Survival Life as a Goblin Chapter 23 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! I got another Tier Reward asking for more Goblins! The Original Writing progresses a bit further! We’ll have a completed book eventually! Won’t that be amazing?

The Koh Tribe is hunkered down in their warm cave home and just letting the winter pass. While that’s happening, all of the Goblins that’ve hit Level 100 will go through their Growth Phases and become Hobgoblins! Come spring time, a new Koh Tribe will emerge from their home!

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-Day 221-

“Damn…the temperature dropped like a rock over the last month.” Gobkoh mentioned as he huddled into his Shade Lynx cloak more to stave off the chill. The entire Silua Forest as far as the eye could see was filled with snow. The bare tree branches covered in the fresh powder were interspersed with small stands of evergreens here and there.

“It really did.” Gobmyr agreed with a nod, his hands near the flame of the small oil lamp to warm them up. “I’m glad for the warm clothes the girls made for us.”

“Watch would be death if we didn’t have them.” Gobkoh replied, happy that his feet were safely encased in the winter boots that Hylalin and Breelin had made.

“Anybody crazy enough to try and invade during this cold and with all of this snow would be an idiot.” Gobmyr shook his head, looking out over the frozen forest. “You’d freeze to death before you got anywhere.”

“Probably, but we can’t neglect guard duty. Getting complacent could be the death of us.” Gobkoh reminded the axeman while putting his own hands out from beneath his cloak and towards the fire to warm up a bit more.

“You’ve been getting bigger over the last month, Chief.” Gobmyr mentioned, just to have something to talk about. “You cloak may not be able to cover you all the way soon.”

“Yeah…I’m hopeful that I can keep it for a while longer though.” Gobkoh ran his hand over the Shade Lynx cloak. “It was one of my first big kills.”

The Koh Tribe was growing, but not in population, the vast majority of the Tribe was currently in their Growth Phase as they made the change from Goblin to Hobgoblin. Already, a good number of the males had hair now, instead of being bald as they had been while Goblins. Most of them had dark brown hair, with a few having black hair and a couple a lighter shade of brown. That made sense, given that Rull, En, and the female Hobgoblins that had been their parents had similar hair colors.

Gobkoh had black hair, probably from his mother, given that Rull had dark brown hair. He’d grown a good bit already, going from his full height as a Goblin (around three and a half feet) to just over four feet already, if his measurement was as accurate as he thought it was. If his growth kept up like this, Gobkoh estimated his Hobgoblin height would probably be close to six feet or so, give or take.

“Chief! Gobmyr! Time to switch!” Gobhak called up to them from the base of the lookout tower.

“We’re coming down!” Gobmyr shouted back. “After you, Chief.”

“Thanks.” Gobkoh nodded to the axeman as he started climbing down the built-in ladder on the tower.

Gobhak and Amalin ascended the watch tower once Gobkoh and Gobmyr were both on the ground again. A cleared path through the snow had been made by Gobkoh’s Magic. The Chieftain had been practicing Ice Magic during the winter, clearing the powder from the flat area within the wall as best as he could so that the snow wouldn’t pile up and interfere with their day-to-day activities.

“Ah, that’s better.” Gobmyr sighed happily as they entered the warm cave home of the Koh Tribe.

“Oh yeah, it’s great to be warm.” Gobkoh agreed as he stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders. “It was worth all the time to make the hearth.”

The large stone hearth that Gobkoh had made with Earth Magic over the course of the summer was filled with logs and a large crackling fire. Most of the Tribe was gathered around it, staying warm as they passed the time with various activities. Some were playing cards, others checkers, and a few were playing chess. The pieces had taken some time, but Gobkoh had managed to carve them to a semblance of the proper shapes. There was a light music in the air as some of the more musically gifted Goblins played the wooden flutes and lightly tapped out a rhythm on the small drums. Those that weren’t playing games, or watching the said in-progress games, were found making or repairing things around the cave home. Stitching up mattresses or clothing, repairing broken weapons, carving new utensils for eating, or just whittling pieces of wood into small figures or sculptures for fun.

