Chương 46: A Grubby Goblin

Ch. 46 - A Grubby Goblin

"How close is it to us?" Wyatt's voice was terse, his eyes focused as he looked up at the woods behind the farmhouse. Alvar and his brother were working on the makeshift sawmill at the edge of the trees, sawing up the timber planks into the forms that Thrais required. Kit's tail lashed the air.

'Not very. It's only just ventured into the woods and hasn't made much progress at all. But this is the first time I've caught the scent of any of them outside of their camp.' Wyatt was thinking hard. He concentrated with his [Demesne Sense], but it still only reached a short way into the woods. He started to stride towards the farmhouse, calling up to Thrais as the Elf worked on the interior walls.

"Thrais?" The [Arboreal Woodworker] stuck his head through the scaffolding, looking down at Wyatt.

"Yes?" Wyatt took a deep breath.

"I'm just going into the woods to check something out." The Elf's eyes sharpened, and his team paused in their work, looking curiously down at Wyatt.

"Is it dangerous?" Wyatt glanced back at Kit, but the fox just shrugged.

"Perhaps. But even if it is, there's no immediate threat just yet. I'm going to go in under a stealth skill to make sure. I'll send Kit back to warn you if I think there's any danger." Thrais mulled that over, looking troubled.

"Right. I'll pull Alvar and Aslak away from the woods while you're gone. How long will you be?"

"Not long." Thrais sighed, then squared his shoulders.

"I have to think of my team's safety, Wyatt. So in the meantime—" Wyatt cut in, trying not to let his voice sound grim.

"I promise, if I think there's even the slightest chance of danger to you, I'll come straight back and escort you out of the dungeon." Thrais paused for a moment, then continued, his voice mild.

"I'm not worried, Wyatt. Lera appraised me of what dangers to expect. We aren't helpless—I told you that we invested in protective gear before coming with you. I'll have one of us stand watch until you're back. Probably Krista, she has the best eyes. We'll be ready, and [Accident Prevention] should stave off any surprises." Wyatt relaxed slightly at the confident tone in Thrais' voice. He gave the Elf a crooked smile.

"I'm still surprised that works like that." Thrais gave him an easy smile.

"You should know it by now. It pays to be inventive with Skills, young man." Wyatt's good mood faded as he entered the woods with Kit. He really hoped he wouldn't have to kill any of the Goblins, but he also knew that he wouldn't hesitate if it came down to a choice between them and the Elves. Wyatt strode through the quiet forest. The trees towered around him, but it was open enough that some breaths of wind made it under the canopy. It was a welcoming forest, easy to move through.

Wyatt muttered his Skill under his breath.

"[Mask Presence]. Kit, want to get into my shadow?" Kit shook her head as she trotted ahead of him. She seemed bigger today, her tail longer and with more volume. It thrashed through the air as she walked, and her blue eyes seemed to glow.

"No, I want to be free to act if I need to.'

"But won't my Skill affect you too?" Kit twitched her ears back at him.

'It does, but I'm also stronger now than I was when I first came back to myself. It's not easy to focus on you, but I can do it if I concentrate.'

"Alright. Lead the way." Kit took off, not as fast as she could go, but fast enough that Wyatt had to hurry. He moved in a crouched, loping half-run, a motion that made surprisingly little noise while still being able to cover a lot of ground fast. His Gramps used to refer to it as a woodsman's run. They continued on through the wood for nearly fifteen minutes before Kit started to slow.

'Alright, I can smell the Goblin.' Wyatt kept his voice hushed.

"Let me know when we get close. Is it still only the one?" Kit's tail swished in assent.

'I will, don't worry. And yes, I still only scent one of them.'

"Did you get a better count of how many Goblins there were at their camp? You said two were missing a few days back." Kit nodded without looking back at Wyatt.

'There are six Goblins in total now. Two are missing, although I don't know what happened to them. They didn't go into the woods though.'

"Are the chieftain and the magic user both still there?" Kit slowed right down, starting to creep forwards.

'Yes, they are. Now, hush, we are getting close.' Under the aegis of his Skill, Wyatt crept after Kit, and soon he could hear movement. Then sound, a sotto voice mumbling. There was a notable cadence to the voice, and Wyatt realised with a start that the Goblin was singing to itself. They moved closer, and then the Goblin came into view. It was male, and was wearing more clothing than Wyatt had seen last time.

