《The Monster We Are》Chapter 7
Advertisement
Following Tonka we end up in a room, well more of a cavern.
There are fires around the perimeter of the place and the glowing fungus on the ceiling.
Right in the centre of the room there is a hole in the roof with weak sunlight drifting through the smoke from the fire as it rises out the hole, on the ground under the smoke hole is another with a small stick and string fence.
Dotted around the fires are more goblins doing various activities and towards the end we are heading the fires have goblins of different sizes being supervised by older goblins of both sexes. I’m guessing the younger generations of gobs.
Tonka leads us to a fire with a few other younger gobs and a male gob.
“ Sit.” She tells us.
There are piles of material with the other gobs sat in front of. All the other young ones are naked like we are.
I sit in front of a pile and gesture for the others to do so as well.
“ That the freak that not need kicking.” Tonka tells the male gob.
“ Why they have cloth.” He inquires.
“ The freak made. He not right he talk like elder. And need no kick to learn, not right, not right.” She replies.
*growl*
“ Strange.” He turn to us. “ You all here learn to make loincloth.” He glares at my group. “ To make prop, you stay here till done. After we tell ‘bout tribe.” He instructs us.
He sits in front of a pile and proceeds to show us how to make a loincloth. As the others start including my sibling as they want to learn. I decide to make myself a bandoleer.
I pull out my stone, and get the bigger piece and then cut roughly the shape and then carefully rip it apart. I make it wider at the shoulder so it sit more comfortably. The I put holes in it like the cloth. I get another piece of material and treadle it through. There are a lot more holes this time, I’m making it like a molle system. I then make around 8 more drawstring pouches, I add 6 to the bandoleer and the other 2 to my belt.
On the bandoleer I put 4 on the front and two on the lower back portion. After putting it on I tie the lowest point on to the belt to secure it better. I notice a few bones lying on the floor and the I see the perfect one it looks like a small rib bone. I pick it up and add it to a pouch.
*……..*
I throw myself to the side, a foot flies past where my head was.
Advertisement
“ See, see he freak, he know kick come.” Tonka shouts.
*growl*
“ How do young one know, huh.” The male gobs asks me.
“ I can sense it. Instincts.” I tell him.
*growl*
“ what you do, what you make.” He asks.
“ I’ve made myself what Tonka has but I have made it with extras to hold stuff.” I reply.
“ Why.” He questions.
“ Because I have a loin cloth and it would be a waste of material just to make another so I made these instead.” I respond.
*growl*
With that he stalks off with Tonka in tow. With them leaving I search around for a few more rib bones to practice on before I make the final product. Using the ground and my stone a practice on the few bones I just picked up. After a while it looks like the others will be finished soon, I’m happy with my practice attempts, but I start grinding the edge of my stone to give it a better sharp edge for carving, after doing it on all four sides my stone looks like a spear head.
I hear shuffling and see an elder female goblin leaning on a staff making her way over. Tonka and the male gob also headed this way.
“ Old Mag here to teach ‘bout tribe.” Tonka tells us. She and the gob then wonder off.
“ Make room around the fire young ones. Mush mush.” *sigh* And she sits down.
Making use off this time I start to grind the final rib bone on the floor to make a leather style needle, I’ll use the stone to make the eye hole.
“ Now listen young ones.” Old Mag starts. “ We have been residents in this cave for hundreds of years now. Our old tribe was all but wiped out by rival tribes, we were forced out into the wilds and eventual found this cave. We did not know at the time but it was infested with spiders."
*Cough cough*
"Fearsome spiders that where the size of us gobs. We fought for many days and drove them deeper into the caves. We found out after driving them deeper and deeper there was even more bigger and fearsome spiders that dwelt below, because of this and the presence of the light stones that the ancestors came to the knowledge, that this is a dungeon that we now inhabit.”
WAIT, WHAT.
A dungeon like in the old fantasy novels and games from before the wars, they exist. Humm maybe that’s where the stories come from for them from other worlds from the otherworlders. Hummm, mind you I’m an otherworlders now as well. I should continue to listen, I’ve nearly finished the needle I’ve just got to do the eye now.
Advertisement
“ When the elders of the ancestors found this information they rejoiced, and had the gobs sealed the tunnels to the lower levels, and live in the dwellings made above that had long been abandoned for many years. The elder knew that with in the dungeon that they could grow stronger, and we took the name spider tribe."
She pauses to let that sink in... I think.
She continues. "These are what the histories tell us they may have some truth with all the cobwebs here and the stones that light places and the rooms that us elders live in made from stone not the rough rocks of these caves.”
On quiet nights you can hear.” She points with the end of her staff towards the hole in the centre of the room. “ strange noises, chirps and hiss the sound of spiders from below. And in the lower caves you can on occasion find spiders that come up to the knees, so the stories may be true but we do not know.”
