Chapter Twenty-Three

As I started walking off into the foothills, even though I had brought a bucket with me, I didn't actually have a lot of hope of finding a ready water source in the couple of hours I was giving myself. Still better to have it and bring some back for the bear to drink than not and have to try and make another trip in the dark.

Maintaining a steady pace, I kept it to a slow walk to keep my heart rate down and conserve calories. While the reserves I held around my belly alone would probably give me two weeks, and despite having even more food back at the camp. I really needed to work on getting my mindset out of that of a first worlder. Even if I had my credit cards and cash, They would be worthless on this new world even assuming I found a civilization out there. And unfortunately, the small bit of gold and silver I had saved with my prepping supplies was either back on Earth or scattered somewhere else.

With nothing to trade other than some dubious goblin cores and with how easy the goblins were to kill for someone with no actual combat experience, I wasn’t exactly expecting a fortune for them. With no accurate way to tell time, I also wasn’t able to tell if the days were getting longer or shorter. So I had no idea if winter was coming or if it had passed.

That wasn't even considering if this moon had an axial tilt. Also, we were circling a larger planet, so while the year of the moon I was standing on was no doubt an important part of the calendar I had to figure out. It would be the planet’s elliptical orbit around its primary that would be the main determiner of the season.

Currently, the light we seemed to be getting was being reflected from the planet above, which told me the sun of this system was currently mostly on the other side of the planet and we were soon either coming out of the eclipse or heading into one and I had just missed the sun in the greater glow of planet in the morning or evening. Either that or there were magical shenanigans going on that would completely invalidate everything I knew about how the universe worked.

For all I knew, we could be in a universe where the sun was actually pulled across the sky like they believed in the ancient days when Apollo pulled the sun across the sky in his chariot. But until I was told otherwise I would have to assume an eclipse was coming and it would drop the temperatures dramatically for either several days or anywhere up to a true winter of several months.

However, with how close the planet above seemed to be, I doubted the rotation around it was the full year that Earth's trip around Sol was. With the greater size of the planet above, I was probably looking at two to three days of full darkness, with the same of full light, and around two ish months going between the two extremes. While I doubted that the full dark period was going to be enough to cause an actual winter, that would probably still be caused by the main planet’s orbit, both extremes would probably still cause a dramatic change in temperature.

So if I started seeing the next week or two start getting darker faster I was going to have to up my plans for creating a more permanent shelter. I was probably going to have to make for the large river I could see cutting through the valley, instead of heading straight through to the mountain that was the largest landmark around.

With the woods lining it for shelter, wood for a fire, and plants I could test for their edibleness, the river also would be another good source of food, while guaranteeing I didn't die of thirst. Also if there was any source of intelligence on this world greater than the goblins, and with the spear I was holding was a good indicator that this was true. I had a better chance of finding them by following the water than wandering the plains in a straight line heading for the largest mountain on the moon. I highly doubted there could be a mountain to rival the one that took up a good part of the horizon anywhere else on this continent.

Reaching the next copse of trees past my firewood gathering spot, I slowed down. I had seen small birds flitting about through the grass as they no doubt searched for insects and seeds, but nothing had let me get close enough to get a good look at them. It was concerning that they were so wary of me.

That told me that they associated me with both danger and something that was able to take them out from a distance. Most birds aren't afraid of large animals, they know that they aren't worth the effort of catching them for the most part. Unless something is truly starving, the expenditure of calories to catch a single sparrow isn't going to be recouped upon consuming it.

So either something was able to take them out en masse and regularly, or there was something around that was just bloodthirsty and killed for the pure joy of killing. And again it had a way of taking them out at a range judging by the space that they were leaving around me. None of them had come within fifty yards of me.

I could walk up to within several feet of wild ducks and geese back on Earth and those are still hunted by humans and provide a substantial meal. Pigeons will land on a branch and drop their load right in front of you with absolutely no concern for how you will react, while Seagulls will literally steal the food out of your hands.

With the trees still about a hundred yards off I decided to pause and wait. Sinking down to one knee, I dropped my silhouette beneath the tops of the grass. No doubt if something intelligent had been observing me from the treeline, this wouldn't fool them. But if instead, it was a mindless animal that the birdlife was afraid of, maybe this would draw it out.

