Tik grabbed a stone that had a point on it as he headed out of the cave. He didn't speak to his other siblings. He was still a bit angry over that other one's actions. But, he stopped at the entrance of the cave long enough for his eyes to adjust to the light and get his bearings. There weren't a lot of readily available sticks or rocks in sight. The area had been picked clean a while ago, it seemed. So, he took his old pointed bone and put its rounded end in his palm with the point sticking out between his first and second fingers. If something attacked him before he was ready, he'd have a chance to make it regret it.
Then, he moved into the trees. It didn't take him long to find a few sticks about as long as his arm, though they weren't quite as thick as he wanted. Still, one end was thick enough for what he wanted. He wanted... Then he stopped for a moment to think. What did he want? What was it that he somehow knew he needed? Pointed and heavy at one end and long... but light enough to throw. When he tried to think of the details beyond that his thoughts seemed to sink into fog. Hissing with frustration, he turned his energy toward using the pointed rock to change the shape of the thicker ends of the sticks into points. They weren't great points but the weight at that end of the stick would pull the point down when he threw it, like a rock being thrown by his siblings earlier. The heavy thing falls. It... felt like it should make sense.
Not all of the sticks worked out well. In the end, he only managed to make three pointed throwing sticks that looked good enough to be worth carrying. There was one thicker stick with a fork in the end that looked like others had abandoned it. It was knotted and warped a bit but the fork in the end made for a good place for Tik to put the blunt end of his pointed bone. Then he took long grasses and wound them around and through the fork and the bone until the bone didn't move when he swung the improvised weapon around. He felt that it was a cross between some kind of heavy staff and a spear... but the words that felt like they had meaning just seemed blurry when he examined them too closely.
Then he heard something through the underbrush and went forward to find out what it was, spear/staff at the ready in one hand and pointed throwing sticks under his other arm. And, that was the moment when he discovered how close death was... but, he didn't feel scared. It felt oddly familiar, being so close to something that could kill him.
The horned rabbit had just finished killing one of Tik's siblings. He set down his spear and pulled out one of his pointed throwing sticks. He noticed the other goblin coming out of the brush near him and the rabbit made its move. He pulled his arm back, aiming the point of the throwing stick for where he thought the rabbit would land after its jump at the other goblin. He threw. Then, he grabbed another and threw it too, correcting for any errors in his first throw and trying to put the horned rabbit on the defensive if he could. After the second pointed throwing stick left his hand, he immediately grabbed his heavy spear... thing... and got ready to charge, or take a charge.
"Decisiveness strong. Discipline strong. Easy for Emri, too."
Those would have been fine words, highlighting how Emri's own actions marked him off as an individual who was mentally strong, if not physically so, but much of the delivery was lost by the snot bubbling from Hoi's nose, as well as the tears that half-blinded him. Through a force of will uncommon for his kind, he refused to drop down and roll on the dirt in agony though, refused even to wipe his eyes. Instead, he waited for it to pass, kicking what shreds of cloth that was still wrapped around his feet off. Good decisions made. They will eat.
As the irritation slowly passed, he crouched down, picking up the strange ball that the green slime left behind. The rotund goblin waited for his smaller sibling to do the same, before raising the bead up. Decisiveness in all things. His teeth bared, a facsimile of a smile.
"We eat."
And he popped the green-ish slime core right into his mouth, crunching down on it.
Immediately, Hoi's face screwed up again, lips puckering. The core was sour! It was amazingly sour! Different from the bugs that he ate before, different from the marrow he sucked on, it was all so sour! Refreshing, and yet also nostalgic. More importantly though, it filled him up. He let out a grunt, satisfied. Strange taste, but good food. His hand slapped his stomach, making a beat almost like a drum.
"Good with hands, Emri." Hoi spoke, nodding to the thwacking-thing. "We worked, we ate. Now, we work, we drink."
They could recover as they walked; after collecting the shredded remains of the small critter and wrapping it in the shredded remains of his cloth, the bigger goblin set off again, his ears perked up in search for the gurgling sound of water. But he set off at a slower pace too. Without the keenness of hunger driving him on, Hoi was willing to show some leniency towards Emri's own speed. It gave him more time to listen, anyways. @Versa
Reshy simply grumbled and rubbed his scuffs and injuries as he sat up. The words ‘traitor’ and ‘coward’ might as well have fallen on deaf ears because they held no impact to the young goblin in any regards.
He didn’t hide his wounds nor did he cry about them, he didn’t jump up, run or hide. He just sat there and awaited the elder. Yelping and kicking at him if need be.
Regardless of what he may have been, Reshy was a goblin, a child goblin at that, and the only thing more prevalent than his self serving nature was his curiosity. So again, he kicked the elder in the back with his good leg. Blood still trickling down the other.
Emri remained winded on his back after taking the blow from the blue slime. It was an excuse to rest. The enemy had placed him on his back rather than his fatigue. That’s what the small goblin told himself, but still, the hunt seemed to for the most part have been a success. So he would take that short rest, only a few moments, before pressing his callaced green palms to the dirt below and pressing himself back up to a weak standing position.
His stomach was still sore. But they won this battle, and he looked over to Hoi just before the rotund goblin spoke.
"Decisiveness strong. Discipline strong. Easy for Emri, too."
Ah, that was the kind of motivation a shy goblin needed. The reinforcement of effort with words of encouragement, that was the shit Emri lived for. Even if that was only three days. Despite the slow grasp of goblin language that the small goblin had, the familiarity of this feeling was enough to make his quarrels melt away for the moment. His thoughts quieted.
