《Goblin Nation》 Prologue: Life Goes On... After Life Henry Hunter sprung upright, gasping for air. The burning sensation of choking on a burrito still lingered as Henry heaved copious amounts of air through his system. It was only when the pain had somewhat subsided that Henry noticed something was wrong. He wasn¡¯t at the diner where he had passed out, or a hospital, the next likely place, or anywhere he could expect himself to be. No, he was in a place he could not even recognize. There were no walls, ceilings, or even sky, just a sort of murky blankness extending infinitely in all directions. ¡°Oooooh boy¡­ I hope I¡¯m just dreaming because this isn¡¯t looking good,¡± said Henry out loud, as if attempting to convince himself. He had just passed the Bar exam, things were just starting to look up for him. An unexpected, crisp female voice answered him: ¡°If you hold the view that life is but a dream, I suppose death can be as well. Otherwise, your situation is as you suspect.¡± ¡°Wah¡­?¡± Henry was mildly startled by the voice. Despite the voice sounding like the speaker was right beside him, he somehow instinctively knew where to look, and so he quickly located the speaker, a lone woman wearing a three piece suit, who sat behind an office desk. She had the impression of being exceedingly beautiful, but as soon as Henry attempted to concentrate on the specifics of her features, his eyes almost seemed to lose focus. The details of her countenance utterly confounded observation and, as an extension, description. The only things Henry was able to discern were her immaculately clear green eyes and straw colored hair done up in a bun, characteristics that strangely matched Henry¡¯s own tastes. ¡°Welcome to life-after-life, Henry Hunter,¡± said the woman matter-of-factly. In a desperate attempt, Henry clamped his eyes shut for a few seconds and opened them again, but to his dismay the scenery didn¡¯t change. ¡°You don¡¯t reckon this is just a prank do you?¡± he asked dryly. The woman smiled, or at least Henry thought he saw her smile.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You could think of it that way if you wish,¡± she said, drawing a circle in the air with her index finger. ¡°But never mind that, please fill out the forms you¡¯re provided to the best of your ability. You only get one chance.¡± Just when Henry was about to reflexively ask ¡°what forms?¡±, a clipboard with a single sheet of A4 paper and an attached pen suddenly appeared in his hand. There was no process or premonition, it just was, which was startling to say the least. But, as the past few minutes had already been rife with such occurrences, or perhaps it was one of the side effects of being dead, Henry merely calmly raised the clipboard and checked out the contents. Many lines of text quickly flitted across the page and disappeared just as quickly, but despite the speed at which the text came and went Henry was able to understand the contents fairly well. Name: Henry Hunter, Age: 25¡­ The page of A4 paper seemed to be self-populating with his biographical information from the mundane to things that Henry could not make sense of, such as: Soul Primer ID: 5eBh2#11! There was an enormous amount of personal information passing through that thin, A4 sized paper, but the entire process took only a few seconds to complete, if time of the mortal realm could even translate. In the end, the text on the sheet of paper settled down on a few simple checkboxes and a signature line, awaiting Henry¡¯s decision. Afterlife options: [ ] Oblivion [ ] Clean reincarnation(No memories) [ ] As-is reincarnation(Relocation required) Are you willing to relocate? (Y/N) (Skip this line if you choose oblivion) Signed: ________________________________________________________ The option for as-is reincarnation was grayed out even though Henry could read what it said. It was evident that he needed to agree to relocate to be able to select that option. ¡°So uh, relocation, what does that even mean?¡± Henry asked. The woman leaned back into her chair. ¡°There are realities where I do not have jurisdiction over, you will be sent there. I will warn you that despite what you may think of my reality, there is a certain limit to the suffering that you may incur here. There are no such limits for the places where I have no control.¡± Henry scratched his head as he pondered the literally life or death decision. He could possibly argue with the woman on the relocation requirement for as-is reincarnation, but the chance of a favorable result was abysmally low. He had absolutely nothing to bargain with. ¡°And by the way, seeing as this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I¡¯ve been curious all this while as to your identity. Are you God? Saint Peter? Satan? Buddha?¡± The woman smirked again in good humor. ¡°Does it matter?¡± she asked rhetorically. ¡°No, no I guess it doesn¡¯t.¡± Whoever she was or they were, Henry¡¯s soul was at their mercy. After an agonizing internal debate, Henry circled the Y after the relocation question, and checked the box in front of as-is reincarnation. Despite the dangers that the woman had already warned him about, Henry had died before the prime of his life and wanted to make use of the memories and skills he had worked so hard to acquire. He had yet to enjoy life. Perhaps he may end up somewhere where he would be useless, or worse. But that was a risk he had to take. He signed his name on the signature line, and upon doing so, disappeared. Chapter 1: It aint easy being green The midday sun hung in the sky like a fresh, juicy grapefruit. A soft breeze blew through the sparse woodlands, bringing with it the scent of spring grass. Henry watched from his position on a small hill as a couple of women weaved together strands of plant fiber, purely by hand, to create crude cloth, which would presumably then be fashioned into clothing. This could be considered a very ordinary scene, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that the women possessed green-skin, large triangular ears and catlike eyes. They were similar to humans in body structure, but were only approximately four feet tall at adulthood, and had distinctively childlike proportions, besides perhaps wider hips and fuller chests. Although it was a meaningless translation, Henry liked to refer to them as goblins. No, perhaps the more correct pronoun for Henry would be we, for he was now one of them. It¡¯s already been four years since he had been reincarnated as a female goblin named Uma. The change in sex, surprisingly, bothered him magnitudes less than the drastic degradation of living conditions, especially considering the goblins¡¯ social structure. He was her now, and she was fine with it. ¡°Uma! Uma!¡± Uma was pulled out of her whimsical stupor by a voice calling her name. She saw a young goblin girl with a frizzy head of shoulder length hair running towards her, and waved at the girl slightly. ¡°Hey Sela, is something wrong? Ah! It must be time for the midday rites,¡± said Uma, in an exercise that was both vocal and gestural. The curt goblin tongue had a much more limited vocabulary compared to the human languages of Earth, and required an extensive use of body language to convey certain nuances, such as tone. ¡°Geez Uma! Why do you keep forgetting? The sun is almost at the peak!¡± Sela alternately pointed at the celestial object and at somewhere very close along its trajectory, while waving her arms in exasperation. Uma shielded her eyes and attempted to grasp the nuances of this natural time telling technique that most goblins seemed to possess, and merely came out of the experience with a pair of throbbing retina. She was one of those people who couldn¡¯t function without an alarm clock back when she was still human, and that terrible sense of time seemed to remain with her even in a new body. ¡°Sorry Sela, but I¡¯m just not very good with time,¡± said Uma as she compulsively mussed Sela¡¯s wooly mane. ¡°But that¡¯s why I need you, right?¡± Sela attempted to return the favor, but Uma¡¯s tightly knit braid left little room for modification, causing the goblin girl to pout in annoyance. ¡°Ugh, Uma. Why do you wear your hair like that? It¡¯s no fun at all!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I think my hair looks better like this, don¡¯t you?¡± Uma flicked around her waist length braid, and then used the end to tickle Sela¡¯s nose. Sela reflexively drew away and rolled her eyes: ¡°Well it doesn''t look bad, but I still think it¡¯s weird! And it¡¯s unfair! Anyways, get going!