Survival Life as a Goblin Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! I got another Tier Reward asking for more Goblins! My Original Writing has fans and that makes me smile! I do wonder how long this story in particular will be. There is still quite a bit to go just from my plans alone, not to mention what I might work in later.

Things change gear a bit in this chapter! New happenings to look forward to!

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-Day 159-

[Iron Sword]

Gobkoh stared at the large sword that Tarrus had possessed before his death. His ‘Analyze’ Skill said the same thing every time. He didn’t want to believe it though. If the Orcs were smart enough to perform metallurgy and blacksmithing, then they were a much larger threat than he’d originally expected. The only other way that Tarrus could possibly possess this sword was if he’d received it or taken it from someone else.

“I don’t have enough information,” Gobkoh admitted as he stared at the long sword. “I have no idea what other Races and species live in the Silua Forest. I can’t be certain that the Orcs don’t have some kind of deal with a different Race to provide them with forged metal weapons.” One thing after another would be facing the Koh Tribe it seemed.

“Still looking at the sword?” Rialin questioned as she entered the large room that Gobkoh had shaped out of the cave to serve as a storage room for weapons and armor. “I don’t think it’s going to change, no matter how long you look at it.” The grin on her lips made some tension leave Gobkoh’s shoulders.

“Probably not, but it brings up a lot of questions.” Gobkoh tapped the sword with the claw of his right index finger.

The sword was around fifty inches long overall. Of that length, thirty-six of those inches were the blade alone. It was a massive weapon by Goblin standards. If one took into account that the average Goblin topped out at roughly three and a half feet tall, that wasn’t surprising. The weapon weighed about four pounds, give or take a little. It was light enough for a Goblin to lift, but the length made it unwieldy in their hands.

“Do you think the Orcs made it, or did they get it from someone else?” Rialin asked as she looked over the weapon too.

“I’m not sure,” Gobkoh shook his head slightly. “Without knowing all of the Races that live in the Silua Forest, there’s no way to be sure.” He exhaled heavily. “It could be that Tarrus simply took it after killing the original owner. But who that original owner might’ve been is impossible to know.”

“Do you think Yualin might know?” Rialin questioned her male thoughtfully. “She is the oldest of us and she spoke with En fairly often.”

“It couldn’t hurt to ask her.” Gobkoh agreed as he picked up the iron sword.

The couple walked through their cave home and took in the various improvements that Gobkoh had managed to make with Earth Magic. The floor was smoothed out, the walls reinforced with stone buttresses to prevent cave-ins, the huge hearth was completed, and several rooms had been made for various purposes. Rialin’s oil lamps lit up the cave more than enough for Goblin eyes. It was almost as bright as day in the cave to the excellent low-light sight of their kin.

“Chieftain, good day to you.” Yualin greeted Gobkoh as he entered the room that had become the Herbalists’ workshop. Saelin and the new male Goblin -Gobflen- were working on something at one of the stone tables that Gobkoh had made with Earth Magic.

“I wanted to ask you about this sword that Tarrus had, Yualin.” Gobkoh showed her the iron sword in his hand. “I was hoping you might know something about where Tarrus might’ve gotten such a weapon.”

“Hmm,” Yualin looked the sword over closely for several moments. “I believe this is of Human creation. No Smith among Elves would make such a weapon. Only a few Races in the Silua Forest can forge metal. The Dwarves to the east can do so, but they do not live in the forest. They live in the mountains that separate the forest from the rest of the land.”

“Humans come this far into the forest?” Gobkoh cocked his head slightly. “Why?”

“They seek rare ingredients for their own medicines and their Alchemy.” Yualin informed with a nod. “The Silua Forest is incredibly large and ancient. Many rare and even magical plants grow within that can be found nowhere else.”

“So groups of Humans come here looking for such things,” Gobkoh hummed lowly. “It makes sense. If this is the only place they can get them, then it’s not as if they have a choice. I assume one such group must have been found by the Orcs. They were possibly killed and looted or perhaps they had to leave their equipment behind as they fled.”

“Both are possible.” Yualin agreed with the young Chieftain.

“How goes the Medicine Making?” Gobkoh asked the elder Goblin.

“We’ve made quite a bit of progress,” Yualin grinned happily. “We should have enough stocked up soon to take care of anything barring fatal injuries.”

“That’s great, medicine and cleanliness will ensure that we don’t get sick while we’re all staying in the cave this winter.” Gobkoh smiled at the stock of medicine being filled up.

“Is Gobflen learning well?” Rialin looked over the male Goblin as he followed Saelin’s instructions.

