Survival Life as a Goblin Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Time for some more Goblin Isekai! I’m glad that some of my Patrons enjoy this little story of mine! It’s fun to make this world bit by bit expanding upwards and outwards as we get further and further in! Now Gobkoh has to talk to Rull and if he won’t leave for the Emperor Tiger, then the youngsters need to be strong enough to survive while they flee to try and find a new place for themselves.

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-Day 38-

Waking up with Rialin again Gobkoh was quick, but gentle, in waking up his female. At least that’s what the other Goblins and Hobgoblins were calling it. Apparently they wouldn’t become Mates until they ‘mated’ for the first time. Gobkoh thought that was a rather blunt way to solidify a relationship but likened it to ‘consummating’ a marriage. Regardless they needed to get up and start working out and practicing with their weapons. He also needed to talk to Rull today about whether or not the Tribe could simply move and leave this area to the Emperor Tiger.

“I’m up…” Rialin yawned as she sat up and stretched her arms. The mattress her male had made was just so comfortable. It was hard to get up in the mornings sometimes. Rialin moved to start waking up the females while Gobkoh wandered over to the males of their group and started shaking them awake. A few minutes later and all nineteen members of their ‘group’ were assembled and eating fruit for breakfast before they started practice. It was a standard that Gobkoh had settled on between physical fitness drills he’d learned ‘before’ and weapons practice. After the practice Gobkoh told everyone they were free to hunt as normal. He needed to speak to Rull.

“Chief Rull.” Gobkoh nodded to the large Ogre.

“What is it young one?” Rull asked as he looked down at one of his sons.

“If we’re truly about to face an Emperor Tiger, would it not be better to abandon this cave and this part of the forest and move elsewhere?” Gobkoh questioned and Rull sighed before he answered.

“I’m afraid territory is only part of the coming conflict, little one.” Rull began. “If this is truly the one I drove out all those years ago; then this isn’t just about territory. The Tiger is specifically hunting me, and is slowly making its way into our Tribe’s territory to provoke me into facing it.”

“Are Crown Tigers capable of holding a grudge for forty years?” Gobkoh asked since they were supposed to be just beasts.

“Crown Tigers rule over the entire southwest corner of the Silua Forest. They’re the Apex Predator of that entire expanse and they have the ‘pride’ to match. Being run out of this place after coming so far to establish its own territory would leave a lasting impression on the beast.” Rull explained with a tired grumble. “Until we face each other again it is unlikely that the Tiger will stop looking for me. I will stay here and face it when it comes. If you wish to leave and make your lives somewhere else I encourage you to get stronger. Nature is unfair and has no favorites. If you wish to survive you must be strong enough to make it. Or you’ll just end up as food for something else.”

“I see; you’re buying us time.” Gobkoh realized as he stared up at the large Ogre. “As long as you don’t rise to the Tiger’s provocation it’ll have to eventually make its way here. That gives us time to get stronger and to prepare.”

“We elders have discussed it and believe we can give you around two months.” Rull informed. “By that point the Tiger will most likely have made its way here and I’ll have no choice but to face it. By that time you must leave this place.”

“I understand, thank you for giving us this time, Chief Rull.” Gobkoh bowed slightly to his father before looking up again. “If I may ask, where did the Hobgoblins get their stone knives?”

“Hmm, from the river.” Rull replied. “Follow the river northward and you’ll come to a flat expanse of land. The river has many pools in this area where the flow of the water is slow. You’ll find sharp stones there that can be fractured and shaped easily enough.”

“Thank you for the information, Chief.” Gobkoh thanked the Ogre before leaving the cave. ‘Northward huh, that’s behind the cave where most of the prey has fled to.’ With this knowledge in mind Gobkoh rounded up the males of his group, along with Rialin, and set out to find the river flatlands. All of them wearing their armor and carrying their preferred weapons. Barring Gobwren, who hadn’t hunted a Shellcoon for armor or a Jackalope for a spear, and Gobkoh himself who hadn’t had time yet to replace his armor. Though Rialin, Gobkoh, and Gobwren all had primitive bows and a small quiver of arrows.

“So we’re going to collect stones for knives?” Gobyog asked as the group walked along.

