    ¡°You need to go!¡±


    ¡°What were the words of wisdom?¡±


    As Fritz kicked the metal bars Gob couldn¡¯t bear the surrounding chaos.


    ¡°I said Shut Up!¡±


    The camp suddenly fell quiet. Peter stopped chopping down the wood, Piper looked at Goob from the place that served as his makeshift kitchen. Fritz was a little shocked.


    ¡°So you DO understand.¡±


    ¡°Everything you moron.¡±


    Gob was hoping for Fritz to stay shocked, but he smiled instead and pulled out the dagger. Gob¡¯s eyes which a moment ago were decently calm now were brimming with anger.


    ¡°It is yours isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The dagger was quite unique. It was used to break swords after all.


    ¡°Leave it. You¡¯ll cut yourself.¡±


    Gob slowly said to beaming Fritz.


    ¡°Oh will you maybe learn me the way of the dagger? I have a fine challenge for you then.¡±


    Gob looked as Fritz came closer to the nearby tree. He seemed relaxed, but after a short pause he shouted and plunged the dagger deep into the wood. Only the hilt was visible. He then turned around and slowly approached the cage with keys in his hands.


    With a creak the cage was open. Piper was visibly shaken. Peter put the axe down and took out a small crossbow from the nearby box. Even the fairy shut up. Fritz laughed. Gob tightened his fists.


    ¡°Come on sunshine! If you can pull it out its back yours.¡±

 Chapter 20 | Questions

    Gob didn¡¯t budge an inch. The cage was open so what? Did this fool expected him to go out and get killed? Fritz was still smiling. There was some commotion in the chief''s tent. Piper begun complaining loudly.


    ¡°Boss! Fritz is unreasonable like always..¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t damage the merchandise! Otherwise I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°But to let him out!¡±


    ¡°No harm to the goblin. If he runs, you have to catch him without injuries, both to you and him.¡±


    ¡°But Boss!¡±


    Piper continued to resist, yet Curan didn¡¯t respond anymore. Gob was about to ignore them altogether, but than the fairy spoke in her soft squeaky voice.


    ¡°It was the female that made me lose the home. The female had the knife. Don¡¯t they know?¡±


    Sudden emotion made Gob get up. It was an impulse. He left the cage in an instant.


    ¡°It''s all right Piper he doesn¡¯t want to leave. The knife isn¡¯t as important as I thought.. Oh!¡±


    Fritz was turned back to the cage and so he got startled by the leaving goblin. Piper shouted something incomprehensible. Only Peter, silently followed Gob¡¯s movement with his crossbow.


    Why did she run after him?


    Fritz was taller than the goblin, and so the knife was a bit out of his reach.


    Why she went after this monster of a man?


    Gob reached for the knife with his right arm. Despite Peter¡¯s efforts it was still in a bad shape. His shaking hand almost reached the dagger.


    Why?


    He stopped before grabbing the hilt. What was he doing? Why didn¡¯t he run? He stood in place for sometime. Then he clenched his fist in anger. It was still shaking. He then remembered that not so long ago he was standing in a similar pose.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Everyone was looking at him. The fairy was especially focused on him, flying around his arm.


    He was weak. After all big claims. he truly was. Not like a goblin. Not like a hob. He was weak inside. Trembling. Remembering the face of this monster. Destined to walk while something he feared was breathing right behind him. Was it his kin, the humans or his very own self-doubt, buried under all the equipment, skills and knowledge he so wanted to posses.


    Fishcatcher.


    He retracted his hand, never to touch this knife again. He didn''t even attempt to pull it out. He looked back at Fritz. The man was still standing next to the cage. Waiting with curiosity. Gob scanned his surroundings and with his head lowered he finally made up his mind.


    As Gob slowly walked back Fritz''s enjoyment reached its peak.


    ¡°Too far for your broken arm? Why not ask nicely? I might...Ughfff!¡±


    Gob waited for him to lower his guard and the moment he was passing next to him he planted his knee into man¡¯s crotch. Squirming the human lowered to his knees. What did it mean to be strong? A mere goblin could beat a human, but it didn''t make Gob stronger in any way. The knight was strong. Not like the hunter he saw when he was young. The knight was strong...


    Gob ignored the shouts of the cook and looked straight at Peter. This strange silent man lowered his crossbow. He didn¡¯t seem too surprised when Gob went back inside his cage. Meanwhile Fritz was getting furious. With tears in his eyes he approached the cage.


    He violently pulled the cage door, wanting to drag the goblin outside, but the cage stood firm. He looked at the talking goblin. He was currently playing with something in his hands. After a few seconds the keychain landed outside the cage, right next to his feet. One key in particular was missing from the ring. Fritz was shocked.


    Piper was coming, giant halberd in his hands, but Fritz stopped him in his tracks. He regained his composure and said.


    ¡°Do not harm the merchandise.¡±


    After a short pause he added.


    ¡°Peter¡­ If he leaves this fucking cage it¡¯s on you.¡±


    Peter was putting his crossbow away. As he heard the words, he suddenly smirked.


    "Did he just... smiled?!"


    Bandits looked at each other with shock. It was the first time either of them saw Peter smile.


    The only one that didn¡¯t care about the solemn man''s development was Gob. He was trying to piece together every little feeling that he experienced since his dumb luck decided to enter the cave. He was trying to find the words to express all that and more.


    Meanwhile a certain female head begun to roll once more.


    ¡°You should really go to my home. You have the key! You need to move and help me!¡±


    Gob didn¡¯t move. He knew many words now. He was even learning from the bandits as they spoke around themselves.


    Why did she came after me?


    His expression was stiff, but his mind was racing. There were so many words he already knew.


    And not a one to express how he felt.

 Chapter 21 | Foresight

    "So. What''s your name green guy? How do they call you?"


    Curan was leaning into the cage. It was secured with a chain. No one tried to take Gob''s key..


    "It''s important to have a decent name. I need to sell you after all."


    "My name is Evie! I was born in the evening!"


    The fairy was flying around the cage. She was much more carefree than the goblin she accompanied. He looked grim.


    ¡°Where will you sell me?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to invite you to a nearby mining colony, but your tongue makes you way more valuable to just give you away like that.¡±


    ¡°So where to?¡±


    ¡°Well. Viper is looking for a decent buyer. Maybe someone will try to make you his servant? Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that! There are so many fools around its hard to count.¡±


    Curan looked at the goblin with his piercing gaze. He was different from the other bandits. His scent possessed a certain touch of nobility. At least gob felt that he was different enough from the rest to consider him somewhat highly.


    ¡°I expect that you will either be taken far away to act as a pet, or you will stay right here in Erlen. They have an underground arena that someone of your caliber will surely enjoy.¡®


    ¡°Fighting with other goblins?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, to the very death.¡±


    Curan said nothing more. Gob didn¡¯t respond. In the distance Piper began to chop down some wood. It was getting darker. With each strike the giant man slowly trimmed down big chunks of lumber.


    Curan slowly turned back from the goblin. He wasn¡¯t even looking at him anymore. The small green skin was more interested in their cook swinging his axe around. Curan moved away while stroking his beard. It seemed pointless to talk. He gasped and added.


    ¡°Think about the name. Humans like to name everything. I don¡¯t know. Like Green Traveler or Quick punch. Just tell me when you will come up with something.¡±


    As he was walking away Gob finally replied.


    ¡°You are all weak, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Curan stopped in his tracks.


    ¡°What do you mean weak?¡±


    Gob pointed at Piper chopping wood.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°He is weak.¡±


    He claimed and didn¡¯t bother to explain more. Curan came back to the cage. Goblin¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t shaking as much anymore. Fritz reported to him that the goblin was doing some basic training throughout the days.


    ¡°He could chop you down with ease.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have a chance.¡±


    ¡°Oh do you claim to be stronger than he is?¡±


    Curan was fascinated. The goblin looked at him with visible disgust.


    ¡°I¡¯m not strong. I¡¯m unlucky.¡±


    The human was surprised. He couldn¡¯t quite understand this goblin. The green skins usually were much more simple. They used tools and made ambushes. Ok. But did they really were concerned about concepts like absolute strength and superiority? This goblin was found with a dagger of high value.


    Did he used it properly? Or was someone just unlucky to lose said knife in the forest. Suddenly Curan wanted to know more about this little green fiend. He was found with a random dead female far away from the goblin grounds. He was in terrible shape, yet he wasn¡¯t just any run of the mill green skin.


    His body spoke volumes about his upbringing. And this intelligence. Could he actually be an escaped slave of some eccentric nobleman? Curan pushed on.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say that I believe you could win against Piper here. What makes you think we are all weak?¡±


    Gob looked back at him and replied.


    ¡°If I could kill some of you and there is someone that could kill me in a single strike.. That makes you weak.¡±


    ¡°Even Piper could kill you if he landed a good..¡±


    ¡°A single strike. No blood and bone. A clean cut that severs me whole.¡±


    Gob replied. His hands were shaking, so he clenched them into fists. Before Curan could ask he added.


    ¡°One I won¡¯t be able to dodge.¡±


    Curan suddenly realized what this goblin must have encountered. He looked away from the goblin. It made him remember his own past. It was because the goblin was so unusual that he missed it completely. He was looking at someone who was essentially broken, yet still refused to admit it.


    He turned to his cook. Piper was carrying a huge tree stump to chop it down. He stopped him with his hand.


    ¡°Piper.¡±


    ¡°Yes chief?¡±


    ¡°Throw this at me.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Curan made sure that Gob was watching this unfold. He placed his hand at the hilt of his longsword, readying for a strike. He took his stance and repeated the command.


    ¡°Just throw it at me with all you got.¡±


    Piper was conflicted. What if the chief got hurt?


    ¡°Piper.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. Just throw it at me.¡±


    With this the giant decided. Gob observed how he effortlessly raised the stump above his head.


    The throw was powerful. Huge piece of wood approached the chief at a magnificent speed.


    Slash!


    The way Curan moved his sword was nothing less of a miracle. A strike so fast that Gob could barely register it cut down the wood in two mid flight, making the two now remaining pieces to violently crash a few feet behind the swordsman.


    Gob looked between the neatly cut wood and Curan himself in a state of shock. Sadly the man didn¡¯t pay him any attention anymore. He sheathed his sword back into the scabbard and headed straight to his tent.


    Piper gathered the wood while gazing at his chief with curiosity, admiration and awe neatly mixed into small, easy-to-understand package.


    As Gob was backing into his own thoughts, he heard Curan¡¯s voice one¡¯s more. The man standing in front of his tent was eyeing him up. As their eyes met, he spoke.


    ¡°Chose a decent name goblin. Your buyer will come for you tomorrow.¡±


    And with that he disappeared into his tent.

 Chapter 22 | Isnt it small?

    ¡°So what does it mean Eloquent?¡±


    Fritz was talking to the chief. They were both sitting next to a makeshift table, made of an unused wooden crate.


    ¡°It refers to people well versed with words.¡±


    ¡°And he is?¡±


    Curan threw his last card down.


    ¡°Three of a kind. I won.¡±


    Fritz didn¡¯t even looked at the cards. He never beat the chief in the long game. He instead focused on the goblin and so did Curan, following his henchmen¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t speak that well.¡±


    The bandit proclaimed.


    Gob was walking around the camp while stretching his limbs, a set of metal cuffs were keeping his legs from any unnecessary movements. Peter¡¯s crossbow was also a merit one needed to consider before escaping.


    The solemn man was following goblins steps. Not too close to let the goblin feel uneasy, but close enough to act as a silent reminder.


    ¡°He speaks that well.¡±


    ¡°A child could speak like he does.¡±


    ¡°A human child. Yes.¡±


    Fritz didn¡¯t feel the need to praise their merchandise too much. It was a goblin! Not some long-lost relative of his. Did everyone needed to be so polite to this slave? They never sold anything barely intelligent to anyone, so there was some gentle wiggle room, but it was way too generous for a goblin!


    They killed humans and captured their women. They were already plenty intelligent to do that, yet no one was giving them credit for such achievements. Wonder why? He couldn¡¯t just say it to Curan. Chiefs words were absolute.


    ¡°The merchant is late.¡±


    ¡°Viper reported that he will come.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not arguing with that. It¡¯s just really getting dark.¡±


    It was getting late. Curan was anxious. He sent Piper to keep the torches lit. Then they moved closer to the fire.


    As they continued to play Gob, Peter and Piper began to observe their duel. It took a while before Fritz lost once more. Curan took the winning marbles and started to hide them inside the pouch, but Fritz stopped him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s play with four.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not playing.¡±


    Piper was fast to respond. Peter pushed Gob a little closer so he himself could join the table while still checking on the prisoner.


    ¡°Well. We do need one more.¡±


    Fritz looked at the Eloquent Goblin, but he changed his mind instantly. He turned back to look at Viper. A single figure wrapped in a heavy coat was sitting atop a tree branch. It was truly hard to spot this guy. He would never look this way if he hadn¡¯t known that Viper was in fact there beforehand.


    ¡°Viper what about you?¡±


    He really tried to get to know this guy better, but he was once again ignored.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    It was infuriating to work with someone who didn¡¯t even show them his face once. He was forgiving to a degree. Peter could stay mute for the rest of his life and he wouldn¡¯t mind, but this? Only Curan¡¯s word was keeping him from any rush judgement.


    He was still annoyed though.


    ¡°So it would seem that it¡¯s just the three of us.¡±


    ¡°Eloquent, can you count?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?!¡±


    Curan ignored Fritz¡¯s disbelief and focused on the goblin. With a smirk the green skin responded.


    ¡°More or less.¡±


    Fritz was dumbfounded. It happened all too quick. The chief moved from the basic rule set to a random quiz show. He shuffled the cards around and asked the goblin about their cost. He made him add their value and learned to recognize basic patterns.


    Fritz was keeping his calm hiding behind his usual smirk, but it crumbled as fast as the goblin learned. He was making mistakes at first, but he adapted at an incredible pace. He rarely miscounted the cards. It was the combinations he had problems with.


    However Fritz was sure it was just a matter of time. When they finally started to play, he couldn¡¯t focus. Their marble tokens were equally distributed at first, but Curan was barely losing and when he didn¡¯t lose he always took his marble toll as his own bounty.


    Peter wasn¡¯t the best player, yet the game of luck wasn¡¯t always sided towards the strong. The solemn, silent man. He wouldn¡¯t twitch even with the best cards on his disposal. It made him annoyingly unpredictable. Luckily this time he drew terribly. Making him the first to lose the marbles.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    And then there was the goblin. He still had a few marbles in him. He even tied a round with the chief! He didn¡¯t have the poker face of neither Peter nor Curan. He was clearly enjoying every minute of his little playtime.


    Fritz couldn¡¯t let this Eloquent nobody beat him. As Curan folded Fritz took the opportunity to end the goblin once and for all. He made sure to make the goblin use up his marbles while he upped the cost. It was the time to reshuffle the cards and draw five.


    Fritz slowly placed the cards facing them up.


    ¡°5 North, 6 The Mule, 3 Peasant, 5 The Farmland, 4 Armor.¡±


    He looked at Gob. He seemed upset. As Fritz was already assured of his victory, he placed his hand first.


    ¡°Double Peasant, North, The Mule, and double Farmland.¡±


    ¡°Six, eleven, seventeen¡­ Twenty eight.¡±


    He didn¡¯t use his blacksmith and saint cards, but it was the most points, anyway.


    ¡°Twenty seven. The Farmland is worth five not six.¡±


    Fritz recounted, and it was true. He missed one. He could actually used the blacksmith, armor combo for twenty three. He looked at the goblin. Did he just corrected him?


    As Gob threw his cards down Fritz was visibly shaken.


    ¡°North, West, East, South, Priest.¡±


    Twenty four! The goblin got the four winds getting up to twenty with no other correlation! If he had any weapons for the Priest, he will win with him! Wait. No. He needed the club. Priests couldn¡¯t be paired with sharp weapons!


    He looked at the green skin with anticipation. Did he had it?


    He held his breath as Gob threw the last card down.


    It was a sword. He lost.


    As Fritz took a deep breath the goblin spoke.


    ¡°Do you have the club in hand?¡±


    Fritz looked at him, surprised by the question.


    ¡°No why?¡±


    Gob instantly looked at Curan. The chief smiled and revealed his current hand. Among his cards two out of three clubs were present. Fritz didn¡¯t quite got what was going on. The goblin stood up and slowly went back to his cage accompanied by the ever silent Peter.


    Deep in his cage he looked at the fairy with reproach.


    ¡°You said he had swords!¡±


    She seemed clueless.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they the things you keep in your hands?¡±


    ¡°They are pointy!¡±


    ¡°You said that you will go to my home if you win! Let¡¯s go now!¡±


    Gob ignored her and thought about Curan. He knew how to play with the dragon¡¯s deck from the very start. It was a popular game that most human soldiers carried around. The cards had illustrations, so he was interested by them even back in the forest. Did the chief caught up? He couldn¡¯t tell.


    Curan just smiled as he reshuffled the deck. In the next two turns he completely demolished Fritz and took the marbles back to the pouch. He almost wanted to keep this goblin around.


    Almost.