Hummm maybe it's true, actually that could explain the presence I felt and the energy that I still feel in the air.
” We gobs only live 20 years if we don’t evolve and rank up in to hobgoblins or other creature once we do we leave or move to other caves around the so called dungeon, as we are only one part of the spider tribe as cave ins and disputes have splintered us over the years, but all under theses cave are still the spider tribe.” As she is finishing Tonka comes back over with a bowl and cup and gives it Old Mag.
“ Thank you.” She tell her.
*grunt*
How rude. I really don’t like Tonka.
“ All follow eat time.” She growls at us.
“ You.” Old Mag says, all of us freeze. “ The grey one come here.” Tonka smirks.
“ It food time.” Tonka spouts.
“ You know the way young one, yes.” Old Mag responds. I nod my accent. Tonka scowls again.
“ Then take the others.” Mag tells. Lily looks conflicted I shoo her on, as I can see she is hungry.
They all head off.
“ So young one, what was you doing during my teaching.” She asks.
“ I was making a sewing needle….Elder.” I tell her I think a bit of modesty and placating is in order.
“ Show me.” With her hand held out. I reach into the pouch I had store it in after I finished it and place it in the outstretched palm. She inspects the bone needle.
“ Umm, not bad work, not bad.” She muses to herself, looking up. “ how did you learn this.”
I debate what I should tell her.
“ I didn’t learn it anywhere elder.” She raises her eyebrow. “ I just knew how to make it. I have knowledge in my head that appears when I do things, or I learn faster, I have found than the others.” I tell her. “ I…I think it's something to do with me not being green like everybody else.”
“ I understand young one, the older gobs do not like or trust you as you go about things much unlike other goblin even you siblings are advancing faster, the other elders find this interesting but are untrusting of you still.” She hands me back my needle.
“ I myself like you, you interest me like no other, but I was always a curious gob as a youngster.” She starts rummaging around in a bag she has. “ Here.”
She passes me a pouch, then continues to rummage.
I open the pouch and contains 5 reels made from bone that have thread on them. “ It’s spider silk made into a thread, I made them myself quite a while ago but I can’t use them any more as my hands are hard to move. None of the other gobs bother with the finer points of making things, but I can see you do we the needle making. Ahhhh here.”
She hands me another package it's wrapped in a piece of cloth. I unwrap it it’s a small shard of metal with bit of leather thong wrapped at one end to make a handle. There also a little leather sheath for it clearly hand made. The blade is no longer than an inch and a half.
“ I manly used it in crafting and sewing, its very sharp so be careful.” Mag’s informs. “ They are now yours young one. Now go and eat.” She makes the same shooing motions I did to Lily. I turn and head towards the grub room placing the knife in one of the larger pouches at my waist and tie the other to my belt.
“ You’ll need them soon young one…….such a waste, stupid elders.” I barely make out what she says, I’m not liking that not one bit. I better check my status.
Status Screen.
Status Screen NAME Gray Level1(locked) RaceEldrin Goblin BlessingsBlessing of what came before Titles Young one All physical stats locked at below 8. LV lock at 1. Strength:5Agility:6Vitality: 8 Charisma 7 Intelligence:20Wisdom:15Leadership:19Luck:6 Unlocked Stats Awareness79%
HUH my title changed it still locking stats and level. Now to get food and stock up a bit.
Advertisement
- In Serial374 Chapters
Tur Briste
A Druid cultivation novel. Borrows concepts from Wuxia and Xianxia but using Druid myth and lore. More on this at the bottom. Crow is son of Maddox, a Druid with an ancient bloodline and a people with a story spanning toward the beginning of time. Cursed, unfated, and a heap of bad luck have brought him only pain and suffering, but nothing will stop him. Nothing can stop him. A son of Maddox doesn’t bow his head. A son of Maddox understands that only a man with roots, with something to lose, will fight until the last drop of blood leaves his body. The Draoidh were once a proud people. They were both respected and hated for their form of righteousness. Power wasn’t something they gained through the might of their arms, but through intelligence. Their fall was all the more disheartening for the weaker cultivators. The tens of thousands of years that followed… chaos reigned. They forced Draoidh until most fled to the lower realms, nearly wiped out and exhausted. They went into hiding and became known as the Druids of the Oak. The Druid Order wasn’t the powerhouse it had been, and only nine of the major clans survived the calamity. Their bloodline weakened, as well as their prestige. Even the remaining clans fought amongst each other. Already on the decline and near extinguished, the Maddox clan can only struggle for survival, but their foundation wasn’t a joke. Weakened, but not weak. The other clans will understand this difference soon enough. Tur Briste, the Shattered Tower, awaits Crow’s ascension. Reaching the upper realms is only the first step in reestablishing the Draoidh. The Druids of the Oak remembered every betrayal and grievance, and they’ll return to power and reclaim what once belonged to them. The upper realms may have forgotten, but the Druid Order has not. Please Note:1) This is harem story. There are only a few chapters with sex, and it’s not a focus of the story. I’ll only add graphic sex if I feel the story needs it, so not gratuitously. Either way, Crow has several women. This is in line with Druid/Celtic history, and harems/reverse harems were an accepted part of their culture. Further, they had open marriages, meaning the man or woman could end their marriage at any time. While it was still a patriarchy, women had almost equal power. They were a very progressive culture. 