Survival Life as a Goblin Chapter 14 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! I got another Tier Reward asking for more Goblins! My Original Writing is still wanted! How can any writer not be happy about that?

The Koh Tribe has some new recruits! What can theses weaker Goblins tell them about the War Orc and his progeny that’re apparently moving through the Silua Forest?

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-Day 127-

“The War Orc has raised his sons and they’ve all advanced to the second stage of their species’ development.” One of the former Mak Tribe Goblins -Gobtuk- told Gobkoh, Rialin, Yualin, Neylin, and Gobwren. The group was sitting in front of the mostly completed hearth inside the Koh Tribe’s cave home. “Their species is built upon strength and now that his progeny are strong, they’ve been forced out to start their own Tribes. The Orcs have long held dominion over parts of the Silua Forest in this way. Our small Tribe was forced to flee when one of the progeny and his Tribe decided they liked our former home. Gobmak took advantage of the destruction of our former Tribe to force us that were weaker to serve him.”

“Hmm,” Gobkoh hummed thoughtfully as he mulled over this new information. “How many of these progeny were sent out to form their own Tribes?”

“Five sons, all of them now Battle Orcs and stronger than what most Goblin Tribes could hope to deal with.” The scrawny Gobtuk shook his head at the memories.

“How large are these fledgling Tribes?” Yualin asked the young Goblin. The elder female had a keen intellect for their species and wanted to know the number of enemies.

“The one that wiped out our Tribe was at least two dozen strong, probably more.” Gobtuk informed the group.

“At least two dozen, multiplied by five, means we could be facing threats from as many as one-hundred-twenty Orcs or more.” Gobkoh grimaced at the disparity between the Koh Tribe’s numbers and the approaching threat. They didn’t even have any Hobgoblins to try and balance out the power disparity caused by the Battle Orcs. “We’ll have to prepare ahead of time. The more food we can stock up and the more arrows and weapons we can make, the better off we’ll be. How long do you think it’ll be before one of the progeny Tribes finds us here?”

“They know the Goblin Tribes’ Markings. They follow them to find areas that’re already settled because they’re easier to live in.” Gobtuk explained the methodology of the progeny Tribes. “Your Tribe claims a lot of land, I’m sure it won’t take long before one of the progeny Tribes finds your Markers and follows them here.”

“So we’re on a time limit then,” Rialin looked to be thinking hard on the situation. “Are they well-armed? What does their equipment look like?”

“The Tribe that destroyed ours only had six Orcs -including the Battle Orc- that wore armor and had the best weapons. The rest were wearing simple furs and only had clubs or crude wooden spears.” Gobtuk recalled the Orcs that had driven their Tribe out.

“No bows?” Gobwren asked as he showed Gobtuk his own weapon.

“Nothing like that thing, no.” Gobtuk shook his head after looking over the odd weapon.

“Then we have the advantage of range,” Neylin gave a fanged-grin as she ran her fingers over her own bow.

“What about Magic?” Gobkoh questioned the weaker Goblin. “Were any of them capable of using Magic?”

“Not that I saw before I started running into the forest,” Gobtuk responded with his shoulders sagging at the memories. “But Battle Orcs have Skills that make them very hard to defeat in battle. Our Chieftain was a Hobgoblin and he couldn’t even do any damage between the Battle Orc’s armor and Skills.”

“Skills might be a problem,” Gobkoh admitted with a frown. “What would be the response of this War Orc if one of his progeny’s Tribes was to be wiped out?”

“I doubt he’d do anything,” Gobtuk shook his head. “Orcs base their Tribes around strength. If a Tribe is wiped out then the Orcs that died are considered too have been too weak to survive. It’s why the Orcs have never banded together under a single leader. None of them have ever been strong enough to command their entire species.”

“Where did you learn so much about Orcs?” Yualin questioned the much younger Goblin.

“We lived not too far from the War Orc’s Tribe,” Gobtuk informed the elder. “We had plenty of chances to interact with them. Our Chieftain had observed them for years and told us about them. We were using the War Orc’s strength to shield our own Tribe.”

“That came back to hurt you in the end.” Gobwren commented and Gobtuk could only nod in agreement.

