For a few more days, Fogosh attempted to teach me, growing impatient quicker and more aggressive. We often exchanged blows, he with complete freedom using his hands and at one point throwing the stool at me, while I in my captivity had to be patient and await the right moment to swipe his leg and throw him to the ground so I could kick him a little more.

I even had the luck to kick him between his legs once, causing him to scream loud enough for a handful of orcs to enter the tent, arms ready probably expecting an attempt on my part to escape, only to see the tearful goblin in the ground and burst out laughing.

Despite my situation, I received a full meal each day, and it wasn't just a loaf of bread, they brought me meat, bread, cheese, and even a jelly of sorts on the third day. The woman too appeared one more time, she again cleaned my body from top to bottom, missing no spot and causing me great shame as my body reacted to her touch.

Few words were exchanged that time, a simple question seeking permission to touch me, and a comment here and there about the food. Until she was done and she seemed curious about something but refrained and left.

Fogosh kept shouting, yelling and despite it all, he was teaching me. In truth, while I pretended to pay little attention to his words I had been listening carefully. There was no reason for me to let him know I knew what he was saying.

It was also the perfect opportunity to test my theory about how learning works for me. After the first night, I entered into that trance, since I had survived the encounter with Fogosh, and saw within my memories as far back as I could.

I began to connect the way words sounded and the possible meanings they had, even going as far as remembering what few words I had heard being spoken back at the place of my birth by the more grown goblins.

This proved my theory right, every time I survived a fight I could search within my memories for specific details and choose to focus on two of them, so I focused first on the language the goblins speak.

As things made more sense I realized that the orcs and goblins spoke a similar language, there were differences here and there but for the most part, many of their words meant the same. This explains why they can speak with each other so easily and it made me wonder if both of them come from the same place, or if all monsters speak the same tongue and there is no specific goblin language or orc language.

And second, I focused on Fogosh's technique with his sword and knife, I did not know how to use a sword, so instead the movements were adapted to my hatchet, that way I discovered that if I had no previous knowledge of an advanced version of something I could not learn it exactly how I remember it.

I supposed then that learning the spear and how to throw the hatchet could be possible because I know how to thrust and throw things. It made sense.

A week had gone by very slowly, being chained up alone made the time go at a snail's pace. But it was amusing to see Fogosh stress beyond capacity while trying to understand him, unaware that by that point I understood at least half of what he said, even if I never seemed to pay attention, he was giving me step-by-step words I could chew and understand.

So weirdly, I expected him the morning of the seventh day, being the only way to entertain myself I had little else to look forward to.

And he entered the tent at the crack of dawn. Bread in hand as he took a bite out of it, the scowl on his face immediately when our eyes met.

"Idiotic...waste of time..." I understood as much, but then his scowl lessened and he seemed...happy, something was wrong "Last day...you...dead"

Those were not words I wanted to hear, and my expression must have alerted him of something, he knew that maybe if I didn't understand him, I knew something was wrong. He swallowed the food in his mouth and walked up to me.

"Do you understand me?" he growled, without looking away from my eyes and holding my gaze firm, this time I gave him nothing. He relented and moved away, scoffing as he walked out of the tent leaving me to ponder what I heard.

Of course, they wouldn't keep me for much longer If I was of no use to them.

Interrupting my thoughts the tent opened and the leader walked in, with a war hammer almost twice my size in hand, one end a sharp point and the other a jagged head. He looked at me disappointed as Fogosh and a few other curious onlookers peeked inside the tent.

"Shame," he said, and walked up to me raising his weapon.

"NO!" I yelled in his language, standing up and leaving him shocked for a moment "I learn" I struggled to say, hoping I had said the correct words, the pronunciation was difficult in this language, the same words meaning different things depending on how thick was the last letter.

He looked back at the shocked Fogosh, who shrink pitifully beneath his stare, stumbling for words for a bit before the leader hit the end of his hammer on the dirt, shutting him up.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Makur," He said placing a hand on his muscular chest, it was his name "Ushkur" he then said moving that hand and pointing at me, did he think that was my name?

"No, Rokan" I replied but he then laughed.

"No. Ushkur" he said once again, this time firm, it was an order. "One...no more, quickly," he said turning around to speak to Fogosh, and once the goblin nodded furiously he pointed at me one more time "Learn" he stated and exited the tent.

I sat down feeling more calm, even if I still had questions regarding the whole purpose of this. Why spend so long to teach me how to understand them? And how do they think anyone would learn their language in just a week? If I couldn't do what I do in the trance there is no way I would have understood what they mean.

But my complaints of their judgment were short-lived, a furious Fogosh quickly walking up to me and forcing me into a brawl, for the very first time not caring how close he was, we hit each other bad enough that the guard standing outside of my tent had to enter to take him away.