¡± At Sela¡¯s prompting, Uma picked up the straight, plain wooden staff which laid on the ground beside her, and headed towards the largest structure in the tribe, a tall, decorated leather tent. The insides of the tent were much darker than the outside world, and smelled of raw hide and medicinal herbs. The only light came in from the entrance flap and a window opening at the top of the tent. At the center of the room was a bubbling stone pot which emitted an acrid smell, and a thin, ostentatiously dressed middle-aged goblin woman who was tending the fires. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived, Uma. Just in time to get me a limpbeet root,¡± said the middle-aged goblin woman, the current High Priestess of the tribe and Uma¡¯s master, Goma. Uma ceremoniously lowered her ears, a sign of deference. ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± Goma wasn¡¯t Uma¡¯s biological mother, but in the goblin tongue many types of superior-subordinate relationships are encompassed by the same words that are used to describe familial relationships. The sides of the tent were lined with stacks of baskets which held various types of herbs, both fresh and dry. Uma intimately knew the contents of each basket through her two years of study, and thus was able to quickly fetch the item that her master requested. ¡°Slice it into the pot half a finger¡¯s width at a time,¡± instructed Goma. ¡°Yes.¡± Uma had already done the various steps of this particular recipe many times. She took the sharp flint knife from the nearby workbench and flawlessly completed this, and all the subsequent steps that Goma demanded of her. The soup in the pot gradually turned from its original leafy green to the color of honey, and smelled of malt. ¡°Well done my daughter.¡± Goma showed much satisfaction as she rubbed the top of Uma¡¯s head. ¡°Although you do not need the Spirit Elixir to commune with the Great Spirit, there might be a day when you will need to take a daughter who does not have your level of affinity. That is why the Spirit Elixir recipe is a tradition that cannot be forgotten. A tribe that loses their High Priestess is a tribe that has lost their identity, fated to be absorbed by other tribes or fall to ruin.¡± According to what she has heard from her master and other older goblins, goblins had a maximum lifespan of around thirty years and the life expectancy of the average goblin was even shorter than that. Accidents, disease, famine, wild animals, they were all legitimate threats, and so a successor was something that every goblin had to think about much sooner than a resident of a 21st century developed nation. Uma felt a tinge of melancholy. A year in this world was around 388 days, with the length of each day comparable to an Earth day, so her new life was only to last perhaps a third or even a quarter of what she expected herself to have back when she was human. But then again, she could¡¯ve been reborn as a mindless slime or some sort of slave, being both sentient and free was something to be thankful for. ¡°Mother, isn¡¯t there any way to live forever?¡± Uma asked in a whimsical fancy. After that experience with reincarnation and souls, the unthinkable suddenly seemed very possible, although the goblin priestess was probably the wrong person to ask. The High Priestess craned her head back at Uma¡¯s question, and searched her memories: ¡°If you train hard, you might be able to extend your lifespan with the Great Spirit¡¯s blessing. Legends speak of the Grand Priestess who was so powerful she lived to the extraordinary age of fifty, she lived to see the birth of her twelfth generation grandchild.¡± Great. The ripe old age of fifty. But then again fifty was more than thirty, and there was no telling whether fifty was the true limit, so there was hope. Maybe she could eventually figure out a way to live until sixty. The news instilled Uma with a new sense of vigor as she and her master continued with the rites. As the student, she was to begin the communion before her master, which consisted of sitting on the ground and concentrating on the feeling she had become familiar with. Almost immediately, Uma¡¯s senses of the physical world faded out, and her awareness expanded, covering the entire tribe and beyond. She could sense each and every goblin as a hazy but distinct presence, and a great nebula of energy swirled and ebbed in the space between. The cloud of energy seemed chaotic, but wasn¡¯t entirely without order. There were weak currents of varying magnitude that formed directly between each and every goblin, with the strongest ones leading towards her and her master. After taking a bit of time to reorient herself, another nearby will started to assert its presence, and established a counterbalanced harmony against her own. Her master had successfully entered her trance, and with her master taking the lead, their synchronized wills started pulling off strands of power from the greater nebula and winding that power into themselves like a ball of yarn. Extraction, layering, compression, those three steps were endlessly repeated to homogenize the ownerless power, gradually increasing both the quantity and quality of their spiritual existences. The rate of improvement was comparable to the slow and deliberate process of dripping water into a bathtub. The strain of this activity was immense, and after a half an hour or so Uma¡¯s concentration started to waver. The mass of undifferentiated energy, which had been as pliable as an orange peel, now felt as tough as steel, and everything started to become hazy. Uma knew it was time to stop, but the upcoming part was the worst of the ordeal. She clenched her figurative teeth and pulled her consciousness back, and was immediately assaulted by an intense vertigo, a sensation akin to being woken up in the middle of the night.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Her eyelids were as heavy as lead. It took a concerted effort to force them open, and when she did, it took more effort to keep them that way. It was an experience that reminded her of the worst moments of law school, and it happened twice a day every day. The good thing was, the terrible feeling didn¡¯t last, unlike the caffeine crash after an all-nighter. A few minutes of rest was enough to recover. Just when Uma was about to get up and stretch, her master¡¯s eyes shot open and turned towards the doorway. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Mother?¡± Uma asked. Usually Goma could hold out for a while longer, and so it was abnormal that she ended when she did. ¡°Yala¡¯s approaching, panicked,¡± replied Goma grimly. Uma instantly tensed up. Yala was the runner of one of the patrols, it was never good news when she or any of the other runners returned prematurely, especially not when she was in a state of emotional distress. A hunting accident? A forest fire? Perhaps a pack of feral beasts? Whatever it was, it meant that there was a high chance for casualties. It was hardly a minute before a little green face peered through the tent flap and was met by both Goma and Uma¡¯s gazes. It was the face of Yala who they had been expecting. As a rule, Yala made sure to check that Goma was not occupied before speaking, as to not disturb priestesses during their rites. ¡°Great Mother, it¡¯s an emergency! Tall-goblins! Tens of them, just a half day¡¯s journey away!¡± Sala exclaimed with exaggerated gestures. Tall-goblins, as Uma understood the term, referred to a variety of humanoid races who were, quite literally, taller than the average goblin. As Uma had never seen a tall-goblin personally in her four years of goblin life, it was difficult to judge what they looked like precisely from oral tradition alone. ¡°Tall-goblins! It¡¯s been generations since we¡¯ve seen any of those! Did you see what those tall-goblins were wearing and where they were going?¡± Goma seemed almost solemn upon hearing the news. ¡°Shiny metal shirts, Great Mother, and they seemed to be heading towards our tribe.¡± Yala was a young goblin, close to Uma in age. She had only been frightened by the sheer stature and numbers of the tall-goblins, and did not recognize the gravity of what she saw. ¡°We must call for council,¡± said Goma, having quickly regained comportment. ¡°Yala, go call all Matrons, representatives, and Priestesses, we will gather at the bonfire. Uma, come with me.