"I'm a Goblin…" - Regular Speech.
'…So what?' - Thoughts.
{Is the Title} - Voice of Heaven Announcement.
Chapter 4: Hunting Bigger Game
The Next Day
{You have survived another Day! You gain 10 EXP!}
Gobuto stretched as he rolled out of his filthy blankets. Yesterday had been irritating thanks to his companion Goburyū staying out almost until nightfall, meaning he had had to rush to the rescue.
As he put on the armour and dirk that he had taken from the storehouse yesterday, Gobuto considered what should be done today. First, he had to do something about Goburyū. The idiot was now banned from solo hunting due to his stupidity, but he did still have to eat if Gobuto couldn't go with him for some reason.
'Time to make a three man cell again.' he thought nostalgically.
The main question was who to ask? The logical person would be Goburimi, as she had a crush on or at least liked, Goburyū, but goblins were infamous for being cowardly and backstabbing, so he was leery about letting two goblins that got on well with each other team up with him.
"Youngster!" Gobujiji called as he tottered towards Gobuto on his cane, "Need yer help."
"What's up, Gobujiji?" Gobuto replied as he picked up his bag.
"Need ya ta carry that orc's armour to the storeroom." the old goblin replied, "These old bones aren't up to heaving that much metal anymore."
Quest Alert!
Bellboy Goblin: Gobujiji has asked you to carry the piecemeal armour worn by the Stray Orc to the storeroom. Do it and claim your reward.
Quest Reward: +100 EXP, +50 Reputation with Gobujiji, Daily Access to the Storehouse.
Quest Failure: Daily Access to the Storehouse
Accept?
Y/N
This was a no-brainer. More EXP, more respect from the old Goblin AND getting access to the storehouse? Only a fool would say no.
"Sure thing, Gobujiji." he said as he hit the 'Y' button, "It'll take a couple of trips though…that armour is heavy."
"Just stack it outside the door until you're ready to toss 'em in." Gobujiji replied with the wave of one wrinkled hand, "Thing about the storeroom is that the more you put in, the more ya can take out. Put two things in and you can take three plus two items out of the room."
"Huh…a reward-based system." Gobuto commented, "That Hobgoblin Mage must have been talented."
"That she was." Gobujiji cackled, "This was hundreds of years ago, of course. I'm the oldest goblin here and I'm only twenty years old!"
"EHHH!?" Gobuto exclaimed, "Twenty years old and you're a geezer?!"
"Who's a geezer, ya runt?!" Gobujiji whacked him over the head with his cane irritably.
-20 HP!
"OW!"
"Tch. Yes, we goblins aren't long lived." the old goblin grumbled, "I am the only one of my generation left; the rest died in battle or of old age before they could evolve."
"Wait, so you never evolved? Didn't you try?" Gobuto asked in surprise.
"Sure I did. I was a level one-hundred goblin ten years ago." Gobujiji replied, "That's the way of things; some creatures just ain't the evolving sort. I doubt you'll have that problem though. I can sense that ya have a great deal of potential in ya, so ya won't end up as an 'elite goblin' like me."
Nodding, Gobuto jogged off to the orc corpse, which was being eyed greedily by several goblins.
"Oi! This is only to be used if you fail to get anything to eat when you hunt!" Gobuto growled at the lurking goblins.
"But…!" one of them whined.
"Those who do not at least try to hunt don't eat!" Gobuto declared, "Listen up! This is one orc, get it? If you all eat it, it won't last a day. If -and only if! - you fail to find anything during a hunt, you can eat it! In addition, because this bastard's herd might be nearby, you are all to hunt in groups of at least three!"
Grumbling grew started up from the surrounding goblins before a glare from Gobuto silenced them.
"I'm serious here! Orcs are stupid, but one-on-one, they can easily kill a goblin." Gobuto barked out, "I got lucky because I was able to sneak behind it and land critical strikes to it while it was focused on Goburyū!"
The goblins dispersed with a grumble. Gobuto shrugged. He'd tried. The ones who survived would doubtless quickly come to see things from his point of view.
Turning his attention to the armour, Gobuto quickly stripped the orc of it and scanned it with [Analyse Armour].
