My Sons and I Got Isekai’d To The Losing Goblin Side: Chapter 004: Leveling Up (Patreon)

I was surprised that the cook did not say anything when we returned with Vreek and got another helping of food. In the lower camp, it was one serving per day and only one. It was not worth the risk to try and sneak your way back into line. Getting caught was matched with a myriad of horrible punishments. We saw what had happened to one goblin who attempted and failed.

Vreek smiled as he sat there holding his bowl in his hand. He had taken a few bites but had been studying us for a few moments.

“You three seem like you could eat a few more bowls by the way you are scarfing that down. I guess I should tell you that up here you can eat as much as you want.”

“Really?” exclaimed Turk with a mouthful of food.

Vreek groaned but a bigger smile came across his face.

“I forget just how green you really are.” He paused as Turk and Dirk both got up and headed back toward the cook. Looking at me he continued. “Why do you treat them like that? They follow you without any arguing. Every other goblin in this camp would not obey you like that.”

Laughing I shrugged.

“Our first real battle was a bad one. I saved them and they seem content to follow my instructions since they realized how well my plans work. Having two goblins that are loyal to you is rare.”

Vreek stared at me as if I had just told him he was a son of a dwarf and an elf.

“The way you talk is weird. You use too many words and you add feeling to them. We take what we want! We prove we are the strongest. You do this in a different way. I think that is what Brar likes about you.”

“At least someone does,” I joked.

Vreek shook his head again and a look of disgust came over his face.

“I don’t need jokes.” Vreek leaned in towards me and his face told me how serious he was. “You need to succeed. If you succeed, I succeed. If you fail, I fail. I will not tolerate failure.”

I nodded that I understood.

“That is why I came to your tent. We need to find someone to train us while we wait on our armor. I might have waited a day but after eating that heart I feel amazing!”

Vreek jumped up and tossed his bowl aside as he towered over me.

“YOU ATE IT ALREADY?!”

Nodding yes, my answer caused him to smack his hand to his forehead.

“Elf tits and dwarf arses! You really are a green fool!”

Everyone in the small area was looking at us to see what was causing such a ruckus.

“You two get over here and bring those bowls with you now!” shouted Vreek. He turned and glared at me. “We do not have much time and you need to run. Now!”

Running through the camp with Vreek shouting for everyone to get out of our way was an adventure of its own. Goblins and orcs alike immediately moved out of the way. Being the large goblin that Vreek was, combined with his obvious anger problem, made everyone jump quickly to the side.

We arrived at a training field and Vreek started shouting orders. In moments a pack of goblins rushed over.

“Get this damn fool a shield and a practice sword now! Someone start working with him! We have less than half a day to do everything we can to train him before the effects of the heart he ate wears off! Do not stop even in the dark!”

The goblins' eyes went wide and they started running in different directions barking orders.

Vreek turned to us and shook his head in frustration.

“None of you have a clue how a heart works does it?”

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head no.

“I was told it gives us strength and helps us to get stronger. I felt all that once I ate it.”

Vreek groaned. His face was upset and he seemed to be shaking some with frustration.

“It is more than that. I’ll explain later but you have basically half a day to grow after eating it. Everything you do and learn now will be learnt at a quicker rate. You will get stronger, faster and this is why we usually prepare for when one is going to consume them.” He paused and poked me in the chest. “It will be the worst half day of your life.”

Vreek motioned to a few orcs who were running over.

“Ropes and weights. Get them set up. I need food and water too!”

They nodded and ran off.

“You two, what are you going to focus on?”

Dirk stepped forward and pulled out his rusty daggers.

“I want to focus on attacking from behind and maybe with poisons. Killing heroes while they do not know I am there.”

“Unggg,” groaned Vreek. “Elf tits! That one is going to be a pain.” He turned and looked at all the goblins who were still standing around. “I need a member from the Blackhand now!” Vreek shouted again. He glared at a goblin who was still just standing there wide-eyed. “YOU! Go get me a Blackhand now! Tell them I will wear you and them out if one is not here in the next few minutes!”

The goblin took off like a rabbit being chased by a wolf.

Vreek looked at Turk and shook his head.

“Are you going to be worse than him?”

Turk shrugged and smiled.

“I would like to learn to be a caster like the sorcerers we hear about or be able to heal as Brar does.”

“That is a whole wagon load of giant’s shite!” bellowed Vreek. He looked up at the sky and shook his head. Taking a deep breath he let it out as he pointed at Turk. “There is no way I can get someone to help with that. Today you will learn to shoot a bow.”

“I NEED a hunter!” bellowed Vreek. “Bring me buckets of arrows, bows, and some targets now!”

Standing there watching each of the orcs and goblins run around was unbelievable. None of them talked back but simply obeyed orders as Vreek continually belted more out. When all was almost set up like Vreek wanted he turned to the three of us and a look that could kill came over his face. He poked his finger in each of our chests.

“Listen to me closely. You will obey everything they tell you to do. If they tell you to train naked, do it, and don’t complain. You will fight, run, carry stuff, and bleed. They will tell you when to eat and drink. If you need to take a piss, do it in your pants. If you need to take a crap, do it in your pants! We have little time left to get the most out of that heart.”