“Thank you for this information,” Gobkoh nodded to Gobtuk. “You and the remaining Goblins are welcome to join the Koh Tribe.” Gobtuk’s face brightened up considerably. “Just remember my warning.” The young Goblin rapidly nodded his head. None of the former Mak Tribe wanted to end up a charred husk like Gobmak had become after challenging Gobkoh. “You’ll also follow our Tribe’s training regime; we have no resources to waste on those that can’t contribute.”

“Yes, Chieftain.” Gobtuk bowed low, his forehead almost touching the cave floor. “We will give our all for our Tribe, the Koh Tribe!”

“Neylin, Gobwren, show the new members around our home,” Gobkoh instructed and both Goblins nodded to their Chief before guiding Gobtuk out of the cave.

“You seemed happy about the addition of the new Goblins,” Rialin looked at her male curiously. “Why is that?”

“For the future,” Gobkoh gave her a small smile. “We have eleven new tribesmen, none of which are related to any of us. Eight males and three females helps fill out the gender disparity in our own population. Once we get them trained up and all of us begin going through our Growth Phases, we’ll be much better off when it comes time to expand our population.”

“Oh…” Rialin looked her male in the eyes and smiled happily at the thought of the future. “Children would be nice when we’re able.” She leaned against him and grinned when Gobkoh wrapped his arm around her waist.

-Day 134-

“They’re looking much better,” Rialin commented as the morning training ended and the Koh Tribe dispersed to take care of their tasks. They were stocking up on food and firewood. They were making weapons, and keeping sharp eyes on the forest to spot the approach of any of the Orc Tribes.

“Good food, plenty of rest, and dedicated training does the body good,” Gobkoh agreed as all eleven new members of their Tribe weren’t so scrawny any more. They’d all taken to the training well, and had been amazed at the many things that the Koh Tribe had made. They’d had to be taught how to bathe in the baths, but now the eleven newbies could barely be distinguished from any other member of the Koh Tribe.

“I just hope we can deal with these Orcs,” Rialin looked worried at the first battle that their Tribe would face. “Orcs are bigger than Goblins and have more strength naturally.”

“That’s why we’re preparing in advance,” Gobkoh reminded his female. “Our wall and gate should keep them out and allow us to take them down before they can do much of anything. If they’re all similar to the Tribe that Gobtuk told us about, then we shouldn’t have to worry about too much.”

“Yeah, you’re right, I’m just a little nervous.” Rialin sighed and he pulled her into a hug to reassure her. It was perfectly normal to be nervous in this situation, they didn’t know when or how the Orcs might come at them. They’d make the most out of their preparations.

-Day 141-

“Chief! Chief!” One of the lookout Goblins yelled out as he banged a small, hanging clay tile with a matching, equally small stone hammer. The two items let out a loud noise when they struck each other and made for a good alarm.

“What is it?!” Gobkoh hollered back to the lookout as he emerged from the cave. He’d been working on the last part of the chimney flue of the hearth and was almost done when he’d heard the alarm.

“Chief…” Gobwren, Gobyog, Gobtay, and Gobmyr greeted Gobkoh with a nod. All four looked well enough, but what caught Gobkoh’s attention were the two bodies they’d dragged back inside their wall.

“The hell?” Gobkoh used ‘Analyze’ to find out what he was looking at.

[Orc – Dead]

[Orc – Dead]

The two Orcs were humanoid in shape, possessing two legs, a torso, two arms, and a head on top. The hands ended in fingers, each topped with hard, almost hoof-like material on the tips. Their heads resembled a boar’s and they even had small tusks protruding from their snout-like mouths. Their heads had pointed ears, just like a boar’s, and were covered in fur-like hair. The rest of their bodies only had trace amounts of hair though. They wore simple tunics of pelts and both had large wounds that had stained their tunics with blood.

“They tried to ambush us in the forest while we were hunting,” Gobwren explained as he motioned to the dead Orcs. “They didn’t seem too smart though. We were able to take them down without much trouble.”

“Our weapons and armor made a lot of difference.” Gobtay patted his Shell Armor Breastplate.

“We finished them off with our spears and Gobmyr’s axe.” Gobyog motioned to the puncture wounds in their chests and the deep laceration along each of the Orcs’ necks.

“They only had wooden clubs as weapons, just like Gobtuk said.” Gobmyr informed his Chieftain.