“Quite well, actually.” Yualin smiled at her two apprentices. “He has a desire to learn and is very interested in the art. We’ll make a proper Herbalist out of him soon.”

“Excellent, more Healers will always be good.” Rialin smiled brightly at adding to their Tribe’s strength and readiness.

“Thank you for your time, Yualin.” Gobkoh nodded to the elder before he and Rialin headed back towards the weapon storeroom. He placed the iron sword into the scabbard they’d recovered from Tarrus’ body and set it off to the side.

“So…Humans, huh?” Rialin spoke up as they left the storeroom.

“Possibly…” Gobkoh considered as they left the cave together. “If we meet any, we’ll try to be peaceful. If they attack us first though, then they’re enemies.”

“Alright,” Rialin agreed with her male. “It’s probably for the best. If they are peaceful, we might be able to trade for stuff we can’t get in the forest.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for too.” Gobkoh grinned at her fondly as they walked over to the clothing preparation area.

“Chief!” Hylalin smiled at Gobkoh’s approach. “Rialin!” She grinned at the top female of the Koh Tribe.

“Hello, Hylalin,” Rialin returned the greeting with her own smile. “How goes the clothing making?”

“We’re doing pretty good.” Breelin laughed as she brought over one of their finished pieces. “Just feel this one!” She held out the leather tunic to both of them.

“Soft.” Rialin clearly approved as she ran her fingers over the material.

“This is good work, you two are doing amazing.” Gobkoh praised the two female Goblins. “How many have you made so far?”

“Not enough,” Hylalin shook her head. “This one only makes fourteen so far.”

“We have plenty of material, but with only two of us, and how long the process takes, we can only make so many.” Breelin explained their current production speed.

“That’s fine; we still have time right now.” Gobkoh assured the girls. “Did you work on the item I asked about?”

“Yep!” Hylalin beamed as Breelin pulled out the item in question.

“A winter coat!” Breelin smiled as she handed the item to Gobkoh.

It was made from leather and fur and had long sleeves. The inside was fur-lined with what seemed to be Jackalope fur. It was long in length too. The coat would easily reach to Gobkoh’s knees if he put it on. It had some weight to it compared to their normal attire of simple fur pelt tunics and shorts. This was a properly made, almost tailored, piece of clothing.

“Excellent, these’re just what we need when winter comes.” Gobkoh admired the coat. Rialin was happily running her hands over the interior fur-lining with a smile.

“We’ve tried working on the boots you described to us too.” Hylalin looked slightly put out. “But we haven’t had as much success with them.”

“Maybe our Leatherworking Skill isn’t a high enough level yet?” Breelin offered with a shrug.

“Footwear is hard with limited knowledge.” Gobkoh agreed as he thought over what they had to work with. “Simple things like sandals won’t protect our feet from the cold though.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Hylalin waved it off for now.

“Every time we make a new item we get a little closer to leveling up the Leatherworking Skill, so hopefully we’ll get the World Knowledge for boots and stuff next.” Breelin looked hopeful and no one could say it wasn’t the best plan the Tribe had right now.

“We’ll leave you two to your work then.” Rialin smiled at both of them.

“I’m sure the knowledge will come with your skill.” Gobkoh nodded as he handed the winter coat back to Breelin. “You two are doing amazing.” He praised them once more.

“Thanks, Chief!” Hylalin grinned brightly.

“Thank you.” Breelin gave a slight bow with a smile to the Chieftain.

Rialin and Gobkoh continued on their way around the Tribe’s home. They watched on as some Goblins practiced their Archery. The newly made bows would still be a while before they were ready. The primitive bows they’d been using were still good though. It would be good for all of the Goblins to at least be proficient with the bow. The rumbling of their stomachs had them heading for the cooking area.

“Smells good, I wonder what they’re cooking up?” Rialin happily led him towards the covered area.

“Rialin, Chief, come for lunch?” Kaylin asked with a grin. She had two new helpers from their newest members. That brought the total number of Cooks up to six for the Tribe if Rialin was counted.

“Do we have any of that smoked bear meat left?” Gobkoh questioned the unofficial Head Cook. After trying multiple methods of bear meat preparation after they brought down the Brown Bear, smoked meat had the least gamey aftertaste.

“Not much left, it’s really popular.” Kaylin pulled out two good-sized pieces from a ceramic jar and handed them to Gobkoh and Rialin.

“Are you just cooking up Orc meat today?” Rialin asked before taking a bite out of the dried bear meat.

“Cooking it and smoking a lot of it too.” Kaylin motioned towards one of the new females. The girl was monitoring a simple smoker they’d made to make smoked meat. “But we also have fish if you want, Gobtay and Gobwren brought in some big ones today.”

