Survival Life as a Goblin Chapter 11 (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! Hmm, maybe if I get far enough with this story I can look into publishing? Could be cool to get an Illustrator to draw up some pictures for it; could make it a Light Novel type of book.

What will our little Goblins get up to today?

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-Day 92-

Gobkoh couldn’t help but smile at the progress of his Tribe. They’d just finished the normal morning training and everyone was splitting up to take on the day. A few Goblins were gathering their fishing poles, others were putting on armor and getting bows, arrows, and spears ready for hunting. Some were making things like cordage, or taking down dried pelts to make into clothing or bedding. They had to wait until tomorrow to check on their ceramics. He wasn’t going to take a chance on removing them too early and ruining all of the Tribe’s work.

Today he was going to head back to the bamboo thicket that he and Rialin had discovered the other day. Bamboo was ridiculously useful, his memories and knowledge from ‘before’ had plenty of ideas he could use. Gobmyr and Gobwren would be coming with him to collect a few of the tall stalks. With the speed of practice, Gobkoh had his armor on and his stone sword, stone knife, bow, quiver, and one of the bigger axes on his person. He’d made six of the larger axes over the time the Koh Tribe had been at their new home. They were community tools for anyone to use to collect wood. They were to be returned at the end of each day, and they were kept in a designated area inside the cave. He picked up a second axe and took it with him as well.

“Chief,” Gobmyr nodded to Gobkoh in greeting as they met up outside the cave. “We’re going to collect this bamboo stuff, right?”

“Yeah, it has a lot of uses, so I want to get some and try out some ideas I have.” Gobkoh grinned as he handed the second axe to Gobmyr. The other Goblin took the longer axe and hefted it onto his shoulder. “Gobwren, you’ll be lookout for us while we chop a few of the stalks down and drag them back.”

“You got it, Chief!” Gobwren nodded with a grin as the trio set off towards the thicket together.

It was a pleasant day, warm with clear skies, and the forest was filled with the sounds of life. Birds were chirping, insects were buzzing, and a gentle breeze blew through the trees. It was an easy trip with no unwanted surprises. When the trio reached the thicket, both Gobmyr and Gobwren craned their necks to look upward at the tops of the tall stalks.

“You described it to us, but I still have a hard time believing that this stuff is a type of grass.” Gobwren blinked at the bamboo.

“It looks like it’ll be easier to cut than a tree though.” Gobmyr pointed out as he looked the bamboo stalks over. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

“Gobwren, stand guard, we don’t want to be caught by surprise.” Gobkoh instructed and Gobwren nodded as he pulled his bow and got an arrow from his quiver. If the Goblin heard or saw anything dangerous he’d be able to get a shot off before the danger got to them.

Gobkoh and Gobmyr took the axes and each picked a stalk. With deft swings the tall bamboo was chopped down until the stalks fell to the dirt. Not wanting to repeatedly make the trek to the thicket, Gobkoh and Gobmyr each felled three stalks. With six long stalks of bamboo cut, Gobkoh brought out cordage to tie them together. Gobmyr took one of the three stalk bundles and Gobkoh took the other. With Gobwren on the lookout for any predators the three Goblins made their way back towards their home. Dragging the long stalks back had taken some energy and all three were hungry when they returned. Some smoked meat and fresh-picked fruit had filled their bellies, and water quenched their thirst.

“Now, time to get to work on this stuff.” Gobkoh grinned at the six long stalks on bamboo. With a few hacks of his blade against the stalk, he separated one of the internodes from the first stalk. This already made the bamboo worth collecting. They were natural containers, and had a variety of uses just because of that! With a grin he broke the node on one end. Gobkoh took the bamboo with him as he collected a few more materials. Some long grasses, charcoal from the fire pits, and a bit of coarse sand from the mountain. With these materials he layered them into the bamboo tube. Long grasses, sand, charcoal, long grasses, sand, and then charcoal again. The tube was mostly filled now and with care, Gobkoh poked multiple small holes into the bottom node, not enough to cause it to break, but enough to do what he wanted. Walking over to the pond with two wooden bowls, he scooped some of the water from the pond into the stuffed tube.

“What’re you doing, Chief?” Gobtay questioned with curious eyes. He was fishing not too far away from Gobkoh at the moment.

“Making a filter, if it works.” Gobkoh replied as he held the tube over the second bowl. A few moments later and water began to fall from the bamboo tube into the second bowl. When the water came to an end, the second bowl was about half full. Filling the first bowl with water from the pond again, Gobkoh compared the two bowls of water. Seeing that the second bowl of water was clearer brought a smile to his face. The filter worked, he had cleaner water to use for cleaning and bathing now!