Also, it would let me find out if perhaps it was just my movement that was frightening the birds off or if it was my bipedal walking. Forcing myself to remember, even though I could no doubt beat a couple of the smaller goblins off on my own, a pack the size Gaian had run into yesterday would no doubt have me on a spit in a couple of minutes if I was lucky, and raw in the bellies if I wasn't.

I'm no longer the apex being and I have to stop walking around upright like I am.

Deciding to give it as close to fifteen minutes as I could, to let the wildlife decide to settle down before I much more carefully snuck into the woods. I looked at the leading edge of the planet above. Still about a handspan from the horizon, I settled on waiting for it to move a finger width more before moving again. While I had no idea what the actual rotational speed of this moon was, it was the greatest hope I had for any kind of accurate timekeeping here.

Sinking down into a half lotus seat, not wanting to try for full lotus and get tangled up if I had to rush to get up. I set my bucket and spear down and focused on slowly breathing and trying to listen for any noises that would give me a clue as to what was around me. Too often it is easy to get wrapped up in using one’s eyes to maintain awareness around them.

I am guilty of it just as often as anyone else. If I had been on a hunting trip instead of a leisurely stroll, I wouldn't have fallen back into this bad habit as easily. Slow and steady movement with an ear out for anything out of place is the way to move if you don't have a tree stand or blind to wait in.

Sinking into a slow breathing pattern I just let the sounds of life on this new planet wash over me. The soft tweets of birds in the distance are the first thing that breaks through the quiet around me. But slowly I hear the softer rustling of grass I can only assume is coming from smaller rodents emboldened by my lack of movement.

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Keeping my eyes on the treeline, I leave my eyes unfocused so I can quickly locate any movements. I maintain a stillness while I look on through the grass, continuing to breathe slowly and listening.

My eyes are unfocused with the treeline slightly blurred in the distance, I breathe in and out slowly. I find myself replicating the pattern I maintained in the otherness where the Order and Chaos had held me captive. Where they in turn had been the fuel for my own growth in a reversal of fortune. Slowly in and slightly faster out while I continue watching the treeline.

I start to feel a warmth running through me, startled, my breathing changes, and then I wonder if it was all in my imagination. Slowly I try to consciously get back in my breathing pattern when something catches my eye in the treeline. Hearing some crashing, I see three Goblins break out of the woods chasing what looks to be on all accounts, to be a rabbit.

Only catching a quick glimpse of it, I don't know if I am relieved or disappointed that I don't see a horn on its head. With no time to process my feelings, I can only curse my luck as it runs straight at me. I don't know if it was the energy I had managed to gather in my imagination that made it pick my direction or just awful luck. But either way it seems to be making its way directly at me with its three goblins in tow.

Reaching out and grasping my spear, I move as smoothly as I can, slightly forward to get into a better position to ambush the Goblins. Raising myself up to my left, my right knee remains on the ground as I keep my head below the grass line so that I can drive forward if they come into range.

Either the rabbit has plans to avoid me at the last second or it is as clueless as the Goblins that are focused on their next meal. About half of the distance between the woods and me remains.

I don't know if these chittering menaces are either better equipped than the pack or less. None of them have a spear which has me confident that I can take them. Two are armed with what look to be short swords or possibly daggers as long as my own knife without the heft, while the third has a rock strapped to a club. They seem to be of the size of the smaller ones in the pack that Gaian had run into.

This has me confused, as the Goblins that size in the pack were armed with pointy sticks, and while the club feels in line with that for what I can only assume is that level of hierarchy, the two with metal weapons don't match up with the previous pack's level of wealth. With no time to dig more into the wealth distributions of goblinoid society, I considered briefly if I wanted to treat these a different tribe and give them the chance to run away as they hadn't actually attacked me or a fellow Terran.

Perhaps these little green men charging toward me are part of the goblin society that condemns using one's fellows sapients as a sacrifice to empower spells, and if I attack them I might be forever cutting myself off from a peaceful coexistence with my better neighbors.

