Making his way through the dark musty tunnels on painful and aching feet, Crag made slow progress towards the tribe’s hideout. A feeling of excitement filled him at the thought of sharing his adventures and precious loot with his friends, making his steps light and pain bearable. Then the scabbed-over wound in his chest broke open, sending hot streams of blood down his stomach and leg. He grunted in pain as he clutched at his chest, panting from the shock.

Slightly dizzy from exhaustion, he decided to halt for a moment to catch his breath leaning against the wall. He scraped some non-glowing moss from the walls and pressed it against his wound, stemming the flow of the blood. When the tunnel wouldn’t stop spinning he decided to give himself some much-needed rest and slid down the wall, bringing down a rain of moss and debris on him which he ignored. He focussed on his breathing to get his dizziness under control and to stop the tunnel from trying to turn upside down.

Closing his eyes for a few moments, he let his mind relax. Darkness enveloped his exhausted mind quickly and his breathing deepened as his form grew limp. The water carried his wheezing snores through the tunnels, turning the rough sound into a creepy keening sound that reverberated through them.

---

He woke up with a start from a sound that had registered as foreign to him. Looking around he felt confused because the tunnel was a little bit brighter than it had been before. Glancing left and right and then up, he could see no clear source of increased light. The moss wasn’t blooming nor could he spot any of the other sources of natural light in the tunnels.

Absentmindedly scratching an itching wound on the back of his hand with a dirt-encrusted claw, he took in his surroundings curiously for what could be the source of the increased luminosity. Noticing that the light was slightly stronger in the direction of the tribe's hideout, a frown grew on his face. More light near his tribe’s camp would be a problem. Maybe the moss was blooming there, they would have to cull the plants so they would keep their dark vision advantage over the larger animals in the sewer…

He wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t taken a break here. He counted this to his good fortunes and got up again, rehearsing the scolding he would give those responsible for maintenance of the tunnels. The lazy sods were probably just lounging around instead of doing their job, as he had as a reliable hunter, risking his life and limb to bring treasure to the tribe.

Prodding the moss with his claw it became clear it had become part of the crust, and that he couldn’t remove it without opening the wound again. As the fog of exhaustion cleared a bit as he woke up slowly he realized with a start he had forgotten all about the timer that was running down!

Quickly pulling up his status he prayed that he still had some time left and not slept through the timer before he could have consulted his shaman!

Crag

[Level 5] [Goblin] [Zealot]

[HP 52/240]

[MP 8/8]

[ST 11/28]

+[CH 15/15]

Stats:

[Vigour 10]

[Intelligence 6]

[Wisdom 7]

[Dexterity 7]

Traits:

[darkvision] [unrelenting]

Skills:

[spot] [pick] [minor carry] [minor identify] [track critter] [burning passion] [inspire]

Quests

Rituals

[Ritual of reactivation]

[Ritual 4 out of 4 started: Exercising judgment]

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

[37 minutes remaining]

[Exercising judgment]

[Choose one of these options in the location of your choice]

[ - Puzzle]

[ - Nightmare]

[ - Vengeance]

[ - Death]

[ - Adventure]

[ - Eldritch]

[ - Slime]

[ - Carnivore]

[ - Trap]

Effects

[Hungry] [Wounded - serious]

He still had thirty-seven minutes remaining. It would take him ten minutes to reach the tribe at the pace he had managed before, and his stamina had recovered more now, as had his health. He just hoped the shaman was there to consult with, instead of going off on one of his spiritual journeys.

Keeping a claw resting against the wall he got up slowly, taking care to not break another scab. He could not afford the blood loss now, he could be a massive boon to his tribe with this mysterious ritual about to complete.

With a groan he moved forward, his claw keeping contact with the wall to maintain his balance. After a few paces, his blood ran cold when a metallic sound resounded throughout the sewer. He knew that sound, and it was the sound of oncoming death. The humans made that sound with their metal weapons when they clumsily banged them against the walls with their too-large forms.

There were humans in the sewers! Near the tribe! Near him! Heart pounding he looked around for a place to hide. His ears pricked up as he heard a steady beat of feet walking in sync coming ever so nearer to him.

The walls offered no crevice he could hide in, nor were there any nearby side tunnels he could run into to seek cover. The sound of human voices started to waft ever so softly towards him as the tunnel turned brighter with every passing moment.