Goblins could drink from the pond or river without a problem; they were pretty hardy creatures after all. But cleaning required clean water and now Gobkoh had it! Goblins might be able to eat raw meat and drink unfiltered and non-boiled water without much problem. But disease would kill them just like any other creature if they got sick from poor hygiene. Admittedly, it would take some pretty filthy conditions for a Goblin to get sick, but Gobkoh wasn’t going to risk it.

“Did it work?” Gobtay asked, unable to see from the distance he was at.

“Yep!” Gobkoh chuckled as he thought about what he’d be able to do for his Tribe with cleaner water. With bamboo as a natural pipe, once he processed a few stalks for that purpose, he might just be able to get a few of his ideas to work! With a grin, Gobkoh headed back to the bamboo stalks. He had more internodes to make into containers! He already knew the first few things these stalks were going to become!

-Day 93-

The Koh Tribe was slowly and carefully digging out their ceramics from the cooled ashes of the big pit they’d dug. Quite a few of the plates, bowls, jars, and lids had made it through the firing process successfully. They’d found a few cracked and broken items too, but the majority of their creations survived! This included three of the five grill grates that Gobkoh had made and all four large cooking pots! There was much cheer in the air as all of the new ceramics were looked over and checked for any damage.

“This is great!” Eryslin smiled at her new ceramics. Three plates, two bowls, and two jars with lids had come out of the firing process.

“Now we have stuff to eat off of besides leaves.” Fayelin grinned as she looked over her plates and bowls.

Gobkoh was happy that their first foray into pottery and ceramics had worked out well enough. Seeing his Tribe happy always brought a smile to his face. He also noticed that everyone had quickly taken to the bamboo canteens he’d made for them. By making a small hole in one node, with a tiny hole on the other end of the same node for airflow, it was easy to fill the internode full of water. A small piece of the outer part of the bamboo, shaped to fit the larger of the two holes, made a good stopper to prevent the water from sloshing out. Now everyone could take water with them when they went out hunting or foraging. Not to mention the ease it provided, only having to make a few trips per day to fill it up, instead of going to the pond every time they wanted a drink.

“What are we using these four big pots for?” Vawalin questioned, looking over the four large cooking pots.

“Three of them are for cooking.” Gobkoh answered her. He took out his stone knife and started scratching ‘X’ marks around the rim of one of the large pots. “This one will not be used for cooking. It’ll be used to make soap.”

“Right, you said we needed to soak the leaves and stems of the Soapwort plants in water to make soap, right?” Saelin remembered with a grin.

“We have to boil them for a short time to make soap, but yeah, we’ll need this pot to do that in.” Gobkoh confirmed and the Tribe looked interested in the new item they’d soon have.

“Is that why you carved the same marks on a bunch of these bamboo canteens?” Rialin realized as she held up one of the bamboo internodes in question. There was an ‘X’ carved into each side of the tube to distinguish it from the regular bamboo canteens he’d made for everyone.

“Yep, we can store the soap for about ten or so days before it’ll go bad. Then we just have to make more.” Gobkoh smiled at his female. “I’d love to preserve it longer, but that is much harder to do.”

“I may be able to help with that, young Chief.” Yualin spoke up. The elderly Goblin smiled at the confused look on her Chief’s face. “I can make a fairly powerful preservative with the right herbs and a bit of mana. It’s not perfect, and it’s poisonous if you use it on things like meat, but it should make your soap last for at least two months.”

“You can do that?” Gobkoh blinked at the Herbalist. “That would be an immense help, Yualin, thank you.”

“Of course, young Chief.” Yualin smiled as she gave a small bow. “Come along Saelin, I’ll show you how to make the preservative. We should have all the ingredients on hand already.”

“Yes, Yualin.” Saelin happily followed after her teacher to learn a new recipe. A magical recipe at that!

“We won’t have to make the soap as often as I thought. That’s good.” Gobkoh was happy with the news. They shouldn’t have a problem keeping things clean with good soap. “Now we just have to make rags and such to clean things with.”

“How do we do that?” Hylalin inquired, wondering how they would make any kind of cloth with what they had available.

“Normally we’d be out of luck,” Gobkoh admitted, making mutters break out as the Tribe wondered what their Chief meant. “But we do have these.” He held up one of the old, ragged cloths that they’d been gifted when they were born in the Rull Tribe. “We’ll wash them with the new soap to clean them; and then we’ll cut them into appropriate sizes for wash clothes, towels, and rags. Once they’re cut, we’ll use cordage to sew the edges to keep them from falling apart.”

