“ AGGGGGGGGGGG.” Tonka screams and runs at me.
I take a step forward and to the left as she’s about to reach me, ducking down I swing my right elbow up smashing into her ribs
* Crack*
She flips to the side from the force of the collision, sprawling on to the ground.
“AHHHrgggg.” She screams in agony. Scrambling up holding her side, I know I broke some of her ribs.
“ FREAKK * cough * YOU HURT ME.” She charges me again, arm outstretched to claw me, the other holding her side.
Sidestepping I grab her arm in my left hand and pass it front of her turning her on the spot opening up her right side again as she loses her balance.
I elbow strike her ribs again. * crack, squelch * she falls to her knees, coughing up blood. Her breathing is labored.
She staggers to her feet, the pain evident on her face. Instead of charging at me she watches me with hatred in her gaze.
She’s much more cautious now.
“ How * cough* How you hurt me,* cough cough *, you ..you young.” She is perplexed at how I’ve managed to hurt. I walk towards her, my gaze is causing her to shiver in fear. She throws a punch at me, I catch her arm, and put her into a arm bar lock then I bring my elbow smashing down breaking her arm.
“ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”
She falls to the floor, she tries to struggle to her knees but is having quite a bit of trouble with multiple broken ribs, a broken arm and a possible punctured lung.
Once she rises to her knees, I knife edge my hand, this is going to be much more effective than my old body as my hands have claw like nails. Raising my arm across my body so I can slash across her carotid artery, the term going for the jugular is a misnomer, as it has lower pressure due to the blood is returning to the heart.
The carotid artery on the other hand has just left the heart so retain the high pressure, causing it to leave the body faster, and is powered by the heart beating, it is one of the quickest ways to kill without severing the spine.
“ STOP.” My hand freezes millimetres from the neck, I crane my neck. The gob that challenged Tonka’s right to fight me is on his feet running to stop me. Seeing me not moving he slows down. Removing my hand from her neck, she collapses to the floor again. I let the emptiness recede. Some of the other gobs rush to her side glaring at me.
The older gob is standing in front of me, his eyes scrutinising me.
“ How did you know what to do....to become so,so,so terrifying and fight like that.” He asks gently.
“ I don’t know. I just do. It’s like my making, I’m holding the materials then I just start. The knowledge is just there.” I tell him this is much along the lines of what I’ve told the others that has asked.
“Ummmm. That is strange.” He mutters to himself. Turning round.
“ Fighting end now go back to big room and go eat or hunt by water. Go now.” He looks at me then walks off shaking his head.
Lily and the others gather around me.
“ Brother scared me and others, not nice brother.” Lily berates me.
Shaking my head. “ I’m sorry. Come on then let's go get our stuff, and I’ll show you how to make my spear and other things. Come now.” I tell them.
With us heading off through the cavern, I see Thesa, I approach her. “ I was wondering if I can get some more sticks to teach the others to make what I’ve made.” I ask her.
“ Ummm, ok but you make me ones too, yes.” She nods happily.
“ That’s fine we’re going hunting so can you meet us there as we have to get our stuff first. Oh can you make sure there’s some twigs as well please.” I instruct her, with her nodding happily she trots off.
As we head back to our room I grab an armful of cloth and bits from the room I’ve been stealing the other stuff from I get the two boys to do the same and we dump it near where I sleep. We grab our gear. Just before leaving the room I grab a length of fabric and quickly make some cord thick lengths of it, six should be enough.
Back at the lake room Thesa is over where I fished yesterday. We head to her, by her feet is a sizable pile of sticks and twigs. “ Thesa do you want me to make yours or would you like me to teach you.” I ask her.
She scratches her head in thought.“ Teach.” She replies.
“ Ok. We need to make rudimental blades for all of you.” I tell them I noticed a few rocks which is suitable once broken to make blades with.” I walk over to some and show them it. “ This type of rock once broken the right way will have a very sharp edge, enough to cut to the bone so you will need to be careful.” I show them how to break the rock to get good edge.