“We eat.”
Emri watched as his brother popped the slimy green sphere right into his mouth without a fear in the world. Emri scuffled around for the blue sphere ejected from the remains of the slime he had worked so hard to slay. After a few taps around the dirt he would find the wet material, coated in mud, but still he popped it right into his mouth and crushed the bounty down with his sharp maulers. Chewing through its sickly sweet flavor with a mixture of gritty mud getting stuck between his teeth. But it was a meal, and a full stomach is what everything needed to survive.
He smiled brightly, beaming mismatched razor teeth. His eyes as well stared fiercely at his new hunting companion, nodding at the ready like a grunt prepared for orders from a trustworthy superior. But as the slime core finally broke down in the goblin’s stomach and the rush of energy filled his goblin veins, something stirred in Emri. His skin felt different, ever so slightly it felt tighter maybe m? Maybe that’s just what being a properly fed goblin felt like? It felt good, maybe there was something in that slime core but Emri was ready to hunt some more dangerous prey.
Blue Slime Core - Absorbed Skill 1/3 Blunt Force Resistance: As the name implies, the user takes less damage from blunt force attacks. (Passive) [E-Rank]
”We worked, we ate. Now, we work, we drink.“
Oh yes, water. Another necessity for organic life. All this time Emri had felt that in those three days he had been one of the weaker, brainier goblins, but truly he was mistaken. Hoi’s guidance really gave this entity of curiosity some direction, and the mention of their next goal immediately reignited the thoughts within Emri’s head.
”Fleshy plants, also good sign for water. But keep listening.”
He offers just those words as he followed Hoi, having absolute trust that his very motivated brother would lead them to their next objective. @ERode
RESHY The dispute between siblings left Reshy exactly where he started at; in a a small, humid room with an elderly goblin sleeping on the cold and filthy ground. It was quite the morning for this newborn.
Whether it was his building hunger, pent up frustration, or plain old goblin stupidity, Reshy gave the elder's backside a good kick. It took a few good seconds before a loud moan bellowed from the Elder Goblin. Slowly getting up, beneath his tattered robes, was a large gnarled wooden staff; he used it to get himself up as he turned towards the newborn. If the difference in size wasn't noticeable at first, it was hard denying it now.
His musk grew more pungent and was potent enough to cause Reshy's eyes to water.
The elderly goblin spent a few minutes scratching his head, back, and belly before speaking. His eyes remained closed and his words appeared mumbles, but his voice was deep and powerful.
"By my beards." he grumbled.
"I, Gobbie, regularly cross the suspended lake while holding my breath. I climb the spear point once a year with my hands tied behind my back. I sometimes run a quintuple marathon through the everlasting hurricane. But the truth is, my good friends..." his speech trailed for a few moments.
"Never do I feel as alive as when I see a new generation of goblins!"
Reshy stood confused as he was clueless to what the older goblin was trying to say. As fantastical as his claims may be, to Reshy, no words were being heard. It was but a salad of sounds; you could say that it was as if it was a whole different language.
Not waiting for a response from the goblin child, Gobbie swiftly grabbed the young goblin by his bleeding leg, before lifting him into the air. The elder's grip was not painful, but gave off a tingle. Bringing Reshy higher, to the level of his eyes, the older goblin whispered a single word, before dropping the goblin down to ground.
"Hunt."
Seemingly compelled to listen, Reshy slowly got up, and without a work, quietly left the cavern. It took him a while to notice, but his bleeding wound was completely healed. As for Gobbie, he went back to sleep.
Just to clear things up, aside from the word Gobbie, Reshy didn't understand a thing. After hearing Gobbie's command, he was left in a trance-like state and it was only lifted after he distanced himself from the cavern.
For your encounter, join up with Cull. He's up against 2 monsters. He could use the help.
CULL And so as the sun signaled a new day by spilling it's golden guts across the horizon, the young goblins began to stir. One of the many greenskins was Cull, and he wasted little to no time as his hunger waited for no one; not even himself.
Rustling through the bush-filled forest, he found himself a clearing, where a small Brown Stoat was hopping after a Horned Rabbit. It wasn't long until the rabbit was tired out. It was a wonder the stoat could even hunt it. This rabbit was obviously the larger of the two.
As Cull watched on, the stoat began to choke the rabbit by biting its throat, causing the it to thrash in distress.
A rolled a double encounter, but fortunately they're preoccupied with each other.
The rabbit is over a foot tall in height with its horn being half a foot in length. The stoat is half the rabbits size, but is longer, spanning around 2 feet.
As soon as the Rena exited the cave her eyes were assaulted by the sun's apathetic light, but oh through the journey out the cave was rough for her eyes her nose was blessed by the sense of flesh clean air provided by the forest which she found to be better than the smell of that cave she was born in. She was thankful for her instincts for telling her to get out of that cave in search of food but now it was time to hunt. However, Rena knew it that hunting without a weapon was going to be hard so she looked spent about a few minutes looking for a weapon.
That was when she found a piece of wood from a tree with an unusual shape. while most of the branch was somewhat straight one of the end bent downward and was quite fat at that end, so Rena picked up a rock and begin craving the fat end of it to make it just a little more round. then she broke off a bit of the stright end of it to make it shorter and less heavy. When she was finally done with the branch it was quite decent enough to be worthy of being a called a club now all she needs is a target to use it on.