“Haven’t had fish in a bit, I’ll have that.” Gobkoh chose his lunch.

“Me too.” Rialin copied her male’s order.

“Alright, shouldn’t be too long. Gobhak is already cooking them up. He’s gotten the hang of cooking pretty quick.” Kaylin pointed at one of the only two makes among the five cooks.

In short order, Gobkoh and Rialin were presented with their meals. It smelled good and the fish looked delicious. Paired with it were vegetables from the forest. A fairly common vegetable was the Wild Green Onion that had a hint of sweetness when grilled. It also made a good soup when boiled with other ingredients like mushrooms and meat.

[Jaw Bass Filet]

‘So that’s what they caught.’ Gobkoh’s ‘Analyze’ Skill could even give him information on food that had been cooked and prepared.

“Looks great!” Rialin beamed as she picked up her fork and knife. The fork was made from wood. It was something that Gobkoh had shown the other Goblins how to carve. The knife was a stone blade with a wooden handle. Simple and primitive, but they got the job done.

“Let’s eat!” Gobkoh picked up his own utensils and dug in with his female.

The Jaw Bass was excellent and filling, a good lunch to say the least.

-Day 161-

The loud clacking of the alarm from one of the lookout towers caught Gobkoh’s attention. He’d been checking over the newly carved bows to make sure they were up to par with the others. Rushing out of the cave with his Shaman Staff in hand and his armor on, Gobkoh got to the base of the tower next to the gate.

“What is it?!” Gobkoh yelled up to the lookout.

“A person…Human?” The Goblin seemed confused by their visitor.

“Hello? I’m a wandering trader! I’ve come to see if you might like to trade!” A male voice called out through the gate.

“We heard you the first time!” The lookout Goblin yelled down at the person on the other side of the wall. At least four Goblins had the person at arrow point from atop the wall.

Gobkoh climbed up the lookout tower to see their visitor. What he saw brought up a somewhat vivid memory from ‘before’ and he almost smiled. Standing in front of their gate was a middle-aged man, his hair and semi-long beard greying with age. On his head was what could only be considered a wizard or witch hat made from dark-brown cloth. He wore a forest-green travelling cloak that hid most of his body from view. On his back was a fairly large pack and in his hands was a staff of smooth wood that was as tall as the man was. The head of the staff had what appeared to be some kind of green orb held by the wood. The orb was easily the size of a softball and Gobkoh was curious about it.

[Galluf Reed, Human, Level 84]

[Skills: Analyze Lv. 10, Estimation Lv. 10, Haggling Lv. 9, Cooking Lv. 5, Fire Making Lv. 9, Evasion Lv. 8, Herbalism Lv. 10, Stamina Lv. 4, Staff Lv. 8, Spellcraft Lv. 6]

[Class – Druid]

[Class Skills: Nature Magic, Animal Communication, Nature Awareness, Shapeshift, Medium Crafting]

“Well met, Shaman.” Galluf smiled as he gave a short bow to Gobkoh. “I was starting to worry that my Demic was rusty and you couldn’t understand me. Might I interest you in some trading?”

“You don’t wish us any harm?” Gobkoh questioned first and foremost. The safety of his Tribe was paramount to the young Chieftain. The fact that this man spoke Demic -the most common language among the Demi-Human Races of the world- meant that he was familiar with Demi-Humans at least a bit.

“Not a bit,” Galluf shook his head with a pleasant smile. “I’m not much for starting fights myself.”

“Can you prove that sentiment?” Gobkoh questioned the man bluntly.

“Here, hold onto this.” Galluf easily tossed his staff to the top of the wall where one of the Goblins caught it. “That’s the only weapon I have on my person besides a small knife and some silverware in my pack.”

“Keep him at arrow point and open the gate just enough for him to enter.” Gobkoh called out and his tribesmen followed his command.

The gate was raised to a height were Galluf would only have to stoop over slightly to enter. On the other side of the gate he was met with the entire Koh Tribe. All of the Goblins gazed at him warily. Most of them were armed as well, just in case. Gobkoh climbed down the lookout tower and stood across from the Human as the gate was closed behind him.

“Galluf Reed, Druid and wandering trader, at your service.” Galluf gave a short bow again. “But you already know that, right?” He met Gobkoh’s eye with a chuckle.

“Your Analyze Skill far outstrips mine, so you know who I am as well.” Gobkoh waved off that they already knew each other’s names. “What is a trader, even a Druid, doing so deep in the Silua Forest?”

“I follow where Nature takes me,” Galluf stated simply with a shrug. “It hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”

“What could the Koh Tribe possibly have that you’d want?” Gobkoh asked of the trader.