Vreek turned and listened to one of the goblins who was shouting something at him. He nodded and waved off the goblin and turned back to us.

“Once you are done training for the next half day you will eat once more and then drop from exhaustion. We will carry you back to your tent and let you sleep. I do not expect you to come out of your tent for a day or two. When you finally wake up, come find me.”

As he turned to walk off, Vreek paused and looked me in the eyes.

“I will personally test you once you wake up so do not hold back.”

With that, he strode off and we were descended upon by an army of goblins and orcs, ready to train us in ways we could not even begin to imagine.

“Show me,” Vreek grinned as he stood across from me holding a shield and a wooden sword.

Over and over I attacked and he parried or blocked it. Each time I blocked his counter-attack but I could tell he was holding back. I ignored the crowd of orcs and goblins watching and cheering. They were ready to see what we had learned.

For a full day, we trained. When we did not drop like they expected us to after a half day, they kept feeding and watering us and training us. Countless orcs and goblins came and trained us. We trained all day and at night and deep into the next day. Torches had been lit and arranged around the field. I had tried to keep an eye on Turk as he shot arrows but I had little time to do anything but focus on myself. We trained for an hour with weapons and then ate. After that, we ran, pulled, and pushed carts or carried heavy loads for an hour and then ate again. That process repeated over and over.

Vreek and Brar both showed up after three-fourths of a day had gone by and we were still on our feet. Vreek personally trained me for an hour. I could somehow recall all the different movements he had shown me.

Now he was pushing harder and harder. I had slept for two days and my body felt strong and powerful. His swings came faster than before but I felt like I could match him in speed. He was grinning, if I could call it that, as he kept the attack coming. It was taking everything I could do to block his sword, the shield bashes, and the kicks he kept trying to land.

And then I saw it. There was a pattern. He was in a rhythm now. Every seventeenth attack it started over. The fourth time through I knew what was coming and moved in harmony with his strikes and I could see Vreek’s eyes get wider as I anticipated the next strike.

And that was when I saw the opening.

Between the eighth and ninth attacks was a brief moment where he had no guard. The shield bash into the sword swing left a small opening on his left.

As the pattern repeated and he started over I waited for that moment. I could feel a calmness come over me as I waited. Parry the fourth, block the fifth, dance back from the sixth, and block the seventh. There it came. The opening.

I lunged forward and drove my sword into that small opening and Vreek smiled as he shifted on his feet, narrowly blocking my sword before bringing his own down on my shoulder. Falling to the ground I rolled and sprung back up facing him.

“Enough!” he shouted. “You saw it and almost got me. Your eyes gave you away though.”

“Elf tits!” I shouted with a small laugh. “You set me up!”

Vreek nodded but grinned.

The orcs and goblins watching cheered and laughed. Most apparently could not believe I had lasted that long against Vreek.

“You are something different Zolb. No goblin or orc has been able to train like the three of you did in ages after eating a heart. You have grown stronger, faster, and more skilled than one who usually eats two or three hearts. I think you are ready for your next battle.”

I knew I was smiling because I believed what Vreek said. Both Dirk and Turk had gotten a little taller and their muscles had fleshed out. They no longer looked like twigs with skin but now had actual muscles and veins showing through their green skin.

Both had commented on how I had grown taller too and I could see the muscles in my legs and arms and chest. It had hurt all day and night that we had trained but now I felt like a new creature.

Vreek put his hand on my shoulder and led me toward where Turk and Dirk were demonstrating their abilities. Turk was pincushioning arrows over and over, on multiple targets with a variety of different bows. Usually after firing one arrow from a different bow, he could shoot the second shot with deadly accuracy from most distances.

Dirk was smiling as he produced a wide variety of different daggers from a belt he had around him. He had appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly standing before me while I had been watching Turk. His ability to throw his daggers and strike his target from about fifteen yards was impressive as well.

Vreek nodded as each of them was tested in close combat with weapons and no weapons. It appeared the whelps he thought they were before were now good enough for the tent we occupied.

“You need to go eat and then Brar wants to see the three of you.”

Both boys had been excited when they had woken up but we had not had a chance to really talk yet. Before I knew it I had eaten three bowls. Both of them had managed to put down four.

“They showed me how to use shadows and to use materials in the forest to disappear better in the forest. I won’t be able to use a lot of armor otherwise the noise might give me away.” Dirk said between bites.

Dirk continued rambling about some different poisons they had shown him and how he would be able to get some later on when he passed the Blackhand’s test.

Raising my hand to interrupt them and I motioned for them to get a little closer.

“We need to decide on what we want to do next. We can try another trap or we can see about engaging a party in an actual fight. One is more dangerous but it also gives us the ability to really test our skills.”

Both of them looked at me and I could tell they were thinking about it.

“Would it be the same strategy as before?”

I nodded.

“Always take out the healer and caster first. Next, we strike their range hero and then we can focus on the warriors. I’d be open to taking Xeld and Vreek wants to come. Until we find our own caster or healer we would have to be careful.”

Turk looked at Dirk who was smiling.

“I know what you are thinking.”

Dirk laughed and smiled.

“I know what you are thinking also.”

Turk nodded and looked at me.

“Let’s fight.”