“From across the board?!” Jisalin cried out from where she was playing chess against Rialin. “I didn’t see that coming at all.”

“You’ve gotta watch the whole board, Jisalin.” Rialin grinned at the other girl.

“I’m better at checkers.” Jisalin pouted cutely.

“Is she beat?” Gobflen looked at the state of the chessboard curiously.

Vawalin shook her head a second later. “No, it’s not checkmate yet.”

“Jisalin doesn’t have many moves left though…” Kaylin pointed out. “She can move the Rook, but that only gets her one more turn, I think.”

Gobkoh could only smile as he pulled off his cloak and took off his boots. Everyone was happy and had things they could do as they passed the time together. They were warm, fed, had plenty of water, and they had things to look forward to as spring approached. As the Chief, Gobkoh couldn’t be happier with the state of his Tribe.

“Chief! Come play a round with us!” Gobyog waved him over from one of the groups playing cards.

“Sure, sure, what’re we playing?” Gobkoh laughed as he walked over and sat down with the other Goblins.

“Poker, but Gobtay is definitely cheating.” Gobwren accused with a grin.

“I am not!” Gobtay denied, the Goblin smiling at his little pile of snacks (mostly dried meat). “I’m just lucky for once!” He stated with a nod.

“Well then, let’s see if we can beat him.” Gobkoh chuckled as the next hand was dealt out. “And…I can’t…” The Chieftain laughed at seeing the atrocious hand he’d been dealt. ‘Didn’t get anything at all.’

“Well, I can!” Gobtrok smirked at Gobtay.

The air of their home was filled with warmth, laughter, and music. Gobkoh didn’t even care about losing or winning. His Tribe was safe and happy, so he’d already won. In his opinion, anyway.

-Day 260-

“Is it EVER going to stop snowing?!” Breelin huffed, seeing the snow coming down just as heavily as it had been since the early morning hours.

“At least the Chief is clearing it away and making paths we can walk through.” Neylin pointed out Gobkoh moving from each watchtower and to the baths and cooking area. The Shaman was waving his staff and the piled up snow would fly away a few seconds later.

“But it does keep falling…he’s going to exhaust himself at this rate.” Tayalin mentioned, looking between Gobkoh and the sky.

“Taking a bath in snowfall this heavy would be horrible.” Neylin pouted, having wanted to get warmed up with a nice soak.

“Maybe we should enclose the bathing area more come springtime?” Rialin looked thoughtfully at the area with the roof and fence. “If we built it up more, it would probably work better during times like this.”

“I guess we’ve learned something from this first winter, huh?” Saelin sighed, the Herbalist having also wanted a bath today.

-Day 297-

“That warm day was a filthy trick!” Nisalin yelled up at the sky, snow falling from the thick gray clouds above.

Several of the Koh Tribe agreed with her though. They’d been blessed with a few days of warmth, making many believe that spring had come. Only to be disappointed when the cold had come back in with heavy snow once more.

“It shouldn’t be too long now, youngsters.” Yualin chuckled at the younger Goblins while looking at the sky. “Another few weeks and it’ll be more warm days than cold ones.”

“I hope so…I’m tired of cold and snow.” Gobhak grumbled, watching the falling snow with a grimace.

-Day 318-

The warm (by comparison to the last few weeks) breeze blew through the Koh Tribe’s territory. The sun was shining, there was no snow on the ground, and only a few wispy white clouds in the sky. It wasn’t the warmth of middle or late spring, but the pleasantness of early spring was welcomed by all after the chilly winter.

The Koh Tribe had emerged in full to take stock of what they needed to do and what needed to be replenished. The difference from before winter and now after was striking though. Almost thirty Hobgoblins now made up the majority of the population of the Koh Tribe. All of them standing about even with an adult human, even though they’d never seen a human in their lives. Thanks to Breelin, Hylalin, Eryslin, and Fayelin, the entire Tribe still had clothing that fit their new statures. But, as was custom among Goblin Tribes, the new Hobgoblins had shed the ‘-lin’ from their names, now going by Bree, Hyla, Erys, and Faye. All four females had spent a decent amount of the last month altering clothing to fit the increased size of their fellow Hobgoblins.