“So they’re this close,” Gobkoh mused as he looked at the dead Orcs. “Close the gate, we’ll be hunkering down for the next few days. No one leaves while we wait for the Orcs to show up!”

“Yes, Chief!” The Tribe responded in unison.

“Do you think we can eat these, like boar?” Gobmyr nudged one of the dead Orcs with his foot as the gate closed fully behind them.

“I don’t know,” Gobtay shrugged as he looked at their kills.

“I mean, they look like boar,” Gobyog looked thoughtfully at the Orcs.

“We can try, right?” Neylin suggested as she and some of the other Goblins walked over to examine the dead Orcs.

“We’ll need the big cleaver.” Kaylin looked over the Orcs and noted their size.

With much curiosity and teamwork, the Orc bodies were carried off to the processing area which wasn’t too far from the Leather Making area by the pond. They’d taken to processing their kills next to the pond so that they could toss extra scraps into the water. This had led to larger fish growing in the pond and even some new fish swimming in through the clay-coated, bamboo fence that blocked off entrance into the wall via the river. Only fish could fit through the fence and it kept their water supply secured. The big fish that grew from the extra food were then caught and became food for the Tribe. Without Gobkoh’s Earth Magic, they’d never have been able to build the wall over the slow stream that flowed from the pond.

That night the Koh Tribe dined on Orc meat. It tasted rather similar to boar meat, though the texture was different. If the battle with the Orc Tribes lasted a while, they could secure extra food by eating the Orcs they killed without trouble. According to Gobtuk, Orcs were omnivores and ate pretty much whatever food they could get their hands on. That included Demi-Humans like Goblins and even other Orcs if there was a food shortage. Survival of the fittest truly was the only thing that mattered in the depths of the Silua Forest.

-Day 144-

“So we’re keeping these little jars of Varettayl oil as weapons, right?” Rialin asked as she looked over the clay jar she had in her hands. It was filled with used oil from their cooking and sealed up afterwards.

“Yep,” Gobkoh grinned as he held up a second jar of oil. “We’re gonna toss these down on the Orcs if they get close to the wall. Then a single flaming arrow should be enough to set them all on fire. I doubt their armor will do much to stop them from burning.”

“So we could kill most of them before they could even try to break through our wall, I get it.” Rialin smiled at all of the jars that were stored in the cave. Gobkoh had made this little storage room with his Earth Magic and it was out of the way enough to store the oil jars.

“If any of them are still alive after being burned, I don’t think they’re going to put up too much of a fight. We’ll finish them off and then retreat behind the wall and close the gate. If any more Orcs come we’ll be ready again.” Gobkoh laid out the first battle plan to make use of their fortified home.

“What if they don’t attack directly though?” Rialin questioned her male with a thoughtful look on her face. Seeing her trying to puzzle out different scenarios always made Gobkoh realize just how much more intelligent Rialin was compared to the average Goblin.

“We’ll have all Goblins leave in teams of four or five for safety until we’re certain the Orc threat has passed. Our weapons and armor give us a much more even chance of killing or driving off the Orcs so that we can get back here alive. Ideally though, I’d like to just stay safe behind the wall and force them to try and attack us.”

“I suppose that’s all we can really do as long as the Orc Tribes are roaming around looking for their own territories.” Rialin grumbled at not being able to come up with a more permanent solution to the Orc Threat.

-Day 145-

“Charge!” The largest Orc that Gobkoh could see roared as about thirty Orcs rushed the wall of their home. A quick use of ‘Analyze’ gave him the information he was looking for.

[Graf, Battle Orc, Level 4]

[Skills: Club Lv. 8, Axe Lv. 5, Shield Lv. 3, Fire Making Lv. 3, Martial Arts Lv. 2, Durability Up Lv. 2, Power Up Lv. 3,]

[Race Specific Abilities – Accelerated Healing, Consumption]

[Class – Brute Axeman]

‘He’s a big guy.’ Gobkoh noted as he saw the Orcs charging out of the forest. Most of them wielded the crude wooden spear and clubs that Gobtuk had mentioned. But Graf and five others had stone weapons and roughly put together armor made of multiple Shellcoon shells overlapped over each other to form something like a cuirass. It offered quite a bit of protection for their torso and back. He quickly used ‘Analyze’ on the two Skills he didn’t recognize, the Consumption Ability, and the Class.

