Survival Life as a Goblin Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! I got another Tier Reward asking for more Goblins! My Original Writing has fans and it makes me happy to know that! Maybe I’ll eventually have time to write a full Fantasy Novel someday. That’d be cool. 

Anyway, let’s see how Gobkoh and his group spend the last month before the Emperor Tiger challenges Rull.

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-Day 72-

“These turned out well.” Gobkoh nodded to himself as he finished the two necklaces he’d made from the claws of the Shade Lynx. One necklace for Rialin and one for himself, each of the necklaces having four claws on them. It made them ‘match’ which he was sure would please Rialin. The Lynx Pelt he’d cleaned, stretched out and then let dry had come out nicely too. The fur was a mix between soft and coarse, and with his ‘Stone Knife’ he’d been able to leave the head and ears of the Lynx hide intact. He was planning to use it as a cloak of sorts, wearing it over his shoulders and using the leather of the head as a connected hood.

“You look good, Gobkoh.” Rialin complimented her male as she looked him over.

“Thank you Rialin, this is for you.” Gobkoh smiled at his female as he held out the first Claw Necklace. Rialin’s eyes widened a bit before she took the necklace and put it on. “We even match.” Gobkoh grinned as he took the second Claw Necklace and placed the string over his head, letting it settle around his neck. Rialin smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. The two enjoyed their closeness for a few moments before releasing each other.

“Should we hunt?” Rialin questioned as they left the cave together. 

“I’m actually planning on testing out this ‘Goblin Flame’ I unlocked.” Gobkoh informed her as he made his way through the forest towards the river.

“I want to watch!” Rialin grinned a she followed along with him.

“Feel free.” Gobkoh smiled at her. The two, fully equipped, Goblins made it to the river without problems and Gobkoh began his tests. With a thought the Goblin Flame snapped into existence in his right hand. Holding out his palm he tried to launch the small fireball with a thought. The flame didn’t move, continuing to burn where it rested in his hand. “I guess I can’t launch it with magic?” With this revelation Gobkoh pondered for a moment before making his next attempt. Winding his arm back he then threw the fireball in his hand out over the river. The ball of flame left his hand and flew through the air. It made it almost to the other side of the river before falling into the water and being snuffed out.

“That was cool Gobkoh!” Rialin cheered as she saw her male throw a fireball.

“Now I just have to find out what the limit of this Ability is.” Gobkoh informed her with a grin as he conjured up another fireball. He threw this one across the river again. Then he conjured another and threw it too. Again and again he summoned a fireball until, on the sixth fireball, he felt a sudden weariness. He tossed the ball just like the previous five before trying again. “I guess six is the limit right now.” He mused as he sat down next to Rialin.

“That’s still useful though.” Rialin stated and Gobkoh nodded. “You look a little tired, are you alright?”

“I think I’m out of mana.” Gobkoh replied with a shrug. “I feel a little worn out, but not like I’m going to pass out or anything.”

“That’s good.” Rialin smiled as she leaned against him.

“Want to try something?” Gobkoh asked a few minutes later.

“Like what?” Rialin questioned curiously.

“Fishing.” Gobkoh nodded towards the river. “All we need are some sturdy sticks, cordage, and something to use as hooks; also something to use as bait.”

“I’ll try it with you.” Rialin agreed as they stood up and headed back into the forest to look for sticks. They’d get the cordage from the large stash both of them had made together. ‘You can never have too much cordage.’ Had become a motto of their group lately. It took a bit of time but within the hour Rialin and Gobkoh had their primitive fishing rods. Sturdy sticks with just a bit of give to them, braided vine cordage tied tightly to the sticks with about twenty feet of ‘line’ to fish with hanging off the end. They’d used animal bones for hooks; they had plenty of past kills to scavenge bones from after all. For bait they’d dug up some worms from the dirt of the forest.

“Now we just cast the line out and wait.” Gobkoh showed Rialin as he tossed the baited line of his fishing rod out into the river. Rialin, always quick on the uptake, copied his motion and tossed her line out as well. The two Goblins enjoyed the sounds of the forest and the river as they waited. Only occasionally talking about where they’d try to go in just under a month. Gobkoh made a mental note to form a scouting party to search for a suitable place over the next few days. Running blindly through the forest wouldn’t help them.