So she moved on looking for a creature to use her weapon that when she saw behind the bushes a battle between two goblins and a rabbit with a...horn on it the head waited is that real? Rena couldn't help but stare at the horned rabbit with amazement until the sudden lunge its horn into the chest of one of her fellow goblins before pulling it out of him. Just like that one of her fellow goblins were dead, such as the fate of a goblin that bit off more then he can chew. Now it was time for the other goblin to fight, and oh thought Rena barely knew him. she felt that if she was going to survive in this new world she was going to need allies. So picking hold her club and picking up a nearby rock she ran into battle without any further hesitation she leaped into battle from its side. She then took her rock and threw it at hard at the rabbit while the rabbit was charging at the other goblin(Krishna)
Reshy stumbled out of the burrow confused and slightly distraught. He was not comfortable with being compelled to leave, not that he really understood what just happened. He found himself outside and alone. He raised a hand to shield his watery eyes from the bright light above him while his pupils slowly adjusted, tightening to new levels for the very first time. Tilting his head back he sniffed, welcoming the peculiar fresh air into his nostrils. There were wisps and untraceable trails of his brethren that had already left before him, besides that it was all strange and new.
Somewhere in amongst all the newness and first time experiences, there was a faint recognition of certain things that had no right to be there.
Bewildered by the tall trees reaching to the open sky, a vast contrast to his closed in dark den, Reshy seeks the tallest most inviting one and starts to climb. Steady and slowly at first, testing the branches and himself. Maybe there would be food up there that the others missed. Perhaps the vantage would let him see what the others didn’t. Either way, he didn’t care. Hunger pains now a constant dull ache. His clawed fingers scrapping on the bark. So his climb started.
As much as it pained her to do so, Aya was fully prepared to murder the adorable sloth-like monster that Ragi had brought back to the hole. Her biggest concern really was the mushrooms that grew from the creature's body. Aya hadn't a clue how to distinguish between a poisonous fungus and an edible one. Hell, she couldn't even tell if the mushrooms were some kind of parasite or a part of the creature itself and in either case, if the fungus was poisonous she was worried they might have contaminated the entire meal.
She was just about to voice her concerns to Ragi when it hit her, her sister was above and beyond the smartest goblin she'd interacted with yet and if Aya had thought of the potential risk of poison there was no way Ragi hadn't, but what if Ragi hadn't brought the sloth-like creature back as a quick meal but instead as a long term investment. If the mushrooms were edible then they'd have a steady supply of food for their family for who knows how long and if they were poisonous then that could be used to increase the families offensive capability instead. Furthermore, the creature was clearly docile enough to be easily domesticated, in fact it seemed Ragi had already managed to do so to some degree.
Once again Aya found herself in awe of Ragi's intelligence and embarrassed by her own lack of foresight. Where Aya had been thinking only of the now and inadvertently laying the groundwork for unsustainable hunting practices, her sister was already thinking months and years into the future, already setting the foundations for a goblin agricultural revolution, whatever that meant, and on her very first day out of the cave no less!
"Great work sister! I wasn't expecting you to be thinking so far ahead so soon!", Aya praised her sister, "With this guy, we might be able to grow food for the family for years to come! Or maybe we could manufacture poison? I don't know we'll have to test things later!". She could already see it, countless scenarios in which Ragi established herself as ruler of the goblins, within many of which Aya would outlive her usefulness and fall by the wayside. The thought left her with a panicky feeling, but she couldn't afford to wait on acting like she normally would if she wanted to avoid that fate.
Her best bet as far as Aya's reasoning went was to endear herself to Ragi or to otherwise prove herself sufficiently useful. "Umm sister...", Aya cautiously began, flashing Ragi her most charming smile, a look pretty much exactly the same and certainly as creepy as all her other ones, "I was going to get started on trying to disguise this trap and maybe go check on Twig, but we still need to find something to catch, so which job do you want? Or do you want me to do both?".
Only now did Aya notice the makeshift weapon wrapped around Ragi's shoulder, a rock attached to a vine, allowing not only for the rock to hit with greater power and accuracy, but also to be recovered after being thrown. With the realisation that her sister had somehow managed to find the time to design and make what was quite possibly the perfect weapon for the trap Aya had devised even while she planned years of agricultural innovation, Aya felt a good portion of what little hope she'd had of impressing her sister die.
Saito's staff snapped in half upon striking the beasts's armored plate--it had curled up, and only reflex had saved the goblin's foot from being trapped in there with it. As the "young" greenskin stumbled back, the Scaled Shrew wobbled back and forth with nary a squeak. He blinked as he watched his prey--he had honestly not expected that. Although his memories were locked away, even if he had them he would have been genuinely confused--in the old world he had never actually seen something like an armadillo.
The creature's shell had no holes like a turtle's--Does this place have turtles?--and it seemed perfectly content to stay tightly sealed until, presumably, whatever predator chose to leave it alone. His staff was no proper weapon, but it had been green wood, not dry or brittle, and still it had snapped. So obviously this armor couldn't be broken by simple means. Saito glanced down at his broken staff's pieces. They had splintery ends, but he doubted they would be sharp or sturdy enough to pierce the armor. What if I drive them with the rock? The wood is probably too soft, the tips will blunt.
He tossed his broken weapon aside, and noted the Shrew's still exposed tail...
No, wait. I wondered if the creature could use it as a weapon...and to leave it exposed to attack like this is odd. He removed the berries and rock from his loincloth and placed them on the ground. Those spines might stick me when I grab it. Are they barbed or poisonous? He wasn't sure if such thoughts came from the cautious instinct of a Goblin, a creature so naturally weak and feeble and stupid, or if they came from the hazy dreams he could not recall.
