"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.
'…So what?' - Thoughts.
{Is the Title} - Voice of Heaven Announcement.
Chapter 3: Loot and Racing to the Rescue
Gobuto followed Gobujiji into the deeper area of the cave, excited to finally get his hands on something approaching proper weaponry. Ok, so it was only the…fifth? Yeah, fifth day of his reincarnated life, but after sixty or so years of being an active Shinobi, having piss poor improvised weapons in an area where he might be attacked and killed was making his paranoia go off like no one's business.
'Calm down, damn it.' he told himself, 'Gobujiji said that the last generation went through it and took the best weapons and armour for themselves, but hey, they were ordinary goblins. They probably ignored anything that wasn't a weapon or piece of armour though, so I'll get some accessories or something at least.'
He dimly recalled from his few games with his grandkids that rings and necklaces were usually imbued with protective or stat-raising magic.
"Youngster! Over here!" Gobujiji called and Gobuto hurried to catch up. The old goblin was standing outside a seemingly ordinary wall. As soon as Gobuto reached him, Gobujiji tapped the wall with his cane and it…faded away.
"How…?" Gobuto's question was cut off as he caught sight of the large stack of bags, weapons and armour on the other side.
"A Hobgoblin Mage enchanted this wall years ago. She died not long after." Gobujiji replied gruffly, "Its location is passed down from elder goblin to elder goblin and known to precious few other than them. Congratulations on wiggling it out of me, youngster."
Evidently, being called 'youngster' was a promotion from being called 'young'un', so Gobuto took it as such.
"This is…a bit more than I was expecting." Gobuto managed.
"Heh…you're lookin' at forty seasons' worth of lootin' in one place." Gobujiji cackled, "Quite a few of the weapons yer lookin' at can't be wielded by goblins or even Hobgoblins as they're too darned heavy! Like that sword over there!"
Looking at the weapon in question, Gobuto didn't doubt it. The weapon was a massive sword taller than he had been as a human at full growth and the blade was as wide as a kunai was long and twice as thick. The metal was black and seemed to seethe with malevolence.
He had to know what that was.
[Demonic Sword of Hellish Torment]
Mastercrafted Demon Great Sword
Forged in the Knar Zarroth fortress by the Demon Master Blacksmith Wulfar Rogueblade, this sword is infamous for being wielded by Harkin the Conqueror, a demon who desired to rule the mortal world. Every cut of this blade fills the soul of the victim with unbelievable pain that leaves them helpless.
Further information blocked by unknown Aura!
{[Appraise Weapons] has levelled up! LV1-LV2!}
Gobuto made a note to get rid of that sword at the first opportunity. It was way too evil to risk having around.
"So are there any limits to what I can take?" he asked the old goblin.
"Nobody can take more than three items outta the room at once." Gobujiji replied, "Parta the magic that the mage put in, ta slow down looters. And the door closes after a being steps out and can't be opened until the next day, so choose wisely."
Right.
There were a lot of things to pick and choose from; some just bags full of scrolls, while others were useless ornamental daggers Gobuto knew would be about as useful as a hangnail.
He found his first choice in a plain-looking dagger of some sort. It was nothing special to look at with a black sheath, and plain steel crossguard with an engraved bird of some kind on both sides.
[Raven Armoury Dirk]
Long Dagger
A long-bladed dagger forged by the best armoury in the Kingdom of New Felicia. Well maintained and unused since its owner was killed, this is an excellent supplementary weapon for those who stab more than cut.
Durability: 30/30
Slashing Damage: SX2
Piercing Damage: SX2.5
Concussive Damage: S
One down. He found a black leather belt that looked as if it went through the rings in the sheath meant for such a thing. After consulting with Gobujiji, this would make it count as just one item as they were a set.
All of the helmets were too big for him, not to mention too heavy. After closely looking over the armour multiple times, he was rather pleased to discover a new skill.
{As a result of specific repeated actions, the skill [Appraise Armour] was created!}
[Appraise Armour] (Level 1, 00.00)
Allows the user to inspect the stats of any armour. Initial information scanty, but improves with higher levels.
Current Information Displayed: Armour Name, Durability, Description and Armour Value.