Maybe I missed the signs that claimed this land as their own, after all in the wilderness and state parks in America, I had no doubt that I could have gone an equal distance with no sign that humans claimed the land. If I stood up while thrusting the spear at them that could only be construed as an attack and with most international law that I had no actual knowledge of, and could only make up in my mind, would probably indemnify me as being in the wrong and give the Goblins the right to defend themselves from me.

Although to be fair as a western male of mixed descent, I would no doubt be placed in the wrong for anything short of laying down to have my throat cut in an apology for trespassing against my will on their pristine lands.

While no doubt being speciesist, I really couldn't help but associate these with the ones I had run into before. I had no desire to have them run away and call on more friends to come hunt me down like the rabbit that was currently running from them. With no ability to retreat, no big guns to hide behind, and no special forces to be called in to save my ass if I was wrong in treating them civilly and ended up on a spit.

I could only give them a split second to react and surrender before making my move. Part of me wasn't happy with the decision, but like some of my ancestral cousins on the wrong side of the law used to say, “Why take a chance?”

Deciding to be okay with being a hypocrite with only myself to call me out on it, I readied my spear. They were coming quickly in an arrow formation, as the rabbit burst through the grass and with a startled cry cut ninety degrees to the right, telling me that it hadn't sensed any magic I might have been generating.

This told me absolutely nothing in regards to my own power generation, as it could either have no magic sense and I could have been a bonfire, or it could have amazing senses and everything I thought I was producing could have been in my imagination. Shaking off my random thoughts I started to stand driving forward as I made eye contact with the lead goblin.

Driving my spear toward his stomach in an effort to avoid having it getting stuck in the little, green rat's ribcage. I could only associate the look his eyes gave me with hunger, despite the spear heading for his center, he screamed loudly and if anything adjusted his trajectory to climb up it after it entered him. Driving it deep into him with a combination of both of our forward momentums, the spearhead continued out his back as he continued to pump his legs forward in an effort to walk up the spear and club me.

Continuing my thrust, I lifted up to bring him off the ground and taking another step forward brought the spear around slightly to spit one of his knife wielding brothers. Half of the blade making its way into the second goblin, I twisted at my waist bringing the spear around to throw them onto the ground.

With a high pitched roar, reminiscent of what a toddler sounds like when asked what sound a lion makes, only this was filled with madness and hunger. Screaming the third one came at me, sharpened teeth opened wide as if planning on killing me with them rather than the knife that was pumping up and down as his arms moved in his running pace.

Grabbing up my own knife with my left hand, I could only flick it at him swiftly, to take him off pace and give me time to draw my ax. Hitting it in the chest lengthwise and doing no more damage than if I had thrown a rock at it. The goblin nevertheless was knocked spinning to the ground, as its small stature and lack of any kind of stabilizing stance was hit by the force of my throw.

Not giving him any chance to recover, I finished drawing my ax and dove forward driving the hatchet blade through his spine. Leaving him there, arms still scrambling, trying to roll itself over either to escape or continue its attack on me. Picking up the dagger it had dropped, I grabbed the cleanest part of his hair I could find and after pulling its head back, drove the blade into the side of its neck.

Having to use a surprising amount of force, due to what I assumed was the dullness of the blade, I twisted it out the front, leaving a fountain of blood to splash out away from me. Turning back to the two I had managed to spit only due to their willingness to accommodate me in a chance to get their teeth into me. I could see that the front one was no longer moving, either collapsing in shock or already dead from the trauma.

While the rear Goblin was still trying to push itself off in, what I could only assume was an effort to continue its assault on me, judging by the glare on its face and the way its jaws moved up and down.

Walking slowly around, being careful to stay out of its reach. I picked up the end of the spear and with a heave, lifted it up and drove the blade into the soft turf. The small twenty to thirty pound creatures caused the shaft to creak, but fortunately, not splinter under their weight. As the forward one crashed down into the back goblin, it also slowly stopped moving.

Not wanting to risk it if it was playing possum, I left the spear blade holding them into the ground and thrust my captured blade into the bottom one's neck. The lack of arterial spray told me that I had stopped its heart with my second move. But wanting to be sure of the first one as well despite logic telling me it had to be dead was never a bad move in my opinion. I removed the dagger and thrust once again with a drive of my right arm, buried the blade into the top ones neck as well.