“Huh?” Rialin exclaimed as her line went taunt.

“Something took your bait; pull it in!” Gobkoh smiled at her.

“Right!” With a strong pull upwards Rialin stood up and began to fight with whatever she had hooked. Splashing in the river drew the eyes of the two Goblins. Rialin tugged harder as she walked backwards, dragging whatever it was closer to the river’s edge. More splashing and tugs against the line occurred before the animal was in the shallows and had no further cover.

“That’s a good size fish.” Gobkoh noted as the fish flopped in the shallows only to be finally drug on land by Rialin. Analyze quickly provided information.

[Bluegill – Level 1]

“I got it!” Rialin cheered as she dragged the flopping fish onto the grass.

“Good work, Rialin!” Gobkoh praised her as he picked up a good sized rock and then smashed the head of the fish with it. The Bluegill stopped moving and Gobkoh showed Rialin how to gut and clean the catch. “Good catch we’ll cook it up when we get back.”

“Is it tasty?” Rialin questioned a proud smile on her face.

“It should be with some seasoning.” Gobkoh nodded as he stuck the cleaned fish onto a stick and placed it beside their fishing spot.

“I can’t wait!” Rialin grinned as she looked over the fish.

It wasn’t much longer that another fish tried its luck by taking Gobkoh’s bait. After a bit of struggle Gobkoh hauled another Bluegill in; about the same size as Rialin’s and also Level 1 too. Gobkoh helped Rialin gut and clean his catch so she could learn how to do it herself. With a fish each the Goblins returned to the cave clearing and set about cooking their catch. A few herbs on the fish near the end of the cooking would add a bit of extra flavor.

‘I wish I had some salt and pepper.’ Gobkoh thought to himself. ‘Maybe some lemon too, and butter, that would be good.’

Pulling the fish from near the fire, Rialin and Gobkoh began to eat. Needless to say their catches and new fishing poles had drawn the attention of their group and the others had gathered around. Gobkoh explained the concept of fishing to his followers and even let them have small bits of the fish to taste. It was good enough that Gobtay and Gobyog wanted fishing poles of their own. Four females that he couldn’t remember the names of off the top of his head also showed interest in fishing as well.

“Right, right…let me finish eating first and I’ll make you fishing poles.” Gobkoh waved them off. He told them the materials needed to make the fishing poles and set them to collect the sticks, bones, and cordage. Gobkoh finished his fish and gathered a few fruits with Rialin to finish off their lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent making fishing poles and teaching his followers how to fish. This included how to gut and clean the fish they caught. Though they all only caught Bluegill and each of the fish was only Level 1 or Level 2. This brought up the question of whether or not the Bluegill would grow into something else or if they ever even managed to get to Level 100 naturally. At least Gobkoh thought about it; the others only seemed interested in catching and eating the fish.

“Today was a pretty good day.” Rialin commented as they removed their armor and prepared for bed. “We learned a new way to get food and have new items to do so with.”

“Yeah, fishing is about patience but it can be rewarding for a lot less direct effort. Tastes good too.” Gobkoh replied as he got under the pelt blanket.

“Where do you think we should head to when the time comes?” Rialin asked as she slipped into the bedding with him and snuggled close.

“I’m thinking we form a scouting party and check out the areas behind the cave. If we can cover enough ground we might find a suitable location before we have to leave.” Gobkoh informed her and Rialin nodded in understanding. The two snuggled up and drifted off shortly afterwards.

-Day 75-

“I miss the cave.” Gobwren huffed as he walked along through the forest with Gobkoh, Rialin, Amalin, and Gobtay.

“We all do, but this is important, we need to find a place to live before the Emperor Tiger challenges Rull. It won’t do us any good to spend days or weeks wandering the forest with nowhere else to go if we don’t find a place now.” Gobkoh explained again. They were all tired but they were getting close to a good area. At least Gobkoh thought it would be a good area.