[Durability Up – Increases Durability by 15% for each level]

[Power Up – Increases Power by 15% for each level]

[Consumption – The Race Specific Ability of the Orcs, increases Healing by 100% when the Orc is eating or full]

‘Well that just seems unfair.’ Gobkoh mused at the Orc’s Race Specific Ability. Being able to double your healing speed while you ate or after stuffing yourself was a powerful ability. It meant that the Orcs could probably recover faster than most other Demi-Humans and be back on the attack in short order.

[Brute Axeman – Increases bonuses from ‘Martial Arts’ Skill, ‘Club’ Skill, and ‘Axe’ Skill by 20%, increases Power, Durability, and Speed by 15%]

“Wait for them to get closer!” Gobkoh held up his hand to signal his tribesmen. “Wait…” The Orcs had just reached the wall when Gobkoh dropped his arm. “Throw them!”

Dozens of the clay jars were thrown down at the Orcs that were about to attack the wall. Cries, shrieks, and squeals of pain or confusion rose up from the horde of Orcs as some were hit with the jars and covered in oil. Other Orcs seemed confused as they were splashed with oil from broken jars that hit those close to them.

“Fire!” Gobkoh exclaimed and from the top of the wall -on a walkway that Gobkoh had spent a few days making to use the wall as a proper fortification- rained down over a dozen flaming arrows. The flames from the arrows ignited the oil-covered Orcs quickly. The screams of the burning Orcs were matched by the sudden roaring of the flames as they spread.

“What?!” Graf looked confused and enraged as he saw his warriors burning. Another wave of arrows was fired at the Battle Orc but he raised his large shield to block. The shield was probably the wood of a large tree judging by the rough rectangular shape it had been hewed into by the Orc.

“That shield is too big. We can’t get to him with arrows.” Rialin grimaced even as she nocked another arrow.

“Let’s fix that then!” Gobkoh pointed his Shaman Staff at Graf’s shielded form. The Shaman unified his mana with the multitude of Fire Spirits among the roaring flames and then mixed in some Wind Spirits to fan the flames. With the combination ready, Gobkoh directed a wave of fire at the Battle Orc.

“Argh!” Graf roared as he weathered the wave of flames, but his wooden shield caught fire. It was dry wood though, so it was really to be expected. The Battle Orc tossed the shield aside and relied on his layered Shellcoon shells to block their arrows as he tried to retreat.

“No you don’t!” Rialin growled as she released her arrow. The projectile flew through the air and struck the Battle Orc in the back of the leg. Graf stumbled and hit the ground as his leg gave out under him.

“Next volley!” Gobwren called out as all of the Goblins with bows let loose their arrows at the downed Battle Orc.

For his part, Graf blocked most of their arrows by tucking his arms and legs underneath him and turtling up. The arrows lacked the power to pierce Shellcoon shells at the distance they were firing at him. Gobkoh recognized the problem and quickly thought of a solution.

“Keep up the arrows! Just keep him still for a little longer!” Gobkoh ordered his tribesmen as he closed his eyes and focused. He reached out to the Fire Spirits, gathered together as many Wind Spirits as his Medium would allow, then he combined them together. The two different types of spirits swirled around each other as Gobkoh focused. To the amazement of the few Goblins watching, a spiraling spear of fire was forming above the Chieftain’s Shaman Staff. Gobkoh concentrated on making the spirits circle each other faster and faster. Once he’d achieved a speed that he could no longer keep track of or influence with his mana, he opened his eyes and launched his pseudo-spell.

The fire spear tore through the air as if it was fired from a rifle. The spiraling motion granted it both stability and speed as it rapidly closed in on its target. The hunkered down form of Graf was blasted with the fire spear and rolled along the ground until he hit a tree. His Shellcoon shell armor was blasted apart and scorched. The Battle Orc himself was unmoving and his revealed skin was either blackened or a bright, bubbling red.

‘Is he dead?’ Gobkoh wondered as he drew in a deep breath. He was tired, that pseudo-spell had drained his mana considerably and he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it again. He felt sweat trickling down his face as he tried to catch his breath. He used ‘Analyze’ and hoped that it didn’t have a range limit.