“Yes, knives are great tools and will make skinning our prey easier. Even larger prey can be skinned if you have a good knife.” Gobkoh replied as the group walked along the river.

“So…we have two months at most, huh?” Rialin wanted to confirm.

“That’s what Rull and the elders believe.” Gobkoh nodded looking out at the river. “We’ll have to do our best in the time that we have.” Rialin and the other males nodded in response as they continued north along the river. Almost an hour and a half later the land widened out and trees became sparse showing the wide open sky. The river was very wide here and, just as Rull had said, slow flowing at the edges. This was where they would find the stones to craft their knives.

“So we’re looking for a special rock, right?” Gobmyr asked as they all waded into the water up to their knees.

“It should be able to break off into thin pieces when you hit it hard with another rock.” Gobkoh explained to the others as he looked around for proper rock. Several minutes of searching and Gobwren called out to the group as he held up a rock from the riverbed.

“Is this it, Gobkoh? It’s sharp already!” Gobwren questioned as the other Goblins moved over to him. Looking the rock over, especially the sharpened edge confirmed the rock to be the right type.

“Good find, Gobwren, this is what we’re looking for.” Gobkoh praised his follower. “Alright everyone find as much of this as you can safely carry and let’s head back.” A resounding ‘Yeah’ was the response from the group as they set about collecting the stones from the river. As they were finishing up, placing the stones into a bag made from another abandoned blanket, Gobtay spotted something and got the group attention.

“What’s that thing?” Gobtay asked as he pointed a bit further up the river. Looking to where he was pointing the group saw a tall bird with long legs, a long sharp looking beak, and white plumage. ‘That’s a Heron.’ Gobkoh thought as he looked at the bird and used his ‘Analyze’ Skill.

[Fisher Heron – Level 5]

“It’s called a ‘Fisher Heron’.” Rialin said while looking confused. Gobkoh turned to look at her along with the other males.

“Rialin, how did you know that?” Gobkoh asked curiously. Rialin rubbed her head for a second, tousling her brunette locks a bit, before replying.

“I don’t know why but something just told me I got a Skill called ‘Analyze’.” Rialin spoke up. Gobkoh smiled and pulled her into a hug, Rialin was all too happy to return the embrace.

“You got a Skill! That’s great! I have that one too!” Gobkoh grinned at his female.

“So that’s how you know what stuff is when you’ve never seen it before?” Rialin questioned and Gobkoh nodded. “That’s neat!”

~Skill ‘Analyze’ has leveled up. ‘Analyze Lv. 2’ acquired~ The voice he’d only heard once before floated through his head and he shook it lightly.

“Huh, apparently my ‘Analyze’ just became level two.” Gobkoh blinked making Rialin and the other males look at him funny. “Apparently Skills can level up?” He shrugged and the group all shrugged with him.

“So…can we hunt that heron thing?” Gobtay asked as they watched the large bird stand still, waiting for a fish to swim close enough.

“I don’t see why not.” Gobkoh grinned as he; Rialin and Gobwren pulled their bows and knocked an arrow each. A few seconds to aim and all three released their arrows. The projectiles flew and struck the large bird in multiple places. Rialin’s hit where neck met body, Gobwren’s struck lower and pierced through the bird’s wing, while Gobkoh’s struck just below Rialin’s. The heron dropped into the water and lay still with the three arrows sticking out of it.

“Alright!” Gobyog and Gobmyr cheered as they ran over to collect the bird. Once they brought it back Gobkoh gutted and cleaned it before giving it to Gobwren to carry back. The group returned to the clearing in a good mood having found the stones they needed as well as getting to eat new prey. The heron turned out to be pretty tasty with some seasoning and Gobkoh wondered if its feathers could be used to make more arrows. They were still plumage from a bird capable of flight, so they should work, or at least he was fairly sure that they would.

Training, hunting and crafting would have to be the group’s routine for the next two months if they wanted a chance to escape and survive. Gobkoh was sure of this and was planning to slowly increase the intensity of their practice sessions during their time limit. But for now he still had some crafting to do.