¡± Besides the High Priestess, there existed four normal Priestesses in the tribe, but the difference between the two was that without the prefix High, it meant that they lacked any spiritual powers. With goblins having only a purely oral language, the normal Priestesses were the keepers of the lore, responsible for passing down knowledge and tradition, and remembering important events in the tribe¡¯s history. The High Priestess picked up her own staff, a curved stick of wood adorned with feathers, and headed outside. Uma followed wordlessly, lost in thought. The bonfire referred to the large stone pit in the center of the tribe which the tents of the tribe surrounded, which served as a gathering place for both meetings and celebration. As it was still during the day and there was supposed to be nothing special happening, the pit remained extinguished. The High Priestess was the most important position in the goblin tribes that had one, and so her master¡¯s tent was situated right beside the bonfire. Uma and her master naturally arrived before everyone else, and took their positions north of the fire pit. They were not alone for long as the extraordinarily wide-hipped Matrons gradually arrived one by one, walking as fast as their distorted physiologies would allow them. It was important to note that goblin society was a strict matriarchy, with the smallest subunit, a family, typically consisting of three to five goblin women, and all their male and childless female children. The adult goblin women referred to each other as sisters, with the Matron being the one that held the responsibilities of childbearing and leadership, and the others assisting the Matron with nursing, child rearing, administration, and skilled labor. The men handled manual labor, and were traded to other families temporarily when necessary, or other tribes permanently during matching season. This arrangement was possible because goblin women were able to produce litters of six to eight children at a time, with only a gestation period of a season. Even taking into account neonatal mortality, that comes out to an average of twenty surviving children per year per woman, more than enough to share between all the women in the family. Typically the strongest and smartest of the sisters would be made the Matron, and so it was natural that they also served as the leaders of each family. It was such a contrived but logical arrangement that it made Uma wonder if it was by evolution or design. When all representation was finally present, with those of lesser clout sitting further away from the bonfire, Goma briefly described the situation that she had heard from Yala, along with some personal commentary. ¡°¡­and so we must quickly form a war band from every able body, and destroy the approaching tall-goblin.¡± Wait, wait, wait!? How did you even come to that conclusion master? Should extermination really be the first option!? ¡­is what Uma would have liked to ask, but Uma wasn¡¯t one to challenge authority, at least not right here with everyone present. The Matrons murmured amongst themselves. The so-called tall-goblin were a popular boogeyman in many goblin folk tales, so some exuded excitement, other worry or even fear, but none seemed against the High Priestess¡¯s decision. Such was the power of authority, Uma thought. In light of this utter obedience to the High Priestess, there only remained one question. ¡°Who will be the Warboss?¡± asked Sha, the Matron of the Weaver family, one of the larger families known for their fine cloths. The Warboss was the commander-in-chief of a war band, if leadership of a few hundred individuals even deserved the title commander-in-chief. ¡°I will be Warboss,¡± declared the High Priestess without fanfare. There was murmuring amongst the Matrons once again, this time more excited than anything else. ¡°The Great Mother will lead us to victory!¡± Cheered one of the Matrons, with the rest following suit in a disarrayed cacophony. With that, the Matrons all went back to their tents to select their warriors and delegate command to their trusted lieutenants. The Matrons themselves were not combat worthy despite their status as the best of their family. Pregnancy warps a goblin woman¡¯s body to a shape that is able to withstand the prodigious productivity that they were capable of, reducing their physical endurance to that of a two year old goblin child¡¯s. While that was all happening, Uma privately asked the High Priestess the question that had been pressing on her mind. ¡°Is it not possible to negotiate with the tall-goblin? Surely, we must learn the Common Tongue for a reason.¡± Part of the Priestess training was the language called the Common Tongue, which was purportedly understood by the vast majority of the sentient species in the world. It had a more intricate vocabulary and highly difficult pronunciation mechanics that made it impossible for all but the smartest goblins to learn. The older goblin shook her head. ¡°No. Although I have yet to teach you about the other sentient races as I have not expected you to need it so early, the tradition of the High Priestess says that the metal tall-goblin cannot be reasoned with. It would be unwise to deviate from this wisdom.¡± Uma felt frustrated that was the case, but gulped down any further suggestions on that front. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we tell the Matrons and children to evacuate? In the worst case¡­¡± Her voice trailed off as she looked towards her master, afraid that she might be angry at the prospect. Goma, however, was unperturbed by Uma¡¯s suggestion. ¡°If we lose, a portion of us will hold the enemy off, while the rest escape and bring the tribe into hiding. Without the protection of able-bodied warriors or the camp, the Matrons and children would just be prey for the beasts.¡± Having had only four years to learn the ways of this world, Uma was still inexperienced and she once again had to recognize that fact. Without any further words, Uma and her master went back to their tent to gather their equipment. As her master¡¯s successor, tradition stated that she had to follow her master in case something happened. Because of this, it was also tradition that the High Priestess typically took two disciples, but there had been no one other than her that had potential to succeed the position in several years. As two of the most important goblins in the tribe, Uma and her master donned the best armor the tribe could offer. However, the best that the tribe could offer was disappointingly just a full set of hard leather. The important parts were reinforced with wood, and in the case of the forehead and chest, strips of metal. The metal parts of the armor already showed considerable wear, and were an ill fit for Uma¡¯s body shape, making it slightly uncomfortable to wear. The armor was probably a relic of the past that had far outlived its recommended usage, but the tribe had no metallurgists or even smiths who could maintain and refit the armor. Likewise, her sidearm consisted of a short sword so excessively whetted that it resembled an icepick more than a sword. As pitiful as it looked, it was still probably the best tool available for Uma to stab through metal armor in the event that she had to do so, but looking at it further reinforced Uma¡¯s desire to eventually acquire the technology of metal working for her tribe one way or another. A bag of rations, a bag of herbs for wounds, and finally, an item of Uma¡¯s own innovation, a wooden canister full of shuttle shaped darts made from pieces of heavy stone. She was ready, as much as she could be. It was unrealistic to say that Uma felt confident, but she was going to defend her family, something that she was always ready to do, even in her past life. The High Priestess was dressed similarly, except her hard leather cap and armor were better decorated with baubles, paint, and feathers. It made her very noticeable, for both friend and foe, with all the benefits and drawbacks that came with that. Uma wanted to say something about it, but once again held her tongue. The High Priestess probably knew better than her what it meant, and that was a choice that her master had made. After an untold amount of time, probably less than half an hour, the goblin war band was ready. A hodgepodge force, armed with flint spears, repurposed metal implements, slings, short bows, wicker shields, and armored with leather, or sometimes just the clothes on their back. The only thing that looked impressive about the goblin army was their four hundred strong numbers. Pretty much every able body in the tribe was here, be it man or woman. Only a handful remained to protect against unexpected incidents. Several more runners had arrived while the goblins had been preparing, so the High Priestess had a good grasp of where the enemies were. The tall-goblins would pass through a lightly forested region on their way to the tribe, a perfect location for an ambush. The goblin army split up into subunits based on family, and headed towards the battlefield as per the High Priestess¡¯ instruction, with Uma and her master trailing in the back of the force. When they were close to the designated battlefield, Uma