Novels2Search
Re: Corruption
Chapter 3: Preparations

Chapter 3: Preparations

After looking around in our cell I found several small rocks.

By hitting them against the wall I managed to create 3 small shives (small knife-like thingies). The whole process took me 2 hours.

I hid them, together with a few pebbles which I could throw, inside the rag I was wearing.

 Skill: Weapon crafting (inferior) learned

Inferior hm? Well it is progress.

Now I’m no helpless little Goblin anymore… I’m able to deal damage to a certain degree now.

If I’m lucky the shives may shatter inside whoever or whatever I stab them.

But I want to increase my chances of survival in every possible way. The best thing I can do right now is to gain allies. I will try to get a few of the surrounding Goblins to help me.

In a case of emergency I can always leave them behind. It is cruel but I wager my own life over that of other Goblins.

I chose the two Goblins with the highest levels.

One was the level 15 Goblin I spotted before who now somehow leveled up to 16, the other one is trying to steal from the guards right now.

GoblinName?(not named yet)TitleNo TitelLevel16

GoblinName?(not named yet)TitleNo TitelLevel21

Hmm he seems to be pretty strong compared to the rest of the Goblins here. Most of them awoke by now, three forth of them due to the sounds which was created when I made my shives.

Oh, the guards catched the little thief. They’re screaming some things at him. I can only understand a few words. One of the guards hit him through the steel bars, the little Goblin only laughed and jumped around.

Hmm? Something changed.

GoblinName?(not named yet)TitleBold IdiotLevel21

Now I know what the guards said to him.

Seems like simply calling a being something gives it to them as a title. I wonder how it's chosen which title gets equipped, people like King Robert must have dozens of insulting ones. Little 'Bold Idiot' there will probably gather some himself. That is if he survives.

So I approached the two goblins who I wanted to be my allies.

16 (I will call them by their levels until they get names) first didn’t want to help me, but she quickly changed her opinion when I gave her one of the shives as a present. She sure seems clever. Sadly she’s as ugly as any other Goblin here.

21 immediately accepted. I didn’t even finish my sentence when he already jumped to me and hugged me. He seems really happy to have a friend. The other Goblins all looked annoyed when he approached them earlier.

I decided to give him his shive later, so he couldn’t do anything stupid with it in the meantime. He seems to be a quite simple minded individual.

When I introduced them to each other 21 liked 16 from the beginning. She first despised him but his friendly attitude soon made her laugh. They will get along with each other.

Suddenly I heard a loud noise coming from the steel door. It got slowly opened, and then the guards threw in something that looked weirdly like a deer. It had spiky horns and a light red fur.

Horned Blood Deer (dead)Name?(not named yet)TitleNo TitelLevel12

I was even able to identify dead things? My ability is getting more and more interesting, when I get some free time I will definitely experiment with that.

Seeing blood pouring out of the deers wounds me and the other Goblins all remember out hunger.

Even I couldn’t stop myself and we all ran to it like hungry savages.

Using the advantage of my higher level I grabbed a Goblin who was currently biting into our meal and pushed him away, now I had room to access the corpse, it sure tasted better than I imagined. Goblins have strange tastes after all. Next to me 21 and 16 were already feasting themselves.

Saturated I turned around making room for other hungry Goblins, my line of sight fell on Tralgur, the old Ogre who got hurt in his fight. He looked hungry at the meat but didn’t seem to be in the condition to get closer to it.

Making a quick decision I turned around and used my shive to acquire a moderately big piece of meat.

When I brought it to him he looked like he didn’t believe his own eyes.

After staring at me for a second, in which he showed his gratitude, he gulped the whole meat down in one bite. Only seconds later I felt his aura getting stronger again.

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His regenerative abilities sure are strong, as expected of an Ogre.

“Curious One… I was saved by a Goblin, this is unbelievable.

It seems… like I owe you my life. But I have something that will repay this debt.”(Tralgur)

It seems like I made a new ally.