“That remains to be seen,” Galluf admitted with an unconcerned look. “But I’m sure that Nature led me here for one reason or another.”

“Rather carefree, aren’t you?” Gobkoh couldn’t help but chuckle at the Human.

“I’ve been told that, yes.” Galluf chuckled as well as he shrugged of his pack and set it in front of him.

“I’ll see what you have to offer.” Gobkoh decided as he took a few steps forward to look.

“I have a few things.” Galluf smiled as he opened the pack and began to remove things. Far more things than should be possible, Gobkoh realized after a few moments.

[Traveler’s Pack – Magic Item capable of holding more than it should]

‘That’s interesting.’ Gobkoh admitted in his mind as he watched more things be set out by Galluf. Once the Druid stopped placing down things, Gobkoh used ‘Analyze’ to scan them all.

[Rock Salt]

Gobkoh stalled on the wrapped block when the name came up. Salt was the one thing they didn’t have in the forest. It would be a boon to their cooking and to preservation if they could get that. Perusing the other items a few things stuck out.

[Wooden Flute]

[Black Pepper]

[Drum]

[Garlic]

[Playing Cards]

[Low Mana Potion]

[Low Healing Potion]

“Let me know what catches your eye.” Galluf spread his arms over his wares.

“I see somethings,” Gobkoh looked over the items that had caught his attention. Simple musical instruments could certainly liven things up, especially while they were cooped up in the coming winter. The cards wouldn’t hurt either. Salt, Pepper, and Garlic would definitely increase their cooking ability. Salt also had preservation uses. The two potions also caught his eye.

[Low Healing Potion – Magical medicine that can quickly heal injuries; injuries that can’t be healed fully can still be partially healed, weakest version]

[Low Mana Potion – Magical medicine that quickly restores lost mana to the one that drinks it, weakest version]

“What would you want for this, this and this?” Gobkoh asked the man as he pointed to the salt, and the two potions.

“What have you got?” Galluf questioned the Goblin.

“Bring out some of the pelts, some of the soap, and some of the herbs.” Gobkoh requested of his tribesmen. A few ran off to fulfill his orders and quickly returned with the requested items. “This is what we have to offer at the moment.”

“Hmm, let’s see.” Galluf looked over the pelts first, seemingly making mental notes of what animal they came from. He perused the herbs next, again taking mental notes of what was available. Finally he picked up a bamboo container full of their soapwort soap. “A bit more than I was expecting; but you’re much different than most Goblin Tribes that I’ve encountered.”

“So, can we make a deal of some kind?” Gobkoh questioned the Druid trader as he sat down across from him and rested his Shaman Staff on his right shoulder.

“I believe so,” Galluf chuckled as he pushed the wrapped block of Rock Salt towards Gobkoh, while pulling the entire pile of herbs towards himself. The pelts were pulled towards the older man and both Potions were placed next to the salt. The soap went to Galluf’s pile, while the Black Pepper and Garlic were added to Gobkoh’s.

“I didn’t ask for those.” Gobkoh spoke up.

“But you wanted them, yes?” Galluf grinned at the Shaman.

“Fair enough.” Gobkoh shrugged as he’d gotten most of what he’d wanted.

“I believe you liked the instruments and the cards as well, but you’ve not put any further items up for trade.” Galluf remarked as he motioned towards the items in question.

“We don’t have much else, I’m afraid.” Gobkoh wouldn’t trade too much of what the Tribe had. They were saving a lot of what they hunted, gathered, and made for the coming winter.

“I have a suggestion, if you’d be willing to hear an old Druid out?” Galluf mentioned and Gobkoh raised an eyebrow. “You do have something that I would be willing to trade these items for.”

“What’s that?” Gobkoh was honestly curious.

“Hospitality,” Galluf smiled at the Chieftain. “I noticed you have actual baths here, food clearly isn’t an issue, and you have this rather impressive wall too. I dare say I’d enjoy setting up camp here for the night.”

“What guarantee do we have that you won’t do anything to us in our sleep?” Gobkoh wouldn’t be taken for a fool. He didn’t know the extent of this Druid’s power, but Magic made anything much more dangerous.

“You can keep hold of my staff during my stay, of course.” Galluf agreed to stay disarmed easily. “If you’d like, we could make a Magical Agreement for it?”

‘A what?’ Gobkoh thought and used ‘Analyze’ on the new term.

[Magical Agreement – An ancient form of Magic that uses the mana of multiple parties to set an agreed upon restriction over them for a set time, to break the agreement will activate the agreed upon punishment immediately]

“I see, and what arrangement are you seeking?” Gobkoh asked the man sitting across from him.