Then I send them to find their own rocks. While doing this I do a bit of fishing and get two reasonable size fish. The others are now all back, one each of the boys and the girls have a few cuts on them but nothing major.
“ Everyone get a stick at least as tall as you.” I inform them. “ And another about third of the length of the stick you just picked.” I carry on.
One of the other girls then asks. “ Brother what third.” Her voice is more sing songy than Lily’s, she is also slightly lighter in colour than her as well.
“ I’m going to call you Peony from now on. Ok.” She claps her hand in excitement. “And a third is, something that will fit 3 times onto something.” I show them my spear and atlatl, using my finger as a mark to show where one length ends and the next begins.
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With that they all get another stick.
My last sister is pouting a bit, I think it’s because I haven’t named her as well. No actual the boys are as well, damn. I’m going to have to name them all. Looking at the last sister she seems to be the smallest of all of us and is quite petite. Her colouring is darker than Lily. I reckon Lavender will do nicely.
I motion her to come closer. “ I’m giving you the name Lavender.” She jumps up and down dropping her sticks and rushes to give me a hug.
The to brothers look at each other. The bigger of the two and the one that made the three tined spear then asks. “ What ‘ bout us.”
Lavender let's go then heads over to Lily and Peony and they start chatting to each other about their names, Actually that’s kinda weird as I haven’t seen any other Goblins acting like girls or children for that matter from my old world. My influence again..
Turning back to the boys. “ Let me think a moment.” The one t hat asked is quite dark skinned despite being green not as dark as his brother though, and is probably the smartest after Lily. The other one is quite short and stocky he was also the one that was the most wet yesterday and is also the darkest of my kin. Ok I know what to call them.
Pointing to the smart one “ You shall be called Onyx and you shall be Basalt.” They seem happy with their names. Ok let's get back to teaching then.
Thesa is giving me odd looks at the moment.
“ Now everyone grab a twig.” I tell them after picking up one myself. Now every has everything I go though how to make both the spear and the atlatl. I give them all a 20cm length of the cordage I made so I still have plenty left from this morning.
The atlatl was the hardest bit to make for all of them. It takes all of them even Thesa a couple of sticks to get it right. It seems that all my sibling seem to be smarter in general that other goblins even Basalt. I caught him at one point chewing on a stick. So I threw everyone a bit of snake jerky.
Thankfully that stopped his puppy like behaviour.
Now that everyone's finished, I show them all how to use the atlatl. All pick it up extremely quickly. I tell the all to hunt 2 fish each.
With them all off hunting I hunt 2 more fish, after cleaning and gutting all 4 fish, I gather some rocks to make a fire pit and some to act as frying plates.
Thanks to Thesa bringing plenty of sticks we have enough for firewood and to make some racks so I can make jerky from the fish. Luckily while not know what fish theses are called they are not that oily so they will make good fish to make jerky with.
Using to of thicker sticks I put them into the ground either side of the pit, using my knife I split some length off another that reaches across the width of it. I then split down the middle of the sticks either side of the pit and wedge the lengths I just cut, using some more of the cord I tie them in place and the tops as well.
Now it's all secure I make myself a primitive fire board and hand drill *1, there thankfully was varying degree of hardness among the wood Thesa brought with her. And with all the mistakes they made I have enough kindling to get a fire started.
After a couple of minutes and false starts I have an ember, using the kindling I get a fire started and then stack the fire to life, I also place some of the larger flatter stones almost in the fire. While keeping an eye on the fire I make some skewers for the fish.
I skewer one of my fish then using a rock as a cutting board I slice the rest of the fish into strips to hang on the rack I made above the fire to dry them into jerky, but I need to wait until the fire becomes more coal like first. So while waiting for this I make some toggles out of he remained of the wood left but instead two holes I make one long one.