He pulled a cleaver out of what seems to be a pile of thatch on which he was resting.

A Dead Man’s CleaverType:CleaverDurability:200 / 200Quality:MagicalA normal sized metal Cleaver. Its appearance is that of a normal Cleaver, even though it’s no butchering or cooking tool, but made to be a weapon. It was created in cooperation from 3 experienced smiths, a Lich, an Elf and an Ogre. It was the first and only time when individuals of these three races ever worked together.Magical propertiesWhen something is damaged by this weapon, the wound can’t be closed for several days. Only saints and high level healers are ably to dispel this effect. If this weapon gets stolen during combat it will burn into the thieves hands and steal his life energy (if it is stolen outside of combat this effects won’t apply)

This cleaver seems to be high quality. Its magical properties also look rather useful.

I guess the old Ogre just gave me one of his greatest treasures, I wonder if he was the Ogre smith who was mentioned in the items description, but I don’t want anyone to discover my psychic ability right now, so I won’t ask him.

“Thanks, where did you get this cleaver?”(me) Is what I asked to not seem too suspicious.

“My father made it using a part of his life energy, he was just a Hobgoblin but it’s still a powerful weapon. Don’t underestimate it.”(Tralgur)

His father was a Hobgoblin? Wait but he is an Ogre how does that work? Also it said in the items description that it was made by an Ogre, not a Hobgoblin. And it states that it was made in cooperation of three beings. The old Ogre may be lying.

“Uuuhm sorry for asking but did your father adopt you or anything? I mean you’re clearly no Hobgoblin.”(me) I can feel that I’m about to acquire some very useful information.

“How do I explain this best? Hmm first of all, I am indeed his real son, I was born a Hobgoblin.We monsters, all monsters not just Goblins and even some Half-Human races sometimes get the chance for something called an ‘Evolution’. If you think hard enough about the word ‘Level’ you will see a number. This number shows how much you advanced in your current rank. Once you reach level 100 you have the possibility to evolve. There are various ways to evolve. I myself know only a few.

For Goblins the most common path to evolve is to a Hobgoblin or a Gremlin. A Hobgoblin can further evolve into an Ogre like me. Gremlins can evolve into darker creatures like vampires and undead, but if special requirements are met Hobgoblins and Gremlins evolution paths can intervene with each other. A Gremlin for example can if he starts behaving and living like a Hobgoblin also rank up to an Ogre.”(Tralgur)

What the? So I won’t be stuck in this small weak body of mine? I may one day even be stronger than old Tralgur next to me? That’s some sweet knowledge we got right there.

Checking my status I leveled up to level 32 since I checked last. It seems that crafting the shives and gaining new knowledge also provides experience.

That explains why I most of the Goblins are low level, since there is nothing to fight here the only way to level up is using your brain and the average Goblin probably doesn’t have much of that.

I wonder how 21 reached his level. Earlier he ran around a lot, maybe normal exercise also adds to it.

Thanking Tralgur for his lecture I turn around, planning to tell 16 about what I just heard. I think she is intelligent enough to understand at least some of it.

“Oh one more thing, Curious One, don’t expect many of our race to be as clever as we two are. I am an exception, but most Goblins, Ogres and other monsters aren’t even able to fluently speak the languages with which they were born. Take care, Clever One.”(Tralgur)

 Title ‘Curious One’ Updated to ‘Clever One’

Looks like I underestimated the old Ogre. He may be one of the brightest of our race.

He even gave me my current title.

As I walked away the deers corpse, now almost cleaned from all meat, fell into my sight.

I actually planned on using the horns of the dead deer to make some stabbing weapons, but the other Goblins took them already, most of its bones were broken in their hungry rampage.

Quietly thanking Tralgur again I walked to my two allies, both already in deep slumber.

Without waking them up I quietly lied down next to them. We need to rest to get ready for the following day.

I can feel that it will be a slaughter. An expression of excitement covers my face only moments before I fell to sleep.

 Trait: Bloodthirsty acquired