    ~


    It was deep in the night when the slave trader finally came. It was a chubby man that was searching for an arena fighter.


    ¡°Any beast will do. I¡¯m searching for some fodder to up the game for my client¡¯s new pet.¡±


    ¡°We have a perfect creature for you right here.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this guy look familiar?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. The boss is doing business.¡±


    ¡°So what kind of creature is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a goblin my friend.¡±


    It was thanks to the late hour that the bandits didn¡¯t realize how pale Grimmar became.


    ¡°A Goblin!¡±


    He shouted a bit louder than he was ready to admit.


    ¡°I assure you, he is in the top quality. He is called The Eloquent.¡±


    Grimmar breathed slowly. He needed to buy whatever the bandit will offer. Eloquent? Why did the goblin was called that?


    ¡°Why would you call a goblin Eloquent?¡±


    ¡°It may surprise you my friend but our little green skin can speak the human tongue. He is also somewhat proficient in counting and we even ...¡±


    Grimmar couldn¡¯t keep up. The bandit chief was stating absurdities one after the other. Meanwhile Grimmar couldn¡¯t stand up. His legs were shaking. He was sweaty already despite the autumn cold.


    All he could see was an intelligent devil rummaging through corpses. Killing his man. Stabbing the horse. Intelligent little devil. It felt like he was in the shadows around the camp. Lurking. Readying his assault straight from Grimmar¡¯s imagination.


    ¡°Would you like to inspect?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Right. Let us inspect.¡±


    What was wrong with him today? Get a hold of yourself Grimmar. You are.. You were.. No You Are an excellent merchant from a great family! Just unlucky at the moment. That was all.


    As he followed the bandit named Curan towards the cage, he felt better. He would come back from the very bottom! It was his moment to shine. What did it matter that it was a goblin? He would make his fortune on this creature!


    As they approached a cage covered with a large blanket, a silent man holding a crossbow tapped the cage lightly.


    Grimmar froze as he saw a green hand holding a key open the cage from the inside. He recollected himself. He needed to stay sharp as a merchant. He wouldn¡¯t fear any goblin that was¡­


    As Gob emerged from the cage, with both his legs chained down he looked at his new owner with all the spite he could muster. He didn¡¯t want to fight with his kin anymore.


    He eyed down the chubby human until he took a step back. He didn¡¯t want Curan to intervene, but he never even got the chance, as the merchant started to quickly walk away. The chief barely caught up to him near the camp entrance.


    ¡°He really is powerful. Not only intelligent, he is a very dangerous fighter...¡±


    ¡°no.¡±


    Curan never got any other response. The merchant was already lost in the night¡¯s shadows. He departed so quickly that Curan might swear that he was almost running away.


    Completely puzzled he looked at Gob.


    ¡°Did you know him?¡±


    Gob seemed to be as puzzled as the chief.


    ¡°Never have I seen him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I saw him somewhere before.¡±


    Fritz butted into the conversation once more.


    "Where exactly? We never traded with people like him."


    "It was like his face was... I don''t know."


    As the discussion continued Curan looked back at his tent with disappointment.


    Viper will need to leave for the town once more.

 Chapter 23 | Decisions

    Gob was already back in his cozy cage. Daily walks with Peter and his crossbow were nice and all, yet Gob felt that he had found an even better pastime. It was even more enjoyable than his training routine.


    ¡°So what are fairies born in the morning called? Morn¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°No, they are called Morin''s.¡±


    Evie replied. She seemed a bit.. Disappointed?


    ¡°And the ones in the dusk?¡±


    ¡°Short names stay as they are. Dawn, Dusk¡­ We like them short.¡±


    ¡°So how many fairies are there in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not good with numbers, but the oldest fairy will know! He knows everything about the forest!¡±


    ¡°So is he a Dawn or maybe a Dusk?¡±


    ¡°No. He is called Eclipse, silly Gob! He is the oldest among the trees!¡±


    ¡°Older than Dusk?¡±


    Gob wanted to poke fun of Evie more, but her voice got unpleasantly serious.


    ¡°He is older than the dusk. He knows of every dawn. Our king put him there to watch and so he remains. Whether it¡¯s in the trees or in the earth. The Eclipse will be the last to look until the Eclipse is born.¡±


    She was a very cryptic being. Right now she appeared to him as a female figure of light. Without real shape she was a floating contour of warmth. Gob could only truly focus on the dress she was wearing.


    It was a short one. Fishcatcher used to wear a similar one. The moment he thought about her Evie¡¯s appearance began to shift. Gob averted his eyes and changed the topic before he looked back at her.


    ¡°Do you know where the mine is? The one where the goblins are sold?¡±


    ¡°What is a mine?¡±


    Evie conveyed her emotions mostly through her voice. Gob couldn¡¯t be sure he always interpreted it right, but he was slowly getting the gist of the fairy. She really didn¡¯t know what a mine is.


    ¡°Many goblins in one place. There are rocks and a lot of caves. They work like this.¡±


    Gob tried to show her how people swing their pickaxes, but the cage was a bit too small to do it properly. Evie¡¯s prolonging silence didn¡¯t help. He looked outside the cage to hide his embarrassment. Peter was sitting nearby. He felt his gaze and looked straight at him.


    Gob was slowly forced to stop the staring contest and retreated quickly. Peter¡¯s gaze was unnatural in a way. Maybe it was his lack of speech that made his penetrating gaze so disturbing? He had the ability to stare down into one¡¯s soul.


    As Gob returned to his cramped position. Fritz approached Peter.


    ¡°He is still talking to himself?¡±


    Peter didn¡¯t reply. Go figure, thought Fritz. I¡¯m worried that I will also end up like him. He looked around tired of silence. The chief was busy so they kept the noise to minimum. The trade didn''t work and so Viper went back to the town once more. There wasn¡¯t anyone willing to buy the goblin as of now. There was also no one to talk to.


    ¡°Heh,¡±


    Fritz sighed and went towards the Piper¡¯s tent. The cook will surely make him help in the kitchen. Still, he needed to talk to someone and Curan seemed to shut himself in his tent for the rest of the day.


    Meanwhile Gob lied down on the blanket Curan provided for him. It was getting colder and colder. As a goblin he didn¡¯t need as much skin protection. At least not until the first snow. Still even his green skin appreciated the sensation of warmth.


    He tried to relax, but the moment his mind wasn¡¯t occupied by anything he instantly felt cornered. The visions of the slaughter were all too real. The dreams he had. The blood.


    He tried to turn it around, but it flooded his mind. Nozgu. Hestia. Father..


    Fishcatcher.


    The training wasn¡¯t enough. He wasn¡¯t slacking off. He stretched his body in every imaginable way. He tried to sweat his pain away, but it always came back the moment he rested. He needed to sleep. He needed to catch his breath and think, and it was exactly when the terror hit him back.


    He tried to think, but he couldn¡¯t. He dreaded the mines. To exhaust oneself while working as a slave and then not be able to sleep. He didn¡¯t want to suffer. He needed something. Lifeline.


    ¡°Evie?¡±


    No response.


    ¡°Evie!?¡±


    He looked around the cage, but didn¡¯t spot the fairy anywhere.


    ¡°You will not go back are you?¡±


    ¡°Evie why didn¡¯t you...¡±


    As he turned around he froze. Evie¡¯s voice was changing slowly. To the voice he shouldn¡¯t be able to hear anymore.


    ¡°What is a mine Gob?¡±


    When she spoke once more he moved back in panic. The cage¡¯s bars held him in place. The tiny Fishcatcher was slowly walking towards him. Her dress was bloodied.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°You told me so much. Why won¡¯t you tell me now?¡±


    Gob tried to calm himself, but the fairy seemed to be the spitting image of the female he had known since he was young. He couldn¡¯t even close his eyes. His arms. Nearly healed were shaking with fear. The ghost approached even closer.


    ¡°Why did you stop being Gob? You always were near me.¡±


    ¡°You always helped.¡±


    It was then he closed his eyes. The face of a knight came into his view. This despicable face, twisted by rage.


    When he opened his eyes back, he was breathing quickly. His pulse was through the roof. He released his clenched fists when he finally felt the pain surging from his left hand. He could barely move his fingers. It didn¡¯t heal well.


    He looked at the fairy. She was no longer in a ghost form. Her light was pale and weak as she stood next to him. Her little fists were tightly clenched. With her gaze focused on the ground she spoke with a tired voice.


    ¡°I will leave now. She might try to do something to you.¡±


    Gob didn¡¯t understand at first. He was still covered in sweat from his panic attack.


    ¡°Who will do?¡±


    Evie¡¯s eyes were still stuck on the ground.


    ¡°The female that died..¡±


    The moment she said this she looked him straight in the eyes. Only then Gob has realized how close the fairy resembled the goblin. As her light got weaker, more and more traits that he knew so well were vaguely present in her form. Especially the eyes. Under her gaze Gob forgot to breathe. She spoke once more.


    ¡°Please come to my home and make her go away.¡±


    Evie smiled with teary eyes and turned away.


    Gob barely managed to ask.


    ¡°Whyy did you choose to appear to me?!¡±


    Evie stopped one last time and answered.


    ¡°You all reek of blood.¡±


    ¡°But your scent. Is different.¡±


    Gob tried to reach for her, but she disappeared. He was alone. Left with no one. Left to think. Think, but he already knew what to do.


    ¡°Curan!!!¡±


    Peter jumped up startled by the sudden shout.


    ¡°Curan!!!¡±


    Fritz rushed out from the Piper¡¯s tent still wearing a kitchen apron.


    ¡°What in the damnation is going on?¡±


    ¡°Is someone attacking us?¡±


    Piper¡¯s giant frame also came into view. Peter grabbed his crossbow and pointed them towards the cage.


    The Goblin was restless, shouting chief¡¯s name over and over until his throat started to make weird gurgling noises that goblins were known for.


    ¡°Shut up! You freak!¡±


    Fritz still wearing the apron kicked the cage, but the goblin didn¡¯t stop here.


    ¡°I know you can hear me! Curan!! I know something that you would like to know! Curan!!!¡±


    ¡°I said shut up! Don''t shout now!¡±


    Fritz continued to kick the cage, while Piper hastily grabbed his halberd in order to strike Gob with its wooden end. He was about to hit him when the chief¡¯s tent curtain began to wave.


    ¡°Finally! The orcs! I know of the orcs...¡±


    Gob was the only one that didn¡¯t instantly feel the sudden change in the air. Both Fritz and Piper took a few steps back. Peter was nowhere to be seen. As Curan came closer to the cage Gob finally shut up.


    Curan¡¯s longsword was already unsheathed. His usually jolly demeanor was gone. He looked ready to kill the goblin on the spot. When he finally stood next to the cage, he spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°Open it.¡±


    Fritz was the one to speak up.


    ¡°Chief.. The key to the chain is in the tent. I will go bring it and we can...¡±


    Slash!


    With a single hit the cage door was busted open. The metal chain didn¡¯t stand a chance.


    ¡°Out!¡±


    Gob tried to walk out slowly, but before he even reached the exit Curan threw him out with incredible force. Piper stepped back in the nick of time as a flying goblin soared through the air next to him.


    Gob quickly got up on his feet. He broke nothing, but it still was quite the throw. He didn¡¯t even register when Curan grabbed him. As he stood up, he looked at the bandit chief. He differed from before. An aura of danger was looming around the man, making Gob want to escape as fast as he could. Still, he was sure he needed to stay where he was.


    Curan looked at his desperate eyes. He then pointed with his sword at the entrance of the camp.


    ¡°I will count to ten. After those ten seconds Peter will shoot at you once. If you can run away, then so be it. Otherwise you are dead. Here. I. Go. One.. Two.. Three...¡±


    ¡°I will not run.¡±


    ¡°Four¡­ Five...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not moving!¡±


    ¡°Eight.. Nine...¡±


    ¡°Curan!!!¡±


    ¡°Chief!!¡±


    Fritz butted in just before the countdown¡¯s end. Curan looked at him with anger, making him instantly take another step back. Still, he didn¡¯t stop talking.


    ¡°He said about the orcs, maybe it¡¯s worth hearing!¡±


    ¡°He only costs us. Those coppers we would get for him in the mines aren¡¯t worth a week''s meal he got!¡±


    ¡°He still might be useful! He can be much more than a simple slave!¡±


    Fritz couldn¡¯t believe he was saying it but he felt like he needed to stop the chief from further actions.


    ¡°I personally never even heard of talking goblins! He surely is worth some risks.¡±


    ¡°He just interrupted something important.¡±


    With this Curan stared back at the goblin. Gob stood next to the tree where his knife was still encased. He looked at it slightly but the moment he did Curan¡¯s sword was at his throat. Two beings looked at each other. One was brimming with anger and regret, the other with fear and hope.


    Gob tried not to move, but the sword still left a small mark on his skin. As the scent of blood could be seen Curan finally moved his sword away. Gob used this moment to speak.


    ¡°If it¡¯s just money, I can pay for my life.¡±


    ¡°In what currency?¡±


    ¡°Everything you can find in an orc stash. Coin¡¯s, weapon¡¯s and all the garbage they collect.¡±


    Curan lowered his sword even more. He didn¡¯t need to turn around to feel the presence of the Viper. A figure covered in a heavy robe was looking at them from the treetops. He still wasn¡¯t sure if he shouldn¡¯t remove the nuisance here and there.


    ¡°Do you enjoy gambling so much? I will kill you the moment you move funny.¡±


    The goblin didn¡¯t budge, so he just asked bluntly.


    ¡°Where is the stash?¡±


    It was weirdly refreshing. Having to discuss with humans from this position and staying alive. He liked this feeling. He already knew what to do.


    ¡°Close to the place you found me, going east towards the mountain range. I can guide.¡±


    Curan finally stepped back from the goblin. This little critter. Smart enough to talk. Smart enough to cover in fear. He really liked this goblin, but the situation has changed. If the stash was an elaborate lie, this small friendship would be over.


    ¡°You will guide me personally. I give you half a day to reach it.¡±


    He moved to his henchman. Fritz looked relieved. Peter came out from his sniper spot. His crossbow wasn¡¯t even loaded.


    ¡°Piper and Fritz you will stay here. Peter I task you with the patrols for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°Viper!¡±


    As he asked the rest of the autumn leaves still present on the trees moved in the wind. He didn¡¯t wait for any response.


    ¡°Very well. Guide me Eloquent goblin.¡±


    Gob looked at the sword breaker encased in the tree, but then shook his head and looked back at the human chief.


    ¡°My name is Gob.¡±

 Chapter 24 | Goblin of a word

    Gob was walking after Curan. The human kept a steady pace. As they traversed the sea of fallen leaves, they exchanged their information.


    ¡°So the orcs are dead.¡±


    ¡°Yes. They were slain sometime ago.¡±


    ¡°By who exactly?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who killed them, but I know that two orcs were dead. The tribe chief didn¡¯t send the offerings since their death.¡±


    Curan looked at Gob with caution.


    ¡°What exactly was in the offerings?¡±


    ¡°Mostly meat and shiny junk, but now and then a decent sword or axe was given away.¡±


    Oh. No humans. Curan didn''t want to think where the meat was coming from.


    ¡°Steel ones?¡±


    ¡°Heavily ornamented junk. They looked nice.¡±


    Curan fell silent, so Gob tried asking him instead.


    ¡°Did the news about orcs reached the city? They were important in the forest.¡±


    ¡°In April one orc was captured outside the city. He was injured.¡±


    ¡°So it means that something beat three orcs.¡±


    ¡°There was a story about a new Adventurer appearing at the other side of the mountains, it could be him.¡±


    ¡°Adventurer?¡±


    ¡°A mercenary working for the city guild. They usually take monster slaying quests. They are stronger than most other people.¡±


    Now it was Gob¡¯s time to remain silent. The world was way bigger than the forest, he knew that, but it seemed like he needed to adjust his world view. To think that there was something beyond the mountains! How big would the world truly be?


    Curan stopped and pointed at the trees.


    ¡°We found you somewhere there.¡±


    ¡°Can we go to this place? It would be easier to guide you.¡±


    ¡°No. You said the orc¡¯s stash was near the mountain side. I do not wish to take any unnecessary detours.¡±


    The sun was high above their heads. They needed to hurry. Gob didn¡¯t need the sunlight to navigate throughout the woods, but Curan did. He was also wary of many greenskin tribes scattered around the forest, as well as the common wildlife. It was autumn already. Wolves alone were getting restless.


    Gob wanted to convince him, but he wasn¡¯t on an equal footing. Not by a long shot. Despite that he still asked.


    ¡°Are you afraid that whoever killed the orcs took the treasure with him?¡±


    ¡°If what you are saying is true, and the orcs were wiped suddenly by the outside force, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for a single person to take everything with them.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°And if they did?¡±


    ¡°Then you are dead.¡±


    Curan looked at the goblin. His anger somewhat went away. This random adventure was a much better idea than any normal city deal. At least for the time being. And if the information, however believable in his eyes, was a miserable lie then he wouldn¡¯t have any qualms about finishing the goblin here and there.