Useful for this particular activity. He scanned the equipment and spotted a cuirass that was about his size. It was a bit dinged up, but looked to be still in good condition. He [Appraised] it.
[Halfling's Protective Cuirass]
Chest Armour
A basic piece of equipment for those Halflings that are warriors. This chestplate, including slight protection at the shoulders and a backplate, is enchanted by [Protection Magic] and confers a number of minor, low-level status protections and a minor health boost.
Durability: 25/30
Armour Protection: 15 on all covered locations.
Score.
"Hey Gobujiji!" he called, "Why didn't this one get taken?"
The old goblin hobbled over and peered at the chestplate for a moment. "Ah, that 'un. The one who wore it was a Halfling, one of those short fat little men. They ain't warriors, so none of the generation before yours wanted the thing."
"Their loss. It's a good piece of armour." Gobuto said as he shrugged it on, "Ah! Cold!"
"Yeah, metal on skin when it's cold is usually a bad idea." Gobujiji said helpfully, "Grab the Halfling's shirt…there! It should count as one piece for the spell."
"How'd this guy die if the armour hasn't any holes in it?" Gobuto asked as he took the armour off, grabbed the shirt and pulled it on before donning the armour once again.
"Magic arrow took his head off!" Gobujiji cackled, "Poor bastard didn't have a chance!"
"I'll bet." Gobuto muttered.
Weapon and armour secured, he looked for the trousers that the Halfling had worn, but evidently, contempt for a non-warrior only extended so far as they were nowhere to be seen, which was a pain.
A certain backpack caught his eye. It was small, but had a feeling of power to it. It was quite striking and had well embroidered moons and stars along the seams. He [Appraised] it.
[Wizard's Bag of Carrying]
Bag
A minor magical item for a wizard that allows the carrier to carry up to fifty separate items, regardless of size (within a certain limit), inside it with no discernable weight difference between it being empty or full.
Jackpot. He grabbed it and had a look inside. Full to the brim with bottles, wands and other weird stuff.
Gobuto smirked as he closed the flap, did it up and threw it over his back.
"Done already?" Gobujiji raised a wispy eyebrow at him, "You sure? You won't be able to come back until tomorrow."
"I'm sure, Gobujiji." Gobuto nodded.
"Very well. Let's see if the magic agrees with your choices." the old goblin said and stepped back.
Nervously, Gobuto stepped through the doorway and a flash of blue light passed over him before fading.
"Looks like you chose well." the old goblin nodded, "Step lively now…I still have to show you your bonus prize….the DEEP caves."
As Gobuto stepped away from the storehouse, the air shimmered and the illusion of a cave wall reappeared. Gobuto had to admit, he had seen A-Rank Genjutsu that were less realistic than that.
"So how do I open that?" he asked.
"I'll show you tomorrow." Gobujiji replied as he led Gobuto off down a passage that seemed to draw in the shadows.
"This whole hill used to be a goblin castle hundreds of years back." Gobujiji said as he hobbled along, "Then a powerful Vampire Lord overran us and his second in command, a powerful Spell Lord, sunk the remains of the castle into the ground using powerful earth magic. The then-leader of the goblins led his men into the bowls of his once proud castle to raise it…but something, no one knows what, stopped him. Ever since, the best and bravest of each generation have tried to undo the spell, but none have ever emerged once they go down…there."
Gobujiji stopped and pointed at what was unmistakably the turret of a castle. The stones around the small window had been crudely smashed away, leaving an opening wide enough for a human-sized being to pass through. Stairs dropped off into the darkness not far away.
'No wonder no one's returned.' Gobuto thought with a frown, 'All a defender or monster or…whatever is down there…has to do is guard the base of the tower and they have a murder pocket ready-made to eliminate intruders who came this way.'
"Intimidating, isn't it?" Gobujiji said solemnly, "Who knows how many of our kin have passed down this stairway to never return? Well, the way is open for you, should you ever wish to attempt it."
"Not until I become a Hobgoblin, at least." Gobuto said dryly, "Speaking of…how does evolution work?"
"Ah, you've heard about that, eh?" the old goblin grinned as he turned around, "It's quite simple, really. A goblin has to gain experience by hunting creatures, defeating enemies and so on. Once a sufficient amount of experience has been accrued, an amount that varies depending on the goblin, evolution is possible. Normally, goblins just evolve into your bog-standard Hobgoblin, but not always. In rare cases Goblin Mages appear and, even rarer, goblins blessed by the gods."