could finally see what the tall-goblins looked like, and she was stunned even though she had already vaguely anticipated something like this. The enemies, they looked like humans. Chapter 2: Life can be fragile, like a spark of flame What made a human, human? It was a question that confounded philosophers for ages, and something that Uma herself frequently struggled with in light of her experiences with reincarnation. There was probably no one who could convincingly explain to another the answer to such a question. It was fairly easy, however, to describe what the average human looked like. Rounded ears, upright gait, and a straight posture with a certain proportionality to it, those were the common features shared by most of humanity back on Earth, and were also features possessed by the beings Uma saw approaching from between the shrubbery. The few that weren¡¯t wearing helmets displayed a coffee colored complexion, straw colored hair, and well defined facial features, a combination that was decidedly rare without the use of cosmetics back on Earth, and yet holistically it was familiar enough that Uma couldn¡¯t find any other word to refer to them by. At a cursory glance there seemed to be around a hundred of them marching through the forest, with a standard bearer at the front, and the majority following in three files. Most of the formation consisted of infantry armed with large, curved tower shields, with several individuals who resembled woodsmen scattered near the flanks. Although it was unclear due to the distance involved, there were several animals that looked like horses which plodded along at the rear of the formation, led by people who were presumably either their riders or logistics personnel. Only a few of the humans had a full set of metal lamellar armor, the rest were either wearing only a metal breastplate, or just leather and padded cloth. It was a remarkable coincidence that both horses and men, along with many other types of familiar flora and fauna, existed in this world, now that Uma spared a moment to think about it. But, whether it was by chance or design did not really matter. <$*!&#*$ &!*# $&@#*$ %& !@#$> Uma could faintly hear some of the humans conversing between the ever-present sounds of nature, speaking in a language that she could not recognize. Bleh, the Common Tongue wasn¡¯t so common after all, or at least it wasn¡¯t the colloquial language of these humans. Between their uninhibited voices, and loud marching, it seemed that the humans were quite brazen. Uma¡¯s tribe advanced carefully in their separate family subunits under the cover of brush. The early afternoon sun caused the trees and shrubbery to cast longer shadows, and the goblins¡¯ skin color and earthen garments provided a high degree of camouflage within foliage, allowing them to remain undetected up until now. It was, however, unrealistic to hope for a complete surprise with the numbers that they had. The tension was palpable as Uma tried to inch closer as quietly as possible upon the unsuspecting humans, desperately hoping that by some miracle everything goes exactly according to plan. Every rustling of leaves tickled at her nerves, and even her breathing became unconsciously shallow. But reality always won against ungrounded hopes. When the foremost goblins approached within three hundred (goblin) paces (estimated to be approximately two hundred human sized ones) of the human formation, there were a couple of sharp shouts from within the formation, and the humans started moving in a frenzy. The standard bearer retreated as the footmen behind came forward and the sides of the formation started spreading out. They were attempting to form some sort of defensive arrangement. Uma did not know if the High Priestess fully understood what the humans were doing, as the goblin martial craft that she had taught Uma had no information of the sort, but there was an aspect of the human military form that was grounded in a bestial nature that the High Priestess evidently recognized. ¡°Everyone, attack as a wolf pack!¡± The High Priestess accurately grasped the opportunity presented by the reorganizing human formation, and sprung the ambush! Toot, toot, toot. The signaler beside the High Priestess sounded her whistle in three consecutive high pitched notes, and the tribe immediately leapt to action. The slingers wound up their weapons on the spot, and let loose a scattered hail of stones, while the other goblins rushed forward in their small groups. The wolf pack was a hunting tactic that consisted of a wide encirclement, and so the scattered groups of goblins farther out started to wrap around to the sides of the human formation, while the archers at the center reached their effective ranges, and shot their arrows at a high arc. The typical goblin bows, with their low draw strengths, had an effective range of only one hundred paces, and so the archers to the flanks were still hurrying to get into range. The projectile attacks, which usually achieved great effect against beasts, fared poorly against the humans with their tower shields. The vulnerable woodsmen had already retreated behind the wall of shields, and the footmen, with practiced use of their shields and equipment, protected the formation from the rain of stones and arrows. The preliminary volleys had only proven to be an annoyance at best. Perhaps if there was time to bombard the humans with impunity, the goblin skirmishers would eventually be able to slip a few missiles past the human defenses and start causing casualties, but the human officer somewhere in the formation had quickly grasped the situation, and moved to counteract the goblin attack. <#%$^# !@ !^!!#$#!@!> The human officer shouted what sounded like a command, and the footmen immediately halted their outward expansion, planting their shields into the ground to form a barricade. Arrows then began flying from between the narrow gaps in the barricade, primarily targeting the goblin archers. The horses towards the rear were let loose by their handlers and escaped a fair distance away, cavalry being nearly useless in a forest. With wicker and hide shields being barely adequate for protecting just a single individual, goblin archers typically operated alone, and with only the protection of natural cover. Although goblins were naturally nimble due to their small stature, the archers¡¯ inadequate defenses proved deadly for the few that could not duck fast enough. ¡°Ahhh!!¡± ¡°Uahh!¡± Two goblin archers were practically skewered by the more powerful human arrows, and became pinned to the ground as they bled. The goblin warriors, as they approached, were also targeted by both arrows and bolts of light, slowing them down significantly. The humans apparently also had one or two low level spell casters judging by the power of their magic missiles. It wasn¡¯t a game changer, but was definitely another point of advantage. The casualties from the human projectile fire remained low due to its lacking volume, but the humans had managed to create a sizable gap in the goblin missile screen and slowed the goblin advance. Taking the opportunity, five of the woodsmen escaped out the rear of the human formation, sprinted away towards whence they came, and quickly disappeared into the woodlands. There were a couple of slingers who were close enough to attempt a shot, but the bullets were only able to score a hit on one woodsman¡¯s leg, unable to accurately hit any vitals at extreme range. Though Uma and Goma had their own magic spells, even their most powerful and long ranged spell, fireball, had only a maximum range of one hundred twenty paces. They were still hanging at over two hundred paces away from the human formation to avoid the arrow fire, so they could only watch as the woodsmen got away. They were probably messengers, escaping to call for reinforcements. The goblin archers were no match for their human counterparts, and the defensive power of the human formation meant that even if the goblin priestesses risked their lives to cast their magic, they wouldn¡¯t be able to inflict decisive damage. Things were not looking good, both time and troop quality were not on the goblin¡¯s side, but it was already too late to turn around. If they turned and ran, they¡¯d lose many warriors in the pursuit, and potentially have to face an even greater human force when the unit here was able to link up with reinforcements. The only choice would be to annihilate their enemies, and hope that it buys enough time to migrate their tribe before the reinforcements arrive. Uma understood this, and it was evident that her master did as well. The High Priestess called over a runner and told her: ¡°Go back to the tribe and tell them to start packing. The tribe will move as soon as the warriors return.