*Rustle**Rustle*
Brushing through the dark green leaves, the bat stalked a bunch of three goblins that had strayed away from the clan.
It wasn't long before the greenskin noticed something wrong as the bat wasn't particularly being sneaky.
*UUURRKKKHH*
One goblin sounded an alarm as it stopped, its ears perked scanning for the assailant.
The two other goblins stopped in response to the alarm. Black eyes scanned the nearby underbrush to no avail.
It was then that the goblins noticed that they had strayed far from the clan.
"Kooo paaak,' one goblin suddenly sounded.
"Paaaaak," another sounded.
Somehow, they understood each other's intention as a couple of incoherent words later, one goblin took the lead and started to head back to the clan. One thing the goblins could boast was their terrifying sense of smell. Without it, many goblins would have long lost their way back to the clan.
Up in the canopy, hidden from sight, the bat wasn't liking the idea of the goblins going back to the clan. After all, once there, it would be hard to isolate one.
In an act of desperation, well, it wasn't desperation as there was nothing at stake should the bat fail to hunt, at least none that it knew of. Anyway, the bat descended from the tree in a free fall. Its claws bared out, aiming for the goblin that was at the back.
Somehow its fall was accurate as it directly descended on its target neck.
*AAARRRGGGHHHH*
A pained cry from the attacked goblin startled the two goblins at the front as they jerked forward.
You have slain level 1 lesser goblin
Exp gain
Turning back, the goblins watched as a creature they had never seen before attacked their ally. Before they could react, the beast got off its first victim, and at speed they couldn't quite comprehend it charged.
*Thuk*
The bat charged another goblin and jumped on its chest, making it lose balance and fall. It opened its mouth to reveal sharp teeth and mercilessly bit the goblin's neck. The poor creature died without uttering a sound.
The last remaining goblin wasn't going to stick around and entertain the hateful creature. It got on all its fours and quickly disappeared to the nearest bush, all the while letting out squealing noises.
The goblin was mistaken to think running away would solve its problem as the bat quickly got off its victim and immediately gave chase. Its long front limbs gave it a wider reach while its muscular back limbs propelled it forward at unimaginable speed.
The goblin didn't need to turn its head back to know it was being pursued, its ears were enough to determine the ominously closing in steps, the goblin called for strength it didn't know it had, and its speed visibly improved, but it was futile.
Once the goblin was at a striking range, the bat jumped on its back and immediately bit on its neck. The sudden jump caused the two creatures to fall and roll on the ground. Though they fell, the bat's grip didn't loosen at all.
You have slain level 1 lesser goblin
Exp gain
You are now level 2
Four attribute points awarded
Once the screen was up, the bat knew its job was done. It loosened its grip on the corpse as it felt strength coursing through its vein. It was a nice feeling, and the bat loved it.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The bat then used its sharp claws and made its way up the tree. The only goal in its mind was hunting other greenskin.
As its level increased, its wariness, on the other hand, dropped. If the bat were to do the same stunt on the goblin chief or an experienced armed goblin, perhaps the results would have been different.
*******
Back at the clan, goblins started to stream back in. The goblin leader had finally calmed down. It turned out killing other goblins was good for its health.
The goblin chief watched his stupid kin as it went back to the makeshift house to have a rest. The day had been tiring. Nothing a short nap couldn't fix.
Just as the goblin was about to take a nap, a sudden shout it was all too familiar with disrupted it. Wasting no time, it grabbed its trusty axe and rushed in the direction of the cry.
Arriving at the scene was the goblin chief together with three other goblins. On spotting the fuming chief, they immediately made a run for it in different directions.
The leader goblin looked at the dead goblin. Its injuries were similar to the one it had seen before—a nasty cut to the neck.
In a fit of anger, the leader threw its axe towards the corpse as it kicked the earth, hurting itself in the process. The thrown axe landed on the dead goblin and split it into two halves revealing its nasty dark insides.
*Kwwweeeerrrrggghhhh*
The goblin leader wasn't destined to rest as another cry alarmed it. It picked up its axe and warily rushed in the direction of the cry.
Once there, it was the same situation. A lifeless goblin with a slit throat lay in front of it.
Paranoia started to creep inside the goblin's bones as it shuddered. The creature responsible for the killing was getting bolder and bolder. Who was to say that it too would not be a victim? But what goblin was brave enough to challenge its authority?
The goblin chief finally made a decision and rushed back to the clan to implement it.
Once at the clan, the goblin chose the highest position it could find.
*Grunt**Grunt*
The goblin leader proceeded to make deep low grunts. It wasn't long before its intentions were realized.
Goblin, after goblin, rushed towards his direction. Even goblins that were outside the clan rushed back to the clan. The call of the leader was not to be ignored. That was a fact engraved in their very nature.
Soon, a small crowd formed around the goblin leader. A couple of low grunts later, the goblin finally stopped and observed its kin. From where it was, it could perfectly see all the goblins.
"You come."
The leader pointed at one greenskin and called it forward. Once the called goblin was at the front, the goblin leader nodded to itself and called another, then another.
Choosing different goblins seemed random, but that was far from the truth. All the called goblins had something in common. They each had weapons.
The leader goblin surveyed the crowd to ensure it didn't miss anything, and finally, it turned its attention towards the called goblins.
"Leave weapons," the leader harshly commanded in a tone that demanded no denial.
Reluctantly, the goblins patted with their trusty weapons. After all, this was a formal call. Any disobedience was tantamount to sleeping with the leader's mate.
After all the goblins presented their weapons, the goblin leader called its females and relayed them information to take the weapons inside his house.
Finally, the goblin felt it could relax as it was the only remaining armed goblin. But there was still one thing it had to do.
It approached a goblin and started to rain punches at it. The latter squealed in pain at the sudden attack, but there was nothing it could do. It could only blame itself for standing close to the leader.
The goblin leader then proceeded to other goblins and taught them who was the boss. It wasn't anything personal. It just needed to remind them what position in the hierarchy they occupied lest they get ideas he was a weakling.
As the goblin leader asserted its dominance, a squealing goblin suddenly rushed inside the clan, desperately running on all its fours. Behind it was a weird creature the goblins had never seen before. Right in front of them, they watched as the creature pounced on the fleeing goblin and made short work of it.
It was only then that the goblin chief processed what was going on. Right in its sight was the bastard responsible for killing its kin.
*Waaarrrrggghhh*
A war cry snapped the goblins out of their shock, their leader charged towards the creature, his trusty battle-axe ready to kill the intruder.
You have slain level 2 lesser goblin
Exp gain
You are now level 3
Four attribute points awarded
The screen announced a job well done to the bat, it was about to indulge in the feeling of growth, but a charging greenskin didn't let it.
The bat weighed its chances with the bigger goblin, but its instincts warned it was a dangerous endeavor. Just as it appeared, the bat rushed out of the clan leaving behind the heavy goblin that was most certainly not suited for speed.
The goblin chief watched as the bat disappeared in the green underbrush. It threw its axe in a last-ditch effort hoping it would land, but it was useless. The weird creature was gone.
The goblin chief used its privilege as a leader and immediately assembled its kin to hunt the weird enemy. In just a short while, goblin groups emerged from the clan. Their only goal was to find and kill the bizarre creature. But something was missing. Apart from the chief, none of them had any weapons.