In addition to a loincloth, it was wearing a vest, looking to have been made out of an improperly cured hide. It was small, as all Goblins seemed to be, and it was happily picking and digging at the bark of a tree as it sang.

"Grub grub grub—grub for Grub!" The Goblin pried a piece of bark to one side, then dug its fingers into the wood. It levered a fat larvae out from under the bark, hooking it out with a claw. Then the Goblin popped the grub into its mouth, chewing happily. It made a face after a few seconds, sticking out its tongue.

"Blergh! Grub pops and tastes bad! But fills Grubs tum, so all is good!" There was no real tune to what the Goblin was 'singing', just a rise and fall as it hummed and went about its business. The Goblin pulled out another two larvae, both large, white, wriggling things, and ate them both quickly. Wyatt could sense the little Goblin's emotions with his Skill, [Natural Affinity - Monsters]. It was wary, keeping one eye on the surrounding woods, but it also felt happy as it explored and dug into the tree bark.

It moved slowly around the trunk, still quietly singing to itself. After it had done a full circuit of the tree, it pulled out a stone knife from a crude sheath at its waist, and cut a deep mark into the tree at head height. The Goblin turned, squinting back at another tree in the same direction that its camp lay, and Wyatt saw that there was another mark carved there. The Goblin nodded to itself in satisfaction.

"Grub exploring, but grubs to eat! Lucky Grub, unlucky grubs!" This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Kit tilted her head to one side as they watched the little creature.

'It has wandered almost in a straight line from the camp to here.' Wyatt leant down close to Kit, his mouth right by her ear. He breathed out, quieter than even a whisper.

"I don't think it's simply wandering. But … doesn't it seem really young to you?" Kit frowned, her ear flicking gently as Wyatt's breath tickled it.' It does seem quite small, I will admit. But Wyatt, if it keeps going in this direction, it will eventually reach the farm. Your Skill might keep it from getting too close, but it would be safest if you dealt with it before then.' Wyatt didn't answer straight away. He just watched the small Goblin. It was still quietly singing, albeit tunelessly.

Kit had a point, but there was also something that he thought she hadn't noticed yet. Even if he were so inclined, it was possible that just killing the Goblin wouldn't stave off the risk. Wyatt let his hand drift down to his bag of holding, and he took out his trenching shovel, not his spear. He held it in both hands, but not in a threatening manner. He was ready to defend himself if need be, but he didn't want to come off as aggressive. He dropped his skill, [Mask Presence] no longer hiding him.

The Goblin didn't see him at first, so Wyatt cleared his throat noisily. The Goblin spun around to face Wyatt, and he could feel its shock. Then a surge of terror emanated from the Goblin so strongly that Wyatt felt it on a visceral level. It trembled, frozen in place. Wyatt held up one hand, trying not to grimace at the roiling emotions he was feeling from it.

"Hey there. Look—I'm not going to hurt you, alright? I just want to—" The little Goblin shrieked, the cry ringing through the woods.

"Adventurer!" It pulled the crude stone knife and charged. Wyatt watched the Goblin run towards him. It was like a copy of what had happened the first time he'd come across Goblins. A raised knife, held overhand, charging at him. There was one difference though. Maybe because he was a higher level now, but Wyatt had a much clearer sense of what the Goblin was feeling. It's desperation, it's fear. Resignation, but also determination. It was such a confusing mix, but Wyatt just watched the Goblin's eyes.

There was no anger or malice there that he could see, even though it was attacking him. And his [Danger Sense] hadn't registered at all. Wyatt grabbed his trenching shovel, holding it like it was a spear, and swept the haft of it at the Goblin as it came within range. He stepped to one side as he knocked the little creature to the ground. It fell, sprawling out on its stomach, losing its grip on the knife. The Goblin scrabbled desperately, trying to both regain its feet and also reclaim the blade.

Kit was watching from behind Wyatt.

'What are you doing?' Wyatt gritted his teeth, taking a few steps back.

"I don't want to kill it, him, if I don't have to."

'But you can't let it go, it will just go back to its tribe.'

"Kit, look at him! I don't think he's much more than a kid." The Goblin was on his feet, holding the knife in both hands. He was breathing so fast that he was almost sobbing. Wyatt took another slow step backwards.

