The Goblin Nation 78 Lost Underground

Flute slowly opened her eyes, waking up on a shaking floor. Only that floor were two s.h.i.+elds attached to one other and carried by two goblins. One of these goblins was Dawn, who looked down to check Flute's condition. "Ah! You're awake." Dawn gasped.

The goblins stopped and lowered her to the ground. Dawn told the legion to call for Rock while she stayed to examine Flute. "Are you ok? Does anywhere hurt?" She asked.

"My leg aches a bit." Flute pushed herself upright and grabbed her leg. It had bandages wrapped around the s.h.i.+n.

"The peryton's antlers got stuck on your s.h.i.+n while the fire consumed you. So when you transformed into a conqueror, the wound couldn't heal because the antler was in the way."

"I see," Then suddenly, Flute realized her skin was red, and her body felt longer. "Did you just say, I transformed and became a conqueror?"

"Yeah," Dawn said. "And the way you punched that peryton was amazing! You caved that animal's skull inside out!"

"Flute!" Tie ran towards Flute and lunged at her. The two fell to the ground. Tie pushed herself and cried her heart out, "Flute. Tie sorry, please, no leave."

"I'm not going anywhere." Flute's cheeks turned redder than peryton's bright antlers, "And stop saying sorry! You have nothing to apologize." Flute got up and hugged Tie, "So stop apologizing, ok."

Flute released Tie from her arms and looked at her. Tie nodded while wiping away her tears and snot. The two of them stood up. Flute was shocked when she noticed the height difference between her and Tie and felt overwhelmed by her stature towering over the rest of the group which gathered around her. She felt like a tree overshadowing the shrubs beneath it, protecting it from the elements that could harm them. She was a conqueror now—a goblin with a power greater than any goblin before her.

It felt daunting, but her stiff shoulders were the only ones carrying this power and responsibility. Rock touched her shoulder gently and asked, "Are you ok? If you still need to rest, Dawn and I can carry you." The weight of the world was lifted off her. If it was any other conqueror, they would soon grow colder to her and maybe even plot for her demise. But the brothers were not like those other goblins.

"No, me carry Flute," Tie suggested. She placed Flutes shoulder on her shoulder and held on to her hand. "Tie carry Flute."

Flute could not find herself rejecting the offer. But she also finds it awkward to talk to Tie without giving her a proper answer to her confession. She decided to change the subject to give her time to think, "Where are the other, um, perytons? Did we beat them."

"Yup!" Rock said with his puffed-out chest. "The legions are carrying two carca.s.ses to smoke later once we get out of here. Honestly, I thought it was going to be a tough fight since they could fly and all. But once they saw you kill their friend with one punch, they retreated with their tails between their legs."

"Tails between their legs. Wouldn't that make it harder for them to run away?"

"Oh, that's just a metaphor. Something Sun does a lot."

"Um, ok" Flute looked at Rock and noticed his forearm covered in bandages with an attached wooden stick. "Your arm!"

"I'm fine Flute." Rock flexed his arm and rea.s.sured her, "See, strong as always. I just hope the others are ok."

"The others? Oh yeah, we're missing some of two of our caretakers. They should be fine." Suddenly, Flute remembered May and her infatuation for the Chief. Her one-sided love is very familiar to Tie's secret. Even she could not approach Tie's question, but what about Sun. How will he react if a goblin that is only half a woman confess to him? She could only hope he will be gentle to her.

As Flute worries about May, Sun's group continued marching deeper in the tunnel, following the route of their map carefully. The tunnel they went through had more vertical than they expected. Fortunately, their group had more able bodies in the tribe, and they easily traversed the obstacles.

Sun carried Cast throughout the march. Cast insisted on being left behind, afraid he was an unworthy burden or the Chief to carry in the journey. But Sun used reverse psychology on the old goblin. Instead of unworthiness, Sun made it seem like the old man was calling Sun too weak to carry him. Cast did not want to sully the Chief's name and reluctantly allowed himself to be carried.

The legions and Shuja insisted they would carry the old goblin, but Sun wanted to carry Cast personally. May saw this act of kindness endearing, and her love for Sun only grew stronger. Shuja also finds this quality appealing, but kindness was not the reason she admired Sun. It was his strength and bravery that made him stand out among the other goblins.

None the less, she found Sun adamant nature when it came to helping Cast to be troubling. It felt natural at first, but Shuja could not help but feel like Sun was hiding something inside him. She sensed a familiar aura around him, but she couldn't put it into words. She felt that something is wrong, and her intuition was right.

Sun carried Cast not just out of kindness, but to distract himself. While divided from his mother in the vast empty darkness of the cave, he realized that the inevitable moment of losing his mother was coming closer. Once they exit the cave and arrive at Razin, he and his brothers would continue their journey along with their mothers until they left the woods. Once outside the forest, they would be free, and their promise fulfilled.

Sun felt lost. Rescuing his mother was the goal he strives to accomplish. Everything else, from killing the wolves, the trolls, and becoming Chief were just things that happened by chance. No agency required from him, only the courage to act when danger comes. Once they leave, what will Sun's next goal in life? Meeting the mysterious wizard, he saw in his dream could be his next adventure. Learning about mana, the history of the forest, and the world sounds exciting. And there was his role as the leader of his tribe to consider. But another thought occupied the back of his mind—a question he did not want to answer until now.

Sun's mom has been there at his worst moments. When he nearly died from losing blood, it was his mother's healing spell that saved him. When he faced a troll bigger than the previous one and far more ferocious and heavily armored, she was there to help him get back on his feet. What if something terrible happens to his tribe, so catastrophic that it dwarfs the troll's a.s.sault? His mother won't be there as his safety net.

Sun closed his eyes and recalled memories of his past life. He was an adult then, and hard-working man as well. Will he be able to get through this world as he did before? Only time could tell. But for now, Sun is lost. And he must, or rather, wants to find his new purpose and aspiration. What will he do next, once he leaves the dark underbelly of the earth?