[Shoddy Piecemeal Heavy Armour]
Poor Quality Heavy Armour
Made from various pieces of various types of armour and held together by rusted chains, belts and rope, this armour offers some protection to the torso and the arms, but is very vulnerable to piercing attacks in the places where the plates do not meet.
Armour Protection: 55 on all covered locations (Against Piercing Attacks, certain areas have an armour rating of 0).
Durability: 10/50
"Jeez, this is piss-poor armour." Gobuto muttered as he jogged back and forth between the storeroom and the corpse once he had undone most of the ropes and belts that held the armour together and sorted it into manageable piles, "Might as well be wearing cardboard."
Finally, he was done carrying it to outside the storeroom. He had exercised so much that he had gained another point in Strength and Toughness.
"Ah, brought it all already?" Gobujiji hobbled up, "You work fast, Youngster."
"Not like I have anything else to do." Gobuto replied with a shrug.
"True." the old goblin allowed, "I heard what you told th' others. Good idea, but it'll take someone dying ta get 'em ta do it. Meh, goblins are stubborn that way. Anyhow, if ya want ta get into the storeroom in the future, just tap here."
Gobujiji reached out with his cane and tapped a particular stone on the wall sharply. Next to it, the storeroom entrance fizzled open with barely a hiss. Gobuto memorised the particular stone rather easily. He had been a shinobi in his last life after all, and such a thing was less than child's play for him.
"Now, toss in the armour." Gobujiji instructed him, so he did so.
A film across the doorway that had been invisible before now flickered into visibility as the armour passed through it. In a flash, it turned blue.
"That means ya can take out four items in total." Gobujiji informed Gobuto, "Blue means four, red means five and yellow is for six and up."
"Got it." Gobuto nodded, "Gobujiji, how likely is it that that stray orc's herd is nearby, do you think?"
The old goblin hummed for a moment. "I wouldn't say it's likely. The orc was clearly starving and hadn't eaten more than the bare minimum for at least a few weeks. Still, being cautious isn't a bad idea."
"Right." Gobuto said as he advanced into the room, once more looking for something he could use. He'd checked the inside of his [Wizard's Bag of Carrying] last night, and it was full of low-level HP and MP potions and, for some odd reason, plain cloth handkerchiefs. Maybe that wizard had had bad allergies?
Right now, he was looking for trousers of some description, because he was getting tired of his stupid filthy loincloth. It stank and looked disgusting. Plus it had the irritating effect of lowering his defence by 1.
"Hello…what do we have here?" he muttered as he picked a pair of trousers that looked to be about his size.
[Dwarven Mining Trousers]
Solid Trousers
Woven from the hairs of a specially bred mountain goat the Dwarven people use for milk, meat and fur, these trousers are resilient to rips, tears and flames. They offer very little actual protection, as they are designed for civilian use.
Durability: 60/60
Armour Protection: 5 on all covered locations.
Special: Treated with a flame-retardant solution, these trousers grant an additional armour bonus of +20 to all flame-based attacks.
"And where there are trousers…ah-ha!" Gobuto said triumphantly as he uncovered a set of clean loincloths in the small backpack that had obviously belonged to the dwarf his new trousers belonged to. He quickly put them on, followed by the trousers.
With two down, he closed the backpack and slid it into his magic bag for convenience sake to make three. While a helmet would be good, he could see that none would fit him. Obviously, the last generation had taken all the Dwarven and Halfling helmets with them.
Deciding that the next thing on his list would be things he could eat and gain skills from, Gobuto started paying more attention to anything of a magical nature, like staffs, sceptres and the like. One caught his eye. It was a wand about a foot long, with green gems studded along its length and odd script engraved along its length.
[Lesser Wand of Hypnosis]
Average Wand
Carved from oak and embedded with gems to do with mind control, this wand allows the wielder to channel magic for non-elemental spells, as well as slightly enhancing the effects of any [Hypnotism] spell.
It looked interesting, but he decided just to hide it; wouldn't want anyone to find it and try to use it on him. Eventually, a plain looking staff caught his eye.
[Apprentice Wizard's Staff]
Stout Staff
A staff wielded by apprentice wizards. It acts as a channel for mana, the source of magic, and aids the wielder in the manipulation of mana. In a pinch, it can also be used as a close combat weapon, but this is not advised.