"I'm sorry about that, but don't try that again. Just stop, okay?" Wyatt got a sense of fatalistic despair, then the Goblin ran at him again. Its bare feet scrabbled and slid on the forest floor, and Wyatt got ready to knock it down again. However, the Goblin shouted a Skill.

"[Slippery Stab]!" Wyatt's eyes widened as the Goblin seemed to shift to one side as it ran, moving smoothly towards Wyatt's unguarded side with no apparent effort. It was on pure instinct that Wyatt pivoted, bringing the shovel around and up far faster than he had intended. The solid wood handle swept upwards between the Goblin's legs, connecting with a meaty thud. The Goblin was so light that its feet actually left the forest floor.

Wyatt winced in sympathy as the goblin dropped immediately, clutching at himself as he rolled back and forth. His mouth was open but only a strangled hiss of breath came out. Kit sighed.

'And now what are you going to do?'

"Talk to him." Kit eyed the agonised Goblin critically.

'I'm not sure that it will want to talk to you.' It was Wyatt's turn to sigh.

"I'm going to try, Kit. Because the alternative is a bit grim."

'And yet it may come to that.' Wyatt took a deep breath, steeling himself. It was a hard choice to face when he thought of the happy little 'monster' singing to itself as it collected grubs.

"I'll do what I need to, Kit. But I have to at least try first." Wyatt stuck the shovel blade first into the ground. It was close enough that he could grab it if he needed to, but most importantly he wasn't holding it. Wyatt dug into his bag of holding and pulled out some jerky. The Goblin had somewhat recovered, and was peering around itself warily. It seemed confused as to why it wasn't dead. There was still an expression of pain on its face as it looked cautiously up at him.

Wyatt proffered the jerky to the Goblin.

"Want some?" A flash of suspicion crossed the Goblin's face. Its eyes darted around at the surrounding woods, as if trying to see if there were more Adventurers around. Wyatt tried again, smiling encouragingly.

"It's fine, take some. And sorry for, uh, that. You surprised me with your Skill." The Goblin didn't answer, just staring at Wyatt in silence.

"Try some, it's good—""Why Adventurer talk to Grub?" Wyatt blinked, surprised.

"Grub? That's your name?" There was a flash of something akin to indignation on the little Goblin's face.

"Is good name!" Wyatt covered his mouth, coughing.

"Yeah, it is. I wasn't judging …" Wyatt trailed off, looking closer at the Goblin. It was so damn skinny. It did have a little pot belly, but now Wyatt was wondering if that was a sign of malnutrition or starvation instead of being a characteristic of its race. It reminded him of some of the younger kids back on Earth, the ones whose families struggled to put food on the table. He tossed some of the jerky down at the Goblin's feet. He took a bite of it himself, chewing pointedly.

"Have some. I've had to eat bugs and grubs when I was hungry. I know exactly how good they taste." Grub stared at Wyatt, watching him eat the jerky, then at the piece on the ground. He picked it up gingerly, sniffing at it. Then the Goblin bit into the dried meet, its sharp teeth sheering through instead of chewing. Grub's eyes widened as he tasted the jerky, and he quickly gobbled the rest. Wyatt nodded encouragingly, throwing another piece at the Goblin's feet, and Grub picked it up immediately.

"See, Grub? I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to." The Goblin gave Wyatt an outraged look. Grub clutched at the front of his loincloth, turning his body slightly to one side as if to shield himself.

"Adventurer lie!" Wyatt kept his tone calm and patient. He was having a conversation with a Goblin, and he still hadn't detected even a single whiff of malice from him. Just wariness. Wyatt was pretty sure he'd be far more upset if someone had hit him in the balls.

"I haven't hurt you though, Grub. Apart from that, I mean." Grub's brow furrowed, thinking hard.

"What you want then?"

"I … want to talk to you about your group. Your tribe." The little Goblin's eyes widened in alarm. There was genuine fear this time, not just wariness, and not for himself.

"Adventurer trick! No tribe! Grub lone Goblin!" Wyatt shook his head, trying not to come across as threatening. He towered over the little Goblin, but he didn't want to crouch or leave himself open to attack. He didn't feel unsafe, and [Danger Sense] still hadn't gone off, but it was better to be cautious.