“Huh,” Tayalin cocked her head to the side. “I didn’t think they’d be good enough to use for anything but bags anymore.”

“They’ll be perfect for this.” Gobkoh grinned at his tribesmen. “We have some work to do; so let’s get to it.”

“Yes Chief!” The Goblins all called out and Gobkoh was able to start production of soap, rags, wash clothes, and towels. Tomorrow they should have everything to make the next big cleanliness item that Gobkoh wanted. He was sure the Tribe would get a kick out of what they were going to make next!

-Day 94-

“Are you going to tell us what we’re digging this big hole for yet?” Gobyog asked as the Tribe was digging a large hole in the dirt. They were closer to the pond than the large hole they’d dug for the firing pit. Though none of them knew exactly what the Chief was having them make.

“You’ll find out.” Gobkoh grinned and the ‘aww’ he heard from his tribesmen made him chuckle.

Once the hole was dug to the right size Gobkoh took over. Using ‘Spirit Unification’ and ‘Spirit Guide’ he pulled a good amount of Earth Spirits to him. With Earth Magic he compacted and hardened the sides of the hole. More bamboo was brought in and then cut to a length of ten feet. These pieces were driven into the ground straight through the middle of the hole. With the bamboo serving as the base Gobkoh covered them with mud and dirt from the hole they’d just dug. After that was complete he compressed and hardened it along with the floor of the hole.

“I still have no idea what he’s doing.” Gobtay shook his head.

“I’m sure it’ll make sense soon.” Neylin shrugged her shoulders.

For hours Gobkoh used Earth Magic through his Shaman Class Skills. He tore two trenches through the ground and laid hollowed out bamboo in them. Burying them he only smiled when more and more questions were asked. The Chieftain used his control over rock and soil to make a large vessel. This vessel was connected at the bottom by more hollowed out bamboo to two large earthen boxes. Under the boxes was what looked like the tinderbox of one of the stoves. From these boxes was yet more hollowed out bamboo that hung just over the edge of the hole on both of the now divided sides.

When the construction was complete Gobkoh, looking exhausted but proud, walked his tribesmen through what he’d finished creating. He showed them the capped bamboo that led to the vessel, the large earthen boxes and the tinderboxes under them, then to the hole they’d dug that was now divided by the high wall. The Goblins still didn’t understand, though Rialin looked like she was puzzling it out fairly quickly. Gobkoh couldn’t help but smile at how sharp his female was.

“Just fill the vessel with long grasses, sand, charcoal, more long grasses, more sand, and more charcoal in layers.” Gobkoh instructed his tribesmen and he would have chuckled, if he wasn’t so tired, when he saw the look of realization on Rialin’s face.

“It’s a filter!” Rialin stated as she looked at the vessel. “It cleans the pond water, then the filtered water goes into the boxes and we start fires under them; that heats up the water which then pours out of the last bamboo into the hole!”

“Yep.” Gobkoh smiled at her tiredly. “It’s an outdoor bath. Perfect for our new soap, washcloths, and towels, right? We just need to build a wall around it for privacy.”

“You’re amazing Gobkoh!” Rialin exclaimed as she hugged her male close.

“We could have warm baths?” Amalin blinked in shock.

“I only heard stories from the Hobgoblins about baths.” Jisalin commented as she looked over the new baths. “I didn’t think it was possible to have them in the forest.”

“Won’t the pool overflow?” Gobmyr asked as he looked over the divided hole.

“There’s a plug at the deeper end to drain it out into the stream the pond flows into.” Gobkoh pointed at the solid, bamboo-covered plug at the end of the bath, at the bottom of the floor. “Remember when you asked why we were digging at a small angle? That’s the reason.”

“Oh…” Gobmyr nodded in understanding.

Gobkoh showed them how to let the hot water out of the large earthen boxes. Merely lifting a tab out of the bamboo pipe would allow the water from the box to flow out into the pool. When asked how they’d know when the water in the boxes was hot enough he pointed out a bamboo tube on the corner of each box.

“When steam is coming out of the tube, the water is hot enough for bathing.” Gobkoh assured his tribesmen. While they all marveled at the new creation Rialin, noticing her male’s exhausted state, guided Gobkoh back to the cave.

“Sleep for a bit, Gobkoh.” Rialin urged her male with a smile and a gentle kiss. “I’ll get the others to finish the fence around the baths. Then we’ll complete the filter. Once the baths are ready, I’ll wake you up so you can be the first one in.”