    The city was sealed. Any money, doesn¡¯t matter how dirty it was, would be a godsend. The forest was wide and dangerous. So many warring factions were regularly clashing with one another. Meanwhile the monsters were busy finishing anyone left in between.


    Who could possibly know more about the hidden treasures than a monster that lived here for so many years?


    ¡°Gob?¡±


    The name was so stupid. It was like naming your children Child.


    ¡°In which month did the orcs die?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know months.¡±


    He should foresee this. Gob was just a goblin after all. There were a few gaps in goblin knowledge.


    ¡°Was it snowing?¡±


    ¡°No. The snow was away. It was green when the Elder knew about the orcs.¡±


    ¡°Then we might be the first to check the cave. Erlen¡¯s Adventurers guild was disbanded during the winter.There shouldn¡¯t be anyone from the city meddling with orcs. Let¡¯s move. Point the direction.¡±


    Gob pointed west. Curan smiled. He tried earlier to change their path a bit in order to confuse the goblin, but he correctly pointed towards the mountains, despite them not being able to see them. Which meant that he based the direction of the one he gave him earlier. He walked first, but the goblin didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Make promise means do something later right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what making promises is.¡±


    Gob nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Then promise me something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Promise that if there will be enough money you would let me go there.¡±


    He pointed towards the place where Peter found him.


    Curan turned to properly face the goblin.


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t lying, then I will personally guide you there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t lie.¡±


    With that Gob chose the path and made Curan follow him through the forest.


    They walked in silence. Gob didn¡¯t feel like talking about his tribe. Curan didn¡¯t bother to keep the conversation going. Orcs were powerful creatures. Capable of wielding small trees as their maces. Many humans described them as giant, pig faced walls of flesh.


    Orcs were stupid. They didn¡¯t feel fear and rushed their victims with no reason whatsoever. Their size was their biggest strength. Adventurers were often called to drive the orcs away from human settlements. Rampaging orc could be compared to a natural disaster.


    If someone managed to kill two orcs in a fight, he must either be that unreasonably strong or extremely well prepared. Curan could probably take two orcs at the same time if he planned accordingly for their size, but it still could go terribly wrong with no ranged support.


    Gob claimed that there were only three orcs in the forest. Or at the very least he didn¡¯t know of any other living close by. If the orc that the city caught was the lone survivor then the stash could as well be empty.


    The most logical thing Curan wanted to believe went as follows:


    The orcs fought against someone stronger than them because they lacked judgement.


    The certain someone killed two of them before escaping making the last orc go on a rampage in the nearby human village. Orcs were known for their simple drives. If someone pissed the orc, he would be targeted for revenge. It was most likely a small group of humans or maybe even a single human that destroyed the greenskins.


    It was unlikely for some animals to kill something so superior in the food chain as orcs. Natural disaster was also possible, but Gob noted that the orc¡¯s cave was in an abandoned mine shaft. Humans have never exploited the mountains before. If it was dwarven, then it wouldn¡¯t just randomly collapse.


    ¡°We are close. The spire is in sight.¡±


    As they moved next to the mountain side Gob pointed towards the large oddly shaped rock that he referred to as spire. It was sharply raising to the sky and well visible from the distance, making it a decent landmark.


    Gob moved past many caves until he finally reached the one he was looking for. He looked at Curan in anticipation. He slowly sighed and took the torch from his bag. He could already rule out the last possibility of the orcs extinction. The cave was made of tightly placed stone bricks. Near the entrance there were no sight of human army tracks.


    The empire didn¡¯t kill the orcs he was sure. He looked at Gob and sighed once more. There surely were treasures inside.


    The orc¡¯s stash was in a dungeon.

 Chapter 25 | Dungeon

    Dungeon corridor was spacious enough for a few orcs to walk in a line. Curan carefully stepped forward. He raised his torched as high as he could, but it didn¡¯t help him much. The visibility was terrible. He could only see two meters ahead, which made him feel vulnerable.


    He could be ambushed at any time and he stood out like a sore thumb.


    ¡°What do you know about this place?¡±


    ¡°Not much.¡±


    Gob was slowly walking in front of him. He chose this position himself. Well. Even if he didn¡¯t go up front Curan wouldn¡¯t have it any other way, anyway. Right now the goblin was the best scout he could have.


    ¡°There are ... spikes?¡±


    Gob spoke unsure if it was true.


    ¡°Traps?¡±


    ¡°More like ornaments.¡±


    They continued to walk. The stench of the orcs was getting harder to ignore. They were getting closer.


    ¡°There are bones on the left.¡±


    Curan focused on the left wall. An old skeleton was stuck in an old spiky trap extending from the wall. A small pressure plate carved into the stone was somewhat marked with the dried ancient bloodstain.


    ¡°Go, step on it.¡±


    Gob wasn¡¯t surprised by the command. He moved forward with no fear. The pressure plate clicked, yet nothing happened. Gob pressed it a few times and even jumped on it with all his force, but to no surprise the spikes didn¡¯t budge.


    It was the house of three giant orcs. They walked in and out every day for past years. They dragged giant trees and large animals they caught daily. If any traps were still functional when they first made this place their home they surely broke it.


    Orcs weren¡¯t smart, but they had the knack to destroy things.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The walk continued. The dungeon wasn¡¯t that big. It was Curan that was way too cautious of traps and his goblin scout. Even if he was cautious, he did relax after some time. Gob lead him in a straight line through the main corridor. As they moved, they passed a few destroyed rooms filled with trash.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    They also passed the ruined staircase probably leading to the lower levels. It was filled with rubble. It seemed that the dungeon didn¡¯t stand the test of time. As Gob tested a few remaining traps they encountered Curan finally let his guard down and sheathed his sword.


    ¡°I can see something small in the distance. Like a rat. It looks furry.¡±


    ¡°You can see it that far?¡±


    ¡°Its eyes reflect the torchlight.¡±


    They approached them slowly. The stench was unimaginable. They were close to the orc¡¯s stash.


    As they came closer Curan saw a series of holes dug out by the creatures. He never saw anything like this. Sadly the creatures ran away the moment he got near, too soon to take a proper look. He only got a glimpse of their small brown bodies. They didn¡¯t seem to be a threat.


    The corridor opened up into a series of large round rooms linked together with each other by tight passages. It was the only way forward as the main corridor was collapsed. Curan tried to light the place a bit, but it appeared too big. He couldn¡¯t see the other side of the main room.


    Rotten meat, filth and random junk. Heaps of rubbish. It was orcs living space all right. Gob lead the way towards the smaller back rooms. There appeared to be some kind of stone altar in the center of the room. Gob could feel a fragrance of ether coming from the stones. He suddenly felt a chill that made him stop.


    Curan didn¡¯t stop. He saw a chest. It was in a small room secluded from the rest. He went forward by himself. Gob knew something wasn¡¯t right, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He just looked at his premonition coming into life. The passage was too tight. Orcs wouldn¡¯t use them and he could already spot a few items he himself brought to the orcs.


    He should tell the human to stop. It was an obvious trap¡­ Gob was fighting with his conscience, but couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to speak. Why would he help the human? What if Curan were to die on some random trap? He knew where to go to find Evie¡¯s home. Did he need to stay here?


    As his inner fight continued he saw something even he didn¡¯t notice in the dark. A large gaping hole was made in the wall and a pair of giant eyes were following the movement of the torch. Gob now realized what the small critters he saw were. He heard of them before. He needed Curan. He really needed him now!


    Looking at Curan making his way into the Bearmoles nest he finally started to talk...


    ¡°Cur...¡±


    ...But stopped mid sentence not daring to speak anymore. Something moved behind him.


    Curan looked back at Gob. Stiff goblin was looking at him with fear in his eyes. The small chill he felt earlier was back. A giant Bearmole awakened by the light stood next to him. The other one was already focused on the unsuspecting human.


    Curan took out his sword just before the monsters poured out of their homes.

 Chapter 26 | Adrenaline

    The Bearmole next to Gob roared the moment Curan pointed his torch at him. The human looked shocked. He barely managed to get a hold of the situation when the other monster leaped at him from the shadows.


    Curan managed to step back in time and swung his sword at the creature, but the slash wasn¡¯t lethal. The monster stood on two feet and tried to reach him with its huge claw like fingers. He tried to step back, but the only place he could go was the small passage behind him. As he stepped inside the traps set up in the walls sprung sending spikes at his direction.


    In a dramatic attempt Curan dodged forward straight into giant beast claws. The Bearmole roared and tried to maul Curan to death, but he was too quick. With yet another slash he pierced the monster''s skin.


    The beast wailed in pain. Sudden shock made it swing its large arms in quick succession. Curan didn¡¯t came out of this rampage unscathed. One of the hits pushed him on the ground. When he stood back up he realized that his torch was gone. He dropped it while falling.


    Gob stood silently until the other bear rushed for Curan¡¯s light. The bears seemed to be focused only on the torch. It gave Gob a moment to move and hide behind the altar. The bear closer to him looked at his direction, but then ignored him completely.


    The altar reeked of ether. Whatever spell was cast here Gob wasn¡¯t sure, but it did keep the monsters at bay. For now¡­


    Curan rolled on the ground to keep the distance from the monsters, but it didn¡¯t prove necessary. The bear that startled Gob was loudly roaring at the fire. It seemed to fear the flames. Meanwhile the other monster wounded by his attacks was trying to flee. Curan had just enough time to finish it.


    As he now clearly saw the monster illuminated in the light from the dropped torch he approached it without fear. It was just a big bear living in the ground. The only difference from its above-ground counterpart was that it had giant mole claws for hands. It surely dug the tunnels they saw earlier.


    Curan closed the remaining distance and targeted at the beast¡¯s neck with a powerful strike. The Bearmole made a gurgling sound as the last breath of air left its lungs. As it fell down Curan¡¯s sword tangled in the halfway cut corpse fell with it.


    Curan cursed and grabbed the hilt, but in this very moment the other bear distracted by its companion death stomped on the torch leaving the dungeon in complete darkness.


    As the light perished Gob was the first one to adapt to the sudden darkness. The Bearmole was frantically sniffing the air around himself. He must have been almost blind, as he seemed to rely on his sense of smell to move around.


    Gob wanted to just run away, but the sudden sound of metal made him look at Curan. He was blinded by darkness trying to focus on the other bear whereabouts. His backpack was lost somewhere. Gob couldn¡¯t tell if Curan could see anything at all.


    The stench was terrible, but the Bearmole still found its way towards the human. He must have felt the scent of blood coming from the corpse. Gob could probably just leave the room. The bear was big, but he didn¡¯t move too fast. He could outrun him.


    As Curan flayed the sword in the air trying to face the unseen monster Gob pondered once more. What was to be gained? Should he endanger himself even more? He was meant to be sold. Why should he help this human now?


    After he caged him. After he made him walk on traps?


    He kept thinking. Meanwhile the Bearmole almost reached Curan.


    ¡°Sword to the left.¡±


    As he spoke Curran moved his sword towards his voice missing the bear completely. He looked comical swinging in the dark.


    ¡°Too much. Try a little less.¡±


    As Curan reached the proper direction the bear turned to face Gob. So it wasn¡¯t deaf. While it slowly began to march towards the altar Gob asked.


    ¡°Why should I help?¡±


    The bear was somewhere between them when Curan replied.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°I will give you freedom.¡±


    ¡°I am free..¡±


    The bear was confused. He stopped in the middle and started to silently growl. Curan stood still looking in the darkness. The bead of sweat uncomfortable dripped down his neck.


    ¡°Whatever you want I will give you.¡±


    He sounded desperate even in his own mind. After a short while he added.


    ¡°I never break my promises.¡±


    Gob sighted and before the bear changed his direction he shouted.


    ¡°Kill Him In One Strike!!!¡±


    It was time to act. Gob moved to face the Bearmole head on. As he continued to shout the monster rushed towards him. He could see Curan walking towards his voice. The loud stampede of the bear was easy to follow.


    Gob banked on the beast stopping before the altar, but the bear kept pushing despite the ether. He was truly furious. It was now or never. As the bear reached for Gob he raised his hand open.


    The flame wasn¡¯t big, but in the pitch black darkness it was blinding. The Bearmole stopped surprised and flung his claws at Gob, but he wasn¡¯t there. Sudden use of magic made him lose focus and sit down. The attack missed his head by an inch grazing his ear instead.


    As Gob remembered the pain the humans left him with he crumbled, his flame extinguished. He looked at the Bearmole. It was imposingly standing on two feet readying the next attack.


    Curan was right behind the monster, but in the darkness he couldn¡¯t just randomly swing.


    Then Gob felt that something was pulling his arm up to face the monster.


    Small figure of Fishcatcher with a pair of wings was chugging from this exercise.


    ¡°You never give up right!?¡±


    With this Gob focused the mana in his hand. Right. He didn¡¯t give up. He wasn¡¯t scared. He stood up.


    The flame in his hand flashed once more. In this moment Gob¡¯s mind was consumed by the symbols Hestia once drew on his hand. Without one.


    The fire moved from Gob¡¯s palm reaching the Bearmole with blazing heat. As it made contact with the fur it engulfed even more making the monster clearly visible in the giant cave. It was all Curan needed.


    With perfect timing he performed a swirling movement in the air. The clean cut so sharp that it even reached and cracked the floor beneath the monster reflected the light creating a myriad of shadows on the dungeon walls.


    The Bear now cut in half from the top of his head to his left leg fell down in two separate chunks. He didn¡¯t made any other sound.


    Two warriors looked at each other. Gob still had a small flame wiggling in his hand. His fingers were burnt a little, but he didn¡¯t mind it that much.


    Curan sat down tired. He was ghostly pale with sweat over his body. His sword was warped in a weird way. His breathing was hard, but he didn¡¯t take his eyes off Gob.


    As the two looked at each other without a word a strange feeling was forming in Gob¡¯s hearth. He was grateful somehow. It felt right that the human lived.


    The fire in Gob¡¯s hand dwindled and went away. He felt tired. Still they could look at each other over the embers that still remained on the Bearmole¡¯s corpse. It suddenly became gloomy.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you keep the light up?¡±


    Curan¡¯s voice was tired.


    ¡°Will get the bag.¡±


    Gob responded shortly and went to the other corpse. The bag was entangled under its arms.


    The moment he returned Curan took out a new torch and lit it with a small flint he took of his pocket. Gob wasn¡¯t sure, but it looked like he wasn¡¯t hurt. Curan¡¯s coat was bloodied, but he himself didn¡¯t sustain any injuries.


    ¡°You owe me a sword.¡±


    ¡°You owe me life.¡±


    Curan couldn¡¯t answer with a straight face so he just changed the topic.


    ¡°How did you do this fire thing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. How did you do this sword thing?¡±


    They both looked at each other and simultaneously said ¡° Magic.¡± while nodding their heads. They both didn¡¯t feel like talking so they just moved from there. Curan discarded his misshapen sword and after a simple ¡°What now?¡± from Gob he moved towards the trapped passage.


    It wasn¡¯t actually dangerous as the spikes were stuck halfway through. He just panicked earlier and jumped at the bear while he could just walk further inside.


    Still he remained cautious. There weren¡¯t any monsters in the holes they uncovered. Burrows and tunnels seemed to go deep underground. Curan hoped that no other adults were around.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that there might be Molerats inside?¡±


    ¡°First I didn¡¯t know what was inside. The offerings were left outside and secondly Mole Rats? We called them Bearmoles or Bermot in short.¡±


    ¡°Well they dig like moles.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make them rats.¡±


    ¡°They do have tails like rats.¡±


    ¡°Good point, but what rat could be the size of a bear?¡±


    ¡°Molerats just rolls off the tongue better.¡±


    ¡°Maybe in human. I think Bermot sounds way better.¡±


    As the unlikely duo approached the chest they stood in silence. Curan let the adrenaline rush fade and spoke in a more fitting manner.


    ¡°Would you care to open it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    He looked at Gob and gave him the torch.


    ¡°Figured as much.¡±

 Chapter 27 | The call

    As they moved closer to the end of the corridor Curan saw the light of the day. They didn¡¯t spend as much time inside the dungeon as he previously thought. The sun was still high.


    ¡°Don¡¯t drag so much!¡±


    Gob was holding the side of the chest with both his arms. It contained every piece of junk Curan deemed worthy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it we will not drag this bullshit all the way to the camp.¡±


    Curan threw the torch he was holding in one hand and focused on the walk. They kept a comically uneven pace. Gob was too small to support the package properly. Meanwhile Curan dragged it by the only handle that stood the test of time.


    Wobbling up and down, the chest they plundered finally saw the first sunlight in years. It was filled with junk. Poaches of silver from unlucky travelers, cloth and scavenged gold they pillaged from the heap of orcish rubbish and a set of usable weapons amulets and accessories the orcs didn¡¯t destroy.


    With a sound of coins rattling inside the chest they put it down under the tree near the entrance. The coins that originally filled the chest were ancient. Curan left most of them back in the Bearmole room. Maybe after a proper appraisal he would come back for the rest?


    They weren¡¯t gold, and he didn''t feel like searching for an odd collector. The city was sealed. The profit would come from the weapons they took, and he knew for sure that many people would buy a decent sword.