"Grub, I've seen your camp before. Your Chieftain. Your magic user as well." The little Goblin stared at Wyatt wordlessly, then started to tremble violently, his long ears twitching. Then Grub raised his voice, wailing.

"Lost! We doomed! Adventurers come, kill us all!" Then he crumpled and started to sob. Wyatt looked at Kit.

"So why exactly does everyone think Goblins are so dangerous? I mean, why does everyone hate them so much. They seem so …" Wyatt lowered his voice, grimacing, even though Grub probably couldn't hear over the sound of his own wailing.

"… pathetic? Pitiable even."

'When the Winter King's armies gather, the Goblins and other monsters become a threat to any land or kingdom. It's just how things are, Wyatt.' Wyatt shook his head stubbornly.

"It can't just be that. Marie, she pretty much said that goblins were all raping monsters." Kit hesitated.' Everyone agrees about their reputation, Wyatt. Everyone says that—'" Yeah, and the Adventurers Guild pays a bounty on their ears. But the Goblins that Howler's Bane attacked just tried to run. The Orcs, maybe—but I swear that was in retaliation. And Grub's tribe, the first time we saw them, just wanted to be safe. And as for Grub himself, I can feel his emotions, Kit. He's just scared."'

He attacked you though.'

"Trust me, Kit. He didn't want to, he just thought he had no choice. Something isn't adding up." Wyatt watched the little Goblin crying for a few moments. They could talk, think. That had to mean something.

"Grub? Grub!" Wyatt's raised voice made the Goblin flinch. He stared up at him, hiccuping quietly. Wyatt didn't smile, but he kept his tone as gentle as he could.

"Can you take a message for me, Grub?"

"M-hic-essage?" Kit looked between the Goblin and him, her eyes widening.

'Wyatt …'

"That's right, Grub. I want you to tell your Chieftain that I want to talk to him. Him and only him, mind you. No other Goblins." The little Goblin looked at Wyatt without comprehension. Then Grub started, looking bewildered.

"You want Grub to … go?"

"Yes. So you can tell your Chieftain I want to talk to him." Grub frowned. The novelty of his situation seemed to have driven even the despair from his mind. Wyatt could sense the Goblin's confusion. Grub spoke slowly, clearly struggling to understand.

"You … not kill Grub?"

"Nope. No killing."

"And … I go?"

"Yes." Grub looked at his feet, thinking hard. He squinted up at Wyatt.

"I go, and you no kill Grub?" Wyatt smiled, but he was starting to feel a headache coming on. He repeated himself again.

"That's right. I'll let you go and then you tell your Chieftain that I want to talk. Go and tell him to come here." There was a long moment of silence as Grub ruminated on this. Then the little Goblin's eyes widened, and a flicker of hope entered his eyes. He nodded vigorously, and started to back up.

"Yes! I tell! Chieftain come talk to strange human!" Grub backed up faster, stumbling in his haste. Behind Wyatt, Kit sighed. The silver fox sprang forward, landing right in front of the little Goblin. Her jaws were open, and her sharp, white fangs gleamed. Her tail lashed at the air, gathering shadow around it. When she spoke, her voice sounded quite sinister.' No tricks, Goblin. You will never escape if you cross me. I will track you down and devour you whole, no matter where you run!'

Kit snapped her jaws shut inches from Grub's face. The little Goblin went cross-eyed as it gaped at Kit. Then he screamed. Grub turned, sprinting away as fast as he could, his little arms and legs pumping, heading in the direction of the camp. Watching him go, Kit sighed, settling herself. Her voice returned to normal.' I hope you know what you're doing, Wyatt.'

"I hope so too, Kit. But I'm not going to be stupid about it. [Mask Presence]." Wyatt started to stealthily follow the little Goblin, speaking quietly to Kit.

"If the Chieftain doesn't come alone, I'll deal with it. But I couldn't just kill Grub, no matter how I feel about it. He was marking a trail, Kit, scouting. If he just vanished they would have come looking." Kit blinked.' Ah. I hadn't considered that. So you weren't just being altruistic?'

"Not entirely. This is my land now. I'll defend it if I have to, I promise you that. But violence isn't always the best solution." Kit was silent for a time, looking up at Wyatt consideringly as they approached the Goblin camp. They didn't get too close, but soon they could hear the uproar as Grub told his fellow Goblins Wyatt's message.