Capítulo 21: The Goblin Village 2

That could become a considerable misunderstanding, so I should clarify what I tried to convey. Then I said as seriously as possible to her, "I really meant that because I didn't feel any kind of spellcasting ability in you, but you were able to discern that I am a mage and a cleric."

She blushed even more. Oh, my dear gods, I decided to change the topic. "So, as the night is about to begin, should we stay here or look for your people?"

She was still blushing, but managed to answer me, "I don't think it is a good idea to look for them. I don't know where these monsters came" she was pointing to the common grave where I put the undead.

"I am going to cover them. Do you have any rites that you perform for your dead?" I asked her.

"We usually burn them and throw the ashes in the lake. But in cases like these, we just bury them for the sake of convenience," she said. Again, I was a little puzzled by her natural response to how to deal with the dead because I thought that she would be at least sorrowful.

One thing that Zoe, at Olympus, warned me was that the customs and mannerisms of different races are something non-intuitive. And this was especially true for the closer the resemblance of a given race to a monster or a violent animal. Her explanation gave an example of Orcs, who were brutish and had special rites for war, marriage, and birth; for instance, they would hunt a game and offer it to the most important person in the event.

But I lacked the complete notion of tribal goblins, as they were seldom encountered. Most of the goblins were mere savages that acted more like a plague.

But, following the common rites for these occasions, I buried with my magic the undead and the goblins. In separate graves, of course.

"Thank you for your consideration, sir cleric. You are the first human who did not try to kill me at first sight," she said with a sad voice. I can't exactly relate to her, but I can wonder what she felt when others hunted you down just because you are of a different race. I think xenophobia is a serious matter in this world.

"Could you pray for their souls? I didn't say before, but I never heard any of your gods, but I can see that they are good ones because you helped me despite my former actions," she said apologetically.

I guess my expression was reflecting what I was thinking. Nonetheless, I was going to make a prayer for them, both undead and goblins. No one should be a victim of such violence, nor should their bodies be desecrated that way. I nodded at her suggestion and went to make a little prayer for the goblins.

"Oh, Lord Hermes, receive these poor souls that fought for their lives." A small, golden light shone over the grave. I didn't read much about actual rites because I was expecting to have a more active, combative new life. It was a mistake on my part, and one month is truly too short to be prepared. I sincerely prayed for them, yet I had the mindset of Earth and was not expecting anything to happen at all.

Jel, who was by my side, holding the child in her arms, let a tear run. I didn't say anything, but I guess that she was saddened by this whole ordeal and decided to put on a strong face. I left her and went to the undead's grave.

"Lord Asclepius, purify these souls, victims of such violence. I pray for you that their souls may rest in peace." This time, not a golden, but a delicate pink aura appeared over the grave, like a powder feel over it.

Again, I was surprised, despite not being exactly odd, that for each god, the rites and their effects would be distinct.

"If you didn't mind, we should rest in my house." Inspecting the village, the zombies did not cause a lot of destruction because there were a few broken doors and some damaged walls. They did not raze the place, and apparently they just attacked the goblins.

"I agree. I did not feel any presence in the vicinity. Were there many people here? Might they return during the night?" I asked.

She put a gentle smile on her face and said, "You are too polite, sir cleric, nobody ever called us people. But I think that they will not return here. We are nomads, and probably my people will set up somewhere else."

I am hitting all the wrong buttons with Jel, the huntress. "So they left behind their possessions and ran away? Should we gather their stuff?"

She got pensive, then replied to me, "I don't know; the tools are always with us." She made a gesture and invited me to a small hut.

I walked beside her until the hut. I needed to crouch to enter the small building, and after all, they were meant for goblins, not human visitors.

The darkness was settling, so I chanted quietly some little words to activate an arcane spell to permit me to get a night vision. Jel got uneasy when the arcane spell was complete. "Enemies?" she murmured. "No, no, sorry. I can't see in the dark. I just chanted a spell that allowed me to see. Sorry." I explained to her what I had done.

Her house was simple. There were some improvised tools, clay tableware, and four mattresses made of leaves. Their life must be hard, living in the forest with so few things. Beggars can't be choosers. My current situation was being homeless, so having a roof over my head was something better than sleeping outside in the dirt.