“Oh~ That’s better! Feel that sun!” Yog (formerly Gobyog) stretched his arms above his head as he smiled at the nice weather.

“We can finally fish again!” Tay (Gobtay before shedding the Gob- from his name) cheered, his fishing pole over his shoulder as he headed for the pond with both Faye and Jisa, the two female Hobgoblins looking forward to having fish again.

“Let’s get a scouting party ready, we need to see what the hunting situation is like and check for anyone that’s trying to encroach on our territory!” Wren (formerly Gobwren) called out as a few more of the tribe joined him.

“We should start working on firewood.” Myr (Formerly Gobmyr) called out and a couple of the other Hobgoblins grabbed axes and prepared to head out to the forest with him. Their stock had lasted for the winter, but it was very much depleted from when it had been overflowing at the beginning of the cold season. Now they’d need to gather ore and given it time to dry a bit before they added it to the Tribe’s reserves.

“Myr!” Erys called out to the axeman. “Can you check for some Alfax while you’re out there? We need to start processing it for more thread. We don’t have enough to make more cloth.”

“Sure thing, but does it grow so early in the spring?” Myr questioned, not knowing about the plant’s life cycle.

“I’m not sure.” Erys shook her head. “That’s why I was only asking you to look.”

“We’ll take care of it, Erys.” Vawa smiled back at the other girl. “I know what it looks like, so if I see any I’ll collect it.”

“Thank you, Vawa.” Erys smiled and hugged her sister. Most of the Tribe being related made them one large family after all.

While all of this was going on, Koh and Ria watched on with smiles as the Tribe came together to start their daily activities again.

“They’re certainly eager, aren’t they?” Ria giggled at the activity of the Tribe.

“It’s a good thing.” Koh agreed, a proud smile on his face.

Of all of the new Hobgoblins, the top two of the Koh Tribe were the most unique.

Whether it was because they had Magic, or some other factor, Ria and Koh didn’t have the same darker-colored eyes of their brethren. Koh’s eyes had turned a silver color as he’d gone through his Growth Phase over the winter. Ria’s eyes had gone from a honey color to a bright golden instead. They hadn’t noticed much of any change in their vision, so neither of them was overly concerned with the change.

[Koh, Level 1]

[Skills: Analyze Lv. 5, Weapon Crafting Lv. 5, Leatherwork Lv. 3, Fire Making Lv. 5, Martial Arts Lv. 7, Armor Crafting Lv. 5, Spellcraft Lv. 4]

[Race Specific Ability – Goblin Flame]

[Class – Shaman]

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

‘So it does reset.’ Koh thought to himself after a quick ‘Self-Analyze’. His name had changed properly and as a Hobgoblin it looked as if his levels would be tracked anew.

[Ria, Hobgoblin, Level 1]

[Skills: Analyze Lv. 4, Fire Making Lv. 5, Leatherwork Lv. 4, Martial Arts Lv. 6, Swordsmanship Lv. 6, Bow Lv. 5, Spear Lv. 5, Shield Lv. 5, Cooking Lv. 3, Weapon Crafting Lv. 2]

[Class – War Priestess]

[Class Skills: Talisman Crafting, Battle Sense, War Dance, Weapon Enchant, Conflict Premonition]

‘Everything we could work on over the winter has gone up a level, which is good. We’ll have to test out our new bodies and see just how much stronger and faster we are now.’ Gobkoh clenched his right hand into a fist in front of him a couple of times to get a feel for it. This would be the first time they’d all get to try out their new forms outside of the cave.

-Day 320-

Klak Klak Klak Klak Klak

The warning alert went off as one of the watchtowers spotted something. The entire Tribe was quick to ready a defense, but to the surprise of all of the Hobgoblins and the few Goblins left, the potential threat wasn’t outside of their wall. It was coming down from the mountain their cave was in.

“What is that?”

“He’s short…even shorter than a Goblin!”