    Whatever the orcs had was of high quality metals. With enough polishing he could gather what he needed to move away from the city of Erlen. It would just take some time, but he had a decent idea on how to keep the money flowing in. It was currently breathing tired from all the ''mulework'' while sitting under the tree.


    Gob looked at Curan pillaging the chest. He didn¡¯t have the time to replace the sword as they feared more Bearmole.. Eh¡­rats to come. He moved to also rummage through the junk. As they silently checked the weapons a cloaked figure approached them.


    Viper stood close to Curan, but he said nothing. He instead talked to Gob.


    ¡°This dagger looks nice.¡±


    As he passed the simple looking knife to the goblin, he finally settled on his own sword complete with the new sheath.


    Gob only saw Viper twice before so he used this rare opportunity to scout the man. He wasn¡¯t as tall as Curan and that was about all he could tell. Even in broad daylight Viper was masked so that even his eyes were invisible. Heavy dark cloak covered his whole body. Similarly to Curan he had his hands covered by gloves and sported a pair of boots that Gob would refer to as soldierlike.


    ¡°It would be easier if there was someone else inside.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Gob tried to provoke the figure to speak, but his words met a solemn silence so reminiscent of Peter. Curan said nothing.


    The humans were clearly waiting for his choice so he focused on his pick. He swung the dagger Curan gave him in a series of quick slashes that surely showed the surrounding air who should stay on top.


    Curan had an impressive talent to pick weapons. Gob focused on the highly ornamented daggers that were present in the chest, but it seemed that this simple looking knife was superior in both quality and swinging comfort. The slashes felt incredibly light while keeping the speed and sharpness of the dagger.


    He looked at Curan unsure if he would be punished for taking the dagger, but he only threw him his previous sword sheath. It wasn¡¯t meant to hold a dagger inside, but with a few adjustments Gob added it to his attire in a form of knife holding belt. It adorned his plain cloth pants. He would need to find something better later. Hopefully without cutting himself while searching.


    While he was fixing his makeshift belt Viper took a few clothes that Curan carefully hand picked earlier to take and hide it somewhere inside his robes. Gob didn¡¯t know why they were important. Maybe the materials were valuable.


    With the preparations over Viper closed the chest with a loud bang and proceed to slowly caress the chest exteriors with his black-gloved hands. Curan smiled at this sight, but then regained his composure as Viper looked back at him.


    Gob was puzzled, but Curan just waved his hand. They were meant just to watch.


    As Viper touched the chest it slowly began to glow. A pale bluish glow formed around its corners in a small specks of light. It was magic! As Gob watched the marked down chest began to dig itself down under the tree.


    The ground just moved away and the package they made got swallowed by the dirt leaving almost no trace of magic. A slightly deformed earth was left in its place. Gob sniffed the air, but there was no leftover ether. The magic was done solely by the caster''s mana supply and the incantation must have been perfect.


    Curan walked to Viper and placed his hand at man¡¯s shoulder to check if the magic went fine. As he assured himself that everything was in order he moved to Gob.


    Gob moved his gaze from the tired looking earth mage to Curan.


    "So what do you want to learn about first, eh? This trick or mine sword play?"


    Viper looked at Curan slightly tilting his head. It looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind.


    Curan looked back at Viper and then approached Gob with a more serious expression.


    ¡°I want you to stay with us Gob.¡±


    It was genuine, but all Curan saw was a puzzled goblin looking somewhere in the distance. He moved in front of him. Gob looked at him with a sudden bewildered face. As Curan took it for refusal, he continued to talk.


    ¡°It''s okay. I know we... Listen!"


    He placed his hands on Gob shoulders.


    "I won¡¯t sell you. You proved to be trustworthy and didn¡¯t backstab me once. I don¡¯t know this forest that well. Gob I need your knowledge. I can promise...¡±


    He shut up as Gob waved at him with a serious look. Curan instinctively jumped back thinking the goblin wants to cut him with the dagger, but it wasn''t the case. Gob''s expression was the one of pain. He looked like he wanted to run away as he kept looking at the forest behind him.


    Gob mind was going wild.


    How could he forget? It was in the middle of the battle, but he was sure that Evie assisted him somehow. She didn¡¯t appear anymore. Why? Why did she even appear?


    Fishcatcher...


    Bad feelings took over Gob as he felt something looming in the forest. He faced the puzzled Curan and spoke.


    ¡°We need to go now.¡±

 Chapter 28 | To kill ones past

    Bad premonition made Gob run the moment Curan pointed him in the right direction and after a while it was Curan that desperately tried to follow Gob. He chose his own path with no hesitation leaping over forest ravines, jumping over fallen trees and obstacles in his reckless rush.


    Curan needed to sprint to even keep up with the crazed greenskin. His backpack was hitting his back with every sudden jump. He didn¡¯t know what made Gob act like this, but he had a feeling that it wasn¡¯t just some random trap goblin made up on the spot. He knew for sure it wasn''t a half-assed escape attempt. He would let him go if he wanted to. There must have been a reason.


    Viper was left behind near the dungeon. They were traversing the forest alone, rushing so much that Curan constantly short on breath couldn¡¯t possibly utter any words.


    Gob felt panicked. The closer he got the stronger the feelings he left shut for those two weeks became. His senses were sharpened beyond his own understanding. His instincts were all shouting that it was wrong. He felt just like in the night when the knight made him walk for so long.


    His body was hurting despite him being in a decent shape. He remembered all this fear and his eyes became feral, his pupils slanted and sharpened. He trembled while running, but still kept the insane pace.


    It was then when Gob felt like something was behind him. The vision of this hateful human face made him shutter and miss his step. He would have fallen if Curan hadn¡¯t held him up.


    Gob needed a moment to recollect himself. His body was trembling. His right hand tightly gripped his new dagger. In this confusion he looked at Curan with blank pale face. He looked ill, like he could fall down at any moment. Curan shook him a little.


    ¡°Peter..¡­ Peter found you..¡±


    Curan finally caught his breath and spoke properly to the absent Gob.


    ¡°Feels magic... Peter feels it. What spell was cast on you? What are we going into?¡±


    Curan shook goblins little frame, but the moment he regained his consciousness he pushed his arms away.


    ¡°We need to¡­ hurry.¡±


    Curan didn¡¯t like this attitude. He tried to reach Gob once more.


    ¡°Just tell me what is there!¡±


    Gob responded with a terrifying gargling shout barely spoken in human tongue.


    ¡°Lethhh merhh gorhrgh!¡±


    With a slash targeted at Curan he jumped up and continued to run in the direction the of Fishcather¡¯s screams. He didn¡¯t even notice that he cut the human. Some of the blood dropped on the autumn leaves.


    Gob didn¡¯t care. The screams haunted his mind. He felt like cutting off his own ears. The howling, pulsating in his head with every step drove him mad. He could see the Fishcather so vividly in front of himself. She was crying in pain holding her severed hand. Dark shadow was looming behind her readying the strike.


    He wasn¡¯t powerless.


    He could run to her.


    He wasn¡¯t lying on the ground.


    He could move.


    He could act.


    He could save her.


    As Gob rushed in over to Evie''s glade he almost tripped again. In daylight he could see this perfect circle of trees and flowers where Hestia stopped during her escape. The grass was greener here. It was a beautiful place, filled with life, but he didn¡¯t care.


    As he frantically looked around his mind slowly caught on.


    Where was the body?


    He stood in the middle. Shocked.


    She was dead.


    Why did he came here?


    As something moved behind him he turned around alerted. His eyes instantly widened.


    From the grass Fishcatcher stood up. Her hand was missing. She held her own head in her small arms. As she stood up completely, she put it in its proper place. She was intensely looking at Gob with her dead eyes.


    Gob took a step back. She was dead. She was dead!


    Fishcatcher smiled at him revealing bloodied teeth. Gob took another step back. It was then that the vision surrounding the glade finally moved away. Grass was dead. Small grey bunches were dwindling in the wind. The dirt was greyish. There were a few dead animals rotting around Fishcatcher. Even surrounding trees looked ill. Scent of decay and blood hit Gob¡¯s nostrils.


    As he took another step back struck with fear, she jumped at him. Her long claw-like fingers. Her bloodied teeth. Her bloodied dress.


    Gob couldn¡¯t step back in time. He couldn¡¯t dodge. He would die here! She would kill him!Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "I didn''t save you..."


    Then suddenly an arm pulled him back from the circle. As he fell outside of the glade, he saw Fishcatcher¡¯s corpse hitting the barrier of light surrounding the area. It repealed the undead back inside the circle trapping it inside.


    A shadowy substance covered the corpse for a short while. After it dispersed Fishcatcher was left standing near the edge of the glade passively glaring at Gob. Curan moved his bloodied arm from Gob and stood up.


    ¡°It was fucking close.¡±


    As he stood Gob looked at him shaken.


    ¡°You are bleeding.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    Curan dismissed the wound completely.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t cut me.¡±


    It took Gob moment to realize that he was the one who cut him. He looked at his bloodied dagger he still had in his hand. He felt ashamed for a moment but quickly focused back at the Fishcatcher.


    She was still standing in place frozen still, waiting for her pray. Curan was the one to break the silence.


    "Undead can happen."


    Gob still struck with fear looked at him with distressed eyes. Curan didn''t expect to tutor this goblin, but this situation... What should he say?


    ¡°I do not care enough to ask, but if my word would be of any help, I would suggest to do whatever you need to do right now.¡±


    Gob instantly turned his gaze.


    "The undead that remain with flesh are the most dangerous."


    Gob didn''t seem to react, so he spoke a little harder.


    "Their hearths need to be pierced."


    Gob looked at him with anxiety so huge that Curan couldn''t help himself but approach the goblin. He truly felt sorry for this little greenskin. He resembled a wounded animal or rather a scared child. As he helped him got up he whispered. Words coming straight from his heart.


    ¡°The Past is usually better left of dead.¡±


    With this Curan stepped back.


    It took an enormous effort out of Gob to step forward towards the undead. Mix of guilt, shame, anger and anxiety was all too clear on his face. As he stood in front of her he trembled. The forest fell silent. The only thing Gob could hear was his own heavy breath. Fishcather seemed docile. As long as he wasn¡¯t close enough for her to reach him she stood still.


    Looking at her face Gob felt nothing. A lingering question plagued his mind. He studied her pale body. She looked like she was sleeping. Only her eyes revealed the truth. Those eyes blankly staring at him. Blindly following his movements.


    He raised his dagger high enough to stab her in the heart. The undead tried to close the distance between them, but the barrier that was holding her in the glade didn¡¯t let her budge an inch.


    He raised the dagger...


    ... and he stopped.


    With shaking hands he held it in front of himself, but couldn¡¯t make the final push.


    ¡°Why did you follow?¡±


    ¡°Why did you attack him?¡±


    Gob barely uttered those words. His throat hurt. His vision suddenly got blurry.


    ¡°Why.. Did you follow?¡±


    He looked her straight in the eyes, but there was no answer. Fishcatcher was dead. Whatever stood in front of him wasn¡¯t the female he knew.


    ¡°Why!!!¡±


    As he shouted, he dropped his head. He would have dropped the dagger already, but his left hand, previously crushed was painfully clenched into a fist.


    The undead grew restless at the sudden shout. She was banging both her arms at the barrier creating flashes of light and spots of darkness that engulfed her body in short bursts before turning into black smoke and dispersing into the air.


    Curan wasn¡¯t sure what to say. He didn¡¯t know what happened here. He never cared to ask Gob anything beside his tribe. Should he tell him something? Should he push him to kill this undead girl? Did goblins knew love? Did Gob knew? He was sure of one thing. A powerful entity was holding the undead inside the glade. It must have been precisely why Peter found Gob.


    Curan was about to approach the goblin once more when a sudden voice made them both look at the Fishcatcher.


    ¡°Gob?¡±


    As he raised his head, he couldn¡¯t keep the tears that were finally flowing down his eyes. The glade lit up. It returned to the colorful full of life atmosphere he encountered earlier. And Fishcatcher recovered alongside.


    He looked at her eyes brimming with life. Her hair was clean. Bloodstains on her dress were gone. She looked unreal. Almost happy. In this scene of serenity she was the one to reach him. Her hand previously cut was now touching his hands with warmth. It was unaffected by the barrier.


    ¡°Gob. I need you to do it.¡±


    She placed her hands on his and moved them slowly. Gob was distressed.


    ¡°no..¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I need this Gob.¡±


    Her voice was as warm as her hands. Gob shook his head in disagreement, but he didn¡¯t force the dagger back.


    ¡°Gob please. I need your help.¡±


    With tears still flowing Gob looked her in the eyes. She smiled.


    ¡°Please remember me like this Gob.¡±


    With a cry Gob plunged the dagger straight into her heart. He closed his eyes. The light of the barrier was gone.


    Curan observed this magic from the sidelines. He couldn¡¯t tell what was being said, but he was certain that it wasn¡¯t meant for anyone else than Gob.


    The moment the light disappeared the glade returned to its gloomy decayed look. What was left of the undead fell down at the goblin¡¯s feet.


    It was over.


    Gob forced himself to look at the corpse. His mind was exhausted. He then looked at the center of the glade.


    ¡°Evie!¡±


    Curan watched dumbfounded at a small light emerging from the trees. Did Gob just summoned the..


    ¡°Pixie..¡±


    As Curan whispered to himself Gob looked at Evie. She was back as her usual formless self. She said nothing, but Gob felt that she was ashamed of what she did. He didn¡¯t feel any hatred towards her. He realized that it wasn''t Fishcatcher''s who was talking to him from the start. In fact he was thankful that she was there to push him through.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He looked at her happily twirl in the air and then disappear in the grass. The nature was still damaged, but a few flowers bloomed the moment the fairy flew over them. It was a beautiful display of magic.


    Still Gob looked sadly at the corpse. As he began to dig dirt with his bare hands Curan threw him a short foldable spade he took from his backpack. Gob didn¡¯t even realized that he made him run all the way here with his equipment still intact.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Curan nodded in response. As he watched this goblin dug the grave he was forming a surprising thought in his head. He watched until it got dark. Then he stopped Gob deep inside the hole by placing a hand on goblin¡¯s shoulder.


    He looked up at Curan with tears flowing down his face once more assuring Curan of his belief.


    ¡°You can stop Gob, it''s deep enough.¡±


    As he helped him bury the female goblin, he was sure.


    This goblin was just as human as he was.

 Chapter 29 | To keep the future

    ¡°They are back Fritz!¡±


    Piper poked him gently. He overslept. No wonder. It was already dark.


    As Fritz woke up from his nap he quickly approached Curan that entered the encampment. He was alone and bleeding from the arm. Fritz could only wonder what happened as Curan pushed his welcoming hug away keeping him at bay.


    ¡°You could at least tell me how he attacked you..¡±


    Curan passed him and stood in front of Peter instead. Fritz was mumbling something in the background. Piper stood silent probably regretting goblins death. Curan knew this man inside out. He really was a kind soul.


    Peter glared at his chief a small smirk that Curan clearly noticed escaped his usually expressionless lips. Behind him Curan observed as Viper stealthily entered his tent. Very well.


    The moment the tent was shut he punched Peter in his gut. The man stumbled onto his knees, barely keeping his dinner in check. Curan violently raised his head to look straight into Peter¡¯s eyes. He was still smirking.


    ¡°I asked you if the goblin was intelligent, you nodded.¡±


    Nod.


    ¡°I Asked you if he maybe is some sort of magician¡¯s pet and you nodded.¡±


    Nod.


    ¡°So when I asked you if he is a powerful why did you say no?¡±


    Peter didn¡¯t nod this time he just raised his shoulders slightly. He didn¡¯t because Gob wasn¡¯t a strong caster. His mana was decent at best. Why would he tell Curan such a thing? He smirked even more.


    Curan released Peter¡¯s head from his hand and crouching next to him he asked him once more.


    ¡°Was it maybe that next to a pixie he looked a bit weak?¡±


    This question didn¡¯t require Peter¡¯s nod. He smiled instead revealing a few missing teeth. Through the holes one could see that his tongue was cut off.


    Curan smiled as well before punching this moron in the gut once more. This time Peter¡¯s lunch travelled to the ground he was kneeling on. Curan stood up. He could hear bewildered Fritz whispering ¡°fairy¡± over and over. Such creatures were so rare Curan could possibly buy a small village for just some fairy dust.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He stood from the mess of a man he left on the ground and focused on the cook.


    ¡°Do not dare give him anything to eat until tomorrow. He will guide you both to dig up another treasure. There are a few decent things so try keep up a decent pace. I do want to sell some junk before we will move our camp.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re moving already?¡±


    Fritz was too shocked to ask about the fairy. They barely lived here from Autumn! He had many questions, but Curan was on the way to his tent already. Seeing that Fritz was following him he turned around and pointed at Peter.


    ¡°Just ask this moron if you really want to know what was going on.¡±


    Fritz was left standing, looking at still smirking Peter getting up from the ground.


    ¡°Wait, a second!¡±


    Piper was the one that finally put two and two together and asked.