"Thank you for your hospitality." I thanked her, and goblins were so badly treated. With each minor pleasantry or thanks, I gave her, she blushed.

Jel put the child on the mattress, which was a little over the ground, sustained by a simple arrangement of woods that worked as a bed. "I apologize, but I don't have anything for your size." she excused herself, looking around as if she were looking for a way to amend the situation.

"I don't mind. I can grab two of these." I pointed to the bed, then continued, "And put them on the ground together."

She nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with my suggestion. I proposed a compromise solution, but again, I was not here to judge her or anything like that.

An awkward silence took over the place. She was a shy person, after all. I think I was overthinking about her previous behavior. But I can't even wonder what was passing through her mind now, as humans usually hunt her, and currently one of them is sleeping beside her.

To break this situation, I asked her, genuinely curious about what happened earlier, "When I found you, you were bleeding. What happened?"

"Bad hunt. I was chasing a deer, but I didn't notice the fugas rounding me." Jel told me.

"Fugas? What is it?"

"A common monster that eats anything, mostly meat. Their behavior is similar to that of a big cat."

"So, it was like a tiger." I concluded.

"Tiger? What is it?" now it was her turn to ask.

"A big, yellow, brown-stripped cat. But he eats only meat." I simply explained.

"Fugas are dark, agile, and similar to big cats. But they are very dangerous, as they can fuse with shadows to ambush you."

I was in a forest with these kinds of monsters lurking around. I think I hit the hard start button when I transmigrated, and luckily for me, Hercules trained me in how to react to these situations. Not only that, but I might not be able to fight head-on, but I could surprise these monsters.

"Aren't we in danger of being here?"

"Fugas don't attack in general. They are very intelligent and hunt minor animals normally."

"So, it shouldn't have attacked you?"

"I don't know. I think that I might have entered his hunting grounds accidentally." It happens even on Earth: when hunters enter places controlled by big felines, they become the prey. What unfortunate circumstance that is.

"I apologize in advance for the barrage of questions. Then, when you went back, you met the undead, and me?"

"Yes, undead have been plaguing this forest for some time now. In the past 3 years, we have been ambushed by them often. We moved at least 10 times."

"Why did you move from the forest itself?"

"We are goblins and monsters according to most human standards. Beast people hate us, and humans constantly try to catch us. This is our only house. For some time, the humans from this place, Wheatstone, tried to cut the forest down. That was when the undead appeared."

"So were the undead preventing human businesses?"

"No. The undead solely pursued us. We, goblins, and the monsters."

What? Humans were creating undead to explore the forest, and I can see the economic advantages of that: free laborers in dangerous conditions. However, morally, I guess that employing the corpses of others to do that is the worst thing one can do.

"The Wheatstone village was developing the forest while using undead as a disposable exploring vanguard." I said, but actually, this was my personal thought about the matter.

"We were also surprised. Our tribe has always avoided getting in touch with humans because they always try to capture and enslave us."

The plot thickens. I was starting to get the gist of this town: enslaving goblins and employing the undead. Something was definitely wrong there. There are more reasons for me to go; I don't exactly know who or what I am supposed to confront, but presently I shall act as a paladin. These zombies and skeletons did not appear out of nowhere, as they require actual deceased people to create these aberrations.

"That was why you were afraid of me." I concluded.

"Yes, when you asked for directions to Wheatstone, I felt the terror of being enslaved. You were powerful enough to heal me. Like the stories we heard from escapees."

"Do they heal the slaves?"

"No. They torture the captured ones and then heal them. They call that 'domestication'." Jel used the human word for domestication. I guess that they didn't know what the humans meant. However, there is an equivalent one in goblin for this word.

"What humans were doing was domesticating you (I used the goblin word), according to what you explained to me." My dark vision prevented me from distinguishing colors, but I could see clearly that she got enraged.

"They considered us lesser than beasts! They are the monsters! We never rely on such methods to train any creature," she exploded, and the little Matila woke up with the outburst of her fellow tribe member.

I was starting to see that these forest goblins in a new light. Her intense reaction meant that what humans were doing was deeply repugnant. I was disgusted only by hearing that, and I can't even grasp her feelings.

"Jel. Where is mom?" She was startled by the sudden scream of her bigger cousin. Then, it was her time to give a shrill cry when she saw me.

Oh man, here we go again.