The area in question was near some mountains that Gobkoh had spotted when they’d all climbed to the top of a tall tree on the first day that they’d left the cave. They’d headed towards the mountain area and had been travelling for the last three days. Food was taken care of with some hunting and foraging and they were walking not too far from one of the streams that fed into the larger river downstream. That made water a non-issue at the moment as well. Gobkoh estimated that they’d covered probably just over twenty miles in the last three days. They should be arriving before dusk today at their pace.

“It’s getting pretty rocky around here.” Gobtay remarked as they walked past a large boulder. The rocks were indeed becoming more common as they continued onward.

“That means we’re close, right?” Amalin questioned and Gobkoh nodded.

“Let’s get passed this next area of the forest and we’ll see exactly what we’re dealing with.” Gobkoh spoke up as the group walked along. Several minutes passed before the group passed over a ridge and looked over the area. It was a mostly flat plateau at the foot of the closest mountain. It was forested but had clear spaces as well. A large pond was being filled by water pouring from a mountain spring, before forming a stream that flowed downhill and into the cover of the forest.

“I think it looks nice.” Gobwren remarked as the group looked over the area.

“I bet we could fish in that big pond!” Gobtay exclaimed as he eyed the body of water. He’d taken quite a liking to fish ever since he’d caught his first one.

“I think I see a cave over there.” Amalin pointed out a large opening partially shadowed by an overhang of rock jutting from the mountainside.

“We should definitely check this place out.” Rialin nodded and nobody could disagree. It certainly appeared to fit the bill for a good living area for their future Tribe. Walking around the area showed signs of clear animal presence, so that meant prey lived here. There were fruit trees as well and even a few herbs growing around the area. Making their way towards the suspected cave the group of Goblins had their weapons at the ready. As they entered they heard nothing of suspicion inside. The cave was rather spacious and fairly deep, perhaps a little smaller than the cave they currently lived in but not by much. Gobkoh conjured a fireball and tossed it at the roof of the cave. The ball burst apart when it hit the rock briefly illuminating the top of the cave. A few small bats stirred and flew from the cave. Gobkoh repeated this three more times clearing out a few more small gatherings of bats.

“I think something used to live here.” Gobkoh remarked. “These bats haven’t formed a colony yet. That means they’re new here. Something else must have lived here that kept them out.”

“What if it still lives here?” Amalin asked concerned.

“I don’t think it does, otherwise the bats wouldn’t have come back.” Gobkoh explained to the group. “We don’t have any bats at the cave either. They prefer quiet places and Goblins make way too much noise. Whatever lived here before was probably large and threatening. But if the bats came back then it is likely whatever it was died or moved on.”

“So is this the place we’re going to move to?” Gobtay questioned. Gobkoh and Rialin looked at each other, both considering the area and the cave before nodding.

“Yeah, this place will be our new home. We’ll start preparing to move once we get back.” Gobkoh announced and got nods of acceptance from Amalin, Gobtay, and Gobwren. With the area scouted the Goblins began to make their way back to their current cave to round up the rest of their group. They still had a couple of weeks, but it would be better to be long gone before the Emperor Tiger even showed itself. It greatly lessened the chances of the Tiger following after their scents for any reason.

-Day 78-

“It feels good to be back.” Gobtay remarked as the scouting group rested from their journey. They’d made it back to the cave clearing less than an hour ago and were all relaxing.

“It does.” Gobwren agreed as he laid in the shade of the tree they were all sitting under.

“Once we’ve had a bit more time to rest we need to gather everyone and explain the plan.” Gobkoh informed the group.

“Sure thing.” Amalin agreed as she relaxed.

Several minutes later the scouting party rounded up the rest of their group and Gobkoh explained the plan to move to the new cave they’d found. There were a few questions about why they were leaving earlier than necessary but that was easily explained as well. With everyone in agreement Gobkoh only had one last bit of instruction to give to his followers.

“Make sure you’re prepared for the trip.” Gobkoh stated as he looked at the eighteen Goblins that followed him. “It took our small scouting party three days to reach the new cave. With so many of us it’ll probably take an extra day or possibly two to reach it this time. Prepare food in advance, we can smoke meat and gather extra fruit. We’ll leave two days from now; take everything you want to keep with you. It is unlikely that we’ll ever return here.” Getting calls of confirmation and agreement from his followers Gobkoh headed into the cave to inform Rull and En of his group’s plans.