    ¡°Is the goblin alive?¡±


    Curan looked back at this team of stragglers. Murderer cooked his meals. Chronic loudmouth was his second in command and whatever Peter was, was his best magic alert. He thought about himself and smiled. The goblin would fit just fine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who will be keeping watch upon his return just don¡¯t fucking jump him. He said he will at least take that knife back.¡±


    Curan left inside his tent leaving relieved Piper, smirking Peter still holding his stomach and suddenly upset Fritz looking at the dagger that was still stuck in the tree. Curan didn''t looked like Gob was going to only take his little possession.


    ¡°It is my watch isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He looked at closed curtains of the tent. It was Curan''s idea to make the goblin talk no matter what! Had he known he would need to sleep next to this creature he wouldn''t have pissed him earlier! Well. He wouldn''t piss him so much. It was fine to sleep next to someone like Piper who just made a few crucial mistakes involving some blunt objects and cracked skulls, but a goblin!


    It was like being forced to sleep next to a serial killer and rapist in one! Distressed he still shouted at the closed tent.


    "If he kills me on the spot, it''s on You chief!"


    Oblivious silence made him shiver. He focused on the Peter that tried to silently remove himself from the scene. Piper blocked his way with his giant frame.


    "Where do you think you are going? I want to know about this Fairy business."


    "And I hereby nominate you to night watch!"


    "Yes. We will great new team member together!"


    Peter only now trapped between those two regretted his actions. He looked around with his magic infused eyes. The forest was bright as a day for him, but there was no sign of any approaching mana users. The only two he could see was Curan''s and Viper''s. He felt them through the tent visualised as two swirling balls of light. Curan''s was small and deep crimson. Viper''s was bigger and slightly bluish in tint.


    There was no goblin in sight. His smirk was gone as Fritz and Piper thrown a myriad of yes or no questions at him making him finally feel remorse.


    It was going to be a long night.

 Chapter 30 | The Fairy Tale Begins!

    Summer singing in the mountains,


    Winter laying on the ground.


    Follow fishes in the rivers,


    Follow eagles reaching skies.


    We are longing for adventure!


    We don¡¯t care for other schemes!


    Let¡¯s forever live and venture!


    For the everlasting Guilds!


    <hr>


    Navigating through the forest was easy despite the darkness. After a goblin enters the marked path, he never loses his way. Goblins weren¡¯t the best at traveling over long distances, but they surely knew how to make their territory known for others. Was it a totem adorned with a skull, or a simple marking left by the goblin scouts like Shadowstep, after Gob stumbled on the tracks he would never miss the way to the tribe¡­


    Which was why he was taking the detour. The decimated tribe didn¡¯t hold any value anymore. Maybe if he were to return the very night, the human knight came he might still find his dagger stash untouched, and apart from that nothing else.


    It was many days since his disappearance. The tribe, whatever shape it was in surely moved on or got annihilated by the surrounding threats. There were many other goblins living higher in the mountains. There was a troll in the upper mines. There were wolves and a few kobolds that once peeked their nose into their camp. They were interested in the mines¡­


    And then there were humans. The ones in shining armour. The ones with magic. The ones that usually killed other less shiny humans.


    What would they do if there was no shaman to give them their vials? Even Gob didn¡¯t know what was being given away. At first he thought that it was the poison goblins tend to make from rotten animals and poisonous mushrooms, but it would be silly.


    Gob learned to politely talk and run away the moment he could from every encounter with those people. Why would those killers that always won against other humans and stupid hobs need some meager goblin poison?


    Gob¡¯s ear twitched as something rustled in the treetops. He scratched his ear. A small part of his left earlobe was missing after the Molerat encounter. It didn¡¯t bleed so he couldn¡¯t care less. As he continued to walk the rustling happened once more. And again. And again¡­


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you looking!¡±


    ¡°Because I know it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Stinky liar! No one can track a fairy!¡±


    ¡°When she makes it so she can be seen then yes, yes I can.¡±


    Evie approached Gob as a restless ball of light and began to circle around his head. Then she suddenly sat down. On his head. An uncomfortable feeling of something warm, but not quite there plagued Gob¡¯s senses in an instant. He tried to shake her off, but he only felt warmth on his hand. He surrendered and asked.


    ¡°Fine. So why do you follow me?¡±


    ¡°Glad you asked. Won¡¯t tell.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Just won¡¯t!¡±


    Sassy answer made Gob try again and put her down from his head, but the fairy seemed unshakable. So he did the unthinkable. He stopped talking. It didn¡¯t take Evie a minute to get bored.


    ¡°Goooob!!!¡±


    She groaned.


    ¡°What?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    His answer was oozing with arrogant pleasure. It was so bad it actually made Evie shut up for a while. Short one. When she spoke her tone was different.


    ¡°I can be whatever I want right?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking me? You are a fairy, not me.¡±


    ¡°Well. You weren¡¯t surprised when you saw me the first time, so I thought you knew other fairies.¡±


    ¡°I was just seeing things, and you never shut up. Also you were in a book.¡±


    ¡°Abook?¡±


    ¡°You will see in a moment.¡±


    Evie was lost in her own fairy mind trying to figure out what ¡°abook¡± was, so Gob suddenly curious asked her about the shape shifting business. The warmth on his head changed its intensity suggesting that the mood of the fairy was changing. As she was hesitant to answer he insisted once more.


    ¡°I want to be her...¡±


    This answer made him stop. He really wasn¡¯t over this deal. In fact, his eyes were only dry because he forcefully emptied all the tears he had. The Goblins only truly cried before their own death if the suffering was too great. What happened to him before was an event he could hardly explain. No way she would be like her.


    ¡°No.¡±


    His answer was cold. It was getting dark and so he angrily kept walking. Evie left his head and flew along his shoulder.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even...¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Another denial made Evie fly a little further ahead of him and mutter in her squeaky exaggerated voice.


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°He says no no no...¡±


    They were drawing near the cave when Evie¡¯s form changed into that of a miniature Gob. It was weird to look at himself, but as he had no way of dispersing the illusion, he observed himself in a miniature form walking in the air.


    Evie¡¯s form seemed to perfectly resemble him. From his current worn out pants to even his marked earlobe all the details checked out. It was so good that it made him straighten his back and walk in a manner similar to how Curan walked.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be her? She was so lovely!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why won¡¯t you stay in your home? It was so nice!¡±


    ¡°You trashed it all and even buried her there!¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t good to bury her why didn¡¯t you stop us?!¡±


    Evie felt silent for a while making it obvious that she didn¡¯t think that it was improper to bury the Fishcatcher there. Gob asked.


    ¡°You were in the dungeon with me right?¡±


    ¡°I was it was so scary! These stones were speaking of terrible rain!¡±


    The Altar seemed spooky, but Gob didn¡¯t feel like investigating something Curan disregarded as simple decoration. He concentrated at his little self.


    ¡°Evie. Why did you came with me to that place?¡±


    ¡°It''s simple Gob! I didn¡¯t want you to die, so I helped you!¡±


    Gob was at a loss of words. Did Evie¡¯s voice always resemble Fishcatcher¡¯s so much? Did she change it mid conversation? He muttered ¡°Oh thanks.¡± in response. It was then as they arrived at the cave.


    Gob entered it without hesitation. It was the first time when he didn¡¯t feel at edge upon entering. He almost wished his dumb luck would sit in her makeshift bed. Of course Hestia wasn¡¯t there.


    The place wasn¡¯t trashed. It seemed that the knight didn¡¯t feel like destroying things he considered to be the girl¡¯s property. Wait. How did the knight enter with no light? Gob conjured a flame in his hand and chuckled. It was so easy to light up this place.


    He rummaged the stuff Hestia moved in her own way until he finally found what he came here for. The book was on top of Hestia¡¯s bed, hidden under the blankets. Before sitting down Gob made a small fire. He saw decently in the dark, but reading still required some light.


    He flipped a few pages. Colorful illustrations reignited the passion he had since he first saw them sitting in his Father¡¯s hut. He couldn¡¯t read actual words, but the letters weren¡¯t important. What was important were the knights and dragons! Important looking human females and important looking human males with long beards and small golden helmets on their heads!


    He slowly reached the page where the fairy, a small ball of light with wings appeared for the first time.


    ¡°Evie?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Gob couldn¡¯t see the fairy anywhere. Was she hiding?


    ¡°There is a fairy in the book. Come and look.¡±


    He heard a rock tumble, so he turned his head in the right direction.


    Evie was slowly walking towards the light. Her head was looking down ashamed. Her little see through wings were shaking with each step. Her pure white dress. Her miniature frame.


    As she stood before him he looked back at the book. He then asked.


    ¡°Why do you want to be her?¡±


    He expected many answers, but not the one she gave.


    ¡°Won¡¯t tell...¡±


    He looked at her, bashfully shaking her head. Her voice wasn¡¯t quite like the female he knew. Her looks weren¡¯t quite the same. She resembled the vision she created just before he stabbed the undead in the heart more than anything else. She had a certain fairy look she couldn¡¯t hide.


    Hearing her answer Gob looked at her once more.


    ¡°Just come and look. This fairy here is about to help this human.¡±


    Evie brightened up and flew straight to Gobs head, laying on his forehead. As he kept telling her about special swords and giant monsters she smiled. He almost looked at her in a way he did before killing the undead. She couldn¡¯t tell why, but it made her truly happy inside.

 Chapter 31 |The Cutthroat Tournament

    When Gob entered the encampment, the only person awake was Peter. He waved at Gob, morning sun creeping behind his smiling face. Gob raised his hand unsure what to do. He didn¡¯t pay enough attention to human greetings. Goblins would just say ¡°Keruek¡± and call it a day.


    Peter was sitting down on a wooden log. His crossbow, loaded as always, was laying beside him. Not too far from him the giant chubby man known as Piper was sleeping silently. Next to him Fritz was leaning on his shoulder. How could he sleep in such an uncomfortable position? Gob couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°Oh¡­ are we back?¡±


    Evie flew off his head and then with a silent squeak hid behind Gob¡¯s back. She spoke before he could ask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like him!¡±


    Gob looked at the man she probably referred to. Peter was still smiling as he pointed the knife encased in the tree. Swordbreaker. Gob walked towards it. He liked this dagger. Could he remove it from the wood?


    As he grabbed it with his hand and started to pull it out he had already known that the dagger was doomed. Still, he tried to slowly tug it out, but the iron which was made to receive the incoming attacks not stab things didn¡¯t keep up.


    With a small ding the dagger broke in the part where the blade was already weakened. Gob furiously threw the now useless hilt on the ground. As he heard some rustling he looked back to face panicked Fritz who seemed to pale the moment their eyes crossed.


    Gob raised his hand to greet him, but the human suddenly stood up and tried to pull out his sword. Gob watched him fail as the terrible sleeping condition said hello to Fritz¡¯s back. He made quite the commotion while swearing random curses. It woke up Piper.


    As the giant looked around and saw Gob he smiled with genuine joy and approached the goblin so fast that he almost pulled out his new dagger. Piper didn¡¯t seem to mind this sign of distress as he rushed to handshake Gob and as he didn¡¯t raise his hand, he just bear hugged the goblin lifting him from the ground in an instant.


    ¡°Welcome to the team little green!¡±


    Gob was so caught off guard that he didn¡¯t even protest. Later he just couldn¡¯t as Piper squeezed out all the air out of him in a single swoop. Evie seemed amused.


    ¡°Ohh. It¡¯s like in the Abook!¡±


    Gob wasn¡¯t sure what part of the book did the fairy referred to. She surely didn¡¯t help his current situation. Peter was the one to stop Piper¡¯s madness. He put his hand on the giant¡¯s arm making him lower Gob with ¡°Sorry¡± and ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything wrong¡± sprinkled here and there.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ all... right?¡±


    Gob really didn¡¯t know If he wanted to understand this human custom. He breathed  trying to regain his composure. Meanwhile Fritz couldn¡¯t tell if he should hide his sword or draw it ready. Peter barely explained anything. Talking with the mute was incredibly frustrating.


    Fritz looked at Gob. Gob focused at the human. He seemed ready to attack at any moment, so Gob figuring out that Curan had told the team everything he said to him readied his dagger.


    ¡°Who do I fight first?¡±


    Sudden silence made him realize that Curan had either lied or set him up. Maybe both. Piper looked at Fritz. Fritz looked at Peter. Peter sat down on his log smiling. He was pointing at Fritz.


    ¡°No no no! I beat you the last time. Also why do we even do this?¡±


    Piper crossed his hands.


    ¡°He is going to be in the team.¡±


    ¡°So what? He doesn¡¯t need a rank!¡±


    The moment the words left Fritz¡¯s mouth he regretted saying anything. Gob smiled at him.


    ¡°So this is what this is about!¡±


    He suddenly felt delighted. He would fight to prove his strength! It made his blood boil. Excitement made him tightly grab the knife, but Piper clucked his lips and carefully pulled Gob¡¯s dagger away.


    ¡°We do this differently.¡±


    As he explained Peter started to draw a circle on the ground. It was quite big. Gob realized that it was setting up a space to fight in.


    ¡°Seriously why do we do this! He¡¯s a goblin for crying out!¡±


    Piper helped Peter finish the circle and once again said:


    ¡°He is a part of a team now.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to fight first! You are the last in ranks. Go and fight first!¡±


    Piper shook his shoulders.


    ¡°Of course I will!¡±


    As he turned to Gob he said.


    ¡°I forfeit.¡±


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡±


    Fritz rushed towards his giant friend still vary of Gob he looked at goblin with caution before he scolded Piper.


    ¡°You have to fight! I''m the second after Curan and I do say so!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    Fritz was a proud cheater and more than anything he was a proud coward. He wouldn¡¯t face Gob if he didn¡¯t need to.


    ¡°I like how they quarrel it''s so lively!¡±


    Evie was flying around them her dress swirling in the air. They obviously couldn¡¯t see her. Peter was just sitting there clearly amused by the scene. Gob approached him and asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s the rank order?¡±


    Peter pointed Piper than himself then at Fritz. Lastly he pointed at Curan¡¯s tent.


    It was weird. Gob couldn¡¯t tell how Fritz could beat Peter. Despite his short posture he felt stronger than anyone else there. How Piper lost to Fritz seemed obvious. They probably never really fought. All right.


    Gob looked at the two and asked the obvious question.


    ¡°What are the rules?¡±

 Chapter 32| Miko

    It seemed simple. Make your opponent leave the ring using no weapons. Just force him out no matter how, as long as you don¡¯t kill or permanently hurt him. It was so simple. Expect Piper was the size of an orc. Well, fine he wasn¡¯t as big. He was slightly smaller. Very slightly.


    ¡°You are sure little green?¡±


    ¡°Kick him in the groin!¡±


    Fritz seemed overjoyed that he will fight last if at all. Piper looked worried. The ring was big enough for Gob to dodge him forever, but it wasn¡¯t the point of the fight. Goblin will surely lose.


    ¡°Yes, I am certain I can make you leave the circle.¡±


    Surprisingly Gob didn¡¯t seem to lie. Standing at the front of the giant he radiated confidence. Or maybe it was excitement? Piper couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°Should I give you a headstart or.¡±


    ¡°No, just take off your clothes.¡±


    Gob wanted Piper to remove his heavy fur coat for a reason. Although it took the humans a moment to realize that he only wanted Piper to remove the upper part of his clothing.


    ¡°Greenskins fight without covering their bodies with fear¡­¡±


    And always to the death. Gob didn¡¯t add this part of the saying mostly because he considered Piper to be a coward. His pacifistic nature was too high of a concept for a goblin to understand. Didn¡¯t humans kill each other all the time?


    He could see why they would fight without killing the other. Even back in his tribe he always considered the fighting somewhat pointless as no matter the result there was one hobgoblin less to command their horde. He just couldn¡¯t understand that someone strong wouldn¡¯t want to fight someone weaker. Spinecrack didn¡¯t forfeit, but maybe he was just too stupid to do so.


    Piper removed his garments. Standing in just his boots and pants he really resembled a hobgoblin. A giant one at that. Maybe if he was painted green Gob would mistake him for one. He was bald already which added to the overall feel of familiarity. Gob however couldn¡¯t fight him the way he fought back then with the hob.


    Mainly because Piper wasn¡¯t a hob. Because he wasn¡¯t stupid. Yet he also wasn¡¯t a fighter Gob feared.


    Piper stood near the end of the ring. Could Gob really push him off? He looked at the goblin.


    He stood in the center of the arena. Good move. It was the best place to stay as it was furthest from the out of bounds, but Piper obviously wouldn¡¯t move from his spot no matter what Gob would do.


    ¡°All right both set? Ready! Go!¡±


    The moment Fritz started the fight piper focused on Gob. What tactic would he use? Why was he so confident in moving an opponent many times bigger than him? As Piper¡¯s curiosity reached his peak Gob destroyed it with a single blow.


    ¡°What is it fatso? Are you going to sit there all day?¡±


    No he wouldn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°The arena is big enough even for you. Why don¡¯t you join me in the middle?¡±


    No way¡­ Gob was speaking like Fritz.


