Honestly, Sato was no idiot, but a goblin's little brain probably had its limits as the weight behind the information he was slowly accumulating became more significant. Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Bowhorn Deers, Pixies, Slimes, Fanged Lizards, and Dire Rats; all were new to Sato and it took him a good amount of effort to remember them and it was fair to assume that this was barely a quarter of what else he could learn in this new world.
Anyway, while his thoughts drifted, the goblin leader's interest in Sato became much more apparent.
"So youse be sayin', doin' all dat stuff makes ya stronker?" Lansa cautiously took note of his surroundings before continuing to take to Sato.
"Alright, Sore-Toe. If yas tell me how dat stuff work, den I gives ya sumtin' good. But ya don't tells nobody else, got it?!"
It took a while for Sato to answer given the simplicity of what was being asked of him. Lansa, the goblin leader, was asking Sato, the plucky fledgeling goblin, on how to exercise to be stronger. It was definitely strange and Sato's blank stares said it all.
"What was the catch?" Sato doubtingly thought to himself. Or maybe there was no catch at all and he was simply overthinking it. That could be it, but even so, what would he get if he did cater to his boss' request, what was in it form him aside from getting on his good side? Although he wasn't that great of a businessman in his previous life, Sato could smell opportunity when he sees it. It's just like an opening when fighting, but with more thinking and less punching.
Sato had decided that he needed to make the most out of the situation. Whether or not him taking several minutes to come to this conclusion would affect Lansa's offer was up in the air though.
"Aye, no worries boss! We gotta deal!" Sato said while reflexively stretching his an open hand to the goblin leader. Were handshakes a thing here?
"So where ya wanna start boss?" the young goblin asked while pondering what he was getting in return. A shiny trinket would be nice, or one of their tribes better weapons, and maybe some clothes would be great. More meat also sounded good. Or something that'll completely catch him off guard. The possibilities were endless.
Although uneasy and intimidated, Sato was genuinely curious on the reason why he was "graced" by the precense and attention of the goblin leader.
"Youse's borned..."
Sato simply nodded his head while maintaining a vacant expression as he had no idea where they were going from here.
"Dis many days ago. Not long time."
He still had no clue on what Lansa's train of thought was, but Sato couldn't help but anxiously stare at the spear that was in front of him. It was one of the many weapons Sato wished he had. Unfortunately, he didn't have the option to simply take it for himself. Well, at least for now.
"But I seen yas, youse growin' fast. And ya does dem funny tings, erry day. Climbin' on trees. Pickin' up heavy tings and puttin' 'em down agin. An' ya da only Gob dum enuff to keep tryin' to arm wrassle Ballz."
Despite the suspiciousness that was being directed at him, Sato remained cool as a cucumber.
"Sore Toe just wanna be strong." Sato plainly said while staring at the goblin leader while embracing his goblin identity.
"Youse one o' Granpy Kiri's younglings. Dunno which one was yore muddah, but dey both Gobs. Not Hobs like mines, or Bugbear like Ballz's faddah."
He tapped Sato's leg with the butt of his spear. "So how's you gettin' stronk so fast?"
Sato flinched and took a step backwards before looking back at Lansa, his facial expression was that of dumbfoundedness.
"Why'd boss hit me?" He thought to himself before answering their leader.
”Dunno, boss. Just wanna be bettah at liftin, climbin, huntin, and fightin. If ya do it nuff times, ya bound to get bettah, right?”
Sato answered with nothing but honestly. The situation didn't call for deceit. Although he couldn't say it out loud, he found the questions being asked to be silly since Lansa already mentioned the training and exercise that he had undergone the last few days.
Was it because Lansa didn't understand the concept of exercise? Was he dumb? Was Sato the smarter one?
Sato realized this and chose to believe he was superior intellectual, and it showed as a massive grin suddenly appeared on his face.
Like a slugger aiming for a homerun, Sato swung the wooden branch he held with both hands and smashed it against the fleeing deer's front legs. Although hitting his mark, Sato felt that his blow was lacking in a way; it needed more heft. The absence of the familiar sound of bones snapping into two made this evident.
Sato had aimed to main, but despite his shortcomings, he couldn't help but laugh as his prey bellowed in pain; his impish nature was showing. However, Sato's little celebration was short-lived as he was soon knocked to the ground by the crashing deer. Its weight pressed against Sato's body, being too heavy for him to push off. The best solution he could think off given his situation was forcing it to get off him.
"Stupid deer!" He scowled and roared in annoyance as he tried his best to catch his breath. With the veins on his arms bulging and his muscles tensed, he dug his fingers as deep into the deer's flesh as he could before going in for a bite. As thick as it's hide was, Sato continued to drive his teeth into the deer's neck.