¡± After the runner took off, the High Priestess could only look on with grim determination as the goblin warriors approached the enemy, a few being cut down by arrow fire and bullets of light as they approached. She then turned to her disciple, and said: ¡°Uma, I will need to begin channeling the spirit link, you will be responsible for taking command of the battle.¡± The spirit link was one of the premier spiritual abilities that a High Priestess had at her disposal, it was a technique that linked the minds and souls of all willing participants, and allowed them to move as one being. It gave goblins, who were relatively weak individually, the ability to overcome physically superior foes through numbers, morale, and coordination, but it was a highly taxing and difficult technique. Uma was hesitant. ¡°Mother, why don¡¯t we both channel together and give command to one of the warmaidens? You would only be able to maintain it for a short while by yourself.¡± Goma shook her head: ¡°It takes great spiritual power and training to give commands through the spirit link, no warmaiden would be able to effectively do it. If I had another daughter, then things might have been different, but it is too early for you to channel the spirit link alone. This is the only possible arrangement for us.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. The High Priestess¡¯s firm gaze made Uma swallow her reservations. Uma nodded: ¡°Alright mother, I will do my best.¡± Having received Uma¡¯s affirmation, the High Priestess sat cross-legged on the ground and closed her eyes in concentration. Almost immediately, a foreign but familiar presence crept into Uma¡¯s mind, which she welcomed with open arms. Her senses were subsequently elevated to a state similar to when she was performing her rites, but her perception of the material realm remained. It was a strange sensation where the two realities were layered upon one another, a state where she felt both her individuality and oneness with a greater whole. Soon more minds began flowing in, taking their places as parts of a greater individual and the resulting torrent of thought and emotion was then tamed by her master¡¯s will, forming into a more cohesive being. The combination of hundreds of minds was like a stream to the individual¡¯s droplet, washing away any sense of agency and individuality. Steering such a flow with only a hundredth of the mass was extremely difficult, and that was currently Uma¡¯s job. Her master could probably only maintain the technique for an hour at maximum, so there was no time to waste. Uma gazed upon the battlefield, her vision now a coherent coalescence of hundreds, and gave her first command: Warriors, charge! ¡°¡°Yaaaaa!!!!!¡±¡± And so they did with a thunderous cry, forming a green wave which braved the arrows of wood and light, rushing against the human lines. Boom! Boom! Two fireballs detonated within the goblin ranks, instantly killing five and wounding several others. Those who died had their wills snuffed out from within the spirit link, leaving a temporary wound upon the unitary psyche, before being filled in by the contracting greater consciousness. Strangely enough, there was no feeling of pain or shock, but Uma knew that to be the illusory product of her master¡¯s manipulations. Although she was not close with the dead, she had known every one of their names. Now, they were gone, as a price to pay for the prospect of victory. Despite the fearsome magic, the goblin tide did not falter, their unitary will void of any hesitation or self-interest. They smashed into the human square with a resounding crash, compressing the human formation by several paces on all sides, but despite the goblins¡¯ reckless valor, the human formation held strong and quickly pushed back after they absorbed the initial momentum. The ensuing melee was bloody and intense. The goblins had the advantage in numbers both locally and overall, two goblins could fit in the space of one human soldier, and there were nearly four goblins for every human present, but the humans had superior stature, training, equipment, and tactics. It was obvious that they were used to, and anticipated fighting goblins by how the human soldiers equipped and conducted themselves. The tower shield that the human soldiers held stood at around four and a half feet tall, which was enough for the human soldiers to see over, but offered complete protection against the average goblin. They held their shields at a slight inward angle, making it more difficult for goblin warriors to peel it away from their bodies, and allowed them a nice range of motion to stab any potential climbers with their swords. The human formation stood three ranks thick on all sides, so every human soldier at the front had two behind to support them, making it futile to try and push those in the first rank down. They also had better armor, allowing them to mitigate much of the damage that the goblin weapons could inflict, and if there was an occasional incapacitation, there would be an immediate replacement to hold the line. Thankfully offensive magic was impractically dangerous in a melee, so the human mages were just trickier footmen at this point, but this was little solace as the casualties started mounting. In just a few minutes of fighting, a dozen or so goblin warriors were taken out of commission, and several dozen more had suffered non-debilitating wounds of various degrees, all for just two incapacitations on the human side. Not only was it heart retching to watch, it was completely unsustainable even with the numerical advantage that the goblins had. No, calm down, no strategy is infallible. Uma forced back the moisture that had started to accumulate in her eyes, and calmed her roiling emotions which had been made far more volatile due to her connection to the spirit link. She just had to think. Any tactic that she could think of, that was within the realm of physical possibility, could be realized, that was the true power of the spirit link. There was no need for drills or teamwork, each individual goblin functioned like a muscle in the same body. As long as the brain, Uma, knew how to do something, everything else followed naturally. Uma closely examined the state of the battlefield, and quickly noticed something. It was only for brief moments where this happened, but the human soldiers could just barely hold on to their shields when two goblins latched onto their shields simultaneously. If the humans were already struggling with only two, then how about four? With that thought came an entire course of action. Everyone, back up! Commanded Uma. As soon as Uma impressed the thought, the goblin army immediately ceased their attacks, retreating two paces in perfect unity. The humans Uma could see were visibly unnerved by unerring organization that the goblins showed, but whether because they were stupefied, or that it was part of their discipline, they did not chase and stood stock still as the green tide ebbed away. ¡­and then they were knocked off their feet. The goblin wave came back with a greater fury, with four goblins simultaneously attacking every front row human soldier. Two goblins dove full force into the base of the human shields while two more jumped up and pulled down on the top of the shields with all their might, and the resulting forces were too powerful for all but the strongest human soldiers to resist, causing many soldiers to lose their grips on their shields or even outright flip over. Those that let go of their shields now had to contend, outnumbered, with just their sword arm, and those who were unfortunate enough to lose their footing met their certain doom as six or even eight goblins swarmed over them, dismantled their armor, and stabbed them in the vitals. Although the individual humans were still stronger, heavier, and better armored, not having a shield meant their lower bodies were now exposed, allowing goblins to slip into the gaps between and underneath the soldiers, and inflict damage in places that were difficult to defend against. The first rank of the human formation had effectively lost cohesion as every soldier struggled to defend themselves, and that effect started to spill into the second and third ranks as some in those ranks moved forward to help their allies while others were shoved back by their floundering comrades. Any shield that was not linked to its neighbors could be peeled away by the sides, and the tightly packed human square compressing on itself meant that those in the later ranks had difficulties helping their allies in front. The human formation was being overwhelmed. The goblins had the advantage now, but it did not mean that the humans would just lay down and die. <&@@%$(*@# %#$%! !