2) There is a period of a 30-50 chapters where Crow loses the ability to cultivate like a Druid so he adopts an eastern body cultivation method for a while. This is temporary, but some people feel it’s misleading, so I am pointing it out ahead of time. I promise, the Druid stuff comes back, and 90% of the lore/myths/creatures/gods are all related to Druid/Celt/Irish/Scottish history. 3) I use many original names, most of which are in Gaelic or Irish. In the story, I refer to this language as Ancient. I enjoy all kinds of folklore and myths, so I encourage you to google those original names as they arrive. I give some background on them at the end of the chapter in my author’s note. 4) I use Ogham runes a lot, these are like the Druid alphabet, and they based each rune on a sacred tree so they also have symbolism associated with them. Again, feel free to google that too. It’s pretty neat stuff. Quick Translations:Draoidh = DruidTur Briste = Shattered Tower or Broken Tower Release Schedule:As of Oct 1, 2021- 3 chapters released every Sunday (May have up to two bonus chapters)- Side character chapters… this might be bonus chapters I release through the week. So they won’t count toward the 3 chapters on Sunday.- Please understand I work full time, have two kids, and can’t spare as much time as I’d like toward my writing. Maybe in the future I can switch to doing this full time, but for now 3 chapters is a comfortable pace for me. Lastly… I very much appreciate all my readers and thank you for allowing me to entertain you!
8 153 - In Serial38 Chapters
Beast
A threat to the galaxy has come from another, and the Union of intelligent life will go to any length to stop it. Military Quarantine has held for hundreds of thousands of cycles. Traders, merchants, colonists, and Pirates live risky lives along the fringes as the politics from the inner systems fail to see the larger threats beyond their borders. A lone human finds himself far from home with no memories to how he arrived. A failing Trade vessel plays on a desperate gamble, while a malicious parasite searches for a suitable host. ............................................. Author's note: Beast is a story that I wrote a long, long time ago. Some of you might have read it then, back when it was posted on reddit over at r/HFY. It was my first webfiction and made in the spirit of that subreddit's "genre" of humanity being awesome. But, it is also a story that has bothered me a little bit. Just like most new writers tend to do, I made mistakes and errors that feel painful to reread. A Space Opera will be a Space Opera, but I had prose that makes present-me cringe. Still, at the same time, the story is still very much a tale I've never given up on. It was my first adventure into fiction: Beast was a crazy adventure with bodysnatching aliens, galactic war, threats from across the universe... Posting this story here is a way to try and redeem myself a bit. I won't call it a complete rewrite, because it's not, but I have wanted to go through and correct some of the major issues Beast has for a long time and put it somewhere more accessible to read (instead of as posts/comments on reddit) and I figure that now is as good a time as any. Additional corrections you might notice are welcome.
8 200 - In Serial7 Chapters
Mama Bear
The story of a loving mother, the husband she met in highschool, their young daughter and the end of the world. A companion piece (with permission) to Ideascape: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/30396/ideascape-an-adventure-litrpg
8 133 - In Serial11 Chapters
Fantasy of Ash and Blood
War is brewing between the different races in the wildlands continent. The Noble Draakin, fierce Werebeast tribes, cruel harpy clans, and other peoples are feeling increasing hostility from human kingdoms. The Goddess Caphrine has called upon eight heroes from another world to eliminate the impure peoples whose blood is tainted by monsters. What happens when the heroes that come from another world are the antagonists?TO ROYAL ROAD STAFF: I added the link to this profile to my series at Scribblehub and Webnovel
8 179 - In Serial23 Chapters
Hunter Markell
A family embarks on a journey of transformation. A mega corporation pursues the creation of groundbreaking technology. A third party bides its time in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.Their journey stemmed from choices made due to a single individual - Hunter Markell, a young man who was involved in a car accident and is currently laying comatose. His very existence, without his knowledge, has set the precedence for the changes that is about to overcome the world.Hunter too, will undergo a change. His eventual awakening will draw all the players to him like moth to a flame and the result will be cataclysmic.**********READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.(Reading the A/N & Thinking Log thread is also highly advisable)
8 194 - In Serial9 Chapters
Gay Smut ;)
Just a compilation of gay smut that I write. I do accept requests if you have any.
8 179