"Gods?" Gobuto asked skeptically. Visions of Mōryō, Pain and the Reibi flashed through his mind.
"The gods do exist, youngster." Gobujiji admonished him, "Why, the leader of this group two generations ago had the [Divine Protection of the Water God]. He was blue coloured, which is how I knew of it."
"Wait…so blessed Hobgoblins have different skin colours?" Gobuto asked.
"A greatly different skin tone." the old Goblin corrected him, "Hobgoblin Mages, priests and others are merely a darker shade of green. Black, red, blue, yellow…all of these indicate the blessing of one of the many gods and goddesses."
Huh…who knew? Actual gods.
Later…
Gobuto looked at his status screen in satisfaction.
Name: Gobuto
Level: 3
To Next Level: 535 EXP
Race: Goblin
Job: None
HP: 200/200
MP: [Locked]
Strength: 13
Toughness: 13
Dexterity: 13
Initiative: 10
Wisdom: 11
Leadership: [Locked]
Equipment: Head: None
Torso: [Halfling's Protective Cuirass]
Arms: None
Undergarments: Filthy Loincloth
Legs: None
Feet: None
R. Hand: None
L. Hand: None
Weapon: [Raven Armoury Dirk]
Items: [Wizard's Bag of Carrying]
Attribute Points: 5
Skill Points: 10
He was fairly well equipped, but his stats could use some work. Thankfully, he had some AP to sort that out.
Deciding that if he wanted to hunt bigger and badder enemies, he would need to be faster, Gobuto added three of his AP to Dexterity, bringing that stat up to 16, and then splitting the last two between Strength and Toughness, bringing them to 14 each.
That taken care of, he chomped down one of the [Rabbit Horns] as he had a better weapon to use in its place and was pleasantly surprised to see [Lesser Increased Piercing Power] go up a level. Therefore, you could continue to eat the [Horned Rabbits] and level your skill up that way, in addition to getting EXP from combat. Useful information for future hunts.
Speaking of hunts…
"Hey, Goburimi!" He called to a female goblin that he had seen Goburyū talking to a couple of times, "Is Goburyū back?"
The brown-haired goblin shook her head. "No, he isn't. Wasn't he with you?"
"He wanted to keep hunting." Gobuto replied with a frown, "I told him to be back before it got dark, but…"
The sun was already setting. Goburyū would be dead meat once it fully set. The idiot probably hadn't paid attention to the sun in order to stuff his gullet.
"Damn it to hell." Gobuto growled as he threw the bag at his side over his back, "I'll go find the moron."
"But…the sun's going down!" Goburimi said in fright.
"He was on my team. He's my responsibility." Gobuto shot back, "I'll be giving the idiot a talking to after this."
With that, the reincarnated goblin charged out into the night. A screen popped up in front of him.
Quest Alert!
Rescue the Greedy Goblin: Goburyū, your partner, has let greed overcome him and stayed out far too late hunting Horned Rabbits. Rescue him from whatever danger he is in and make it safely back to the cave.
Quest Reward: Save Goburyū, +200 EXP, +30 SP, +1 AP
Quest Failure: Death
Accept?
Y/N
Stabbing 'Y', Gobuto headed for where he had left Goburyū earlier that day. The greedy goblin was smart enough to stick to a hunting ground he knew well…at least, Gobuto hoped that the other Goblin was smart enough to do that.
A cry in the night made him jerk his head towards the source. It was Goburyū, and he sounded terrified. Gobuto automatically adjusted course and headed towards where his partner was shrieking in terror.
"Oh hell." he muttered as he looked around a tree at the scene in the clearing ahead of him. Goburyū was backing away from a large humanoid…thing. It was about a head taller than the average human, with flabby skin and the head of a pig. It was wearing heavy armour of some kind strapped haphazardly to its body, and had a large curved sword clutched in one hand.
Outcast Orc - Level 5
An Orc? What the heck was one of those? Gobuto vaguely recalled that [Instinctive Combatant] was a Racial Skill of both Goblins and Orcs, but hadn't thought about what an orc was. Evidently it was a pig thing…that reeked like burned fat and sweat.
