The younger goblin seemed far more interested in the Bloodhorn Boar than continuing the awkward introduction and cautiously approached the corpse before touching one of its enormous horns.
Whatever doubt it had about the creature being dead disappeared immediately, and the excitement that appeared across its face made Grey realize once again how valuable this much meat was to them.
Krag exchanged a few more words with the pair before pointing farther into the forest, and both goblins seemed to understand immediately. They grabbed different parts of the Bloodhorn Boar without hesitation, allowing the four of them to carry the weight together and making the remainder of the journey considerably easier.
As they continued, Grey noticed increasingly obvious evidence that they were approaching somewhere inhabited.
The hidden trails became more defined, additional markings appeared across the surrounding trees, and several crude traps had been positioned in places where animals wandering through the vegetation might accidentally stumble into them.
Eventually, the trees opened into a small clearing hidden between several enormous roots, and Grey slowed as he finally saw where Krag had been leading him.
Calling the place a village would have been extremely generous.
Three crude shelters made from branches, leaves, mud, and pieces of animal hide stood around the clearing, while a small fire burned within a shallow pit near the center.
Sharpened wooden stakes formed an incomplete barrier around the outer edge, and several strips of dried meat hung from a roughly constructed frame beside one of the shelters.
Everything looked primitive, but Grey immediately noticed that nothing had been placed without purpose.
The shelters were positioned beneath the protection of the enormous roots, the fire was hidden deeply enough within the clearing that its light would be difficult to see from a distance, and the barricades had been concentrated around the easiest approaches rather than wasting resources surrounding the entire area.
This one was noticeably different from Krag and the others. It was larger and clearly older, with faded green skin stretched over a sturdier frame, a damaged left ear, and numerous scars covering its exposed arms and chest.
The long wooden spear in its hand initially looked as primitive as everything else in the settlement, but Grey’s attention quickly settled on the weapon’s tip.
It wasn’t sharpened stone or carved bone.
It was metal.
Grey’s interest immediately increased, although the older goblin appeared far less pleased by his arrival. Its gaze moved first toward Krag, then toward the enormous Bloodhorn Boar being carried into the clearing, and finally settled on Grey as its expression hardened and the spear shifted slightly in his direction.
The system responded before Grey could say anything.
[Target detected.]
[Hobgoblin]
[Level: 7]
[Threat Assessment: High.]
Grey’s eyebrows rose as he read the information, suddenly far more interested in the creature than the weapon pointed toward him. Until now, every evolutionary path he had encountered had come through the Dark Evolution System, yet standing directly in front of him was proof that goblins could become something beyond their original species without Grey having anything to do with it.
The Hobgoblin said something in the same rough language Krag had used throughout their journey, and Krag immediately answered before launching into what sounded like a lengthy explanation.
Grey couldn’t understand the words, but the repeated gestures toward the Bloodhorn Boar made the general subject obvious enough. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
The older goblin listened for several seconds before turning toward Grey, and when it finally spoke, the words that emerged were rough and heavily accented but unmistakably understandable.
"Name."
Grey blinked in surprise before quickly realizing that Krag apparently wasn’t the only goblin in the forest capable of learning human speech. "Grey."
The Hobgoblin repeated the name quietly before studying him from head to toe, apparently searching for something that would explain where an unfamiliar goblin had suddenly come from.
"Where tribe?"
Grey considered the question for a moment before answering. "I don’t have one."
The response made the older goblin’s eyes narrow with obvious suspicion. "No tribe?"
"No tribe," Grey confirmed, keeping his posture relaxed despite the spear remaining pointed toward him. "I’ve been alone since I woke up in this forest."
Whether the Hobgoblin understood the entire sentence was impossible to tell, but it clearly understood enough to find Grey’s answer unusual.
It turned toward Krag and questioned him again in their language, prompting Krag to respond rapidly while gesturing several times toward the Bloodhorn Boar and mimicking the creature lowering its head to charge.
Grey watched the explanation in silence, fairly certain Krag was describing their fight, while the Hobgoblin’s attention gradually shifted between the corpse and Grey with increasing interest.