We dragged the comatose group to the clearing, their hands and tied together with thick chords of vine that draped around their necks. It was likely unnecessary, considering the condition they were in, but the three of us had sunk a good many hours into building the camp, and I wasn’t willing to let a bunch of feral younglings thrash the place.
Gro’Bur dumped the group near the pit,.while I got ready in setting up supper. Hydra steak had turned into a staple ever since we began hunting with my rune-scaped shield, so we had scores of the stuff wrapped in leaves and hidden in a hole under the river. Grabbing several chunks of the still bloody flesh, I threw them on to the grill while dropping a couple of chopped mushrooms and crushed bugs on the top. A charred smell permeated through the camp, accompanied by the sound of sizzling meat. Although we ate the dish fairly often, my stomach still growled in anticipation of the meal.
The delicious aroma proved enough to awaken our unintended guests, and true to their nature the four had immediately started to struggle against their bond, their heads lunging towards the fire pit.
"Grakkcaa..aah!" screeched One-eye, drool dripping out of his mouth uncontrollably. With a sigh, I folded a juicy slice of hydra steak and stuffed it into his open mouth. Almost immediately I could see his eyes light up like Christmas, and those powerful jaws began chewing up and down, savoring the flavor. Just before he was done however, I grabbed his head with my hand and initiated a mind-link. The connection was far easier and clearer than with the human mage, likely due to our races.
"Calm down youngling, we are not your enemy. Though we did bind you and your friends, for your own safety as much as ours. What the heck happened to the four of you to hurt you so badly?" I stated calmly. With how desperate the group seemed, I felt it better to start the conversation peacefully.
It was almost comical how large his eyes grew upon my message, and he immediately slammed his head to the ground. The action caused a tiny puff of dirt to fly into the air, together with no small amount of surprise in the rest of the olive goblins. My hand was still on his head, so it definitely looked like I did it on purpose. Even Gro'Bur was shocked at my supposed cruelty.
"Kk..knowing One! Tt.. this one apologizes for baring his fangs at you! Please accept my death, b..but forgive my brothers Knowing One!" He pleaded desperately, and though his words sounded noble, his pathetic appearance gave him little credit.I was pretty impressed with One-Eye's bond with the smaller goblins though, especially since I hadn't expected such eloquence from a goblin.
Other than me of course.
"Relax youngling. No one's killing no one, at least not yet. You still owe me an answer though. What happened?"
One-eye looked up with more than a little fear in his eyes, but eventually it didn't take long before he explained to me what had happened.
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Apparently, the group were part of another clan of goblins, one that lived on the other side of the mountain. Other than their olive skin, we were almost identical in nature. Things were roughly the same as what I had experienced, though instead of the forest, all hunting goblins delved into a cave. One that led into the heart of the mountain. Inside, each goblin was tasked in bringing back a single monster for the clan.
With the number of hunter goblins the clan sent out, One-eye or previously Two-Eyes, usually had to go down to at least the second level before managing to nab one of the smaller critters. No more than bottomfeeders to be sure, but enough to clear the usual quota. Of course the deeper the floor, the more dangerous the residents became. Two days ago, when things had gone to shit, Two-eyes had gone down to the third level. The upper floors had already been cleared by the rest of the hunters, leaving him no choice but to dive deeper to even find a single monster.
He had been chasing a twin-headed rat, one that seemed significantly tired at the end of the chase. With a swift stab, the wooden spear he carried lodged itself firmly in between the creature's two heads. A single twitch, and the mutated beast had stilled. All things considered, it had been pretty lucky since the creature was just large enough to pass the minimum size; a much easier time lugging it back. As he reached towards the carcass, Two-eyes prepared to heave the carcass over his shoulders. It was then that all hell had broken loose.
The way he said it, demons had swarmed their way out from the depths of the cave. Beasts from every level had burst out from the lower floors, instantly annihilating every goblin that had the poor fortune to go deeper than him. Centipedes with chitin the color of night crawled over the stalactites on the roof of each level, accompanied by glowing bats covered in slime that fluttered through the air ominously.
Two-eyes had immediately backtracked through the path he had taken, ditching the spoils of his labor without regret.
You could only eat if you were alive after all.
A screech echoed throughout the cave, before a bat launched a great blob of slime in his face. He had managed to dodge at the last second, but a few droplets splashed against the wall and landed right into his left eye. Excruciating pain seared through his mind, but the now One-eye didn't pause for a moment. Hesitation in this situation, even for a second, could mean death.
When he had reached the first level, his three brothers had shown up with stone knives as usual. Being younger than him by a week, the smaller goblins were tasked to harvest any creatures he brought up for the clan, at least until they were strong enough to hunt.
With both hands, he scooped the triplets and tossed them across his shoulders. The days following were a constant game of hide and seek, between the siblings and the horde that had escaped. He wasn't sure how the clan had fared against them, especially since they didn't have a Knowing One. Instead they were led by a larger than normal goblin, which I decided to just call a Hob, since I'd never actually seen one before.
As he ended his recounting, the sound of munching and tearing of meat could be heard against the crackling of the firepit. Somewhere along his tale, Gro'Bur had untied the brothers and fed them small pieces of hydra steak. He stroked their heads like a father would, a far cry from how silly he usually acted. It wasn't the first time I noticed how different Gro'bur was compared to the other goblins I had met throughout my time here.
I carefully contemplated the implications of what such a development meant. As far as he knew, the monsters had never acted in such a manner, but that knowledge wouldn't amount to much, considering how young he was. No, there was something larger at play here and I was still very much interested in the nature of this world.
"Tell me youngling, how would I find your clan?"