Durability: 40/40
Bludgeoning Damage: S+10
'Huh…maybe this will unlock my MP?' Gobuto mused. It was worth a try anyway.
Heaving the staff over his shoulder, he headed out of the room, the door reappearing once the staff cleared the threshold.
"That you done then, youngster?" Gobujiji asked.
"Yup. Thanks, Gobujiji." Gobuto replied.
"Kehehehe…think nothing of it." the old goblin cackled as he hobbled off.
Quest Complete!
You have successfully completed the 'Goblin Bellboy' Quest!
Quest Rewards: +100 EXP, +50 Reputation with Gobujiji, Daily Access to the Storehouse.
Dismissing the screen, Gobuto secluded himself in an empty cave and devoured the staff. It was made of wood and metal, but it still tasted good. At least the fact it was an apprentice staff explained why the wizard had been easily beaten by goblins.
{As a result of devouring the [Apprentice Wizard's Staff], you have acquired the Skill [Mana Manipulation]!}
[Mana Manipulation] (Level 1, 00.00)
Any wizard who has access to their mana can just blast their foes with raw mana. In order to use elemental spells and higher-level magic, an apprentice must master the second step of wizardry, Mana Manipulation. Using staffs, sceptres and staves to increase their skills is the mark of an Apprentice Wizard; only Journeymen Wizards and above can cast without these implements, instead using wands and rings.
- Allows the use of Intermediate Magic by the User (Tier 6-Tier 10 spells only).
- Reduces Mana Consumption for spells by 1.
- Increases Damage of Offensive spells by 1.
- Increases Effect of Defensive spells by 1.
- Increases Effect of All other spells by 1.
- Increases MP by 0.
"Nice. Oh?" Gobuto closed one window only to have two more pop up.
{Congratulations! You have acquired a skill that has to do with MP! MP unlocked! You gain 200 MP!}
{As a result of unlocking your MP, you have unlocked the skills [Mana Channelling] and [Mana Bolt]!}
[Mana Channelling] (Level 1, 00.00)
The first thing wizard aspirants are taught once they start down the path of magic is how to channel magic into their staffs, sceptres or staves. Advanced users can even channel magic through their body without ill effects and is a perquisite for Mastery.
- Allows the use of basic magic by the user (Tier 1 to Tier 5 spells only).
- Adds 1 to MP.
[Mana Bolt] (Level 1, 00.00)
Tier 1 Spell
The most absolute basic spell in existence. The user essentially concentrates mana at the end of their staff/stave/sceptre and fires it at the target. While basic, even this spell can be dangerous to other wizards if mastered to its limit.
Damage Type: Magic Missile.
Element: Non-Elemental.
Damage Dealt: IntX5
Three skills from one rod…nice. Saying that though, he'd have to wait until tomorrow to use any of them, as he didn't have a magic casting tool.
Satisfied with that, Gobuto looked through the backpack that had once belonged to a dwarf and inventoried its contents.
X4 Clean Loincloths.
X1 Shaving kit, including mirror, razor blade and whetstone for the blade.
X1 Map of the continent, which was very useful.
X1 small dagger.
X1 Bedroll.
X1 Rune Charm.
The charm was about the size of a pen and looked unusual, resembling a man with a fierce expression and a long beard. On the back was a long string of runic characters. The effect of [Analyse] was enlightening.
[Runic Talisman of Brima]
Blessed by a Priest of Brima, the Dwarven God of Travelling, this talisman is said to protect the bearer from harm while travelling so long as one observes the Overground Rites. The runes on the rear gather magic in order to perpetuate the blessing.
Obviously, the dwarf it had previously belonged to hadn't observed the Overground Rites…whatever they were.
The map was interesting, but a bit useless. With no idea where the goblin cave was situated, Gobuto couldn't tell where he was. Even worse, he had no idea how up-to-date the map was. It was only for this continent by the looks of it. Unsurprisingly, he couldn't read it, so he [Analysed] it several times to get all the information he could from it.
{[Analyse Object] has levelled up!}
Tracing one claw lightly across the surface of the map, Gobuto made several assumptions. One, red meant danger to dwarves similar to how humans associated danger with that colour. Two, the city the line originated in was underground. Three, that the dwarves had secret entrances to their network of tunnels that were unknown to the humans.