“I see, that is good.” Rull nodded as Gobkoh finished explaining.

“The Tiger shouldn’t follow you if you leave this early, but I’m concerned that none of your group knows any Healing Skills.” En stroked his small beard.

“I’m not sure I could change that in just two days.” Gobkoh replied with a look of doubt on his face.

“Ask Yualin if she’d be willing to go with the youngsters.” Rull rumbled out. “She knows how to concoct basic medicines. Has a Skill for it if I remember correctly.”

“Yes, she does possess the ‘Herbalism’ Skill.” En confirmed with a nod. The Hobgoblin stood and left the Ogre and Goblin alone for a minute before returning with an elderly female Goblin.

“Yualin, would you be willing to travel with the youngsters that are planning to leave and start their own Tribe?” Rull questioned the elderly female. Yualin had grey hair and stood with a slight hunch, but her eyes were still sharp with wit.

“I do not mind, Chief Rull.” Yualin replied and the old Goblin looked over at Gobkoh. “So, you are the new Chief?”

“Me?” Gobkoh pointed at himself.

“Yes, you, are you the new Chief?” Yualin asked again.

“He is.” Rull nodded.

“You gathered your generation that showed intelligence around you, taught them things and helped them survive and thrive.” En stated. “What are you if not a Chieftain?”

“I didn’t really think about it.” Gobkoh replied. “I just saw that some of them were capable of learning. There is strength and security in a group so it was better to make sure that they survived.”

“That is how Tribes form, youngster.” Yualin spoke up. “The intelligent of our kind gather others that show the same qualities. They learn and grow together, and then a Tribe will inevitably form.”

“That makes sense.” Gobkoh agreed as he looked between the three elders. “We’d be glad to have you with us Yualin.”

“I’ll do my best to be of use to you, young Chief.” Yualin nodded. Out of curiosity for his newest soon-to-be Tribe member’s abilities and Skills, Gobkoh used ‘Analyze’ on Yualin.

[Yualin, Goblin, Level 78]

[Skills: Analyze Lv. 4, Fire Making Lv. 8, Leatherwork Lv. 5, Herbalism Lv. 7]

[Class – Herbalist]

‘Class? What the hell is that? I’ll check it next. Analyze ‘Herbalism’.’ Gobkoh thought and his Skill put the knowledge into his mind.

[Herbalism – Gives Knowledge of Medicinal Plants and combinations that can be used to make poultices, tinctures, infusions, decoctions, powders, syrups, lotions and creams. Higher levels have more Knowledge granted and bonuses to succeed at medicine creation.]

‘That’s a very useful Skill!’ Gobkoh thought to himself. Having Yualin along would be a blessing for their fledgling Tribe. It was too bad that she had obviously stagnated in her Advancement to Hobgoblin. She was probably in her mid-teens, which would be the equivalent of late sixties for a Goblin. ‘Now what about that ‘Class’?

[Class – Herbalist]

[Requirement – Herbalism Lv.2]

[Increases effectiveness of all medicines made by 25%.]

‘So it’s a further modifier? That’s handy. I wonder what kinds of other Classes exist.’ Gobkoh pondered before he decided to check En and Rull. Analyze quickly came into effect to give him the Knowledge.

[En, Hobgoblin, Level 52]

[Skills: Analyze Lv. 7, Fire Making Lv. 10, Leatherwork Lv. 6, Martial Arts Lv. 7]

[Class – Monk]

‘Analyze ‘Monk’.’ Gobkoh thought once again getting new information.

[Class – Monk]

[Requirement – Martial Arts Lv. 5]

[Increases bonuses from ‘Martial Arts’ Skill by 50%. Allows the use of mana to further increase Power, Durability, and Speed.]

[Class Skills: ‘Iron Fist’, ‘Iron Body’, ‘Battle Focus’]

‘Holy shit! En has even more?’ Gobkoh internally yelled before going through the new things he was seeing.

[Class Skills – Skills unique to a specific Class. Only useable by one that has said Class.]