The fire is ready now I pull the hot stones out of the fire and lay some fish on them, using a couple of the other stones I wedge my skewed fish to cook over the fire and finally I hang the strips of fish on the racks to dry.
All the others come back about the same time. They look quite surprised to see a fire going here.
“ How there fire here.” Thesa askes. “ And what that.” Pointing to my rack.
“ I made the fire.” Her eyes light up. “ Yes I’ll teach you but tomorrow.” She looks a bit let out but still happy. “ and that is a rack used to dry the fish put so you can keep and have some in reserve.” She her stumped look. “ In case you can't catch any one day but catch more on another. You can dry it so it last longer so when you can't get food caught you have something to eat.”
“ OHHHH. Ok.” She finally understands I think.
“ Ok. Now everyone go grab yourself a flat rock I’m going to show you how to prepare fish in the right way.” Even Thesa looks a bit perplexed at this. “ It’ll make it taste better.” They all nod at this and head off to get the rocks.
Over the next quarter of an hour I get them to use their rocks to carefully to descale and gut the fish, I have them slice the first one and place on the racks as well and skewer the second to cook to eat now.
“Now I’m going to start training your bodies. You don’t have to do this Thesa.” I tell them all.
“ No , I do.. seem fun.” She replies.
I start taking them all through my stretch routine, and them through my circuit. All of them complete it after a few corrections, Lily helps the girls a bit cause you know breasts.
Because we're here I’m going to get everyone to bathe quickly.
“Ok everyone strip we are going to wash ourselves off in one of the streams, and before the looks it will make you feel better.” I tell them shaking my head.
After we all strip I take us over to the stream near where we are I make sure to keep an eye on our stuff. Showing them all what I mean they follow my example. All their faces look blissful with the cold water soothing their muscles. Throughout the entire time we’ve been here with me teaching the others I’ve noticed a few others watching us and one of the watchers is sneaking over to our stuff. I pick up a small pebble, waiting for it to get closer...closer....closer. Now, fling the rock straight at its head and strike.
“ LEAVE OUR STUFF ALONE.” I yell at the little sneak thief. I startle the others, I get out and head over to our stuff. I drag an unconscious goblin a few dozen feet away and leave it there. Once back at the fire I get dressed and see a few goblins surrounding the unconscious one, all of them are glaring at me.
“ IF HE DIDN'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER THEN!” I shout at them. The looks on their faces are a mixture of disbelief and realization.
Shit am I teaching them as well, well fuck can't be helped.
The others are back and now getting dressed, all the girls including Thesa are looking at Lily in envy. With her top.
“Don’t worry I’ll make you all better ones later, and you to Thesa.” They all look happy. The skewed fish are done now so we eat.
After food I let them all sit for awhile so the fish still need more drying.
“ Now listen we are going to do some more stretches but these are designed to help improve your flexibility, how well you bend. This will help you dodge better amongst other things.” I inform them.
Even though it’s some basic yoga, they struggle a bit so do I to be fair but it’s just getting this body to my old standard. I’m kinda worried about when I rank up if I will need to redo this every time or will things like this stay with the body I get afterwards.
By the time we are all finished the fish is finally done. I divide all of the fish between the seven of us.
“ All of you put this in your pouches and you will have to carry the stuff in them for now, but I will show you how to make pouches when in our room.” The all follow my instructions, even Thesa.
Packing up we head back to our room. As we leave the lake room, I see some of the other gobs looking over the fire I made. Some of them are pointing to various bits on it. As we walk through the corridor I can feel the presence from before again more acutely, I think it’s actively watching me, maybe the legend of the dungeons are true.
As we go through the cavern I pick up as many thigh bones as I can see, I’m getting a lot of funny looks. And finally back in our room Thesa sits down with us as well.
“ Basalt, Onyx can you grab an armful of cloth from the other room please.” They both nod their accent. “ Once they come back we can start the crafting lesson.” I tell all of them.