Today, like every day, I went out for a walk with Choro.
”Hey, Choro, why are you so strong?”
”I dunno.”
”You dunno, huh.”
Well, it’s Choro, so I guess he wouldn’t know even if I asked.
”Do you have any tips for hunting?”
”Let’s see… watch how they move, watch close, then dash in fast, and bam! Do it all at once!”
I repeated it under my breath. “Watch how they move, dash in fast, and bam all at once…”
I don’t get it at all.
But I guess that’s how Choro does it by feel.
He must be one of the more talented Goblins.
He’s not as big as a Hobgoblin, so it’s probably his good movement, his skill, and his natural sense.
”Hey, help me practice.”
”Practice? What for?”
”I wanna get strong like you, Choro.”
”Like me!”
I used some smooth talk and got Choro to help me practice.
He’s got nothing better to do anyway, and getting stronger would raise my chances of survival, so I might as well do what I can.
So I decided to have Choro teach me.
I borrowed the rusty short sword Choro uses and gave it a swing.
Hmm, I can’t handle it as well as Choro.
I held the short sword out in front of me. “All wobbly.”
”Yeah, all wobbly.”
Even I can tell- it’s probably because I don’t have enough muscle and I’ve never swung a short sword before.
It feels heavy even though it’s a short sword.
”More like… whoosh!”
”Hmm, that’s hard.”
”Whoosh, smack, boom! That’s how!”
I thought it, anyway. “O-oh…”
I get what he’s doing and saying, but Choro doesn’t seem to have any talent for teaching.
I practice Choro’s moves with a wooden stick lying around.
Even a light wooden stick won’t swing the way I want.
Choro and I aren’t that different in size, but our muscles are built differently.
I guess it’s the difference in experience from all the fighting he’s done.
For a while, I spent my days training while keeping to safe places.
”Choro, there’s a mouse again. If you catch it, everyone will be happy.”
”Last time, I got hit real hard!”
”Don’t be dumb. Even so, in the end everyone was happy you caught the mouse. The others were happy too. Catching it is obviously better.”
”You’re right, you’re right! Mice is tasty. Okay, I’m going!”
”Want help?”
”You can’t. You stay there.”
”Okaaay.”
We found another mouse, so I had Choro hunt it. Meat makes everyone happy, after all.
Choro hunted the mouse easily and looked proud.
His voice came from somewhere behind me. “I told you not to do anything dangerous!!”
”Ugyah!!”
And once again, Choro got hit by Mr. Hobgoblin.
”Heal.”
He did not look up.
”Whoa, the pain’s gone! That’s amazing.”
”Yep. It’s all I can do, though.”
He was grinning like nothing had happened. When I heal him, Choro forgets he got hit and looks happy. Seeing that, I think Goblins are pretty peaceful too.
It hurts him, but I’ll have Choro hunt animals now and then.
I’ll heal him every time, so no worries.
Walking with Choro like that, practicing how to fight, sometimes watching and learning from how Choro hunts, I kept track of the area and trained steadily.
If I can, I want to be a healer who can fight.
We’re both Goblins, so I figure it’ll work out somehow.
No idea if I’ve got the talent, though.
Trivia:
- Choro’s teaching style is all sound effects with no real instruction, hinting that his own skill comes from instinct rather than learned technique.
- The narrator calls the Hobgoblin “Mr. Hobgoblin” in his thoughts, showing a strange mix of fear and respect despite being hit by him.
- The narrator chose to become a fighting healer not out of ambition but survival, a quiet nod to how precarious Goblin life is.