    ¡°Fatso...¡±


    Piper suddenly felt like killing this little flea. He wanted to punch him he wanted to punch something.. No calm down it¡¯s just like Curan said. Fritz taunted him to make him control himself. It was all right he won¡¯t attack anyone he won¡¯t punch anyone he won¡¯t¡­Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Your cooking is as bad as your stomach.¡±


    ¡°What!!!¡±


    This last one was way too poor of an insult, but Gob did what he needed. When Piper was distressed in the kitchen or annoyed at Fritz, he would lose his temper and wouldn¡¯t focus on anything outside of his own remarks. It was all he needed to close off the distance and put his hand on Piper¡¯s giant stomach.


    ¡°My COOKING... AHH!!!¡±


    Gob didn¡¯t use the flame to hurt Piper. He focused on all three symbols to create a warm flash of light. Maybe it was his own imagination that made him also conjure some smoke in the process or maybe it was because he had his hand attached to Piper¡¯s body.


    With a sizzle and a scream piper took a large step back. Although he wasn¡¯t burned his mind didn¡¯t care. There was flame and smoke. There was light and warmth. As he stumbled from this sudden explosion of harmless fire Gob pushed him with all his might. He tackled his tummy and with that the giant cook fell down outside the arena.


    Gob checked his hand while moving his fingers. He didn¡¯t burn himself this time. He really got a hold of this magic. Visualising the symbols in his head to produce an effect. It was so easy. Should he ask this Viper man to teach him more symbols? He already beat Piper so he might be important enough to do whatever in this tribe!


    Sudden rumbling made him stop his overreacting to victory and look back. Piper was on his back. His face was red. Gob thought that he was ashamed that he lost at first, but as Piper kept smashing his arms at the ground, he changed his mind. It was wrong. Something was so very wrong.


    With each strike the ground shook. It was incredibly powerful. Strong enough to make not only Gob scared but also make the entire camp tremble. The crates were shaking. Some items have fallen already. Gob was shocked at this display of power and childish rage. He just stood there looking until Fritz pushed him away and shouted at the rampaging Piper.


    ¡°He said your cooking was bad!!!¡±


    As he shouted the cooks hands stopped mid punch allowing Fritz to shout more.


    ¡°He is hiding behind this rock he needs to be stopped!!! Piper!!!¡±


    With this the hulking mass rolled and started running at Fritz. He instantly run towards the giant rock at the camp outskirts. Gob was dumbfounded. He didn¡¯t get up from the ground where he landed after the push. Piper was fast. He was like a running Kodo Beast, rampaging through the woods. As he ran the ground trembled.


    Gob looked at Fritz who stopped near the rock and continued to shout something about bad cooking and being fat. What was going on? Gob looked as piper ran at the rock with a roar. Is he going to punch the rock? It wasn¡¯t just some rock it was a giant boulder. He would crush his arms!


    ¡°Smash! Crack!¡±


    Sudden rock debris flew all over the place. Peter gracefully dodged them and helped speechless Gob off the ground. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Piper was smashing the rock with his fists. With his fists!


    Peter needed to drag the goblin towards the Curan¡¯s tent before he even took his eyes off the giant. One slap later and he finally paid attention to Curan who was standing outside of his tent. He was shirtless. Many small scars were adorning his well trained body. His short beard was gone. He probably just shaved it.


    ¡°Focus you moron! I will only tell it once. The man that you pissed is a Miko and he will kill you if you aren¡¯t paying attention to his actions. Do you know what Miko is?¡±


    Gob shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a magical person with an inborn ability. In his case it is inhuman strength.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t magic. It can¡¯t be controlled or stopped. If you make a mistake, he will kill you in rage despite our best efforts.¡±


    Curan paused to let Gob nod. He seemed to understand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention any bad words near Piper. Don¡¯t be violent near Piper and if you made a mistake run towards Fritz. He is your last hope unless you can kill Piper before he kills you, but take notice that his whole body is as durable as his hands.¡±


    Gob looked back at the giant. Fritz was guiding him to destroy any remaining debris he could find. Piper was slowly picking them up and crushing in his overpowering hands. Gob couldn¡¯t hear what Fritz was saying, but Piper was already back to his peaceful normal self.


    ¡°Can I talk with him now?¡±


    ¡°You should refrain from doing so for today. Let him sleep this over. He usually is back to normal after a good night''s sleep.¡±


    As Gob looked at the sun shining high in the sky, he felt doubt. What he just did? He should act with the humans like he did with Hestia. Every step should be cautious. He understood nothing around him, so how could he so rashly discard Piper as a coward. Wasn¡¯t Curan powerful? Were all the humans that powerful?


    Curan looked at his remorse.


    ¡°You know that it is partially my fault. When I said that you have to fight to join us properly I never specified that you should watch out for something like this. Well I didn¡¯t think you would actually fight him. Why did you force Piper to fight? Was it because of me?¡±


    ¡°Would you not fight him if you were me?¡±


    This question surprised Curan. He would fight wouldn¡¯t he?


    As the human lost his words Gob looked at Fritz guiding piper to his tent. He acted quickly and kept this monster of a man under control. Maybe he really deserved to be the second in command. As they both disappeared in the tent Curan finally spoke.


    ¡°Peter you will fight next as promised. Gob. You should probably know that you won¡¯t win against Peter. In fact only there is no chance in the world the current you can win, so I will bend the rules a little to see how you do.¡±


    ¡°You can use your dagger, but don¡¯t use that flame of yours. I will explain why later.¡±


    ¡°Peter you can go all out. If he can wound you you lose. Also keep it short. There is a chest to dig and Piper won¡¯t wake up soon enough to help you drag it back to the camp.¡±


    Gob looked at Peter. He smirked as always and grabbed a strange cylindrical box from his pocket. It was empty until he removed something from his eyes. Gob looked away. It looked gross.


    When he turned back Peter eyes were brimming with colors. They looked like the ever-changing rainbow. Gob took a step back. Peter smirked even more.


    He wasn¡¯t a normal human for sure.

 Chapter 33 | All seeing monk

    Peter stood at the center of the arena. His shining eyes were piercing Gob with confidence. Gob had his dagger, but it didn¡¯t seem like it will make a difference. Peter might also be a Miko. Even if he isn¡¯t he still felt superior to Gob. Those eyes weren¡¯t for show. They felt magic.


    Gob took a low stance. He might be able to slash Peter. Curan would stop him if he were to go too far. He stood nearby with a coat on his shoulders. He was drinking something from his flask. It was surely a test for Gob. How else would he be allowed to go all out?


    He focused on Peter who stood with his empty hands set in a weird stance Gob never seen before. No fists. His palms were left open waiting for Gob¡¯s attack. Evie despite her fear of Peter floated right in front of his eyes clearly curious. Peter blowed at her when she was close to his face making her run away.


    He could see her! Did Curan said that he can¡¯t use magic against him? Was it a trick?


    As he conjured a flame in his left hand Peter eyes flashed with colors and suddenly all Gob could feel was the pain of Ether being replaced with his own mana. He fell to his knees breathing heavily. Curan approached him.


    ¡°When I said don¡¯t use magic, I didn¡¯t mean that you cannot. I said it to make this encounter less painful for you. You can surely see why.¡±


    ¡°He can see it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always amazed by your critical thinking. You never seem to question new things you encounter. That adaptability is your biggest strength. However this isn¡¯t a fight you can win. Show me how you struggle. If you can make Peter bleed you win.¡±


    ¡°He''s a Miko! How can I pierce his skin?!¡±


    ¡°You seem to misunderstand something. Miko¡¯s powers are different for every Miko. Besides Peter never told me if he actually is one. As far as I¡¯m concerned he is a normal man with abnormal vision. Nothing else.¡±


    Gob stood up with Curan¡¯s help. So Peter could see and react to magic. This short skinny man, clearly older than Curan is said to be normal? If he can only react to one¡¯s spells then why was Curan so sure that Gob wouldn¡¯t even graze him with his blade? And so Gob attacked.


    Running low with his dagger tightly gripped in his right arm he approached Peter head on. Peter adapted to his low stance. He seemed to wait for Gob¡¯s attack. He wouldn¡¯t give him a chance to counter.


    Gob quickly tried to fake a few stabs before dashing around for a hit, but he instantly realized that he couldn¡¯t just stab Peter. He followed his movement perfectly not too close to get hit, close enough to counter with his palms.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Curan looked at the spectacle amused. Gob was barely faster than Peter, but it didn¡¯t matter as long as Peter was at the defensive. In this flurry of dashes and fakes Curan could see goblin¡¯s frustration. He must have realized that Peter¡¯s weird stance isn¡¯t just for show. Those palms could kill.


    He observed as the frustration took over the goblin. He slashed with a wide swing. Not a bad move. Peter couldn¡¯t just go for a hit while dodging. The move only had a single flaw.


    Gob suddenly felt that he is leaving the ground. He realized that Peter kicked him when he hit the ground a few meters back and bounced. There was no chance to hit him. He dodged every single move Gob made. So Gob changed his tactic.


    He rolled a few times making the dust cover his movement a little. It didn¡¯t matter what Peter could see. What was important was what he couldn¡¯t see. As Gob threw his dagger, he felt that he made a mistake.


    Peter looked furious at him. The dagger that flew perfectly at his chest was stuck behind his clapped palms. He had caught it with his bare hands. Gob didn¡¯t move. Hadn¡¯t Curan moved to reflect the dagger back with his sword Peter would have killed him. Curan looked back at the goblin and smiled.


    ¡°Gob look where you are.¡±


    As he looked around he realized why Peter was furious. He fell out of the ring. The fight should be over before he threw the knife. Had Peter not been on his guard despite his victory he could actually get killed. Only now had Gob realized that Peter¡¯s hands were slightly bleeding.


    He actually cut himself when he caught the dagger. He was currently swiping the blood and bandaging his hands with some cloth he took from one of the crates. Curan touched Gob with the tip of his sword and helped him up.


    ¡°That would be it I guess. After you will come back with the chest, I will make Peter train you with no weapons. Just make sure not to harm him. He hates the sight of blood. Oh Fritz!¡±


    Fritz who was trying to quietly pass them after leaving Piper¡¯s tent. When it failed, he looked at Curan with resignation.


    ¡°No weapons. No magic.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    As he stepped inside the circle Gob stood up. He was confused. Wasn¡¯t his chance to fight with Fritz gone?


    ¡°No gouging eyes. No hits below the waist.¡±


    Fritz took a stance with his fists guarding his face. Curan asked him with a smile:


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you out of character today?¡±


    Fritz just shook his shoulders.


    ¡°I had seen he was scared shitless when Piper went on a rampage. Unless I¡¯m permanently injured I don¡¯t care to fight him.¡±


    He looked at Gob, who looked back excited.


    Besides, if he breaks my arms he would need to carry this chest you spoke of with Peter alone...¡±


    No weapons. Gob had never fought without a dagger. He was confident that his punches could hurt the human, but he only his right arm was properly usable and Fritz wasn¡¯t exactly small. He much more resembled Curan than anyone else. Could he win against him?


    ¡°His eyes are boring! Gob do something else!¡±


    Evie was flying around Peter. He blew air at her from time to time when she got too close to him, but it didn¡¯t make her ran too far anymore. She seemed to be way too curious of him to quit bothering him.


    Gob looked at Fritz and readied his fists. His stomach was still hurting after the kick, but it wasn''t something that would stop him from fighting. He walked into the ring to face this dagger-breaking fool.

 Chapter 34 | Fritz the Orator

    ¡°Begin.¡±


    Gob closed the distance immediately. Fritz trembled, but he stood his ground. When Gob punched him he took it and despite taking a step back, he swung his own arm. It turned dirty quicker than Gob expected.


    Fritz¡¯s moves were nothing like Peter¡¯s calculated stance nor like Curan¡¯s trained strikes. He didn¡¯t swing wide. The moment Gob was near he just punched the goblin over and over not letting him get any distance.


    It was clear that he didn¡¯t have any real game plan. He was just bigger, and he used that. After the initial punch-out Gob tackled Fritz by jumping on him. He managed to get on his back in this chaos of a fight, but it didn¡¯t take long and his world was upside down as they both crumbled together on the ground.


    ¡°Harh Harh Harh!!¡±


    Peter could only laugh looking at this squabble. His gargling laugh, courtesy of his missing tongue filled the forest. Curan couldn¡¯t bear to watch. With his palm on his forehead he stopped the fight.


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    He turned to Fritz. Gob was about to bite his arm as he had him in a deadlock.


    ¡°For fuck''s sake Fritz! How useless are you? What is this childish display? You claimed to be a bodyguard before!¡±


    ¡°Because I was. For a short period... I know how to shoot you BEST at everything clown!¡±


    ¡°You shoot! I have seen you with a bow once and I am sure it was as pathetic of a display as this body stretching you did now!¡±


    ¡°Well sorry to disappoint the main hero! I did not want to live in this¡­ place...¡±


    Fritz looked away. He looked like he remembered something bad. He spoke some foreign words and silently got up, then wiped the dust from his clothes. Curan clicked his tongue. It would be way easier if Fritz would just spill the whole backstory here and now.


    Curan knew about Piper. They escaped together after all. Viper was easy to understand. No. Take this back. Viper was a mystery to Curan. A mystery he didn¡¯t want to unveil yet. Peter despite his lack of cooperation never broke his word. He was a crazed reliable hermit they just happened to rescue alongside. And Fritz...


    Fritz the gambler. Fritz the cheater. He knew of his power. He saw it himself in the darkest place he had ever been to. This singular act of kindness made Fritz an irreplaceable part of the group. All Fritz wanted was a place to stay. He wanted to have a safe position of the second in command and Curan happily gave it away.


    Fritz understood Piper more than others. He had a knack to forcing people to desired outcomes. He was a terrible gambler, yet a great conman. The way he acted was so natural that many items Curan sold solely because of him.


    He understood value, was it about an old dagger or actual monster. Curan believed for quite some time that he was a red handed adventurer, as he possessed the Addendum he often read, but it made little sense.


    This knowledge wasn¡¯t for just any adventurers. Curan back in his glory days might afford to buy one and it¡¯s not like he was the best at reading. Few people could read. Spelling one¡¯s name on a woodwork was a luxury of snobs. To read endless passages of this book, nobles might be able to do so.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I declare my win. Let¡¯s go to this damned chest. Peter, gobl¡­ Gob. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Curan watched him get up.


    Fritz was a decent swordsman at best, but so could the local blacksmith. He was nothing special. This one cursed power of his and a word that he wasn¡¯t a Miko. It was all Curan had. He could ask, but it felt unfair. Noone asked about the past.


    ¡°I want to fight again. With swords.¡±


    ¡°Stick to Peter.¡±


    ¡°Was he strong?¡±


    Evie came to randomly ask Gob. She forgot about Peter for a while. Gob pondered on her question and not having an answer just asked Fritz head on.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cheat if that¡¯s what you are wanna know.¡±


    ¡°Then how? I don¡¯t think Curan could beat him.¡±


    Curan didn¡¯t respond. He liked how it turned out. Will Fritz open up to this goblin he was so scared of until he was sure that he won¡¯t kill him? Or will he make the goblin talk?


    ¡°I won through disqualification.¡±


    Fritz finished improving his messed up hair and nodded at Peter who was already getting ready to leave. They built quite the connection over the months.


    ¡°Peter broke the rules. I won. And before you ask from strongest to weakest it would be Piper, Curan, Peter, me and you. And wherever Curan thinks this Viper guy should be.¡±


    ¡°I think somewhere between me and Peter.¡±


    ¡°There you go then.¡±


    ¡°But how did he broke the rules?¡±


    ¡°Do you really need to know everything mister mage heh? So you lob little fire left and right now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a mage.¡±


    ¡°If you use magic, you are a mage. If you can cast spells you are a spellcaster and so on...¡±


    ¡°I never casted a spell, so I¡¯m not..¡±


    ¡°Well someone did cast it to show you!¡±


    ¡°Hestia had never casted...¡±


    Curan and Peter both shut up. Well mostly Curan. Gob stopped talking in an instant. Fritz had a talent to make people talk the way he wanted them to. It was sometimes a blessing. Right now it could be a curse. How can a goblin who claimed to live his whole life in the forest out of nowhere be taught magic by the Saintess of the North? The important piece of information fell into place.


    ¡°Great you know a girl! I¡¯m not even gonna ask anymore. Goblin with a girl!¡±


    Fritz continued to speak. His acting was amazing. Even if he didn¡¯t instantly recognize the name, he stopped the conversation before Gob could look at Curan¡¯s and Peter¡¯s surprised faces. As they kept their cool Fritz advanced the party in order to leave the camp. Peter went to prepare his crossbow. Gob collected his dagger.


    As the group was preparing to leave the encampment Curan pretended to check on Piper. The giant he knew from his prison days was sleeping soundly in his own tent. Well of course he did. Curan was lost in thought his mind racing. Fritz did a great job there. Curan would never approach the Miko in his rage. He walked further and looked back once more. He watched as Gob showed Peter the way.


    It wasn¡¯t really needed. Peter could see Viper¡¯s signature from miles away. He was truly remarkable as a magic detector. Curan followed the three figures until they completely disappeared into the forest.