With a tug at the knot on his hip, his loincloth came undone. Though now exposed in all his green glory to the elements, Saito did not care much for modesty at the moment. He wrapped the filthy undergarments--were these made of cloth, or pelts of creatures hunted by other goblins?--around the rolled-up Scaled Shrew, tying a plain knot and pulling it as tight as he could.
Now the creature's defense had become its cage. It might be strong enough to break the loincloth, but Saito doubted it would do so without a struggle. In the meantime, he grabbed the spare ends of the clothing and, with a grunt, lifted his prey.
Feet wobbling, muscles taut with effort, he started to spin. He whirled the makeshift net around his head, building up momentum with his whole body until he had its weight suspended. He kept the Shrew going with just his arms now, and though his run meandered like that of a drunkard, he set course for the largest tree he could see.
With all the strength and speed he could muster, as well as the built up centrifugal force--not that his goblin mind really understood such a thing right now--Saito dashed towards the sturdy wood and swung the Scaled Shrew with all his might.
"DORYAAAAAAH!"
He tried to slam the beast against the trunk. If he couldn't pierce the armor, then perhaps he could crush the foe's soft body inside it, like bouncing someone's brain inside their skull pan with a hard punch to cause a concussion. He wouldn't stop at just one attempt either--until he was certain the other monster was dead, the goblin would continue to heave and heft and spin, beating the spherical animal trapped inside his underwear against the trees.
Some part of him marveled at this odd turn of events. The other part really wanted to eat that Shrew.
Ragi tilted her head sideways in both confusion and amazement as she listened to Aya's Genius TalkTM. Not only did she find a perfect reason for Bug and Twig not to eat the cute saucer-eyed furry creature, she had even talked about long term plan on how they could utilise our new furry friend in long term. Something about revolution and food and poison, and how they could possibly end world hunger once and for all. You know, the Genius StuffTM.
In any case, she was happy that her contribution, though menial, had brought joy to her sister. "Nonono, this is all you sister. I am only doing what you told me to do," she said as she scratched her head in embarrassment. She was not used to getting praised, especially when her dear sister seemed to praise her to heaven and back. She could feel her grin going wider and wider, quite possibly almost as wide as Aya's (though there's no way Ragi's smile would be as cute as her sister's).
But as they always say, all good things must come to an end eventually.
"Ummm.. Sister," Aya said all of a sudden, her face - while still smiling - were unnaturally tense. "I was going to get started on trying to disguise this trap and maybe go check on Twig, but we still need to find something to catch, so which job do you want? Or do you want me to do both?"
Oh crappppppp! Shit shit shit shit shit shitttttt..! Ragi's mind entered the panic mode. Aya was kind enough to mask it as a praise and offer herself to do Ragi's job in her stead, but it was pretty obvious that her revered sister had reprimanded her for not doing her job properly. She literally had one job, and she had failed it. Now, precious time was wasted and they still had nothing to eat. Nothing! And it was all Ragi's fault. She really wished she would be swallowed by a sink hole right now.
"N-n-n-n-no! I wouldn't want to bother you with such low level job, ahaha.. Ahahaha.. Haha," she said in a panic, like a child who was caught stealing some sweets when she was specifically told not to. "Oh, I know! Why don't we go together? That way we could cover more ground and defend each other in case things go south, yeah?"
The least she could do, was to control the damage. With some luck maybe Ragi could show her cool side on a hunt while Aya watches, and win back some points she had lost due to her stupid, stupid blunder. She really. Really. Don't want to be cast away.
Awaken by the grumpiness of his tumtum, Krishna was not a very happy gob in this particular morning. He was thirsty, which only add more irritation to this beautiful day. And the pile of bodies that reside in the same place meaning he is now drenched of others piss and drool.
"Grrrr...." He snarled against one of his siblings, who was, in his sleep, trying to steal Krishna's blanket. And if it wasn't because the sleeping goblin was double of his size, Krishna would have bitten his ears off.
Still, awakening to a piss-full blanket-stealing noisy tumtum morning, Krishna was not a very good roommate. He kicked those weaker who are still in their sleep on his way of exiting the grave. He shouted and he snarled against the strong. He made as much noise as a 3 days old goblin could before running outside the grave, followed by a herd of also hungry gobs who are very much unpleased of his improper and unhospitable act.
But, if the chase was any longer than five minutes, it would have been a real threat. Eventually, most just break out into other smaller hunting parties, scavenging the nearby plants and hideout for early meals. Even Krishna did the same, teaming up with one of his siblings. They both have only a few rocks in hand but it was enough for them. And, simple enough, they found their first prey. A rabbit. It has the same color as the dirt after the rain. Smelled like it too. Its eyes' color was as dark as the old goblin's armpit. It was even hurt at the mouth and legs. Of course, Krishna and Gor had chosen to look over the fact that it has an obnoxiously large horn for a small rabbit.
To be honest, it doesn't take long for Krishna to eat his word as the rabbit leap into Gor's chest and buried its horn through his chest. There was also this sickening sound as Gor's body fall flat onto the ground, his mouth gaping for air while the rabbit sits idly on his crumbling chest, feeling the fall and rises of the predator. And while Krishna should have thrown his rock at the rabbit while it is still in one place, his instinct urged him to run.
And so he did.