$@! ^$^!#%! &(%!> The human commander screamed a series of punctuated commands, and the soldiers of the unit repeated the latter part like a mantra. Then, their tactics changed. The entire human formation started to shove outwards with all their might, plowing their bodies and shields into both their allies and enemies. The goblins attempted to resist the human push, but were momentarily overcome by the sudden burst of strength as some goblins were forced to make way to avoid being senselessly crushed. With this act, the humans had created more space to fight with, but also caused their formation to crumble as the smaller goblins slipped into the gaps. The human and goblin lines started to mix and both sides now had greater amounts of room to attack each other. As the humans¡¯ formation had previously started to hinder them more than it had increased their defensive power, it was a favorable trade for the humans with all else being equal. The human commander had abandoned all pretenses of defense, and was now aiming to kill as many goblins as possible at the cost of hastening their own demise. It was pure chaos and carnage. Blood was spilling by the buckets on both sides, but the rate of loss was not equal. Though the human soldiers fought valiantly, with the loss of their biggest strength, their formation, they were only able to trade one for one against the goblin warriors. Every time they managed to stab a goblin in the heart, they would also suffer fatal wounds from two or three others, and if their weapon was somehow blocked or caught, it was also over for them. The officer and their lieutenants at the center of the formation were certainly strong, slaying every occasional goblin that had slipped past the melee, but once their front line fell, they would be facing a swarm of hundreds, alone. Uma coldly judged their skills to be inadequate against such odds. Just as Uma thought victory was certain, however, a surprise came from the treetops. Three arrows flew, fast and true, for Uma and her master. Perhaps by some fluke of instinct, or because one of the nearby guards had caught sight of it and shared it with her through the spirit link, Uma was able to reflexively twist her body out of the way at the last second, deflecting the arrow off her metal chest plate. Her master wasn¡¯t so fortunate. One arrow struck the High Priestess in the arm, and another, square in the neck, piercing through the leather neck guard. The High Priestess let out a muffled groan and clutched the arrow on her neck, her body falling limp to the side. ¡°Mother!¡± Uma screamed, breaking her concentration on the spirit link. She had not yet fully comprehended what had transpired, only intuitively grasping that it wasn¡¯t anything good, but a second volley was already in the air. This time, Uma was already alert, and pressed her body down prone on top of her master, dodging all three shots aimed at her. The nearby group of goblin bodyguards, of which there were ten, had finally understood that their charges were in danger. They quickly huddled around the prone priestesses, protecting them from danger with their bodies, but it was too late. The High Priestess was already bleeding profusely, the arrow in her neck having severed an artery, but despite her injuries she was still conscious. ¡°Mo-mother¡­¡± ¡°Great mother!¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± The spirit link was broken due to the physical shock inflicted upon the High Priestess, and so the goblin army faltered in bewilderment. The humans took the chance to drive them back a bit before the goblins regained their bearings as individuals, but having lost their mental unity, their attacks became less effective. Unfortunately Uma was in too much shock to respond, and could only gape at her master in a stunned silence. The High Priestess, as if to shake her disciple out of her stupor, unsteadily pointed somewhere with her free hand. The young goblin priestess followed her master¡¯s direction and caught sight of a figure with a bow sliding down from a tree a fair distance away. It was one of the woodsmen who she thought had run away. Right, the battle isn¡¯t over yet. The assassins were still around. Uma clenched her teeth to refocus her muddled thoughts, and drew a dart from her side bag, charging it with her magic. One hundred, maybe one hundred and twenty paces. It¡¯ll be a challenge, but I can hit. With a flick of her wrist, the dart cut a shallow arc across the air, leaving a phosphorescent trail at its wake. The dart was not only much faster than expected, but adjusted its trajectory as it flew, shooting straight through the fleeing woodsman¡¯s neck. I¡¯m sorry if you had a family, but you¡¯re the one who invaded our home. The second and third rangers were quickly discovered by the bodyguards. While Uma was able to also slay the second, the third had been too far by the time Uma had readied another dart. They were able to escape into the forest unscathed. A winded Uma dissipated the charge on her dart, and for a moment, wondered if she should be resentful that the assassin was able to escape, or feel guilty for allowing her master to be hurt. ¡°Mother¡­¡± Uma called out helplessly to the aged priestess once again, this time at a loss for what to do. Even if there was a way to heal such a wound with magic, she did not know it, and so she could only look in despair as her master inched closer to death. The High Priestess pressed hard against the wound on her neck, and shook her head. She curled up into a fetal position and closed her eyes, as if giving in to death, but Uma soon felt a familiar prodding at the edge of her mind. My child, she was told, you and I still have unfinished business. My wounds are fatal, but my life still has worth until the moment it expires. To Uma¡¯s surprise, the feeling of being connected to the spirit link returned. Indeed¡­ Unfinished business. Chapter 3: The night is long, but the sun will rise The sun lingered just above the horizon, coloring the world in a red hued glow. There would be some that would inevitably compare the redness of the sunset to the color of blood, but it was evident from the juxtaposition between the celestial object and the blood soaked earth that the two colors were only remotely similar. A multitude of corpses were strewn haphazardly across the landscape. Some were leaning against the trees, while others were partially covered by shrubbery and tall grass. Most were still leaking vital fluids, tainting the ground and fouling the air with a repugnant metallic scent. The battle had been won, but at a great cost. Over seventy goblins had died, and around a hundred forty had suffered some sort of injury. A handful were just barely hanging on to life, and several more could be expected to die from infections. Chief among the dead was the High Priestess Goma, who had expired just as the humans were starting to rout, holding onto her last breath all the way until victory was ensured. The condition of her body was almost pristine, and the expression that she wore was one of serenity. Still, Uma couldn¡¯t help feeling a little forlorn as she looked upon her dead master. The emotion that Uma most predominantly felt was not grief, for she knew that her master had no thoughts of regret at the moment of her death. Through the spirit link, Uma could sense her master was feeling truly relieved in her final moments, but Uma, who survived, knew that the toughest trials had yet to come. The human unit had been broken and decimated, but not annihilated. In an effort to limit the number of casualties that the tribe would suffer, Uma had told the goblins to open up one side of the encirclement when the human had become visibly desperate, to allow them to rout. While the tactic had been a success, and a subsequent squeeze was able to slay a majority of those attempting to escape, there were a dozen or so human soldiers who were able to flee with their lives, along with the three rangers who had also gotten away. While Uma did not know how many humans existed in this world, and how many of those were allies of the invaders, it would be laughable to think that this small unit was the entire human population. Just the fact that the human officer had commanded two of the rangers to escape immediately upon engagement hinted that there was somewhere for them to run. Perhaps there was a nearby settlement, or even an allied force, somewhere beyond the horizon. And if they were anything like the humans that Uma knew, there could be a town, a city, a country, or even a coalition of them existing beyond the small world that the goblins knew and had to themselves. The gravity of this knowledge weighed heavily upon Uma¡¯s mind, along with the burden called responsibility which now sat upon her shoulders. While she contemplated the future, and helped triage the wounded, her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of distant bleating. Uma looked up, and saw a herd of bulky, deer-like animals, mewing and bleating their way through the forest. They were ¡°deer-like¡± by virtue of their all too plump bodies; these animals would be to deer what pigs are to boars. While they were indeed stronger than the deer Uma remembers, they also happened to share the same jittery and flighty nature, which made them ill-suited for being anything other than a beast of burden or a source of food. ¡°Uma¡­ No, Great Mother. The shepherds have arrived with the Merr herd, but the sun¡¯s setting and there¡¯s too much loot for just one trip. How should we harvest our spoils?