    He is from a forest tribe, which is likely gone now. He knows language from human soldiers. Presumably the Empire was making its move through the forest. The fire he could use was a childsplay that Viper dismissed and Peter could easily stop. He didn¡¯t seem to lie about being some wizard¡¯s pet. The cleanly cut corpse of the undead. The fairy glade. This Evie Gob spoke of¡­ She was still around him despite all this, Curan saw Peter¡¯s secret signs, and the Innocence went for something in the past week. Now the city was sealed... Gob was young and curious. It checked out.


    Curan entered his tent. Viper was standing at the giant mirror. She was adjusting her long fiery red hair, so they couldn¡¯t be seen outside of her disguise. Even in this formless black attire she looked beautiful.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little quick to be back? I¡¯m not taking this stuff off just to put it back on in five minutes.¡±


    The magical lantern that lit the tent turned blue as the spell of silence absorbed Viper¡¯s words. No one outside the tent could hear them, but Curan still came closer to hug her and whisper into her ear. She spotted his serious expression in the mirror. Her eyes widened as she heard the news.


    ¡°There is a chance that she is in the city.¡±


    Viper stopped gazing in the mirror and looked Curan in the eyes. He spoke further.


    ¡°Call Emerald.¡±

 Chapter 35 | Wise guide of the forest

    ¡°They love acorns. Those damned acorns are tastier than my brethren''s flesh.¡±


    Gob cackled. Two bronze ranked adventurers walking right behind him shivered at his words. He continued his story.


    ¡°They have giant tusks to stab my kind. They drink our blood and grow bigger. Blood and those damned acorns.¡±


    Gob cackled once more, but the adventurer keeping him in check pulled the leash he was holding him with. He lost his breath for a moment. Those damned fools.


    ¡°Fine¡­ me quiet...¡±


    The man who pulled the leash was young and impatient. Gob didn¡¯t blame him too much. He spouted bullshit since the start. He was so annoying that even the female adventurer who tried to stop her partner from treating Gob too harsh didn¡¯t respond this time.


    Well. It was all Fritz¡¯s fault, anyway. He messed up his plans and took two groups at the time. He should be here with Gob, but some god-damned merchant looking for those ancient coins came and occupied him in the camp making Gob the only one to trick those two into paying everything they had for his guidance.


    It all started when Curan set up Gob as a forest specialist. Are you an adventurer looking for some herbs? You want to scout the area? Maybe you want some advice about local wildlife? Please come here we have a goblin slave that knows the forest so well we barely caught him in the first place!


    Gob task was simple. He gazed back at the two adventurers that followed him to the acorn trees where Peter spotted a herd of Silverback¡¯s. Gob wasn¡¯t a good actor. His own lines made him cringe, but it seemed effective enough to make the adventurers scared.


    They were both young. Probably a couple. Fritz managed to tell Gob everything he needed to know before he let them take him.


    ¡°He''s small, but cunning. We barely caught him with the help of a gold rank. Keep him in check or I will make sure that you will never manage to buy a slice of bread in your life you bronze nobodies! The contract will be kept even if you run away!¡±


    And so the plan was simple. Lead the newly formed party to the acorn¡¯s and teach them how to find the boars. Escape and either Peter or Curan will make them pay more than they already did for the goblin slave they lost. It was a simple task for Gob, but he couldn¡¯t find any fun in it.


    The way Fritz ripped off merchants and travelers alike was quite something, but now when Gob was alone it was no fun at all. Even Evie stayed back at the camp. Since Curan attracted shifty people to their camp in order to sell all the junk he could, she usually just stuck around and ¡°haunted¡± the quests.


    Only Gob and Peter could see her invisible mischief, but she never realized that the quests aren¡¯t interested in her antics. Her short attention span was a curse and a blessing. Over the past week Gob enjoyed his new routine of training with Peter in the morning before venturing with Fritz on whatever new errand Curan would come up with making him spent less time with the fairy. It was a bit disappointing to him.


    It was like he was in a new tribe. Fritz was truly special for him. He was like a brand new Spinecrack. He would make Gob follow just like hobgoblin did and just like him he would never put Gob in harms way. Even now Gob felt that he was allowed to go alone just because Fritz trusted that he could finish this task. And because the couple was inexperienced to the point that making his escape was a child''s play.


    ¡°Acorns are there.¡±


    Gob finally found the tree he was looking for. Most of the leaves had already fallen off the trees, yet the acorns that Silverback boars loved so much were still present on the trees.


    ¡°What now goblin?¡±


    The male spoke up, but his voice was shaking. He was frantically looking around. Silverbacks were no joke. If they were to stumble on the entire herd, they would be trampled and eaten alive. Gob came closer to the tree and violently kicked it. The acorns fell to the ground hitting the male in the head. Gob cackled.


    ¡°Need blood.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    The female adventurer in a simple robe stopped her partner before he could punch Gob. She was a young girl with blonde curly hair. Gob already knew that she was a priest from Fritz¡¯s conversation, but he couldn¡¯t tell if she was stronger than the man that accompanied her. Despite being a magic user she was also a bronze ranked adventurer, which was the second to lowest rank, topping only the stone rank.


    ¡°Blood needed to roast the acorns. Silverback smell and come. Not much needed.¡±


    Gob pulled his own hand towards the warrior taunting him. He pulled out a dagger, but after seeing the look on the priestess face he cut his own hand. The goblin was to be left untouched. This Fritz man didn¡¯t feel dangerous, but the rest of the camp bandits did. The silent one was unsettling. Meanwhile the man in black with a hidden face was straight up terrifying.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The adventurers following Gobs advice gathered a few dozen acorns in one place then sprayed it with a few drops of blood until the goblin nodded to stop.


    ¡°Roast it and they would come. Wait in trees.¡±


    Gob wanted to come back already. His terrible acting was getting on his nerves and neither Peter nor Curan would give him any opportunity to run away. He wanted to go back already.


    ¡°Oh mother of healing hear my call and close those wounds. Lesser help.¡±


    Gob looked at the priestess. She was casting a spell with words? What was that? Warriors hand was suddenly clean of the wound. He didn¡¯t bleed. Heh. Yet another thing to ask Fritz and Curan about. Gob suddenly looked back alerted. He could feel a scent of the boars. It was recent. Did Peter miscalculate the herd¡¯s position? He was lost in his mind, so it took him a moment to realize what the priestess said.


    ¡°Oh father of blaze hear my voice and rejoice in the flames. Lesser heat.¡±


    Gob rushed towards the priestess and tackled her on the ground, but the damage was already done. It didn¡¯t rain for quite some time. The acorns popped in the flames. Their shells exploded with smoke carrying the scent of the blood through the air.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The human warrior caught Gob from the back and threw him away from the girl. Gob hit his back on the tree. Few acorns fell down on his head. The man blinded by rage didn¡¯t even feel the scent of the boar that came together with the changing wind. He stuck his knife to Gob¡¯s neck just in time for the adult Silverback boar to rush at their direction. Gob didn¡¯t waste any time.


    He punched humans arm with an open palm. Using the moves Peter trained him over the week he pushed the arm back while taking a hold of the dagger. Just before the warrior regained his posture Gob kicked him and barely grasped the hilt of the adventurers shortsword with his left hand.


    He cut the leash just in time to face the boar. He was the closest person to the acorns an obvious target for the beast. It rushed him with no hesitation. Having no time to better his grip he dropped the dagger near the tree and desperately held the shortsword with both hands.


    Silverbacks tended to tackle their opponents with their durable foreheads. As the beast came close to Gob he pushed the sword forward, but it wasn¡¯t enough to pierce the boars skull. The power of the creature lifted Gob together with the sword stuck in its head. Only after the boar run a few more meters with both Gob and the sword weighing it down when it flung the green skin up in the air.


    Gob anticipated that, but the shock from both the impact and a sudden connection to the ground made him move sloppily. Despite Peter teaching him how to properly land after taking a hit he was rather saved by luck than his skill as the autumn leaves cushioned his fall.


    Gob rolled and stood up trembling. Not looking back at the beast he ran towards the dagger he dropped. The priestess was shouting at her companion who helped her climb a tree. He couldn¡¯t fight as Gob rendered him useless by taking both his weapons.


    As Gob reached the dagger he looked back at the beast. The Silverback was the size of Gob in height. It was a massive creature for both goblins and humans. He violently shook his head until the sword gave out and landed in the leaves.


    Gob had enough time to climb the tree, but chose not to. There was only this one boar, and it was a clear veteran. Goblins hunted those animals in winter when food was scarce. This one had a few scars on his body. He must have survived a few struggles with his kind. Beautiful white fur on boar¡¯s back stuck out in the autumn scenery.


    ¡°Keruek! Kerueek!¡±


    Gob shouted at the boar provoking it to move once more. He was forced to hunt them before. Looking at the beast stampede he counted the distance. With each step the beast got closer and closer. Now!


    Gob unceremoniously stepped to the side dodging the boar completely. The beast tried to change the direction and graze him with its tusks, but he had also foreseen this and dodged it with ease. The moment the boar hit the tree with his head Gob stepped in and pierced the boar¡¯s brain through its exposed eye socket.


    It was a quick death. He was getting better at those precise attacks. Peter¡¯s training made him improve dramatically. He couldn¡¯t even hit the old fart, but it was beyond the point. Gob focused back on his acting.


    ¡°Hehehe You won¡¯t eat bread anymore...¡±


    This was stupidly corny, but it somehow made the scared humans realize that they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop him from getting away. Maybe it was because Gob was a goblin that despite the poor delivery they believed him. Gob took a few steps away before the tree expecting either Curan¡¯s shout or Peter¡¯s bolt to stop him from escaping forcing the couple to pay for misusing the slave.


    Neither happened. Instead the leash that Gob cut in two attacked him like a snake. Gob wasn¡¯t sure what happened. He dropped his knife and allowed the rope to bind him to the tree. Piper couldn¡¯t interact with humans as Fritz referred to him as ¡°highly recognizable¡±, which left only one other person who could stop Gob¡¯s terrible performance.


    Viper came out from the bushes. She was controlling the rope with her magic. Gob acted accordingly to how he would if a silent Peter was the one to pull the con.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it I didn¡¯t...¡±


    Viper lifted his dagger with magic and put him near his throat elevating his acting.


    ¡°DON¡¯T HARM ME THEY CAN PAY!!!¡±


    It was convincing enough to make the priestess talk.


    ¡°Yes we can pay! Leave him alone!¡±


    Viper instantly let the dagger down. The warrior tried to argue her decision, but she held him down in place with just her gaze. She was the one calling the shots.


    ¡°Let us take this fur! We can pay you seven silver right now!¡±


    The warrior shut up. Viper made the silence last a bit before she nodded at the two. The priestess threw a pouch at her from the tree. It was a little limp of a throw yet Viper caught it mid air with her magic. She opened it and checked its insides. It was obvious from the warrior¡¯s face that it was all they had.


    Viper took two silver coins of the pouch and put them down on the dead Silverback. Then she hid the pouch in her pocket and without further ado she left the scene. Gob followed her the moment the leash holding him tightly fell down. Floating dagger behind his back made his leave a little more convincing as Viper poked him to speed up.


    As the goblin and a mage in black left the priestess nearly fainted. What were those people? To have a talking goblin and a powerful mage in a same place! She jumped down to the ground and checked the coins left on the corpse. Two silver and a few coppers. The mage only took five. Was it mercy?


    Her companion came to her with a broken sword. It was beyond repair. As they looked at the corpse, they realized that the only dagger they possessed was also gone with the goblin. The warrior gasped and gave the priestess a small knife they used to peel vegetables. Meanwhile he took the sharpest part of his shortsword and slowly began to remove the boar¡¯s skin.


    Gob followed Viper. The moment they ventured far enough to hide from the adventurer¡¯s view Viper stopped to catch her breath. This magic was far exceeding her norm. As they paused for a while Gob asked.


    ¡°So Do all human females use magic?¡±


    Viper looked at him shocked.


    ¡°What gave me away?¡±


    ¡°Scent. You smell nicer.¡±

 Chapter 36 | How do females smell

    ¡°So what do you mean by I smell?¡±


    Viper walked alongside Gob. She removed her mask letting her fiery red hair go.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard to tell you humans. You can¡¯t smell, you cannot see in the dark.¡±


    ¡°We are a little hopeless at times. So what did you mean?¡±


    Gob looked at her beautiful face. He considered most human females he saw to be attractive, but Viper was stunning based on her face alone. Did Hestia looked as good?


    ¡°It''s other than the males. Like how you can tell how different flowers smell.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I could tell properly.¡±


    ¡°I can. It''s like smelling flowers or poop.¡±


    Viper''s laugh filled the forest. When she stopped laughing, she looked at Gob who didn''t seem to understand his own joke.


    ¡°So how long did you knew?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? From the start of course. It was especially obvious when Curan had your scent.¡±


    Last remark left Viper blushing. Goblin seemed to be equally unaware of her embarrassment. She changed the subject.


    ¡°You asked about female mages right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. All human females I met could use magic? Is it common?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Most people are farmers and such. I was only taught because of my cousin.¡±


    ¡°So females aren¡¯t usually more dangerous?¡±


    ¡°That depends.¡±


    Viper replied with a smile. Talking to anyone else apart from Curan was refreshing. Since the town got sealed she no longer could easily sneak inside. Well. She was the one who wanted to stay hidden from the likes of Fritz, but after some time she knew that it was a mistake. She felt alienated in the camp.


    However, it was her idea to put a disguise and she would never give Curan the satisfaction of admitting that it was a bad move. Oh no. She saved him herself! Some silence wouldn¡¯t break her spirit!


    ¡°Let¡¯s play a game Gob. We would ask each other a question and each person needs to answer before he asks his own. You in?¡±


    ¡°Fritz tried it with Peter.¡±


    ¡°Did it work?¡±


    ¡°No. My question now.¡±


    Viper laughed. The goblin was incredibly fun. She could understand why Curan wanted to keep him around as a genuine team member.


    ¡°Very well. Ask.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Why did the girl chanted with long words before casting?¡±


    ¡°She is a priestess. They chant spells without using their own mana. They use the mana of the god that correlates to the spell they want to cast.¡±


    ¡°God?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a second question, but I will give you a freebie this time. God is a being that embodies a different element of our lives like fire or water. There are gods for everything. If a believer wants to cast a spell, they need to give some time of their lives back in a prayer. Those spells are never instant, but can produce similar effects to normal spells. They are usually referred to as mystic or divine spells.¡±


    ¡°What is a...¡±


    ¡°Stop right there! It¡¯s my time to ask.¡±


    Gob nodded smirking. Viper clearly wanted to talk, so he wanted to exploit this little game in his favour.


    ¡°How old are you Gob?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not old. Peter is.¡±


    ¡°What is this supposed to.. Oh! Since you didn¡¯t get it I will ask differently. How many times have you seen snow?¡±


    Gob wasn¡¯t sure himself he counted it on his fingers.


    ¡°Seven? I think?¡±


    ¡°You look young, but it feels weird that you are only seven. How old were you when you, I don¡¯t know, went hunting alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean. All goblins hunt in packs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking how much time it takes for a goblin to be an adult.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an adult. I never mated.¡±


    Viper looked at him with a shock. What he was talking about.


    ¡°Eh? So, like when do goblin...¡±


    ¡°You asked two questions it¡¯s my turn. Is there a god of goblin?¡±


    Viper wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. Goblins referred in manuals were depicted as lustful cunning animalistic beings with barely working tribe systems. She knew nothing of their beliefs.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know then there shouldn¡¯t be any.¡±


    ¡°You said there is a god for everything!¡±


    ¡°Well there is no god of goblins I know of.¡±


    ¡°How is a god made?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t made silly. They just are.¡±


    Seeing that her answer was disappointing to him Viper added.


    ¡°I can tell you of my theory, but you will tell me of your life from the start until we get back to the camp.¡±


    ¡°If you will teach me magic, I will answer it all.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    Viper cleared her throat. She read a few magic books back in the royal library. Although what she was about to tell Gob was shaky at best.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say that you have improved in magic to the point of being a goblin archmage.¡± She continued before he could ask. ¡°It¡¯s a title given to the strongest of magic users in the entire world.¡±


    ¡°Then after this you were to become the biggest goblin chieftain with countless goblins under your command. What do the goblins consider the most important?¡±


    Gob initially wanted to answer food, but it felt wrong.


    ¡°Power. Goblins submit to power. The strong takes all.¡±


    ¡°Then imagine that all those countless goblins would pray that this power of yours would be given to them. They would say: Oh great Gob give us the power to fight and win!¡±


    ¡°Goblins don¡¯t talk like this.¡±


    ¡°Just imagine that all of them are as smart as you are!¡±


    Gob felt that he cannot imagine such a world, but he nodded at Viper to continue.


    ¡°Then after your death you would become the one they continued to pray to. In time they would build shrines with your statues and give you food.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said I¡¯m dead. How will they give me food?¡±


    ¡°They would just burn it as an offering. So you would give them your blessing back.¡±


    ¡°No goblin would burn food.¡±


    ¡°Well the theory goes like this. If you were to have a lot of mana and died, then depending on people praying to you you would comeback as a god and grant them spells for whatever they would pray making you the goblin gob of strength.¡±


    Gob was infinitely confused. He couldn¡¯t grasp this concept at all.