He ran around and around an old large tree. He tried to juke the rabbit lunges by sudden changes in direction. And honestly, he didn't know what to hope but to continue this run as long as possible
Hunger gnawed at the root of Cull's mind as he stalked through the underbrush. He had set out alone, only a thick branch with a poorly sharpened tip to keep him company. Slowly, carefully, and deliberately he crept, his head on a swivel; searching for potential prey. Somehow, part of him knew what he was doing-- but the thoughts were fuzzy, and out of focus. Was it instinct, perhaps? Or something else entirely?
His grip shifted on his rudimentary spear. It felt familiar, like a weapon that belonged in his hands, a weapon he knew. But wasn't this his first time holding such a thing? A pounding headache dissuaded the youngling from trying to rationalize the strange sense of Deja Vous, food came first. Before long he came upon a clearing, where two animals were already fighting, the smaller of the two seemingly winning the struggle. Cull's breathing quieted as he narrowed his eyes at his prey, clearly the smaller brown animal was both faster, and stronger. Watching, waiting, moving ever so slowly-- the goblin stealthily positioned himself to come from behind the victor, intending to wait for their battle to be in its final moments before he would creep up, and thrust his spear into whatever animal had the upper hand.
Aya was taken aback by her sister's response. Why was she stammering? And what did she mean by 'low-level job'? The entire plan hinged off it... And go together?! Why would Ragi want to work so closely with Aya, wouldn't that reduce efficiency and hinder Ragi's plans? Aya's mind raced as she tried to figure out her sister's intentions. Understanding people was hard, damn it!
Wait. What if this was a test? If Ragi was truly planning on establishing herself as ruler of the goblins, then it only made sense that she would want to test her subjects and with Bug lying exhausted in a hole and Twig nowhere to be seen that only left Aya for her to test. Yeah, now that Aya thought about it her sister presenting a third option had clearly been a calculated suggestion on her part. Not only would it allow her to see how Aya adapted to unforeseen circumstances, but it would put Ragi in a position to closely observe Aya and get a feel for her skills and capabilities. Now beginning to see a clearer picture as to the extent of her sister's brilliance, Aya felt her grin grow somehow wider still, as her panic kicked up by an order of magnitude and she wondered just how many steps ahead of her Ragi truly was.
"Ahh... good suggestion sister...", Aya began. Shit, there was no way she was going to prove her worth to Ragi sounding so unconfident. Why did communicating have to be so hard? "I think we should bring the mushroom sloth thingy with us for now, I'm not sure how difficult it would be to try and explain agriculture to the others...", Aya suggested, hoping to show that she was thinking things through, "And I'll also collect any good sticks we see on the way as well...".
Had she forgotten about anything? Sure felt like it, but Aya couldn't think of anything at that moment and waiting around would bring its own set of problems, so Aya instead considered which direction they should search in. Anything of interest in the direction Ragi had gone would have already been spotted by her sister, Aya didn't trust Twig not to have scared off any potential prey near him and she hadn't seen anything while walking from the cave, which only left one direction for the duo to explore. With that in mind, Aya wordlessly set out. She'd intended to seem confident in her silence but immediately regretted the decision, realising that it probably just made her look bad at communicating instead, not that that was an unfair assessment...
EMRI & HOI It took a while for the goblins to notice, but the moment their hunger vanished, the clearer their minds became. Everything around them gradually became vibrant and filled with life, as it should have been. The pain, fatigue, and discomfort they previously felt had disappeared, as if it was never there. This was certainly more than simple recovery.
In their efforts to look for water, both Emri and Hoi started to appreciate their surroundings better. Birds were chirping, leaves wildly rustled, and the growls and sounds of the various creatures that called the forest their home were never ending. However, these things weren't their priority at the moment; what they wanted to quench was their thirst.
Hoi focused on listening, hoping to hear something that would point them to water, but the lively forest made it difficult. Emri on the other hand relied on his keen observation. He was right, healthy plants could only mean a good source of water nearby. Unfortunately, their time and efforts were not being put to good use, as they only managed to find moist mounds of earth. They were always beneath the trees and around the long and large gnarled roots that had surfaced to the ground.
Taking a moment to rest and rethink their plans, a few feet away from them, a nest of Horned Rabbits had gathered, and apparently, they were gnawing and licking the roots of the trees around them. The moment Emri saw them, he immediately knew what they were called and of their timid nature.
No luck in finding rivers and streams, but there's a lot of wet soil lying around. Anyway, when I say nest, that's probably around six rabbits. Just in case you were wondering.
Just tell me if you wanna continue to search or do something to the rabbits.
SAITO It seemed that when Saito wanted to win, Saito was going to win; he was willing to do whatever it took. Onlookers would've seen him as a naked goblin, wailing as he repeatedly slammed his only piece of clothing against a tree. He was the goblin your mother told you to avoid. But little did they know, behind all his green glory, was someone who was about to get his first meal.
From the confines of his loincloth, the high-pitched shrieking of the Scaled Shrew came to a halt. Saito's judgement had told him that it was time to stop. Laying out the shrew on the ground, it was no longer rolled up, was motionless, eyes were pitch white, and its tongue was lax, dangling from the side of its mouth.
Chewy and gamey, but with a hint of tartness. It was strange meat, hence little choose to hunt it. The scaled hide remained intact though. Not a dent.
Anyway, Saito's first hunt is done. Time to rest and recollect. Then do whatevers again.
