I am Rock, and I am the strongest amongst my brothers. And yet I was the last one to act when the caretakers needed us the most. Sun and Smoke attacked right away, while Stick followed close behind. I just stood there, frozen in front of the waves of cries from the goblin mob outside. Then something caught my attention. The goblin that was being held down by the caretakers stood up. Flute also saw it happen and immediately went after the goblin. Flute jumped on the goblin's chest and bit his shoulder. The goblin didn't even flinch, grabbed her by the neck, and threw her to a supporting beam. She fell face-first to the floor. The caretakers stood up again and grabbed him by the legs. "Rock! Help Flute." My caretaker, Pose, told me while she was holding the door.

I went to Flute to help her get up. "Are you ok?"

"No, Flute not ok!" She said while pushing me away from her. "This not good. What Tama doing here?"

"Tama? You mean that, goblin?" I pointed at the goblin. While I was looking, I noticed something strange. The goblin was much bigger than the caretakers, and his face and hands were red. "Why is his face red?"

"Tama killed a troll. He became stronger, turned red." Flute grabs the collar of my fur coat. "Listen, you stop him, I go get help."

"Me!"

"Yes you! You the strongest one here. Flute sees you play fight with your brothers. You strong."

I looked over at Tama. His hands were nearly as big as the caretakers' head. He is a goblin and a half taller than the caretakes. And his giant fur coat made any attacks negligible. The caretakers' claws and Flute's jaw couldn't even leave a mark on it. But then again, my brothers sprang into action without hesitation. "Well, if you think I'm strong enough to fight him, then I'll do it." I turned around to Flute for a response, but she was gone. I looked up and saw her climbing to the second floor, possibly to jump off the second-story window. "Alright, Rock, you got this."

"Hey, you!" I yelled as I run up to him. He turned his head to look at me. As he turned, my fist met his cheeks. He stumbled back a few steps. "How about you pick on someone your own size."

I expected him to fall. I knocked down all of my brothers with that punch. "My size? That punch felt like bird shit." He said as he turns to face me. What does he mean by bird shit? His eyes started to examine me. "You know, you look strong. If you worked under me, you could get even stronger. Maybe even get to be my right hand."

"Yeah, I don't give a shit."

"Too bad." He sprints towards me. I put my hands up to guard, but it was too late. He swung his right fist and slammed it across my face. For a few seconds, Tama looked liked he split into two. My whole body tensed up from the pain, but miraculously, I remained on my feet. "What's wrong? Can't take a punch from Tama."

My vision returned to normal, allowing me to see his smug face. "Punch? that felt more like a love tap." I clenched my right fist and planted my left foot on the ground. "This is a punch!" I threw a straight jab towards his nose. He was so tall that I had to pivot my entire body on my left foot, raising my right leg and extending my right arm. Tama took a step back from the punch.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Haha! That was like a bite from an ant!" He yells. He rotated his hips, with his fist following the rotation. I tightened my muscles, preparing myself for the impact.

SMACK*

His fist made contact with my chin. The floor felt like it was shaking, but I know this feeling very well. While I was going berserk from hunger, Sun punched me so hard that the whole world felt like it was tilting on the side. Later on, Sun told me that when you get hit on the chin, your head wobbles, causing your brain to rock back in forth. It makes you lose your balance.

I landed on my knees as the world shakes around me. I need to regain my balance. If my brain is swaying from side to side, then maybe I just have to punch my head to regain my sense of balance.

SMACK*

I think it worked. The world seemed to have stayed still. I stood back up, expecting to see Tama gone, making his to our mothers. But he was still there, standing tall and smiling. "Why are you still standing there?" I said after spitting out blood.

"Why? Because Tama is impressed. You took a strong right."

"Strong? That punch barely got me."

"Oh, then why did you get on your knees."

"Because that punch took me by surprise. So I stumbled and lost my balance. But if you want, I can show you a punch that can knock down that grinning ass of yours."

"Bring it on!" He yells as he raises his hand, hiding his chin behind them. I won't be able to break through that guard, but I can bypass it with an uppercut. I only need to make that uppercut count. I crouched low on the ground and had my left fist resting on the floor. Then, using my legs, I sprang my whole body towards Tama. I swing my fist upward, turning it into an uppercut, and hitting him right on his lower chin.

His head, no, his body was so fucking heavy. It felt like I was uppercutting ten goblins at once. But I managed to punch him so hard, that I lifted his feet off the ground. But that moment of victory didn't last long. Tama landed on his feet and was smiling again. "HAHA!" he laughed while blood from his mouth sprayed all over the place. "I can tell you are going to be strong. That's good. The world outside that barn is unforgiving." He said as he points at the door. "When you get out there for your first hunt, I'll help you. I'll teach you how to hunt."

"I don't need your help. I don't need you to teach me anything."

"What?"

"I have my brothers with me."

"Bullshit! Brothers, you say! You know nothing. Everyone is just using each other out there. The moment you are useless to them, they discard you." He frowned. "The moment you get stronger than them, they try to strangle you! He was supposed to be happy, but when he learned about me! Our blood meant nothing."

"Well, it's different for us. We've been together since we were born. We went through hunger and pain of losing people we cared about. Even now, we are fighting to protect our mothers and us." He looked around the room, watching as my brothers fight their battles. "I don't need your help because I have my brothers with me. And together, we will grow stronger."

"I see. If I were your brothers, I would have taken the chance to kill you to get rid of a potentially strong rival. But I guess that wouldn't be very brotherly." He smiles. "But enough talking. Better grit your teeth, because I'm not holding back anymore!"

Tama charged at me. He drew his left elbow back with his fist horizontal and his elbow bent. He rotates his body, launching his fist across and eventually landed on my cheek. My right foot left the ground as my whole body tilted to the left. I nearly lost my balance as I skip on my left foot to prevent myself from falling. "That's all you got! Now it's my turn." I yelled at him.

But right before I throw my jab, the doors to the barn were busted open. Another large goblin appeared in the room, and on his shoulder was a long sword. Tama turned around. Fear and hatred filled his eyes.

The goblin with the sword disappeared as suddenly as he appeared. The next thing I saw was Tama standing there screaming, while his arm sliced in half.

"You snake!" The goblin with the sword yelled. "I should have killed you the moment you turned into a conqueror."

"Is that how you see me now. No longer a comrade."