“To stay the night, use the baths, and have a warm dinner and breakfast before leaving in the morning. All without causing harm to anyone of your Tribe.” Galluf stated his desire simply.

“What would you be willing to risk for punishment?” Gobkoh pressed. His eyes were sharp and wary as they gazed at the Human.

“Complete immobilization until such time as you released me from it.” Galluf laid out the punishment. It was almost completely one-sided in Gobkoh’s favor. He only had to let the Druid stay the night and provide basic hospitality until the man left the next morning. Any form of harm that Galluf caused would immediately leave him immobile and helpless until Gobkoh freed him.

“Very well, I can agree to that.” Gobkoh nodded and Galluf held out his hand. The two grasped each other’s wrists and two thin, glowing strings of mana, one from each of them, wrapped around their clasped hands before fading away.

“The Agreement is made.” Galluf pulled back his hand with a smile. “Thank you for having this old man for the night.”

“Of course, I trust you can set up your own camp?” Gobkoh questioned the Druid.

“Not a problem at all.” Galluf agreed as he placed the two small drums on Gobkoh’s side, followed by the three wooden flutes, and then two packs of playing cards.

“Koh Tribe!” Gobkoh raised his voice to reach the ears of all of his tribesmen. “We have a guest tonight! Be kind and welcoming to him! Am I clear?!”

“Yes Chieftain!” The entire Tribe chorused and they began to prepare for the evening. The newly acquired items were picked up and taken into the cave for safekeeping. Some of their new salt, pepper, and garlic would be used in tonight’s dinner.

Galluf set up a tent a ways away from the cave. He was about halfway between the cave and the gate when he finished. Gobkoh showed him to the baths and Galluf watched as he filled the tub, large for a single human, with the water heater he’d come up with.

“My word, that’s rather ingenious.” Galluf praised as he watched the tub fill and the little wisps of steam rose off the hot water. “I dare say this will most certainly be much better than my last bath. It was in a rather cold river the day before yesterday.”

Gobkoh left the Human to his bathing and headed over to Rialin and the others that were preparing dinner for the evening. He happily showed them how to make use of the salt, pepper, and garlic as they grilled up some Stripe Deer venison. They could have cooked up some more Orc meat. The meat was going to go bad soon if they didn’t eat it. But Gobkoh wasn’t sure how Galluf would take eating Demi-Human meat. It was better to not risk it. Not to mention that slightly bad meat wouldn’t hurt a Goblin’s stomach anyway.

Galluf came from the baths looking refreshed and wearing a simple robe in a grey color. On the man’s feet were simple sandals. They were much different from the leather boots he’d been wearing when he’d arrived. The same boots that he was happy to let Breelin and Hylalin look at and try to study for their own Leatherworking Skill.

“Ah, the blessings of the forest.” Galluf smiled at the meal placed in front of him. Grilled venison, fresh fruit, a simple soup made of wild onions, mushrooms, and Tarch Root. With clean, filtered water to drink the Druid was very happy with his dinner.

After dinner Galluf was happy to teach the Goblins how to play the wooden flutes and tap out a rhythm on the small drums. Music filled the air and some of the Goblins even started dancing around. Teaching them card games came afterwards as the night wore on. Shortly before turning in for the night, Gobkoh and Galluf talked of Magic together.

Nature Magic encompassed Plant, Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire Magic. So Galluf was rather diverse in the spells he could use. Shapeshifting was exactly what it said; it allowed the older man to turn into the form of an animal. Their shared Medium Crafting Skill came up and the two passed ideas back and forth. Both Shamans and Druids needed Mediums that were made from natural materials. Galluf’s staff was made by his own hand decades ago and the green orb was a natural material known as a Forest Pearl. They were only found in ancient forests -much like the continent-spanning Silua Forest- and only in the soil that the roots of ancient trees inhabited. He’d dug up his own Forest Pearl and found it wrapped in small offshoot roots of a great tree when he was a younger man.

With ‘goodnights’ exchanged, the Human and Goblin parted ways and went to get some sleep.

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A slower time for the Koh Tribe. It’s nice to relax from the battles, isn’t it?

They even met their first Human guest!

Galluf Reed, the Druid and wandering trader!

They traded and got somethings they’d not have otherwise! Good deals!

Galluf got a nice hot bath in the middle of the forest and a safe place to sleep. Not to mention a good meal and fun with the Goblins!

Now the Goblins will have some entertainment during the winter while they’re all cooped up inside the cave, yay!

Will another fledgling Orc Tribe attack?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I can update this again, later!