Progression & Spoils
Crafted makeshift weapon (+1 Level) Formulated a plan (+2 Levels) Successful hunt (+8 Levels) Killing Blow (+4 Levels) Gained Skill
Lunging Strike: In a burst of speed, the user is able to quickly clear a large distance (two strides worth) before delivering an attack. The higher the rank, the faster and greater the distace. (E-Rank)
Spoils Gained Scaled Hide x 1 Gained Scaled Tail x 1
[???] - Defensive Skill (Active)
[???] - Defensive Skill (Active)
[???] - Defensive Skill (Passive)
AYA, RAGI, BUG, & TWIG Aya and Ragi's discussion lead them away from their clearing and back into the forest, with the Harvest Sloth following them from behind. It kept its distance from Aya, and closely stayed just behind Ragi. With weapons in hand, they continued to search for creatures that they could lead back to their trap.
It might have been a coincidence, but the two goblins managed to return to the area where the Ragi found the sloth. There were still no creatures around, but what they could help but notice was the number of motionless insects within the area. This was the only instance where the Harvest Sloth decided to move in front of them. It apparently was hungry, as it made its way to the helpless insects. As it devoured the bugs, faint traces of orange spores flew off from it back, slowly filling the air. Both goblins noticed this, but due to the sloth's proximity to Ragi, only Aya managed to distance herself.
Ragi suddenly fell to the ground, motionless from the neck down. The Harvest Sloth remained clueless as it continued its meal.
....
Back at the hole, Twig had finally returned along with the massive rock he had been pushing around. His head shook from side to side, seeing as no one was around. However, before the panic could set in, Twig heard the iconic snore of his brother. He was lead to the hole Bug had made and found him there, covered in dirt and sound asleep. Throwing a few sticks at his brother's face, Twig screamed to wake him up.
"Brother! I have big rock! Can you lift?!"
Both their eyes widened in excitement.
I guess you now know why they call it the Harvest Sloth? Since they were left behind, the wacky adventures of Bug and Twig continue.
RESHY 💀 Choosing to ignore his hunger, the young goblin continued to wander before deciding to climb up a tree. He was probably the last of the goblins to have looked for food. It wasn't wrong to assume that there might have been little left around the cave. Hoping to find something atop the tall trees, Reshy proceeded to claw and scrape on the bark. So his climb started.
....
Then his climb ended. It took precisely four attempts.
Without the right tools or capabilities, and sufficient strength, it was difficult to achieve what Reshy wanted. The highest that he had reached before falling to the ground was around a two feet high.
So there Reshy was. Bathing in the suns warmth, laying on the ground, with crippling hunger and a weakened body. What made things more strange was the sweet aroma that had filled the air and the sticky cold that began to envelope his legs.
A Yellow Slime had appeared and assumed that Reshy was weak enough to devour.
Yellow Slimes are around the size of a goblin's head. They aren't transparent like its Green and Blue counterparts, and appear more putty like. It emits a sweet floral aroma.
Reshy can still resist, as some sort of fight or flight, but if he messes up, we can get our second goblin death.
So a single skull puts you in a situation where you can die.
KRISHNA, RENA, & TIK With the lifeless Gor laying in a growing pool of blood, the Horned Rabbit's body shivered in excitement before letting out a low-pitched snarl. Its eyes were now set on the other goblin and as it kicked off the ground, lunging at its next target. Stricken with fear and panic, Krishna's instincts told him what he had to do. This situation did not call for a warrior's pride or a goblin's recklessness. He just had to survive for now, and survive he did.
Darting off at impressive speed, Krishna zigged and zagged his way to safety rather easily. There was a thing about Horned Rabbits. They weren't considered predatory and mostly fed on plant life. Despite their amazing lunging capabilities and sharp horns, their attacks were quite simple; they could only charge towards one direction. Pivoting, swerving, or curving were actions they found difficult.
Trees now protected Krishna, leaving the rabbit alone, kicking up dust in frustration. However, this didn't last long as rocks and branches suddenly flew towards it.
...
Tik and Rena were quite similar, but not in appearance or personality. I suppose it was more on how the decisions they had made. Despite plagued by hunger, the two spent ample time in crafting make shift weapons; whether their trusty tools made up for their growling stomachs and weary bodies, it was too soon to tell. Kinda. Both decided to help their troubled brethren, even if it was against a large and scarred foe that had already slain one of their own. Their approach of attack shared similar characteristics as well. Even with their child-like physiques and waning strength, they made their presences known with ranged attacks. Tik's spears soared gracefully towards the Horned Rabbit, at least as graceful as it could, but it lacked something. It was either accuracy, power, or a little bit of both. I mean, he was a starving newborn, it wasn't that surprising. Rena's rock also shared the same fate; it whiffed.
However, even with their questionable choices, failed attacks, and weakened bodies, they stayed true to their rough and rowdy goblin instincts as they charged towards the lunging Horned Rabbit.
Similar to Gor, Tik rushed towards the Horned Rabbit, meeting it head on. Before it could get near enough though, the young goblin swung his makeshift weapon, aiming for the creature's head. The rabbit was unyielding, and continued its charge regardless of the incoming attack. With its horn, it had managed to parry the strike, and successful tackled the greenskin, launching him backwards.
With the Horned Rabbit's attention focused on Tik, Rena was given the opportunity land a decisive blow. Coming from its periphery and catching it off guard, a wooden club had came rushing in, crashing into the rabbit's chest. The sounds of cracking bone echoed through the forest before the rabbit was sent tumbling to the sides.
The Horned Rabbit immediately recovered, landing on all fours, its head lowered and ready to lunge. Its eyes were locked unto both goblins as it let out a blood curdling snarl. Despite frothing at the mouth, it seemed to be more cautious as it waited for its foes to make a move.