It was strange.
Over the course of what was almost two weeks, Sato had convinced himself of the reality he was in. He knew not the exact means of how it happened, but he was certain that he had died and was brought back to life through the powers of a Demon Lord. To him, he was but a human trapped inside a monster's body; in a way, a victim of circumstance. However, based on the way he was acting, his humanity had become less apparent as the days passed. It could have been the primitive instincts if his goblin body or the surroundings he spent most of his accelerated growth in. It wasn't wrong to assume that it might have been a little bit of both. The only thing the Sato was certain of was that he needed to survive and the easiest way he could achieve this was become stronger. Whatever concerns he'd later have, he'd deal with down the road.
Exerting as much force as he could, both through his arms and jaw, Sato only managed to injure the deer further, but did little to move its massive body. Fortunately, although not called for by him, the three goblin captains intervened, getting him out of harm's way and wreaking havoc upon the defenseless deer.
In a way, they were all better versions of Sato. Taller, stronger, louder, well equipped, and better looking (this was questionable; probably one of three at best); let’s not forget that they also have actual hair. It was difficult to notice given his bland facial features and expression, but Sato was jealous of the captains for what they were. But at the same time, he respected them for the same reasons.
They were what he could become, and along with their two leaders, what he had to surpass. Well aware of his inability to overpower them given his current strength, the best thing he could do for now was learn from them.
The first to enter the fray was the one Sato was most familiar with. It wasn't because they were particularly close though; he was just the goblin who Sato challenged and lost to the most. Standing near a foot taller than Sato and probably second in muscle bulk only to their boss was Ballz Acker, but Sato called him Burly-kun given that he was the hairiest among the goblins. The clothes he donned did little to impress Sato; what always caught his attention though, was his brutality, sheer physical strength, and the gnarled piece of wood he used to bludgeon anything and everything that got in his way. In this instance, the deer was in his way along with its ribs - and probably majority of its organs - all of which caved under the force of the goblin captain's violent swings. Sato knew that channeling such a savagery could be useful in the future, but right now, he was only capable of tapping into a fraction of his own.
Sato had the luxury of observing Ballz from a safe distance and this was due to the efforts of another of the three goblin captains. Not quite as tall as their Boss, Red, or Ballz, but definitely better looking than any of them. To be fair though, all the goblins were pretty ugly to begin with. He went by the name Ass Slashin, but Sato just called him Ike-kun. He was the calm, collected, and aloof captain that most respected more than feared. Aside from his innate coolness, the bokken-like piece of wood that he carried around was also something that caught Sato's eye. Under normal circumstances, Sato would’ve thanked Ass for pulling him out of trouble. However, the situation they were in just happened to fall into a something that Sato could consider unusual. Although he has spoken to each of the captains individually, this was the first time he saw them up close during a hunt. If Ballz was known for his strength, and Ass for his cunning, Say-Bah, the third captain, was known to his fortitude. Hearing about how tough Say-Bah was and witnessing it firsthand were two different things. Wailing horns welcomed him as Say-Bah made his presence known. Any other goblin would’ve died in an instant after receiving the full brunt of an attack by a Bowhorn Deer but Say-Bah wasn’t your typical goblin. Although covered near head to toe with some form of armor, what one wore could only do so much to protect oneself from damage. Say-Bah, despite the blow he was just dealt, merely shrugged it off before letting out a loud cry and driving is wooden sword into the deer’s eye.
After the massacre that had taken place, it was obvious that the number of carcasses that was left behind amounted to more than a day’s worth of hunting. Rallied by their boss, Lansa, the entire tribe jeered and cheered at the thought of eating the night away. While everyone else was absorbed in the excitement, Sato was left under the watchful gaze of Say-Bah. They were tasked to heave the slain deer back to their elders in preparation for their upcoming feast. Luckily, menial labor was one thing Sato excelled in; having it being food-related was just another bonus.
As he was about to attempt to drag the Bowhorn Deer across the murky ground, an unlikely encounter had taken place.
"Oi. You's Sore-Toe, right?"
Honestly, Sato was intimidated by their leader; aside from his massive stature, he had an air of bravado to his demeanor. It wasn’t fear that he demanded, it was respect. Unfortunately, what Sato gave him in return was cluelessness in the form of a raised eyebrow and his left hand scratching the side of his head.
”Sore Toe?” He thought to himself before realizing that most goblins had really horrible and thick accents.
"Ah. Ya, boss. I’m Sore Toe." I guess he decided to just go with it.