Indeed, their unexpected visitor was a short man with a long white beard, a pointed hat on top of his head, and his shirt, vest and pants were all earth tones in color. On the short man’s feet were sturdy-looking leather boots as he calmly and casually walked down the side of the steep mountain.

“Who is he?” Ria questioned her Mate with a whisper, her Flash Fang dagger at the ready.

“Let’s find out.” Koh spoke in a hushed tone, both of them quickly using Analyze on the man.

[Pojun Everoot, Elder Gnome, Level 71]

[Skills: Analyze Lv. 10, Fire Making Lv. 10, Weaving Lv. 10, Plant Magic Lv. 9, Earth Magic Lv. 9, Herbalism Lv. 10, Water Magic Lv. 7, Fire Magic Lv. 7, Wind Magic Lv. 7, Cooking Lv. 8, Obscuration Lv. 9]

[Class – XXXXXXXXX] -Obscured-

[Class Skills: XXXXXXXXX] -Obscured-

“Oh…huh, didn’t know that was possible.” Koh blinked at seeing Skills for Magic, rather than Class Skills or Race Specific Abilities. “Obscuration is preventing me from seeing his Class or Class Skills.”

“Me too.” Ria confirmed quietly as they both readied themselves for a potential fight.

“Good morning to you all.” Pojun smiled and waved politely as his feet touched down on the flat ground within their wall. “Pardon me for dropping by unannounced like this, if possible.” He bowed a little to the Koh Tribe in apology.

“Who are you, exactly?” Koh stepped forward as Chieftain. “Are you a threat to the Koh Tribe?”

“Oh gracious me, no.” Pojun denied, shaking his head with a smile. “I’m Pojun Everoot…but you already know that, Shaman.” He chuckled good-naturedly knowing that Koh had already used Analyze on him. “I am surprised to see your Tribe still here. The last group that tried to settle here were devoured by the wolves.”

“The Lunar Wolf’s pack?” Ria questioned the Elder Gnome for confirmation.

“The very same.” Pojun nodded to the Hobgoblin. “Ever since that pack leader advanced into its third species, they ruled over this area during the winter months and well into spring every year before leaving to produce pups in safer locations.”

“You knew about the wolves?” Wren had his bow in hand and an arrow waiting to be nocked.

“Yes, my clan has lived on the opposite side of these mountains for many generations.” Pojun motioned to the mountain he’d just walked down. “One of our members reported a Goblin Tribe settling down here last year, but as we did not know if you were hostile or not, we decided to stay away and only approach you should you still be here come springtime.”

“Fair enough.” Koh accepted the Elder Gnome’s words. “Is this just a greeting then?”

“Yes, indeed, a greeting from one neighbor to another.” Pojun laughed, his happiness clear as day. “I must say, you’ll make for far more interesting and pleasant neighbors than the wolves ever did.”

“The Koh Tribe looks forward to a peaceful relationship then.” Koh nodded to the Gnome man.

“Wonderful! The others will be very happy to hear that.” Pojun’s warm smile was reminiscent of a kindly grandfather. “Perhaps some trading between us as well? I’m sure we both have things that the other doesn’t get as easily.”

“We wouldn’t be opposed to that, though we only have so much and only certain things.” Koh took a few steps forward to stand directly in front of Pojun.

“I’m sure you’d like some more salt, yes?” Pojun offered a rather valuable item to start. “We have plenty of rock salt, and we do some trading with the monks at the monastery that’s at the end of this mountain range from time-to-time as well, so we can occasionally get items that can’t be found in the Silua Forest.”

“Really?” Koh had no idea where in the continent-spanning Silua Forest they were, but knowing that the end of the mountain range led to a human settlement, even a small one, was interesting. “We mostly have pelts, soap, and herbs for trade, though we could procure extra meat as well.”

“Ah, then I believe we’ll be good partners.” Pojun chortled at the information. “We don’t do much hunting, but some meat every now and then is nice. Not to mention that furs are always useful. Herbs and soap are very interesting items. Not too many herbs grow up higher in the mountain, and in all my years, I’ve never heard of Goblins making soap.” The Gnome looked at Koh curiously about the creation.