His mind raced as he stood petrified, the light must have been coming from the humans. They were coming from the direction of his tribe towards him. Had they found their tribe or had they passed it, not noticing the tribe seeking refuge within the sewers?

With worry in his heart, he considered his situation. If he would remain here he would die for sure, but he wouldn’t be able to outrun them in his current condition.

He eyed the waterway, which had a shallow stream, barely a hand deep flowing through it, not deep enough to hide him. He climbed down into it anyway, with great pain he lowered himself the goblin height down into the stream, making sure to stay as quiet as possible so as not to alert the humans to his presence.

Standing with his feet in the cold murky water he eyed the excrement and trash flowing down the sewer, occasionally bumping into him. An idea bloomed in his mind and he started grabbing all the poop and waste and started to build a big clump of it and then pressed that hard against the wall so it would stick there and not be taken by the stream quickly.

In a short time, he had 5 large clumps of various sizes decorating the wall, and his hands full of a sixth. He didn’t press that one against the wall though, but started ripping small chunks from it and pressing it against himself, slowly covering the entire side of his body with the poop and waste, standing on one leg he put the last pieces on the side of his foot.

All the while the thrum of marching feet became louder, and he could hear the humans clearly now as they were chatting among themselves. They sounded relaxed and tired. Maybe this was just an inspection, as they performed every now and then. The tribe had been able to hide from many such inspections, as the humans weren’t even really looking for anything except leaving the sewers as quickly as possible.

The light had grown incredibly bright and he could see the heaps of waste he had pressed against the wall in sharp contrast. If it would become a bit more brighter he would lose his dark vision entirely.

Having finished applying the waste to himself he eyed the five heaps of waste, looking for the best place to hide his form. The stench from the waste covering him was intense, and he could feel his skin burning slightly where the waste covered it. He hunched down between the fourth and fifth waste chunk and lay down in the cold water on his clean side, curling up in a ball, his nose ever so slightly out of the water. He made his final adjustments to smooth over the edges between the limbs of his curled-up form with his clean hand. He sidled up close against the wall and then grew still and waited anxiously.

After a few moments, the light flashed incredibly bright as the bearer of the light rounded the curve in the tunnel and crag could see the sewer clearer than he could have ever had before. It almost hurt his eye as the light pierced it. Soon following after the human in the front were other humans, walking at a synchronized pace. It sounded muffled to him now due to one ear being in the water and the other covered in a thick layer of shit.

He couldn’t see them anymore as they were now too close and hidden by the ledge from his sight, and he held himself as still as possible. His heart nearly gave out when he saw a human peering over the ledge, eyeing the chunks that clumped against the wall.

The human spoke against someone behind it and took a spear from where Crag couldn’t see. The human stabbed the middle clump and then moved towards the second, stabbing it also. A second human came into sight, also wielding a spear, and disinterestedly stabbed the clump near Crag's feet, pulled his spear from the clump, and moved to where Crag was lying.

Time slowed down for Crag as he saw his doom approaching. His bright plan of escaping his fate by hiding as shit had failed. His mind grew detached as he considered all the things he could have done differently. He could have chosen something else to do. He could have been a guard for the tribe or a moss tender. Those choices would have seen him safe with his tribe instead of being killed by the stupid humans, alone and away from his tribe.

As the human moved towards him, moving as if through molasses for his detached regretful mind, he noticed it was wearing something around his neck that seemed out of place. From a string tied around its neck bungled a few fleshy lumps. Cold realization washed through him as he recognized them for what they were. Ears, goblin ears, and they were fresh! He could now also recognize the dark splotches on the armor of the human for what they were, blood. And those gauges in the leather claw marks.

The human raised its spear, ready to pierce his body with a bored look on its face. Crag felt a fury welling up in him, a wave of uncontrollable anger rising in him. These humans had attacked his tribe! Killed his family! His body trembled under the rage. Hot fire coursed through his veins, and wrath overcame him as the spear moved down towards him, the blade filthy with the waste from the decoy. These humans needed to die and suffer horribly for what they had done to his family, to him! All humans needed to die and needed to suffer for the anguish they caused him! For what they stole from him! From his tribe! The worst nightmares wouldn't suffice to pay retribution for what they had done!

He opened his status and made his choice.