Taking those assumptions into account, the red parts of the line indicated that the route went aboveground at that point, which limited the kingdoms he could be in to three.
{As a result of repeated actions, the Skill [Basic Map Reading] has been acquired!}
[Basic Map Reading] (Level 1, 00.00)
Allows the user to read the basic parts of a map. Note: unable to level up until a written language is learned.
"Well…that makes sense, I suppose…" Gobuto mused. The basic parts of map reading was looking at the basic lines that defined countries and provinces, but a greater part involved reading words, so this was a dead-end skill for the moment.
A 'ding!' made him look up and the window that appeared made him raise his hairless eyebrows.
Quest Alert!
Daily Quest: Food for the Pot: Go forth and hunt at least one creature for the communal pot! Note: Must team up with at least two other goblins.
Quest Reward: Assuage your hunger, 150 EXP, 10 SP.
Quest Failure: Eat old orc meat.
Accept?
Y/N
'This is different.' Gobuto mused as he hit 'Y' with one jab. Before now, it had been 'Hunt the Wabbits', so why had it changed?
"Did…did I do this?" the reincarnated goblin muttered. He had practically ordered the rest to travel in groups of three and there it was there, [Must team up with at least two other goblins].
Shrugging, Gobuto stashed the map back into the backpack and then put the backpack inside the [Wizard's Bag of Carrying] before slinging it over his back. Time to grab Goburyū and Goburimi. He still was a bit wary about letting the two team up, but at least he was better armed and armoured than the other two.
"Goburyū!" he called as he came into the communal area of the cave. The greedy goblin jumped as he heard Gobuto calling out to him.
"Y-Yes, Gobuto?" he asked almost fearfully.
"Time to go hunting." Gobuto replied, making the other goblin's jaw drop in shock.
"B-But…aren't you angry with me?" Goburyū asked.
"I wasn't really angry with you." Gobuto retorted, "I was disappointed that you cared so much for stuffing your own face that you'd let yourself die. As a result, you are now banned from solo hunting, so that just means you're going to have to accompany me. Goburimi, do you want to team up with us?"
The female goblin was loitering nearby, sneaking not-very-subtle glances at Goburyū when Gobuto spoke to her, making the female goblin jump.
"Eh?! Me join you two hunting?" she exclaimed, "Are you sure it's OK?"
"Sure." Gobuto nodded, "You have to follow my orders though. Sound OK?"
"You should listen to big bro." Goburyū grunted, "I didn't and that orc almost ate me."
'Who is this big bro you speak of?…is it me?' Gobuto mused. It was like Konohamaru all over again.
"Th-Then I'll leave the decisions to you, Gobuto." Goburimi said timorously.
"Good. Now follow me." Gobuto said firmly and led his two minions outside, grabbing a stick for Goburimi on the way.
Once outside, Gobuto sat down and pulled out his last remaining [Rabbit Horn], as well as the small dagger from the dwarf backpack and a piece of leather from the [Wizard's Bag of Carrying].
After cutting off any wood that stuck out from the stick, Gobuto made a cut at one end of the length of wood. He then gnawed at the blunt end of the horn until it was blunt before pushing it into the cut he had made and binding it tightly with a strip he had cut from the length of leather.
Testing it once or twice to make sure it wouldn't break, Gobuto presented it to an awed Goburimi.
{As a result of a specific action, the skill [Crude Spear Making] has been created!}
[Crude Spear Making] (Level 1, 00.00)
Components: Stick, Rabbit Horn, Length of leather thong.
Tools: small dagger
It isn't a complicated process to create a [Crude Spear], but it isn't something someone would think of off of the top of their head either.
[Crude Spears] currently have the following stats:
Durability: 20/20
Piercing Damage: S+5
Slashing Damage: S+1
Bludgeoning Damage: S+3
Not bad. Not exactly what you could call 'good' by any stretch of the imagination, but for the moment, it was sufficient to give to Goburimi, who was level 2.
"The basic formation is this." Gobuto informed the two other goblins, "I have the only protective gear, so I'll draw the monster's attention. While I hold them off, Goburyū will smack them with his club and Goburimi will attack from the other side with her spear. OK?"
The other two nodded.
"Good. Follow me." Gobuto drew his dirk and headed off into the forest, closely followed by Goburyū and Goburimi.
Later
All in all, the hunting had been a great success.