“This just takes a little patience.” Gobkoh explained as he showed the group how to chip away the large, sharp bits of stone from the rocks they’d brought back. The stone was similar to flint but had some slightly different characteristics from what he recalled ‘before’. It was more durable and fractured differently but still came apart in sharp pieces. A little work and they’d all have some decent knives. The rest of the group al started trying their hands at it, except for the females that were cooking up the day’s hunt. Gobkoh left the group for a short time to collect as much ‘Needle Tree’ sap as he could so that they’d be able to make their knives. He could also make himself a new ‘Antler Spear’ from one of the extra antlers he’d stashed away from a previous hunt.

“Aww crap, I wanted it smaller.” Rialin spoke up as the group was crafting their knives. Gobkoh looked over and saw two longer pieces of stone. They’d come off the large rock Rialin was working with and had nice sharp edges. But they were far longer than a knife, closer to the length of a short sword. ‘Wait a minute; it might be a short sword in human hands. But to a Goblin this is a full length blade. We could use that.’ He thought before telling Rialin as much.

“You want a sword?” Gobkoh asked and Rialin turned to look at him.

“Sword?” Rialin repeated and Gobkoh nodded.

“Yeah, those two pieces will be the perfect length and thickness for a pair of swords.” Gobkoh motioned to the long stones.

“Will you teach me how to use one?” Rialin asked her eyes hopeful.

“Sure thing, Rialin.” Gobkoh smiled and was promptly hugged by the girl. Admittedly he was far more practiced with the staff than the sword; but he’d learned the basics fairly well ‘before’ so it shouldn’t be too much trouble to get used to using it. For the rest of the night Gobkoh crafted handles for knives, sheaths for said knives, and helped Rialin finish shaping their stone swords. The handles of which were wood wrapped with Brush Rat leather and cordage. The only deviation from this was when Gobmyr brought over a larger piece of sharpened stone and asked if he could use it as a weapon.

“Hmm, I think you could make a decent axe out of this.” Gobkoh stated as he looked the stone over. It had a thin, sharp edge with a slight curve and a dull back. It was almost the shape of a primitive axe head already.

“Axe? What’s that?” Gobmyr asked never having seen one.

“A type of edged weapon, it can also be used to chop wood or fell a tree it it’s sturdy and sharp enough.” Gobkoh informed the other male. “We’ll need a thick, straight branch that we can split and plenty of sap and cordage.” Gobmyr quickly hurried off to collect an appropriate branch while Gobkoh went over the idea in his head. A short time later and Gobmyr was smiling widely with his new ‘Stone Axe’ in hand. It came out as a one and a half handed ‘Battle Axe’ but that would free up Gobmyr’s other hand to potentially hold a shield. Well, once Gobkoh was able to get around to crafting a few. The last thing he made that night, just as the night was about to fully set in, was a sheath for each of the stone swords.

Needless to say Gobkoh was dead tired that night and dropped onto his bed face first. He felt Rialin snuggle up to his side just before he fell asleep.

-Day 39-

~Skill ‘Weapon Crafting’ acquired~

~Skill ‘Leatherwork’ acquired~

~Skill ‘Fire Making’ acquired~

“Shut up…” Gobkoh groaned as he opened his eyes and looked around. He was still in bed with Rialin pressed into his side. Looking around as much as he could, showed everyone else to still be asleep. “What the…who was talking?” he muttered before he realized what he’d actually heard. “I got more Skills? But how do I check them?” As soon as he asked himself that his mind was filled with information.

[Gobkoh, Level 10]

[Skills]

[Self-Sufficiency]

[Analyze Lv. 2]

[Weapon Crafting]

[Leatherwork]

[Fire Making]

“Could I always do this?” Gobkoh mumbled to himself before deciding to see if he could ‘check’ his Skills. “Let’s see what does this ‘Self-Sufficiency’ Skill do?

[Self-Sufficiency - Increases all 'Crafting Skills' by 30% and increases likelihood of 'Survival Skills' and 'Crafting Skills' succeeding by 50%.]

‘Is that why I’ve been able to make decent primitive weapons and armor so far?’ Gobkoh pondered mentally as he looked over the ‘buffs’ this Skill gave him. ‘A thirty percent increase to making things has probably helped a lot. But the fifty percent increase to ‘success’ is probably why nothing I’ve made has outright failed so far.’