Shaking his head, Gobuto got his head back in the game. Goburyū was in trouble and he had to save his useless carcass. Examining the orc more closely, he saw signs of weakness. It had clearly lost a lot of weight in a short period of time and its piggy face was drawn and hollow looking.
'It's starving.' Gobuto realised, 'It probably hasn't had much in the way of food for days. Looks like raw side of Goburyū is on its menu for tonight. Time to turn the tables…'
Moving quietly around the clearing, he examined the armour that the Orc wore, very thankful for the [Night Vision] skill that was common to his species. Orcs didn't have it, so how had Goburyū not seen the big monster before it had gotten too close to flee from?
Spotting the remains of a half-eaten [Horned Rabbit] nearby, he knew why; Goburyū had been too busy stuffing his face to notice. Typical.
Anyway, the armour wasn't a single suit of armour like Gobuto had first assumed. It was numerous pieces of varying armour crudely held together by rope, chains and even a few leather belts, leaving plenty of openings for thin stabbing weapons, especially on the back of the orc.
Idea.
Gobuto drew his dirk silently and crept forwards once he had moved to the back of the orc. Goburyū was staggering backwards, unable to look away from the thing that was going to kill him, which was good, because knowing the other goblin, if he spotted Gobuto he'd make a ruckus and that would make things harder for him.
Slowly, the orc oinked something in its language and raised its sword, ready to deliver the killing blow to Goburyū.
Gobuto acted then.
He exploded into motion a few steps behind the orc, targeting one area that was exposed in particular, the area where, on a human, the kidneys would be located.
With a shout, Gobuto slammed the blade up to the hilt in the gap between the armour plates, making the orc squeal and writhe in pain. Gobuto held on to the orc with one hand as he withdrew the dirk and started to clamber up.
In its panic, the orc dropped its sword and tried to reach over its back to grab Gobuto with both hands. Gobuto stabbed them with his dirk whenever they got too close before he was finally within reach of the orc's neck.
He drove the dirk into the orc's throat from the side and ripped it through the front of its throat in a fountain of blood. Unable to cry out with its voice box destroyed, the orc didn't make a sound as it sank to its knees, then collapsed to the ground entirely, throwing Gobuto to the ground in front of it.
{Outcast Orc defeated!
Gobuto gains 200 EXP!}
A couple of other screens appeared, but Gobuto ignored them as he had more important things to deal with.
"G-Gobuto?" Goburyū looked at him in disbelief.
"Yo." Gobuto waved at his hunting partner, "What did I tell you about getting back before dark?"
"Sorry…" the other goblin looked down in shame.
"We'll talk later. Finish your Horned Rabbit and get ready to help me get this orc back to the cave." Gobuto ordered.
While Goburyū finished off his last prey, Gobuto grabbed the orc's sword and cut off its head with it. It wasn't easy due to the size of the blade, but he managed it. He then devoured the sword, as there was no sheath and he couldn't help Goburyū carry the corpse back AND carry the sword.
{As a result of devouring [Rusty Steel Scimitar], you have gained the Skill [Lesser-Improved Slashing Power]!}
[Lesser-Improved Slashing Power] (Level 1, 00.00)
Grants a bonus to all slashing attacks made with bladed weapons capable of slashing.
Current Bonus: +1
Good, but not really relevant right now.
"Goburyū, you take the legs." Gobuto ordered, "I'll take the arms. Hurry! The sun's almost fully set!"
"Wh-why do we have to take this back?!" Goburyū gasped as he hefted the legs.
"Because there's a food shortage in the cave, idiot!" Gobuto snapped back, "Without food to tide them over, half of the goblins in our generation will starve to death before the raiding party returns. If we ration this bastard, it'll last those who fail at hunting for a week or so."
"Oh." Goburyū looked as if he couldn't see the point.
"We need the numbers." Gobuto explained impatiently as he tied the head to the body with a leather belt, "If there's one orc around here, there's probably more. I killed this one so easily because it was starving and I had the element of surprise. A fully armed party of orcs could go through our entire cave full of goblins easily, so we have to get stronger and keep as many of our brethren alive as possible. Now let's go!"