¡± asked Duna, a seasoned warmaiden from the Weaver family. Duna captained the priestess¡¯s bodyguards and acted as Uma¡¯s temporary lieutenant. Uma was barely an adult even by a goblin¡¯s standards, and so she had feared that a power struggle might break out upon news of her master¡¯s death. Thankfully, her expectations were averted, as the goblins merely demonstrated a somber acceptance towards the High Priestess¡¯s death. They immediately started showing Uma an almost undue respect upon her automatic succession to the position. Perhaps there was more loyalty towards the capabilities and religious significance of the office itself, rather than towards the High Priestess as an individual. It¡¯s not to say that goblins had no sense of personal love, but to goblins the dead only served as a memory to be cherished. It was quite a strange experience for Uma to hear a grown woman almost two generations older than her calling her Great Mother, but Mother was a title as much as it was a relationship in goblin society, so Uma resisted the urge to correct Duna. ¡°Prioritize the bodies of our people, the tall goblin rations and the metal equipment. The rest can be up to individual discretion,¡± answered Uma. The first priority was probably unnecessary for Uma to mention, but there was a real possibility of the goblins giving up some of the equipment and going for the human corpses. Goblins, unfortunately, really loved meat. Duna nodded, evidently having comprehended the reasoning behind Uma¡¯s command, and proceeded to pass the message along by yelling. Those who heard the message would then scream towards their comrades farther away, until everyone had either heard or misheard Uma¡¯s command. Uma subconsciously shook her head at the scene. She didn¡¯t know how to make a radio, so that was another reason she needed to train her spiritual powers harder. Mass telepathy was too convenient of a tool to forgo when she had to lead a group of this size. The Merr herd had around fifty adult individuals, and the goblins had also managed to seize the two horses and three mules that were still dumbly grazing around a hundred or so paces away from the battlefield. The mules were already loaded with rations and equipment, so the goblins had to throw away much of the humans¡¯ camping gear in order to pack on some more of the useful stuff. In the end, the tribe was able to load all the dead and some of the heavily wounded, all the human swords, a few sets of lamellar, and a few hundred pounds of dried human rations onto their animals, forming a grand and morbid caravan. They had to leave behind a few hundred more pounds of dried food, and all of the freshly killed human bodies, which some goblins eyed regretfully. But just as they were about to leave, a commotion broke out towards the fringe of the goblin formation. ¡°Get it!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let it get away!¡± ¡°Yaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Argggh!¡± <%!$!$!!> Some of the goblins who had been scavenging through the human corpses had discovered someone who was just pretending. The individual sprung up and futilely attempted to run, only to be cut in the thigh and dogpiled by nearly ten goblins. Just as the human was about to be eviscerated like all of their fellows, Uma realized what was happening and shouted, ¡°Wait! Stop! Leave him alive!¡± as she raced over to the scene. It was a good thing the goblin responsible for execution was now wielding one of the heavier human swords, the increased weight delayed his movements for a few split seconds, long enough for Uma to get her message across. The goblins looked a bit confused at Uma¡¯s sudden outburst, but nonetheless obliged. ¡°Great Mother, do you wish to perform the kill?¡± asked one of the goblins, who presented Uma with their weapon. Uma shook her head, wincing slightly from the smell that was coming from between the soldier¡¯s legs. ¡°No, I wish to speak with him. Remove his weapon, restrain his limbs and flip him over.¡± The goblins were perplexed, but they followed Uma¡¯s directions as Uma¡¯s bodyguards surrounded her protectively. ¡°Great Mother, please stand back. The tall-goblin is a dangerous beast, and might injure you when it struggles,¡± advised a worried Duna. It was a bit uncomfortable to the human part of Uma¡¯s psyche how the goblins kept referring to humans as a sort of animal, but the advice itself was sound so Uma didn¡¯t complain. The human soldier, once flipped around, revealed himself to be a young man probably in his late teens. He had a thin stubble above his lips, but his features were youthful and his skin was without wrinkles. His expression was locked in a state of abject terror; his eyes darted feverishly, and his knees clattered uncontrollably under the weight of several goblin warriors. Although he was being held down by the limbs, he seemed to have given up struggling, lying vacantly on the ground like some sort of jittery corpse.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The young human looked wretched, but Uma didn¡¯t know if he deserved any pity. On one hand, he was at an age where by modern standards, he wouldn¡¯t know any better, and his agency on whether he wanted to fight the goblins was probably limited, but on the other hand, despite all his possibly extenuating circumstances he still chose to lift his sword in slaughter, making him an enemy. That being said, the soldier could prove to be much more useful alive than dead, so the moral quandary had only briefly crossed Uma¡¯s mind before practicality won out. Uma searched her mind for the appropriate vocabulary in a language she had hardly mastered, in an attempt to communicate with the human. {You, can you understand, the Common Tongue?} She asked, but to Uma¡¯s disappointment, there was no inkling of recognition in the young human¡¯s eyes. He just stared blankly, no different from when Uma was speaking goblin. {Who are you? Where do you live?} Not to be discouraged, Uma tried a couple more phrases that she knew, but she was met with predictable results. The young human soldier did not understand the Common Tongue. Well it was a result that could be expected. The humans evidently had their own, separate language, and since foreign languages were typically the domain of elites, it was understandable that this foot soldier did not have the privilege of learning the Common Tongue. The one who was most likely to know the Common Tongue would be the officer, but the officer, as the morale pillar of the unit, was one of the prime targets during the battle. It was obviously too late now to un-kill him. Magic was real, but Uma knew nothing of necromancy. Uma sighed. The breakthrough that she was hoping for didn¡¯t turn out the way she wanted, so her source of information was once again limited to just the eyes and ears of her tribe. It felt like she was attempting to cross a bridge on a cloudy night, with only her sense of touch to guide her; just one misstep and she would fall into the bottomless chasm of destruction. Since the soldier was worthless as a conversational partner, there was only one more purpose he could serve. ¡°Let him go,¡± said Uma. The goblins holding down the soldier took a while to comprehend Uma¡¯s words, because what she had said was just so contrary to their expectations. ¡°You mean let it go free, Great Mother?¡± asked one of them. ¡°Yes, indeed. Release his limbs and let him run away.