“Let me show you a bit.” Koh offered as the Tribe acknowledged his unspoken instruction to treat Pojun as a guest.

“Ho ho, I’m looking forward to it.” Pojun chuckled as he followed beside Koh on a short tour around the Koh Tribe’s home, or at least the flat land outside of the cave. Koh didn’t think Pojun was a threat, the Gnome man honestly seemed the cheery and jovial type, but he wouldn’t just invite a stranger into the cave.

About an hour later and the Elder Gnome and Koh were sitting at one of the wooden tables near the cooking area and haggling over a small selection of items. Pojun had brought a few things, carrying them in a small pouch that was clearly magical as it held far more than should be possible. The items were merely some of the Gnome’s possessions, but he was willing to trade them for a decent deal to show the sincerity of his clan.

“Three Danda Roots and I’ll give you the recipe for the mana restorative tonic too.” Pojun offered, his hand tapping the table beside three long, dried, gnarled roots.

“While we’d love to have that here, you’re asking for six containers of soap and we can only make so much of that until our Soapwort plants either grow larger, or we transplant a few more.” Koh explained why the deal wasn’t quite enough from his end.

“Oh, you’re a shrewd one, huh?” Pojun narrowed his eyes at Koh. “Well then…how about this.” He fished in his magic pouch for a moment before pulling something out and setting it on the table.

“A crystal?” Koh blinked at the strange gem. The Hobgoblin was quick to use Analyze on it.

[Thunder Gem]

[Processed form of naturally occurring Fulmenite, stores a finite amount of Lightning Magic]

“Haven’t seen one of these before, have you?” Pojun could tell just by the look on Koh’s face. “They’re rather rare, only place to get Fulmenite is a place that lightning has struck raw rocks of a certain composition.”

“Where did you get this?” Koh looked at the Elder Gnome curiously.

“From on top of the mountain, of course.” Pojun pointed towards the distant peak far above where the Koh Tribe lived and further back from this side of the range as well. “Many rare and valuable things can be found in remote places where the natural magic of the world is left to run its course.”

“So, I could get more of these if I climb the mountain?” Koh was already thinking of how to use such information for his Tribe.

“I wouldn’t recommend it, I’m afraid.” Pojun shook his head. “The peaks are dangerous, and that’s not just from the sheer cliffs, the low temperature, and the risk of sudden bad weather. There are beasts up there that are a threat even to an old Gnome like me. Even if disturbing them is unlikely, on the off-chance that you do, you won’t be coming back.” The Gnome man cautioned the young Chieftain. “Besides, raw Fulmenite is practically worthless. You need the knowledge of how to process it to make it into a useful gem like that.” He pointed to the small gem on the table.

“My Skill says ‘finite amount’, what happens after it runs out?” Koh asked, trying his best to hide his disappointment at not being able to get more of these useful gems.

“It cracks apart, turns to little fragments and dust.” Pojun sighed, admitting that the gem was a short-lived thing. “That’s just how it goes with the small ones.”

“The small ones?” Koh caught the specification quickly. “Are you saying there are larger ones too?”

“Of course, but they increase in value based on their size.” Pojun laughed at the Hobgoblin’s interest. “A big enough Thunder Gem doesn’t break after running out of magic, it just needs time to recharge. But that can take a long time, years in some cases.”

“Can I ask you about something, Pojun?” Koh, having seen natural magic in solid form, wanted to know something very specific.

“Sure thing, what’s on your mind?” Pojun sipped his water with a smile.

“Are there any versions of Gems like these that contain Ice Magic?” Koh questioned, hopefully finding a way to add another attunement to his Shaman Staff.

“Medium Crafting, is it?” Pojun easily knew what the Shaman was going for. “There are indeed Ice Gems, but they don’t form like Fulmenite does.” He shook his head. “The raw material needed for an Ice Gem takes decades if not centuries to form in places that are always frozen over.”

“Like the tops of high mountains?” Koh suggested, a curious look in his eyes.

“That would be a good place to look.” Pojun nodded in agreement. “The frozen north would also work, out there in the tundra you could probably find a good number of them. The beasts that roam that area often find those that go looking though.”