Both of our wounds seemed to have healed almost completely, which also must mean that I'm not the only one who heals faster by eating plenty and well.

He didn't enter the tent for the rest of the day, and I was left alone for the entirety of it until the night came and she returned.

Her name was Maeld, the last time she came I asked her and she was kind enough to answer me and asked mine in return. And while she was still visibly nervous, it was a far cry from how anxious and afraid she was the first night she entered this tent.

With a firm pace, she walked up to me and looked at my new injuries thanks to Fogosh's kind and calm demeanor, she let out a disapproving sigh as she dragged the stool in front of me.

"By the silent one, just like children" she whispered as she squeezed the water out of the cloth in her hands into one of the two buckets, whatever memory she recalls, brings her the tiniest of smiles "I will clean you, is that okay?"

Always kind, and proper with my care I nodded and she began to carefully clean my new wounds first.

If there was someone whose company I enjoyed it was hers. Her presence felt like warming your hands next to a fire, and her beauty was simple, yet endearing.

But there was no denying it, it was the brown of her hair, her fair skin, and her light brown eyes that captivated me...for she reminded me of her, of Ismeina.

I wondered if that was how she looked when younger, with less figure yet still very much a woman...I had to be careful, however, for if I spent too long admiring those characteristics the beautiful reflection of her morphed into the dreadful image of the daughter I took from my savior.

And I would give anything to throw away these thoughts that plague me, that creep their long-reaching hands past the cage where I've hidden them and grab a hold of my mind and body. No matter how hard I try it is impossible to not peek at her cleavage or her small yet clear figure.

Her pink lips and delicate neck. And the smell of her freshly bathed skin, it all was enough by now to force a reaction out of me even before she laid hands on me. My shame gave way to anger, so weak was I that I couldn't keep some form of decency towards someone being so kind to me.

"It's normal," she said in a lone tone, making my eyes that tried to avoid her look at her, she gave me an embarrassed look that made my shame even worse as I noticed her gaze laid on my manhood "You wouldn't be a goblin if you couldn't harden it"

It was those words, You wouldn't be a goblin, that finally made something in me click the way I had tried too hard to make it work. And my warmth calmed, relaxing my embarrassing loss of control. If I wanted to hold on to that humanity, I had to fight against these instincts and needs to the bitter end.

"He seemed happy today" she whispered, her expression souring when she spoke, I knew in an instant who she must mean "He wants you" she added, looking me in the eyes, awaiting some sort of response.

"How do you know?" I asked. My lucidity has returned.

"I don't know what they say if you mean that. He simply stayed out with the rest of them, drinking and eating..." there was an invisible weight in her eyes as she whispered her next words, so low and carefully that I almost didn't hear her "he will be excited, no doubt"

I could see the way her eyes crystalized, and the way her breathing quickened. I knew what she meant and it was clear she didn't look forward to it. But then, she raised her eyes from the ground and looked at me directly in the eyes, a question escaping her lips, but sounded more like a plea.

"That medicine that you had on you...can you make more? If you have the ingredients? You said you could"

"Why do you need it?" my question made her visibly uncomfortable, a tear falling down her cheek as she struggled to answer me, looking down once more.

"It doesn't let me...bear children" she finally says, her entire body trembling as she does.

And while I know I could tell some of the plants used in the mixture I wasn't sure of them all, there were still at least half of the ingredients that I didn't recognize and by then I had forgotten the contents of the envelope almost in its entirety. After all, I only took a glance when I obtained it.

If I were to make more I would need to wait until spring came, to collect the ingredients, and either obtain another sample of it or survive a battle to remember what I saw clearly. As well as the proper equipment to replicate it and of course, time to do all of that.

In my current situation, shackled inside this tent, there was no way for me to do it.

She looked at me slowly and I held her stare, I knew the answer she was hoping I would give her, but I couldn't help her, not now, not like this.

And a week went by in a flash, Makur appeared at the dawn of the seventh day, and I stood ready to hear him speak. A few others peeked inside the tent as they watched curiously what was to come.

"Well, I suppose you learned well from Fogosh, Ushkur. So let me tell you about an opportunity" He began speaking, surely intending to repeat the speech he gave me when I was taken to his tent.

"I will" I answered before he even began, leaving him shocked for a moment, but a large grin quickly grew on his face, showing off his fangs "I will join you" I decided to clarify.

Makur stared at me intensely, probably trying to sense if I was lying or not, and only when he felt satisfied did he turn around and addressed his men "Release the little Gogoan!" He shouted and many goblins cheered, even a few orcs seemed satisfied with my decision "Ushkur, the goblin!"

I had a week to think about it, I could have after all accepted and escaped. But now, I wanted to take Maeld with me, away from this place and back to where she belonged. I was determined to finally save the life of someone that had shown kindness to me.

And for that, I would need to obey this orc and join this warband.