¡± Uma nodded. She did not explain herself any further as there still existed a slim chance that the soldier actually understood the goblin tongue and was merely acting, or was able to read the expressions of the goblins, which shared many similarities with that of a human¡¯s. Luckily, it was a small enough issue that no goblin felt the need to challenge her on it. They got off the soldier¡¯s limbs, but kept their weapons ready, with some of them telling the human to leave both verbally and gesturally. The soldier seemed to have been scared witless by his predicament, and took a good while to realize that by some miracle he was allowed to keep his life. He hastily struggled to stand, and limped away as quickly as his injured leg could carry him, disregarding anything that could possibly slow him down. The poor chap didn¡¯t even have the sense to grab one of the weapons lying on the ground on his way out. There were carnivorous beasts living in this forest, and while they may not be brave enough to attack a large enough group of humans or goblins, a lone, injured individual would be fair game for them. Perhaps the soldier may not even have the chance to take advantage of Uma¡¯s mercy, and that would be a pity. Uma watched as the soldier¡¯s silhouette shrunk to the size of a finger, before calling for Duna once again. ¡°Duna, please send four of our best hunters to follow that tall-goblin. He may know the way back to the rest of his people, and I want to know where they are and how many there are.¡± The young priestess knew every member of the tribe, but most were just a profile to her. The experienced warmaiden Duna probably had a more nuanced understanding of the capabilities of the more martially inclined individuals, and so Uma leaned heavily on her advice. Duna called over two males and two females, who were named Dar and Har, and Tua and Wura respectively. Dar, Har and Wura were close to Uma in age, while Tua was a few years older, making her the most experienced of the bunch. The logic in Duna¡¯s selection was immediately apparent to Uma; goblins were matriarchal and respected hierarchy, but that did not mean that there were no differences in opinion. To prevent disagreements from being an issue, Duna selected two females who were both skilled but had a vast difference in seniority to have a clearly and firmly established chain of command, with two of the stronger males to serve as their helpers. Uma nodded internally and addressed the hunters: ¡°You may have already heard from Duna what I want you to do, but I will also clarify that I want you to prioritize your lives. Follow only from a safe distance, and do not attempt to interact with the tall-goblin. Do not try to save him if he¡¯s attacked, and do not try to take his corpse if he is killed. If you see any large groups of them I want you to count how many there are, but if there are any signs that you are seen, I want you to run.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just like hunting wolves!¡± quipped the younger Wura, who immediately had her hair ruffled by the older Tua, ¡°aaaaaaah, I¡¯m not wrong Auntie! Why are you rubbing my head!¡± Every goblin female who was older by at least a generation, but wasn¡¯t called mother or Mother was called an Auntie. Tua could only be considered Wura¡¯s cousin, but then again, everyone in the tribe was technically a cousin. ¡°The Great Mother knows, so you don¡¯t need to show off to her,¡± said the older goblin matter-of-factly. ¡°But I want her to know that I know!¡± exclaimed Wura. ¡°That was the entire point!¡± Uma smiled a bit at the interaction and made note of the two women. Tua seemed like a reliable source of advice while Wura had a rare clever spark that impressed even Uma. ¡°Yes, like hunting wolves. Except, the tall-goblin is even more cunning and dangerous.¡± Uma affirmed Wura¡¯s words, and added, ¡°also, the tribe will be migrating to the summer grounds. If you return to find the camp empty, it means that we have already moved. Make sure nobody is following you when you make your way back.¡± The four hunters responded affirmatively, and left with their equipment and a week¡¯s worth of food; while its cleanliness was often questionable, water was plentiful in the climate the goblins inhabited. This was the first time the goblins had moved solely based on her decision, and so Uma sincerely hoped that they would come back safely. It was twilight when the goblin war band finally returned to the tribe grounds, but it was not a problem for the goblins and Merr who had excellent night vision. Uma suspected she had lost the perception of a few colors in exchange for this wondrous boon, but it had been too long since she was a human to actually tell the difference, and she wasn¡¯t the visual type so she didn¡¯t really care that she may be colorblind. The campsite had already been dismantled and packed up as per Goma¡¯s orders, and all the goblin belongings were bundled up into tight packages and were ready for transportation. The Merrs which had followed the war band were loaded up to their absolute limits, and everything else had to be carried by the able bodied goblins, primarily the men. But before the goblins set out, Uma called for the surviving members of the patrols, who had converged earlier to help with the battle. ¡°We need to send a message to the Rivercrest tribe and the Venomblade tribe and tell them what has transpired. I fear that there are more tall-goblins out there than we can even imagine, and we will need more comrades to help combat this threat. We will be holding a Pash at our summer grounds, and they are invited to attend.¡± A Pash was a large inter-tribe gathering that could only be called by a High Priestess. It was a forum by which the more powerful goblin tribes could discuss territorial rights, clan mergers, and collective defense against dire threats, like troll incursions. Their tribe, also known as the Manimerr tribe by other goblins, was the largest goblin tribe in the area, but there were also two more of comparable size living a contactable distance away, and now was a time that demanded unity for their collective survival. Many of the patrols were exhausted from the extremely long day they had to endure. They would wake earlier than other goblins, and had to fight as part of the war band against the humans. One of the more outspoken members of the patrol couldn¡¯t help but voice her complaints. ¡°Great Mother, we are already very tired. Can¡¯t we wait until tomorrow to set out?¡± It was the first time Uma had been rebuked in her short tenure as High Priestess, but Uma couldn¡¯t find the will to chastise the girl speaking out. Even she, who had a far superior spiritual strength, was starting to feel the lull of rest. Uma thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Take two of the Merr, and each messenger team can take turns resting on the animal. I understand that it¡¯s been hard, but you are the ones that know the forest best. We cannot afford to delay our message. Although the other tribes have their own patrols, if we can warn them earlier, they can be alert and have more time to plan. If we had known a half, or even a quarter day earlier, far fewer of us would have died. We need every ally we can get, so helping the other tribes to preserve their people will go a long way.¡± Some of the patrol still looked reluctant, but they all understood Uma¡¯s reasoning. Not even the hunters knew the land as well as they, and speed was of the essence here. One of the leaders of the patrol took a deep breath, and responded affirmatively: ¡°Alright, it will be as you say Great Mother. We will go as fast as our bodies can take us.¡± The messengers quickly vanished into the night just as the tribe had finished packing up. They, too, would be heading off at night to get head start on the humans, although probably at a much more manageable pace compared to what was demanded of the messengers. Uma took one last look over the clearing that served as their spring home. She did not know how long it would take to return, for they would be heading deeper into the forest to evade the humans, towards their summer lands. Although the goblins were a semi-nomadic race, this land was still part of their traditional territory, and it just felt bitter that they would be chased from the place they¡¯ve inhabited for generations. When Uma first arrived in this world, there was a time when she thought that her new life would at least be stable, in the routines of the wilds. There was sadness at times, sure, but nothing which pressured Uma to change the way that she and the goblins lived as much as this. Uma didn¡¯t know if any of the other goblins had felt this, but the arrival of the humans had awakened a sense of existential threat. Hiding was only a temporary solution; the day that she would need to face the threat head on would eventually arrive. She was not afraid though. As much as it had cost her, she was in the unique position where the limit of possibility was within her grasp. We¡¯ll be back.