[Iron Fist – Increases Power and Durability while attacking.]

[Iron Body – Increases Durability and Speed while fighting.]

[Battle Focus – Increases Perception and Accuracy while fighting.]

‘Will I gain a Class if I just level up my Skills?’ Gobkoh wondered seeing that both Herbalist and Monk required certain Skills to be at certain levels before being attained. The young Goblin then turned his eyes on Rull.

[Rull, Ogre, Level 50]

[Skills: Analyze Lv. 3, Fire Making Lv. 3, Martial Arts Lv. 10, Axeman Lv.10]

[Class – Monster Knight]

[Sub Classes – Berserker, Monk, Warrior]

‘Are you kidding me?! How deep does this power system go?!’ Gobkoh almost felt like bashing his head against the cave wall. Though the headache he was developing made that idea less appealing.

[Axeman Lv. 10 – Increases Accuracy and Power by 100% when wielding an axe.]

[Class – Monster Knight]

[Requirements – Warrior, Monk, Level 10 Weapons Skill, and Demi-Human Heritage.]

[Increases bonuses from ‘Martial Arts’ Skill and ‘Weapons’ Skill by 50%.]

[Class Skills: ‘Rage’, ‘Battle Instinct’, ‘Combat Intuition’, ‘Weapon Proficiency’, ‘Iron Fist’, ‘Iron Body’, ‘Battle Focus’, ‘Battle Presence’]

‘What in the world?’ Gobkoh could hardly comprehend all the information on Rull.

[Rage – Increases Power and Accuracy when enraged, but lowers Perception.]

[Battle Instinct – Increases Perception and Accuracy, can’t be used with ‘Rage’.]

[Combat Intuition – Increases Perception and Power.]

[Weapon Proficiency – Increases Power and Accuracy when wielding a weapon.]

[Battle Presence – Lowers Opponent’s Perception, Speed, and Power. Can be blocked by Opponents that are stronger than user and certain Skills.]

‘Now I have a headache.’ Gobkoh groaned as he felt his head hurting.

~“Skill ‘Analyze’ has leveled up. ‘Analyze Lv. 3’ acquired”~

‘That almost makes this headache worth it.’ Gobkoh sighed before turning to look at Yualin again.

“We’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow, have all of your things you wish to take ready by then.” Gobkoh informed the elder Goblin.

“Of course, young Chief.” Yualin nodded as she stood and left the part of the cave they were talking in.

“I’m going to start getting ready. Thank you for everything Chief Rull, En.” Gobkoh thanked his father and elder before walking to the youngster’s sleeping area to start preparations for leaving.

“He’s going to make a fine Chieftain.” En commented to Rull.

“That he is; I’m glad such an intelligent Goblin was born from the last birthing of the Rull Tribe.” Rull rumbled with a grin on his old face.

“Who knows what a Goblin such as Gobkoh will grow into in the future?” En mused as he considered the possibilities.

“He’s well on his way regardless. He unlocked ‘Goblin Flame’ so he’ll probably develop more Magic Abilities as he grows. I would never have thought a Magic inclined Goblin would be born from our Tribe of brutes.” Rull chuckled, his deep voice reverberating in the cave.

In the youngster’s sleeping area Gobkoh looked over all of his things. His Pelt Blanket, Pelt and Hide Mattress, Pelt Pillow, Antler Spear, Antler Shiv, Stone Knife, Scale Shield, Scale Armor, Stone Sword, Bow, Quiver, Arrows, Fishing Pole, and Lynx Cloak. With only fourteen possessions to his name Gobkoh was confident he could take it all with him. He would be carrying most of his equipment as normal anyway so there wasn’t a point in leaving any of it behind.

‘I know one thing.’ Gobkoh thought to himself with fire in his eyes. ‘I’m not leaving my mattress!’ To be fair it did take him five days to gather the materials and make it.

-End Chapter-

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Well now we’ve made some more progress! The youngsters have found a new place to live, but can the whole group make the journey there in one piece? Gobkoh has uncovered more of this World’s Skills and even a Class system! How will Gobkoh develop? What Class might he gain? Keep reading to find out!

Until I can update this again, later!