[Battle Orc – Dead]

‘Good, good…’ Gobkoh exhaled slowly as the Goblin archers finished off the burned Orcs that were still alive by raining down arrows until they stopped moving.

“Are you okay?” Rialin questioned her male as she put her bow aside and offered him her shoulder. “You look exhausted.”

“I’ll be fine, just make sure all the Orcs are dead.” Gobkoh gave her a tired smile.

“Alright, you rest though!” Rialin gave him a look and Gobkoh held up his hands to placate her.

Once all of the Orcs had been confirmed dead via ‘Analyze’, they were dragged through the gate for processing. Graf had taken almost six Goblins to move his large body. What remained of the Shellcoon shells from the armored Orcs was taken to be used by the Koh Tribe. The gate was closed and barred for the night as the Koh Tribe celebrated their victory over the Orc Tribe. They dined once again on Orc meat, along with fruits and vegetables from the forest. Their fortified home, plus Gobkoh’s strategy had seen the Tribe come through the battle without a single injury.

After a bath and some time to enjoy their dinner, Gobkoh and Rialin went to bed early that night. The couple snuggled together and nodded off. They’d worry about the rest of the post battle things in the morning. With any luck they’d have several level ups among the Tribe and maybe a Skill or two would advance or be gained. It would remain to be seen as they drifted off.

-Day 146-

‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’ Gobkoh thought to himself with wide eyes. He’d awoken, still a little tired if he was being honest, and sat up in his bed. He’d let Rialin sleep a bit longer as he did a quick ‘Self-Analysis’ to check his level. He’d been floored by the results and had to check again.

[Gobkoh, Level 40]

[Skills: Analyze Lv. 3, Weapon Crafting Lv. 2, Leatherwork, Fire Making Lv. 2, Martial Arts Lv. 3, Armor Crafting Lv. 2, Spellcraft]

[Race Specific Ability – Goblin Flame]

[Class – Shaman]

[Class Skills: Spirit Sight, Spirit Communication, Spirit Guide, Spirit Unification, Medium Crafting]

‘The levels I guess I can expect, that was a lot of Orcs and even a Battle Orc, but what’s this ‘Spellcraft’ Skill?’ Gobkoh used ‘Analyze’ on his newest Skill.

[Spellcraft – Increases proficiency of making spells and creating magical effects with mana by 10%]

“Well that’s helpful,” Gobkoh grinned at increasing his magical abilities. As a Shaman, Magic would be his bread and butter. It was best to do what he could to increase his skill with it while keeping his melee and ranged skills in a close second so that he’d have them to fall back on.

The only thing that Gobkoh was worried about as he gently woke Rialin was when the next Orc Tribe would attack. If yesterday’s battle was anything to go by, they’d get a good increase to their levels. But there was no promise that all of the Orcs would be as foolish to charge headfirst towards a fortification like Graf and his Tribe had done. They didn’t truly know if any of the Battle Orcs could use Magic either. Against a more experienced Spellcaster, Gobkoh wasn’t so sure he’d be able to guarantee a win.

‘The best plan is to make sure as many of us hit Level 100 before winter as possible. Even the Orcs aren’t going to want to try and assail us from the forest if it’s below freezing and covered in snow. We can holed up inside as we go through our Growth Phases and become Hobgoblins. That’ll greatly boost our Tribe’s strength for any coming dangers.’ Gobkoh settled on the plan as Rialin woke up and greeted him with a quick kiss.

“You might want to give yourself a ‘Self-Analysis’ this morning.” Gobkoh suggested to Rialin with a grin.

“Okay…” Rialin blinked at the suggestion as she stretched.

‘Three…two…one.’ Gobkoh counted down in his head.

“I GOT SO MANY LEVELS!” Rialin exclaimed in shock and Gobkoh couldn’t help but snicker at his female.

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Well that was eventful!

The Koh Tribe has had their first encounter with Orcs!

They’re the boar-faced version, rather than the Tolkien version!

They also taste like boar meat apparently…

It turns out that it’s not smart to charge blindly towards a fortification, who knew?! With intelligence and strategy the Koh Tribe eliminated Graf and his Tribe. That got them a good boost to their levels!

Gobkoh’s various Magic usage has even gained him a new Skill!

How long will the Orc Threat persist? Will the plan to hit Level 100 before winter succeed?

Until I can update this again, later!