Gobuto had made a killing with his armour and dirk against the [Horned Rabbits], slaying them with one stab or slice. Sadly, the EXP from the rabbits had fallen to a mere 15 EXP per rabbit, divided up into five per goblin, so they were little more than a drop in the ocean with the amount he needed to get to level 5. Fortunately, the 150 EXP and 10 SP from the Daily Quest was more than good compensation.
Together, his trio killed six [Horned Rabbits], dividing the spoils into two rabbits per goblin. His [Lesser Agility Boost] and [Escape] skills had both levelled up from devouring his two rabbits. After explaining why he needed them, both Goburimi and Goburyū had handed him the horns from the rabbits so he could make more spears.
After that, Gobuto had decided to see about hunting more powerful prey. Goburyū, who had leapt up to Level 4 the previous day (just how many damn rabbits had he eaten? He made Chōji look well-mannered by comparison!) and Goburimi, who had advanced to Level 3, were uneasy after the former's run-in with the orc the previous night, but were willing to try under Gobuto's leadership.
The prey they had found was called the [Armoured Tanuki], which had immediately brought Gaara and Shukaku to mind. Silently apologising to the two of them for this, Gobuto had discerned that, while the raccoon-dog had an impressive defence, they were quite weak on the attack, aside from one attack that turned them into a whirling ball of armour plates.
Fortunately, Gobuto developed a counter to this attack by dodging to the side once the ball was rolling and making them slam into the tree he was standing in front of. This left the Tanuki stunned and flopped out defencelessly, allowing Goburimi and himself to deal the finishing blows.
This granted the small trio a total of fifty EXP points, divided by three into about 16 EXP per goblin. Eating the flesh of the beast had been tasty, but hadn't done anything skill wise, but a shard of the shell had granted him the skill [Shell Defence].
[Shell Defence] (Level 1, 00.00)
Any creature that wears a shell is comfortable within that skin and instinctively knows how to best use it to protect themselves from enemies.
- When using armour or shields made from organic shells, add 5 to defence.
- When using organic shells as armour or for shields, reduces chance of being struck with a fatal attack by 5%.
A really useful skill at this point. Something else to keep in mind was building armour and shields, especially one for Goburyū, who would make a good front-liner. Gobuto had never been very good at tanking enemy attacks without Kurama to help him out, so a second weapon would be his own direction…maybe.
A couple more devoured Tanuki later; he gained the second and final skill that the Tanuki had, [Endurance].
[Endurance] (Level 1, 00.00)
This skill grants the user additional Toughness.
- The user is granted additional Toughness equal to the level of this skill multiplied by ten (Level Max=10).
Once he eventually understood what the hell Toughness was good for, the obvious aside, this would no doubt prove to be a highly useful skill. Hell, just level one jumped his Toughness up by ten!
"Alright! We've eaten our fill!" he called to the other two, "Now let's grab something for the rest of our group!"
"Why?" Goburyū asked in confusion.
"For the love of…! I told you yesterday!" Gobuto said in disbelief, "The more gobs that live, the stronger our forces will be."
"He has a point, Goburyū." Goburimi said shyly.
Nodding begrudgingly, Goburyū heaved his wooden club to his shoulder and awaited orders.
Over the next while, the three gathered up another ten [Horned Rabbits] and took them back to the cave to add to the communal store, along with a load of shell plates from the armoured Tanuki. Better yet, Gobuto had levelled up again.
Gobujiji gaped at his group in astonishment, along with the other goblins.
"Youngster…how did you catch so many?" the old goblin breathed.
"Wasn't that hard." Gobuto shrugged as he dumped his lot of the rabbits down, "Here ya go, Gobujiji. Have a rabbit."
"Heh…don't mind if I do." Gobujiji replied.
{You gain 150 Reputation with Gobujiji! He now likes you!}
Well that was good. If he could get enough reputation with Gobujiji, maybe he could get him to back Gobuto as the new leader before the previous generation returned from their pillaging raid. The old Goblin was a font of wisdom and knew everything there was to know about the caves and local area. Having his support would be invaluable.
Suddenly, another goblin, covered in blood ran in looking panicked.
"Hu-humans!" he shouted, "Humans are hunting goblins in the forest!"
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Next Chapter: Versus Humans
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