[Analyze Lv. 2 - Identifies things using 'World Knowledge'. More information is displayed the higher the level of the Skill. At Level 2 ‘Self-Analysis’ is unlocked and the ability to see another’s ‘Inactive Skills’ becomes available.]

‘Oh, so that’s why I can do this now.’ Gobkoh realized. ‘Thanks Analyze!’

[Weapon Crafting - 10% better results when trying to create a weapon.]

‘Simple and straightforward.’ Gobkoh nodded. ‘I wonder if I can level this one up too.’

[Leatherwork - 10% better results when working with furs and fabrics.] ‘Another bonus…maybe if these are able to be leveled up I’ll get an extra ten percent per level?’ Gobkoh wondered as he moved on to the next and final Skill.

[Fire Making - 10% increased chance to start a fire.] ‘That one seemed pretty obvious but it’s better to know for sure.’ Gobkoh nodded to himself before turning his eyes towards Rialin.

[Rialin, Goblin, Level 6]

[Skills: Analyze]

“So it does work. Good to know.” Gobkoh whispered before he gently nudge Rialin awake. Their group had a lot of work to do if they wanted to get strong enough to survive. After everyone was up and the daily training was done Gobkoh gathered up all eighteen members of his group for a new task.

“Everyone’s ready, Gobkoh.” Rialin smiled, even she was curious about what her male had planned.

“Alright everyone, today we’re heading northward to the river flatlands. If my guess is right we’ll be able to find a good amount of prey there if we stake it out for a bit.” Gobkoh stated and all the Goblins in the group nodded in agreement. “Get your armor on and prepare your weapons we’ll head out shortly.”

“Yeah!” The group exclaimed as they all made their way towards their gear.

‘We lost two more yesterday.’ Gobkoh thought to himself as he waited. He’d seen two more empty blankets among the dim-witted males area this morning. ‘That leaves thirty three. At this rate there won’t be any of the dull ones left by the time the Tiger gets here.’ Seeing his group returning Gobkoh waited until the last one emerged from the cave before starting too the river flatlands.

“Why do you think the area we went to yesterday will have a lot of prey, Gobkoh?” Gobwren asked with his bow and quiver over his shoulder.

“A large watering area like that undoubtedly attracts animals that move in herds.” Gobkoh replied to the other male. “We might find new prey again. Or we may run across a small herd of Stripe Deer drinking from the slow moving river.”

“That’d be nice!” Gobwren smiled at the thought of eating Stripe Deer.

“It would also help the group level up a bit.” Gobkoh spoke as he used his ‘Analyze’ Skill on his group. Most of them were level four or five. He was only level ten because he’d gotten lucky killing the Rafikdrill. Even then he’d almost died. They had a long road ahead of them if they wanted to survive. It was still morning when the group made it to the river flatlands and Gobkoh set up their hunting formation.

“You four will be over there.” Gobkoh pointed to an area with high reeds. The four females nodded and made their way to the designated area. “You four are on the opposite side of the river in the tall reeds there.” He pointed to where he wanted them to go. “You all with bows climb trees and find a place you can safely shoot from.” The bow wielding Goblins, Gobwren included, started climbing trees to get good vantage points. “Everyone else will hide among the brush of the forest while we wait.” Seeing his orders carried out while he and Rialin moved to climb their own trees brought a grin to his face. ‘I distinctly remember getting ordered around like this ‘before’. Maybe I was part of a group like this?’

-One Hour Later-

“Waiting is boring.” Neylin groaned from her place in a tree a bit away from where Rialin was.

“Shhh…you don’t want to scare anything away.” Gobkoh shushed the female. He’d been hearing grumbles like this for almost forty minutes, but he was confident in this strategy. His memories let him know this would work. Another dozen minutes passed before a rustling could be heard from the forest. Emerging from the opposite bank was a herd of what appeared to be boars. “Score.” Gobkoh whispered to himself as he whispered commands to the nearest Goblins and had them pass on his words. “Wait until they’re all out of the tree line. Let them start drinking and then we’ll shoot. After we shoot we rush the fallen and finish them off.”