    ¡°It makes no sense to me.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I can explain it in any other way.¡±


    They walked a bit in silence until Viper asked.


    ¡°So will you tell me about your upbringing?¡±


    ¡°No. Your theory sucked.¡±


    Viper bit her lips. Gob was using so many words he heard from Fritz and the merchants that she couldn¡¯t tell if he really meant to offend her or just said it randomly because it seemed to fit. They walked a while in silence. Viper didn¡¯t know how to make him talk more. She wanted to ask about Hestia, but after Curan told her about their little fairy glade adventure, she decided against it.


    They were near the camp when Gob sat down under a tree. Noone would see them here. As she also sat down while putting her mask back Gob finally spoke. She would teach him magic. It was worth more to him than his memories.


    ¡°When I was born leaves were green.¡±

 Chapter 37 | Gob

    I remember that the trees were green.


    We were moving with our tribe. I don¡¯t remember why we moved. I was young. Couldn¡¯t walk by myself for long. Some goblin carried me on his back. I remember that he only had one ear.


    We moved until we saw a river. There we stopped to make a camp. We were there until the leaves fell down. I was walking alone already. I was special. Offsprings of the old chief were treated differently than others, but it only dawned on me later.


    It was the first time I ate fish. It is all that I can remember. There were other youngling''s like me, but I don¡¯t think I did much with them. The old chief wanted me to speak, or at least forced me to.


    Goblins speak little. We have basic words for weather and animals, but we don¡¯t really talk like you humans. It takes time from the green leaves to first snow for a goblin to start speaking.


    The chief didn¡¯t want to wait. He spoke in human to me. He was smart. Smartest in the tribe. He knew many words. It helped me talk earlier than most. I didn¡¯t want to speak back then, but he still forced me.


    When I didn¡¯t want to speak he showed me a book. I saw nothing like that. I don¡¯t think our tribe did much with humans at the time. I learned from pictures. He spoke words. It was messy compared to how I speak now. Still. I liked this book.


    When the leaves fell everything changed. Goblins were scared. The tribe was scared and wanted to move. I couldn¡¯t tell why. Chief kept many things hidden back then, but I felt that they wanted to go.


    However food was scarce. We couldn¡¯t just go away from fish and the chief was old. He didn¡¯t move much.


    I usually slept in his tent, but that night I was away. Stars were visible. I often watched them alone. I came back to the sound of screams. It was the first time I saw a hobgoblin. They attacked us in the dark. Goblins see in the dark, but we caught the fish during day making us sleep at night.


    Thinking back to it was obvious that we would get attacked. Hobgoblins came for food before winter. They killed some of our kin and took young goblins with them. I was also caught. I barely remember how it happened.


    When I woke up I was already in the caverns of the hobgoblin tribe. It was already winter and so we were made to work for hobgoblins as their gatherers for any food we could find. I was big enough to walk. I was scared and powerless, so I walked and searched for any food I could.


    I tried to eat it at first, but if I were to come back empty handed, I would be beaten. There were many goblins like me in this tribe, but it didn¡¯t take long for our numbers to dwindle. Opposing were killed, unproductive were left behind. I barely lasted this winter. Few goblins did.


    Most of the survivors came from our tribe. It took me years to notice, but we were smarter than others. We made better food. We used tools. Other forest goblins weren¡¯t as smart. They died first or killed others to please the hobs.


    Among our tribe some helped me in the beginning. I was the old chiefs offspring. They wanted me to live even if they were to die. It was stupid. They all died or turned they back when the harsh snow came.


    Still it made me survive.


    When snow went away I was made to work with other goblins. After the winter I understood the tribe better. There were important goblins and important hobgoblins. The hobgoblins were fed by the goblins. Important goblins managed the tribe.


    They assigned us to hobgoblins. Each had about five goblins to command. Before the winter they had at least twice as much. I was lucky to be with a hobgoblin set as a sentry. He was tasked with searching for humans. The one to assign us was a goblin shaman. He was an old goblin with a large staff in his hand. He chose me with other small goblins. Presumably because we were likely to die and any grown goblin that survived the winter was worth more than we did.


    I learned how to walk silently. Our hob was smaller than others. He was good at sneaking. In time I met first humans. We never attacked them unless it was a lonely man. Since we had no weapons, we only reported back. If we were spotted we would run away, but the hobgoblin would hit us, so we learned to not get spotted too much.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    One time we stumbled upon many human soldiers. Our hobgoblin got killed in an instant. I ran back to the camp with few others. It was the first time I saw hobgoblin die. It made me curious of humans. Because I was the only one that could properly speak I told what happened to the shaman. It was when things began to change.


    I was recognized as smart because I used some human words to describe what happened. He was impressed to the point where he made me hold magic embers. It was a ceremony he did once every snowfall, but he chose to did it just for me. If I were to pass it, then I would probably become his new apprentice at the spot, but my resistance was too high to make any visible effect. I didn¡¯t know it back then and I don¡¯t think the shaman did either.


    I was made to go back to the human camp and watch. It was important that it would be me as the shaman wanted someone expendable yet able to properly talk. He was one of the few smart goblins in the tribe. And so I returned to spy on humans with a few scouts.


    It was scary, but it was a much better job than others. I just sat in the bushes for days, only going back to the tribe for food which was given to us by the shaman. I learned many things from soldiers. They spoke a lot. Many words that others didn¡¯t care for I remembered and used myself. I started to train like humans did. It was the first time in my life I felt good after work.


    As time passed, the humans came and went and I began to change. It was simple at first, but as the time went goblins seemed to realize that I looked different from how they did. More like a hobgoblin. I started to wear clothes to hide my body. The shaman allowed me to meet important goblins. The Elder had books. He knew words. I wanted more.


    When the soldiers went away, I was free to do whatever. I followed the strongest hobgoblin at a time, but he got killed by a hunter. There was a young hobgoblin in his group. I used him. He followed me if I brought back stuff he liked. He was in command, but he rarely did anything without me.


    I did what I wanted. I wasn¡¯t forced to kill or steal from my kin. Because the swords were heavy, I trained with daggers. I think it went like this since the third winter.


    The shaman had fallen ill and a new one got the ones that pass the test of embers killed and thrown into a pit. Without the old shaman the elder didn¡¯t want to teach me, despite all the information I provided.


    It was then when I heard about a female assigned to some old goblin near the river. I think I expected something more. Maybe I was just frustrated that the tribe didn¡¯t want me to grow. It was why I left for some time. I followed the female and found out that the old chieftain was alive. He somehow survived on his own and the old shaman wanted him to have new offspring, but it was too late for that.


    I remember shouting at him the moment the female left us. I was angry that he hadn¡¯t come for me. He couldn¡¯t. He was old and sick, but it was something that I felt he should have done.


    The rest of our original tribe was gone. They left him behind and went somewhere else in search of food and scared of the hobgoblins. Old chief didn¡¯t talk much. He only wanted me to say a new word to him, but I didn¡¯t want to. Still, I stayed with the two for some time.


    I taught the female to catch fish. She liked that. With practise she became much better than I was. It was almost winter when I came back to my hob. Everything was upside down there. The shaman got a name. He was called Nozgu. Goblins say that when they are satisfied with their food. I guess it would mean ¡°sated hunger¡± in human. The Elder didn¡¯t want to see me and the shaman didn¡¯t like me from the start. Still, because I was useful to my hob who became strong in the tribe I was left to be. I think they both wanted me gone. The Elder wasn¡¯t a mage and Nozgu¡¯s position wasn¡¯t set in stone. They probably feared me as much as they feared the old shaman who was still alive.


    Many things have changed. The humans were coming closer. Many monsters moved from their homes. We were attacked by kobolds once. They wanted to take the mines and caverns below for themselves. We started to double the offerings to orcs as they kept the ones that gave the most save.


    But the biggest change came from the soldiers in the forest. They began to talk with me and other smart goblins. They didn¡¯t mindlessly killed us. Sometimes they allowed us to plunder the other humans they killed.


    When winter came, I became scared once more. I was stronger than goblins, but not the hobs. Humans were interesting, but they killed other humans just like we killed our kin. The old chieftain was about to die. I was almost coming to his place daily. I wanted him to teach me more since the Elder didn¡¯t, but he slept all the time and when he didn¡¯t, he wanted me to say this word I didn¡¯t know.


    It was around this time when I found a girl in the cave¡­ She survived the attack of humans. She smelled of magic like the old shaman did. Only I knew about her. The humans didn¡¯t pursue her because I lied to them. They probably believed I would give her to the hobgoblin chief to mate and she wouldn¡¯t survive like other females.


    I wanted her to teach me and she did. She told stories. She read the book¡­ With the magic I defeated both my hob and the shaman¡­ and then¡­


    He came and killed everyone. The Shaman, the Elder... the female.


    Gob looked at Viper. He was at the verge of crying, but he couldn¡¯t tell that she also was because of her disguise. After a long silent pause Viper spoke.


    ¡°This book she read you. Is this the one you read with Fritz?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Old chieftain gave me it after I spoke the word. It¡¯s the same.¡±


    Viper looked away and said.


    ¡°I will teach you magic after it gets dark. We would train here.¡±


    She then looked back at Gob and silently asked.


    ¡°The word he made you speak. What was it?¡±


    Gob looked at her. He seemed tired. All those memories were crawling in his head when he replied.


    ¡°Father.¡±

 Chapter 38 | Before the storm

    As the old merchant went away Piper could finally enjoy cooking.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you even peel a potato properly? It looks like a brick!¡±


    It was difficult to live with a bounty on one''s head, but Piper kept those thoughts away. Enjoy the small things in life. He kept demonizing Fritz¡¯s inept cooking skills.


    ¡°Peel a few more like that and I will only need some mortar to build a proper house."


    ¡°Potato is a potato, there¡¯s no point in you crying about it.¡±


    ¡°You will destroy my perfect dish!¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m sure it will be just as bad as it always is.¡±


    Piper took another brick shaped potato Fritz gave him. He weighed it in his large hand.


    ¡°Potatoes are good for dinners.¡±


    ¡°Ehe.¡±


    Fritz didn¡¯t care to look at Piper. He was busy cutting his next potato victim. Large chunks of the vegetables were cut away together with its skin.


    ¡°Do you know what bricks are good for Fritz?¡±


    Fritz looked at the cook just in time to dodge the brick potato he threw at his face.


    ¡°Bricks are good for your teeth. Break them just right.¡±


    Fritz was about to say something, but the sudden appearance of Gob and Viper calmed his anger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste the food.¡±


    Gob threw the potato back to Piper. He was smiling brightly. Meanwhile a small leather pouch filled with money landed in Fritz¡¯s hands. It was all that Viper did before leaving the kitchen.


    ¡°It¡¯s great your back Gob! This mongrel nearly killed himself with this knife.¡±


    Gob washed his hands in a bucket and then took the knife Fritz was using from his hands. Fritz used this opportunity to ask the goblin a little question.


    ¡°So? Did he talk?¡±


    Gob looked at Fritz furious.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Did Peter say something when I was gone? I was forced to fight the boar because of those morons you so gladly left me with! What do you think? Maybe next time I will deposit your life to random nobodies?¡±


    Fritz shook his shoulders.


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    With this he just smiled at Gob. It was a face that simultaneously screamed ¡°See. I know you can do it alone.¡± and ¡°Punch me!¡±. Gob wasn¡¯t sure which face he liked more. Fritz knew that he would be safe on his trip. Was he supposed to feel reassured by this?


    He used the potatoes as a little knife training. He was peeling them as fast as he could without cutting himself. The talk with Viper still lingered in his mind. Fritz lowered his face and asked him once more.


    ¡°So. Did you hear Viper talk?¡±


    Gob glared at him with clear bloodlust.


    ¡°No. I did this little trick of yours myself.¡±


    Fritz heard everything he wanted to hear and left Gob alone with Miko. Whoever could help Piper in the kitchen was deemed worthy of everlasting friendship. It was, but a week since Piper made Gob help him, yet they already worked in unison.


    Fritz didn¡¯t like to cook, but his pride received a little blow when Piper publicly announced that Gob was to replace him whenever he could. He at the very least could still enter the kitchen. Neither Peter nor Curan had such privileges.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    He went back to his tent to count the money they earned. He looked through his notes and sighed. There was enough money to travel to Car¡¯deNival or even further south, but Curan announced nothing. What was he waiting for?


    Fritz looked at the pile of money he gathered for this man today. He trusted him, but it would reassure to know if he was to travel with them as well¡­


    Before the night he went to Gob to read his picture book with him. It wasn¡¯t as easy for Gob to pick up reading as other human activities. The goblin never attempted to decipher human writing before, but it didn¡¯t take much convincing to make him want to learn. The sheer motivation of surpassing both Curan and Peter in a field other than fighting made the goblin work twice as hard.


    Fritz enjoyed those sessions with Gob. It made him remember how he learned this weird language himself.


    ~


    Gob exited his cage. It was remade to house him properly. The mountains of cloth and other materials he used to make it into a decent sleeping place was a little extreme. In fact it was impossible to recognize that it even was a cage to begin with.


    The stars were visible as he left the camp. It was getting cold, so he wore a new coat he chose himself. Four daggers hid in his pouches underneath it. He could unsheathe them at any time with no problems.


    The goblin walked silently to the place where the magic was meant to happen. Viper was already waiting at him there. She felt like they should move even further from the camp. Gob could already conjure fire. She probably shouldn¡¯t push him to new elements and it was important to keep the light in check. Peter should be the only one to know of their little magic course.


    ¡°This should be enough. Show me what can you do.¡±


    Gob conjured the flame in his hand. It was impressive in its own right, but nothing special for a mage. Viper checked Gob¡¯s concentration. He responded by focusing more. She poked him and talked about random things she came up with, but the goblin kept his flame in check. She even pushed him down on the ground, but the flame didn¡¯t extinguish.


    ¡°You can stop now. I can tell that the girl taught you well. Did you try to practise it?¡±


    Gob stood up and calmed his breathing. It wasn¡¯t as easy to keep the flame lit when she bothered him around.


    ¡°I tried, but it didn¡¯t change much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you cast it within limitations.¡±


    ¡°Limitations?¡±


    ¡°Do you know of the three basic casting techniques?¡±


    As Gob shook his head Viper continued.


    ¡°First is the symbol casting. You either carve, paint or visualize the symbols to create an effect. It is a basic way of keeping your mana in check, but it also requires a lot of knowledge and focus. Also the effects are limited to the symbols you know and there are more symbols which affect mana in such an obscure way that it truly is pointless to learn them all.¡±


    ¡°If anything they are used to permanently affect weapons in a form of a rune or are carved as a glyph to temporary create a magic effect in a desired place. Those symbols are what allows you to cast right now. They also keep us both from any burns as the fire isn¡¯t truly real, just some of its basic components.¡±


    Gob nodded his head. He visualized the symbols he learned from Hestia each time he cast a spell.


    ¡°The second way of casting is with words. It¡¯s what most mages use in battle and what you are probably most interested in¡­ but I will not teach you this method at all. There are few reasons. First the words of magic are not something I could just tell you, to gain them you need to study magic as a proper sorcerer and frankly I¡¯m not a legitimate wizard with years of training.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t even something I could properly use and so I won¡¯t try to teach you those words. Just note that they are more direct than symbols and require less thinking. Therefore to win against a proper wizard you need to silence them as soon as you can no matter how. And now to what I can and will teach you.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever noticed Curan using magic?¡±


    Gob thought back to all things Curan did. He didn¡¯t recall him ever smelling Ether near Curan. Viper continued with a smile.


    ¡°You never realized because he never cast a spell. He instead used his mana. You see when you cast a spell you are using your mana only to either maintain or activate it. You don¡¯t actually use your mana to its full potential, because the spell itself guides the desired effect. What do you think would happen if you were to force your mana out of your body with no words or limitations?¡±


    As Viper raised her hand in gesture a small flame appeared in her palm. She moved her hand around and it followed, but after she winked at Gob, the flame stood in place when she took her hand away. She then expanded her mana and mold the flame into shapes. It was a beautiful sight. She had the power in her hands as she manipulated it around in spirals.


    ¡°Mold it. Control it. It is your own mana forced upon the world with no restrains.¡±


    Viper¡¯s flame changed it shapes even more. It became a fiery dagger, then a horse made of light happily jumping in the surrounding air. Viper was smiling with joy visible in her eyes.


    ¡°Turn it into a weapon, sharpen your existing one, use it to rekindle the campfire or make a show for a kid, it''s that simple!¡±


    Gob was amazed. As Viper finished her little show, he instantly asked.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t everyone use it instead of symbols and words?¡±


    ¡°Oh it''s even simpler.¡±


    Viper laughed.


    ¡°If you mess up you are dead.¡±


    ~


    It was late at night when Peter notified both Curan and Viper that their guest had finally arrived. He was sitting atop a nearby tree. As they walked outside to greet the archer clad in the common Empire scout attire, he turned to face them. Two shining green pupils followed their every move.


    Emerald the man tasked to kill the Saintess of the North spoke first.