“Well, that puts a damper on things.” Koh sat back with a sigh. “Transient or short-lived elements are just going to remain out of my reach for the most part.”

“That’s in their nature.” Pojun chuckled at the put out Hobgoblin. “It’s best not to try and force natural magic. Nothing good ever comes out of it. There’s a reason that those that can use Lightning Magic are rare, after all. They’re born with an affinity for it and can produce it on their own. The rest of us can only use things like Thunder Gems.” He patted the small crystal on the table.

“I’ll agree to the trade.” Koh decided, taking the three Danda Roots and the Thunder Gem.

“Wonderful, wonderful, let me just write down that recipe for the mana restorative tonic for you.” Pojun beamed at making a successful trade, moving the six containers of Koh Tribe soap into his pouch and then pulling out a small sheet of paper, a quill, and a little ink pot. “Take a bit of this when your mana runs low and you won’t fall asleep for a day or more like you normally would.” The Elder Gnome promised as he wrote down the recipe and preparation method for the tonic.

‘I wish we’d had that earlier.’ Koh thought to himself as he watched Pojun write. ‘Never heard of these Danda Roots before though, so we’ll have to try and find our own supply if possible.’ He rolled the Thunder Gem around in his hand, just watching the way the sunlight reflected off of it. ‘I wonder…’

Using Spirit Sight, Koh looked at the Thunder Gem again. To his surprise, there were indeed tiny spirits within the crystal, bouncing around rapidly as if eagerly waiting to get out. Their color was a bright blue-white, nothing like a Light Spirit or a Water Spirit in color though, no, this color was uniquely their own.

‘It doesn’t look like I can interact with them while they’re inside the crystal.’ Koh sighed after trying to use Spirit Guide and Spirit Communication with the little Lightning Spirits and failing.

“There we go!” Pojun smiled at the recipe he’d written down. He handed it over to Koh to complete their trade. “I can’t wait to show my people this new soap. Normally we make our own or trade for it with the monks, but this is a nice way to get some more.”

“We’ll try to get another Soapwort plant or two then.” Koh shook the Elder Gnome’s hand to seal their deal. “Would you like to stay for lunch?”

“I mean…I could always eat a little.” Pojun laughed and agreed to stay for the meal.

The Koh Tribe had met their neighbors the Gnomes. Koh was hopeful to continue a friendly relationship with them for as long as possible. He had plenty that he wanted to ask about over time, like learning Magic as a Skill, rather than using it through a Class Skill or a Race Specific Ability. But for now, he wanted to make a good, friendly, first impression on Pojun and the Gnomes. The fact that they might be able to get things from outside of the forest through the mountain traveling Gnomes was of great interest to Koh.

‘We wouldn’t have to worry about running afoul of anyone, while still having some access to their goods. That sounds like a safe route to learn more about things and make our survival here easier.’ Koh thought to himself as he and Pojun were joined by Ria at the table. He introduced her as his Mate to Pojun, and the three of them began to chat before Kay and Trok brought over their meals.

The Koh Tribe bid farewell to Pojun after lunch, the Elder Gnome waving goodbye as he started easily walking back up the steep mountain as if it was a leisurely path.

“He was fun.” Ria smiled at Koh.

“He was.” Koh agreed with a chuckle. “Very knowledgeable too. I’m looking forward to his next visit.”

-End Chapter-

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Well, well, well, the Koh Tribe makes it through the winter and have become Hobgoblins, for the most part, now!

Everyone is stronger and the daily activities are starting up once more.

The Goblins meet their neighbors, the Gnomes!

They’d like to be friendly and do some trading from time-to-time! Sweet!

Already they’ve brought new knowledge and items to the Koh Tribe. Natural Magic is something that has to be found and refined to make use of, but it holds possibility! Too bad Koh can’t use his Skills to get at that sweet, sweet Lightning Magic trapped inside the little gem…so sad! He just wants to go Zappity Zap-Zap!

Now that springtime is here again, how will the Koh Tribe continue to survive?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I can update this again, later!