With grunts from both Goblins and the occasional whine from Goburyū, they half dragged, half carried the corpse of the orc back to the cave. On the way back, they almost got caught by a patrol of wolf-like humanoids that Gobuto identified as Kobolds, beastmen of some sort.
When they got in sight of the cave, Gobuto was relieved. Once they were inside, he beat the crap out of Goburyū again and informed him he wasn't allowed to hunt solo again.
"Youngster…how'd you kill it?" Gobujiji asked in slight awe.
"I got lucky." Gobuto admitted, "The stupid thing was so focused on Goburyū that I was able to sneak behind it and stab it in the back. Then I stabbed its throat and it died. Thing is, I don't know much about orcs. Are they often alone?"
"No, this one musta been an outcast from its herd." Gobujiji replied with a frown, "They are usually very hard to catch alone as they always move in groups of at least three. You were lucky to only have one to deal with, and a starving one at that. Well done for grabbing the body for food youngster. That'll last us quite some time!"
Quest Complete!
Rescue the Greedy Goblin: You have successfully rescued Goburyū from the clutches of the orc and safely escorted him back to the cave!
Quest Reward: Saved Goburyū, +200 EXP, +30 SP, +1 AP
Bonus: Brought back Orc Corpse: 150 EXP, +20 SP
{Congratulations! You have levelled up! LV3-LV4!
You have five Attribute Points to spend!
You gain 10 SP!}
A smirk adorned Gobuto's face for a moment before he regained control of himself. Having eaten enough to fill himself earlier on that day, he was surprised to find himself hungry again. Shrugging, he ate some of the orc to stop his stomach complaining.
{As a result of devouring some [Outcast Orc] meat, you have acquired the Skill [Stench]!}
What the hell?!
[Stench] (Level 1, 00.00)
Orcs are known for their pungent odor and now you can mimic them!
- Allows you to expel the scent of an orc that will fool any common orc soldier.
'This is the most useless skill ever.' Gobuto thought with a twitch in one eye. Without an illusion or transformation skill, this would only be useful when running away from orcs, rather than infiltrating an orc camp.
He had a look at the other two screens that he had been ignoring until now and was pleasantly surprised by what they contained.
{As a result of repeated actions, the Skill [Silent Movement] has been acquired!}
[Silent Movement] (Level 1, 00.00)
The ability to move quietly, not allowing a single sound out that might give away your presence. This can be accomplished by a variety of methods, such as synchronizing your breathing with another person's, avoiding stepping on things that would cause a noise if stepped upon, and so on.
- When activated, reduces sound made by the user and his/her equipment by 25%.
- While active, movement speed reduced by 50%. Running Prohibited.
That was useful. As a former Shinobi, he knew the advantages of being able to move silently, although it was more like 'Move Quietly' right now.
{As a result of a specific action, the skill [Backstab] has been acquired!}
[Backstab] (Level 1, 00.00)
Attacking someone from behind is generally seen as cowardly and dishonourable. For those who care not for such things, however, it is also a highly effective method of attack, especially on an unsuspecting target.
- Grants a bonus to any attack made at the rear of an opponent. Current Bonus: +5.
- Grants a further bonus if the target us unaware of your presence of +5.
Gobuto was of two minds here. He was a former Shinobi, so things like fair and square fighting had been beaten out of him long ago, but he despised being called a coward.
{As a result of an action common in your past life, you have earned the [Titles] of [Reincarnator] and [Former Shinobi]!}
Intrigued, he looked up the titles to see what they could do.
[Reincarnator]: You have been reborn in this world with the memories of your past life. You cannot use any special skills that you once possessed, but any physical skills that you once used can be recreated when you have this title equipped.
[Former Shinobi]: In your past life, you were a ninja, a powerful one at that. Although magic and chakra are incompatible, you can still reap benefits from that when you have this title equipped. You gain half again the amount of EXP for all dagger-type weapons and skills, as well as +50% damage with Wind Magic.
Not bad.
Shrugging, he closed the screens, rifled through his bag and pulled out a cloth. After double-checking it with [Appraise Item], he used it to clean his dirk, which he had left in the body of the orc and had just pulled out a moment ago.
'Time for some sleep.' he decided.
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Next Chapter: Hunting Bigger Game
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