“Alright…” Gobkoh yawned as he lay down in their bed and drifted off. Rialin smiled at her male before heading out of the cave to get the last parts of the baths finished.

A few hours later, just as the sun was setting and painting the sky a myriad of colors, Rialin woke Gobkoh from his nap. With smiles and gentle urging she got her still tired male out of bed and walking towards the baths. Gobkoh admired the work his tribesman had done while he’d been asleep. A bamboo fence now surrounded the outdoor baths. Tiredly Gobkoh let Rialin lead him into the side that had been designated for the males. It was only when he saw her removing her own pelt clothing that Gobkoh realized his female’s intentions.

“Are you sure, Rialin?” Gobkoh asked, even as Rialin led him into the bathing area.

“It’s fine.” Rialin smiled at him, both of them naked. Seeing steam rising from the tube on the earthen box, Rialin removed the tab and watched as the warm water filled the pool. Each box, when full, could fill the pool it was attached to until they were full enough to bathe in. When the pool was filled she returned the tab to its spot in the bamboo pipe and then guided Gobkoh into the warm water.

“Ah~ that’s nice…” Gobkoh sighed as the warm water covered him.

“It really is~” Rialin smiled as she relaxed.

After a few minutes to enjoy the hot water, Rialin pulled over a washcloth and a bamboo tube of soap. She gently washed Gobkoh’s back for him while humming gently. He returned the favor and washed her back and her hair for her. They finished washing themselves before they got out and used the newly made towels to dry off. They put their pelt tunics and shorts back on and left the baths while holding hands.

“The baths are free.” Rialin called out to the rest of the Tribe. Most of the females quickly headed from the baths, only a few staying out to stand guard. The remaining four males; Gobyog, Gobtay, Gobwren, and Gobmyr headed into the male side to get in the already prepared bath before the water got cold. A pool the size that the baths were could clean many Goblins without the water getting noticeably dirty after all. Once they were washed they’d take over on guard and let the remaining females bathe.

“That was nice.” Gobkoh smiled as he and Rialin had a simple dinner of meat and foraged fruit.

“It was,” Rialin agreed with a smile of her own. “I’m pretty sure we’re the only Goblin Tribe in the entire Silua Forest with baths.”

“Our next project will be making a decent wall around the flat area outside the cave.” Gobkoh mentioned as he took another bite.

“A wall? What for?” Rialin questioned curiously. “Nothing dangerous seems to live in this area.”

“Exactly,” Gobkoh chuckled lightly. “Because we’re living in the former home of whatever scared them all away.”

“Huh?” Rialin looked perplexed at her male’s words.

“The reason there aren’t any predators around here is because whatever used to live in this cave scared them all away.” Gobkoh explained as they ate. “We’re basically living under the protection of whatever it was. But that protection won’t last for very much longer. The scent of whatever it was will fade away from this entire area quickly; and that’ll invite predators back to hunt here again. Without a wall of some kind the new predators can charge right into our home.”

“I see,” Rialin looked thoughtful for a moment. “Is that why you used all that Earth Magic today? You were testing to see how much you could do before you got too tired.”

“That intelligence is very attractive, you know?” Gobkoh grinned at his female. Rialin blushed, but gave him a bright smile. “You’re absolutely right. I wanted to know my limits now, while we still have time, before I start making the wall. With help from the Tribe I’m hopeful we can make a sturdy wall to keep the predators out. We’ll have to make a gate, of course, but with all of us working on it we should be fine.”

“Won’t we need a way to see over the wall though?” Rialin asked as they finished their dinner and headed for bed.

“With bamboo and some Earth Magic, I’m sure we could make a few good lookout towers to give us a good view of the forest.” Gobkoh reassured her as they climbed into bed together.

“We’ll figure it out.” Rialin smiled gently before kissing him. Gobkoh returned the kiss and the two snuggled close.

“Good night, Rialin.” Gobkoh murmured softly and he pulled her closer.

“Good night, Gobkoh.” Rialin nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck.

The couple slept well that night. Cuddled up and warm in each other’s embrace under their pelt blanket. They’d deal with the next task of securing the Koh Tribe’s future tomorrow.

-End Chapter-

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Woohoo! Soap and baths acquired! Now we’re getting clean! No sickness and disease for the Koh Tribe, thank you very much! Quite the industrious little tinkerer our Goblin Shaman is! But when you have literal decades of knowledge about self-sufficiency and making things yourself, that’s probably to be expected, right? Now they’re thinking about a wall to enclose the flat land in front of their cave home! The Koh Tribe is planning to be here for the long haul!

What’s the next thing that the Koh Tribe will face?

Keep reading to find out!