Krishna's safe and soudn; he's pretty much free to do whatever he wants. The rabbit kinda forgot he was there. As far as it knows, Krishna's long gone.
Since the rabbit used its horn to parry Tik's attack, it couldn't use it to impale him. So he just got taclked backwards. Tik's weapon was knocked away from her too. Aside from the air being knocked out of him, he's basically okay.
Rena was clean this round. I guess something she could get out of this was how heavy the rabbit was.
CULL Cull remained patient and waited for the clash between the two creatures to come to a close. If he played his cards right, he'd be able to treat himself himself to two meals.
The Brown Stoat's fangs, although not that long, were still plunged into the Horned Rabbit's neck. Despite its efforts to squirm and shake its attacker off, the stoat remained relentless, with its hold on becoming tighter and tighter. Soon enough, the rabbit's movements turned sluggish, before dropping to the ground.
At that moment, Cull sprung forth form the bushes, thrusting his spear unto the stoat's body. Its quick reflexes were a second too late as the goblin managed to its body down to the ground. Enraged and anxious, the stoat thrashed and wriggled its body as a last ditch effort to escape.
The rabbit's not dead, but is motionless, with its breaths being deep and slowed. Unless Cull has a good plan, the stoat has a pretty good chance of escaping if unpinned.
The point ends of the branch weren't sharp enough to dig deep into the stoat. At best, it just caused a flesh wound.
Moist dirty and fleshy roots, but no river, no pond to slake their thirst with. What did that mean? Water underground? Recently rained? Hoi's cloth-bag of bones swung back and forth as he continued to make his way through the forest, listening for the dripping of water. But it was too loud. Too noisy. His senses had sharpened, and yet, they sharpened for no useful purpose. He thought. Thought about many things. And then, he stopped.
That was a lot of food. And that lot of food was doing something to a tree. Biting. Gnawing. Licking. So that's how it was done. The horns were dangerous, but the form wasn't. Plump and fluffy, promising the sort of meat that the slimes didn't. And a source of water right there as well. The horns could be used to break roots apart. The meat could be used for food. The meat could be used for food. Meat...
Hoi narrowed his eyes. Slacking wasn't good. Food had to be gotten with his hands before food was to be gotten by his mouth. Crouching behind a bush, his natural slouch making the movement almost natural, the rotund goblin turned to his skinnier colleague, one yellow eye peeking out between the gaps of the leaves and branches. Don't think too long. Talk now.
"Emri small. Sneak to other side. Scare them to me. I kick one, maybe kick other. Help with kill after scaring. If lucky, one. If luckier, two." The goblin paused. It was going to hurt again, but food was still food, and they could drink drink after. "Make our own luck." @Versa
Failure after failure, it stung as deep as his hunger pains. Reshy stared up at the bright blue sky, bathing in its warmth with a tired resignation. His eyes affixed on the branches above him. It was a beautiful day, why did he think that? Also why did he seek to climb the tree or even think he could? What told him safety was up there.
He could smell a sweet aroma and after a moment of enjoying it glanced over to see the source, a yellow slime coming at him, then with a defeated sigh his head fell back down. He was too hungry, too tired, too confused. He was going to die.
That thought had the strangest feeling of déjà-vu, like he had it before. The whole situation was filled with a sick familiarity. Laying helpless with a severe pain in his leg, waiting to die. The slime was already over his foot and halfway to his knee, the pain it caused mimicking that of an impossible memory.
Not again, something snapped inside Reshy and he opened the flood gates to that desperate viscous hunger burning within. The sweet aroma only wildly intensifying it more. Savage and mindless he gave up thought to animalistic desire.
This slime was trying to eat him, but not if he could eat it first! With unknown speed and strength, all at once he curled his leg and the slime came towards him, he wrapped his arms around it and opening his mouth wide he bit in. His ravishing hunger consuming him.
Indeed it seemed that there weren’t any particular bodies of fresh drinkable water in the area for the goblins to satiate their thirst. But if there were hydrophytes in the area, a source of water absolutely needed to be present, even if this was a fantasy world. Perhaps the water was simply underground in aquifers only being brought to the service through the hollow roots of the monstrous trees around them. The horned rabbits seemed to confirm those thoughts as they peeled chunks of the bark away chiseled small holes to lap moisture from the tree that huddled around.
Emri was already on the quiet side, and while he wasn’t light on his feet like some of his other brothers and sisters he definitely paid attention to the ground. Carefully he crept through the loose foliage, just out of sight from the rabbits. The anxious goblin considered their large ears definitely being a means to hear predators before other non-specialized prey monsters. Even if they were just for show, the goblin watched for every twig and every dry leaf on the ground, holding his breath as his toes sought moist mud to sink his foot into with a hushed squish.
Another deep breath. Bright yellow eyes watched without blinking for a long few moments in anticipation for a reaction. But the time to act was now, waiting any longer and they could move.
With his barbed stick overhead, Emri leapt from the bush landing on the opposite side from Hoi. His actions were definitely exaggerated this time and as he swung the lashing stick towards the rabbits, it more to startle and rule them up. To further increase the effectiveness of the fear charade, Emri expanded his chest as he inhaled a bunch of musky forest air. And then his mouth opened wide as he stomped towards them swinging again.
”Die! We eat you! Now!”
With each stomping of his bare feet, the family of cute forest dwellers leapt away in Hoi’s direction. The largest one seemed to move the slowest, turning its horn towards Emri defensively with each uniform leap in the opposite direction. It’s position was defensive, willing to risk its life to protect the group from the rear. But unfortunate for the brave horned rabbit, Emri’s gobbo brain was superior to its silky rabbit brain. It should’ve eaten more slime cores. @ERode
Hoi wished they could find a beach and then find some crab.