”Watcha need, boss?” Sato grinned while both his hands rested atop his waist as he awaited the goblin boss’ reply.
Post Summary: Although pushed away from actual combat, Sato got the opportunity to observe up close the three captains. Aside from their strengths, how they fought and moved, he took notice of their weapons and character as well.
Names:
Satoshi Nakata Sato Sore Toe
Specie: Goblin
Level: 4
Max Stamina Increased
Abilities:
Use Light Equipment I (1.0): Stronger I (1.0): Iron Gullet I (1.0) [Past Life Skill]: Harder (0.5): Faster (0.5): Smash (0.5)
Sato’s physique is relatively that of a typical goblin albeit a few notable aesthetic peculiarities. He has no hair, completely white eyes, a single lower tooth the sticks out his mouth, light green skin, multiple scars around his body, and more muscle bulk and definition.
Goals:
Despite having his memories, Sato's demeanor is mostly predominated by the urges of his new body. Once he evolves and becomes more human-like (hopefully), he'll hope to learn more about the world he's in and will decide from there what his next plans are going to be. At present, Sato just wants to eat and become stronger.
Past Life:
At first glance, Sato was your average blue-collar youth who was doing what he could just to get by. Being a high school dropout in his mid-twenties, Sato currently juggles several odd jobs with most being tedious and menial tasks in construction, food service, and zoo keeping. The financial rut Sato was in did not bother him given his simple and non-materialistic lifestyle. However, in the community he lived in, it was an open secret that he was the person everyone went to when they had a problem that required some physical intervention. Although he received compensation for his "services", be it monetary or in the form of a favor, what motivated Sato to take on these sort of requests was the excitement that came with them.
Unfortunately, he met his untimely end by somehow managing to choke on a mouth full of raspberries, cherries, and peaches, while trying to make a smoothie in his own mouth.
Fortunately, it was a tasty, tasty death.
New History:
As a human, Sato was determined, head-strong, simple, and often disrespectful. As a goblin, he was practically the same. He found himself amongst a tribe (or whatever the proper term is) of goblins. Sato's first day was spent fumbling and falling over as he slowly grew accustomed to his new body. Despite the scornful laughter and contemptuous snickering from his peers, Sato continued to persevere. Although well aware of the fact that he was a human trapped in a goblin's body, Sato's apparent motivation wasn't something that stemmed from his previous life nor was it brought about by his curious and thrill-seeking nature. It was something more primitive; it was in fact something primal. His belly growled as his appetite grew more ravenous. Hunger was his main driving force.
Days had passed and Sato, as always, was finally up and about. He was energetic, dynamic, and ever moving, never still for far too long; it was as if he couldn't. During this period, both his innate resourcefulness and habit of trusting his gut instincts allowed him to make a bit of a name. What appeared to be recklessness and overconfidence, was Sato's own way of establishing himself as an individual, separating himself from the rest of his kind. Embracing the rowdiness that was common to goblins, Sato would often start squabbles and disputes with those around him, often over food or simply wanting to prove his strength. Over the course of a few days, along with a good number of defeats, Sato has emerged triumphant on several occasions. Most involved him trying to overpower his opponent through sheer strength, or a crushing blow be it a headbutt, a knee or elbow strike, a stomp, or a mighty swing of tree branches he's gained the habit of lugging around.
Aside from the fun and excitement that came from these bouts, Sato had more to gain. He realized early that among their kind, what their leaders had and the rest had feared, was power. Sato wanted the same thing, but he knew he had a long road ahead of him.
Abilities:
Use Light Equipment I (1.0): Allows the use of smaller weapons, tools, and other items with a degree of proficiency. Requires opposable thumbs or some other method of actually holding the object. Size limitations may be relative.
Stronger I (1.0): Increase your base physical strength stats.
Iron Gullet I (1.0): You gain the ability to eat the majority of "normal (relative)" foodstuffs even if your size, teeth, or other factors would have made this difficult. You also don't suffer nausea or other side effects of bad tastes. You have a lower chance of being damaged or placed under status effects when eating tainted foods. You may swallow small non-edibles without issue, but you gain no nutritional value. [Past Life Skill]
Harder (0.5): Your base defensive and constitutional stats are increased.
Faster (0.5): Your base speed and movement stats are increased.
Smash (0.5): Expend Stamina to increase the power of a Blunt physical attack.
Level: 4
Level Growth: Stamina Up!
At some point during your leveling, your Max Stamina increased!
@vancexentan Yeah, two. You're the GM and kinda well aware of the plot so its kinda hard to categorize the Sword Hero as one of the other PCs. And I guess that kinda answered my question. Thanks.