“Right.” Rialin in the tree next to his and two Goblins in the brush below his perch replied as they whispered the plan to the ones closest to them. The boar herd was at least twenty five members large if the cursory count Gobkoh had taken was correct. Seeing the large brown pigs drinking and rolling in the shallows let him know it was almost time to strike. ‘Let’s check just in case.’ He thought before using ‘Analyze’.

[Thrash Boar – Level 5]

[Thrash Boar – Level 4]

[Thrash Boar – Level 4]

[Thrash Boar – Level 5]

[Thrash Boar – Level 3]

[Thrash Boar – Level 3]

‘Good none of them are too strong. Should be perfect for getting a few levels for the group along with enough meat to fill our bellies.’ Gobkoh thought to himself before knocking an arrow. Glancing around and seeing all the archers prepared he let his arrow fly at one of the level five boars. His arrow was followed by eight more and the boars panicked as multiple members of their herd fell.

“Go!” Gobkoh yelled and the Goblins hiding amongst the brush and reeds charged at the injured boars with spears. The pigs that hadn’t been killed by an arrow were quickly overrun by Goblins and skewered by their ‘Antler Spears’. The rest of the herd charged back into the forest leaving ten of their members behind to become food for the Goblins.

“It worked! It worked!” Cheered the Goblins on the ground or in the river.

“I told you it would if you were patient!” Gobkoh chuckled as he grabbed one of the boars and started dragging it out of the river. “Now come on, we have to gut these things and carry them back. Some of you go find some long sturdy branches, cut them from the trees if you have to, we’ll tie a boar to each pole and have two goblins carry each one to lighten the load.” The Goblins were quick to set about their task and just over half an hour later the group was tromping back through the forest towards the cave. Needless to say Rull, En, and the Hobgoblin females were very surprised when the group of nineteen youngsters returned with ten Thrash Boars. Even with the looming threat of the Emperor Tiger hanging over them the Rull Tribe celebrated that night! Pork was still pork for Gobkoh who only found the boar to be a bit gamey compared to farm-raised pigs. Many Goblins wanted the boar they’d brought down to be skinned and made into bedding. He wasn’t surprised though. He’d seen the envious looks on some of his groups’ faces when it was nighttime and he and Rialin got into the mattress he’d made and covered themselves in pelt blankets.

“Gobkoh these things taste great!” Gobyog cheered as he stuffed himself with meat.

“We should hunt more of these things!” Amalin exclaimed as she tore a piece of pork from the bone. This was met with more cheers from the group.

“Let me check real quick.” Gobkoh whispered to himself as he used ‘Analyze’ on his group again. Seeing several level ups he grinned that his plan had worked so well. Even Rialin had gone up a level and hit level seven. Most of his group was now level five or six. “Some more good hunts and we’ll be well on our way.”

“Gobkoh! Let’s eat until we can’t move!” Rialin smiled at him brightly. Gobkoh grinned at his female before pulling her into his side. He snatched another large piece of cooked pork from the pile that had formed just a bit away from one of the many fires that was cooking all of the boars. Rialin laughed as she nuzzled her male and they ate from the same large piece he’d picked up.

‘Tomorrow is going to be so busy.’ Gobkoh sighed as he looked up at all of the stretched and drying boar pelts in the trees. He was going to have to show the ten that felled the boars how to stich and stuff a mattress. Plus he still needed to hunt down a Shellcoon to remake his armor. Then, if he could find suitable materials, he’d try his hand at crafting a shield or two. If he was lucky maybe he’d get a Skill for crafting defensive equipment too. ‘Wouldn’t that be helpful?’ The young Goblin thought as he shared meat with Rialin. Well for now he would celebrate, tomorrow would come regardless and until then he’d just enjoy himself!

-End Chapter-

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Alright, we’re moving along a bit. Rull knows why the Tiger has returned and he’s going to buy his progeny enough time to get strong enough to run away. Gobkoh has started hunting party tactics to help group level his followers. Gear is being upgraded or replaced and new gear is being made! If the youngsters can maintain this for the time they have left they might just live and be able to form their own Tribe.

Until the next time I can update this, later!