As five of the Horned Rabbits scampered away from the imposing Emri, Hoi waited for his opportunity, crouched like a...croucher. They were fast, these critters, but they were blind too. Blind, lacking discipline, lacking ferocity, and the rotund goblin bared his teeth, willing that controlled ferocity into his mind once more. No roar left his lips, but he surged through the undergrowth regardless, foot rushing up again. Aiming for the underside of the closest rabbit, Hoi's foot dug into the dirt before swinging upwards, attempting to kick it straight up into the sky. Whether there was a beautiful impact though, the goblin remained in motion, his lifted foot dropping down just as suddenly onto another of the beasts for an earth-stomping blow!
Rabbit meat was rabbit meat, and he wanted meat!
And if the two he aimed for would continue to struggle and live...well, he had two arms, two legs, and a set of teeth to convince them otherwise. @Versa
OK, a quick recap. Ragi had somehow managed to coax Aya into going with her instead of just tossing her aside for now. After spending some time walking and trying her best to look cool in front of her sister, she finally arrived at the place where she first met the mushroom sloth thingy. Then she noticed some bugs laying motionless on the ground. Then the sloth moved forward and.. Farted something yellow? Anyway, gory details aside, the next thing that happened was that Ragi plopped down to the forest floor as if she had comically slipped on a banana peel. And for some reason, she could not get up. Actually, scratch that. She couldn't move a muscle!
"I'm.. I'm okay!" Ragi said in a panic. Thankfully she could speak just fine, or else she might really be losing whatever good impression she had left on her sister, if any persist at all. "This is a part of the plan! Don't panic.." She continued hurriedly.
This is not part of the plan though, for the record.
"I'm just.. Um.. Playing as a bait! Yes!" she continued, making less sense with every word. "Remember your trap plan? We'll proceed with that, but instead of hole, we will use this child's yellow fume as a mean to disable the prey. If it can stop us and the bugs from moving, chances are they can stop anything that breathe from moving," she deliriously made up a story on the spot. She even added some smart-sounding mumbo jumbo to make it more convincing.
"So yeah, just stay hidden and wait for a prey to come. If nothing happened in the next half an hour or so, or I feel uncomfortable in some way, I will signal you and we cancel this plan and move to a different location. Sounds good?"
Teva's little eyes opened up suddenly, only to be met with an utterly ugly face of something that could have easily come right out of some fantasy novel, a Goblin. She froze, more out of sheer shock rather than fear. Silently, she scanned the greenskin's face, her eyes wide open, her curiosity piqued. After looking at her for a few moments, the goblin above her murmured something her tiny baby brain couldn't even begin to comprehend before lightly tapping on her head with one long, bony finger, and Teva blacked out.
Day 2
Teva was greeted not by the familiar face of the green goblin from before but that of a rocky wall a few feet above her. She looked right and left, and quickly realized that she was inside some sort of cave. The gray rag that was covering her served as a makeshift blanket, and her hands moved over it, her fingertips feeling it’s relatively soft and smooth texture. Speaking of her hands, compared to the day before, they had grown, now longer and more defined. Teva slowly raised them up, bringing them above her face and was immediately overtaken by a second bout of shock – her skin was green! Even her two days old brain could make the connection between her skin color and the goblin from yesterday, and the realization that she was a Goblin now caused her to black out once more.
Day 3
Something shuffled near her, making Teva murmur in her sleep and clutch her blanket closer to her body. Unfortunately, what she'd said might have been misunderstood by whatever had heard her, so much so that it opted to kick at her with its feet. The kick glanced her body, only finding her arm, but even so she was startled awake. Groggily she willed herself to sit up from where she lay and, while rubbing one of her eyes, looked around to find the perpetrator of the heinous crime of disturbing her sleep.
Right beside her, a goblin roughly one and a half her size snored peacefully, clutching its very own blanket. A tinge of anger flared up inside her which gave her enough strength to stand up and kick back at it with her own foot, an action she immediately regretted. Her soft foot found the larger goblin’s hard kneecap with a heavy thump. Teva recoiled back from the impact and let out a pained screech along with multiple expletives. Fortunately, it seemed the male gob didn’t even notice her kick. It mumbled in its sleep a little before switching sides, turning its back at her.
Begrudgingly, Teva grabbed her rag of a blanket from the ground and draped it over herself before limping towards a large rock a few feet away whereupon she sat. While rubbing away at her foot, trying to make the pain go away, Teva looked around the cave some more. She had come to accept her new reality relatively quickly after realizing she had somehow been reincarnated into a new world, to a body of a goblin no less. Whenever she tried to remember something from her past, she was overcome with headaches that made her want to split her head in half, and so she’d decided to not delve on it too deeply. Instead, Teva chose to agree with the wishes of her grumbling stomach. Much like the goblins sprawled around the cave, her own body required fuel to keep on going, food and water both. Some had already marched outside their little cave dwelling in search for a meal, and she felt her instincts egg her on to follow in their steps.
After the pain on her foot had receded, she stood up and walked over to a small group of goblins huddled together in a remote corner of the cave. She put on her best smile and quickly integrated herself into the group, and after a while had them all eager to venture out into the forest in order to forage some food or even hunt, should they be so lucky as to come upon something weak enough they could kill. Armed with sticks, rocks, rags and empty bellies, they left the safety of their home for the first time of many to come...
