Chapter 42: Meet (2)

A man was sitting on a log, faced with a small bonfire. There was a slice of meat hanging in the fire, and the man was waiting for it to be cooked.

As this place was the forest, it was the best method of going about to survive. No, for humans who live in luxury and delicious food, this was the only 'acceptable' way to live or rather to eat.

The man was big, and he was wearing a hood over his face as he waited. The only part visible of him was his skin on his arms and face.

And on his large hands was a cup seemingly small for his size. As the man brought the cup on his mouth, he took a sip. His head didn't tilt neither did his hands.

Slurp.

With his mouth the only part doing the work, a slurping sound could be heard. It was quite an eccentric way to drink, but he still drank to the brim.

When his lips parted, the embers of fire sparked. Thinking that his food was cooked now, he brought down the cup to the floor, and he took a stick, sticking out of the meat with his left hand.

His right hand searched for a container that was neither small nor big, just right. The contents of the container soon poured down on the cup as he placed the container horizontally on a rock next to the cup.

It was quite an eccentric way to serve tea, but the tea was, nevertheless, full to the brim. As he brought his left hand near his mouth, he didn't bite into the meat right away. He first corrected the container before it spilled and straightened his back.

His left hand that was waiting moved right before his mouth. However, the way he ate was, in a sense, superhuman. His lips that were tightly closed moved to 'bite' into the meat, not his actual teeth. It was quite weird seeing the meat surrender to the sheer force of his 'biting' strength.

Munch. Munch.

After a while of eating, the only thing left was the stick holding the meat. The man clearly ate the whole thing off. Putting that stick aside, without throwing it, he quickly reached for the cup. Again, he drank as he did before.

Slurrrp.

"Ah."

A sigh of satisfaction came out from his tightly closed lips. It was supposed to be a burp, but the man forcibly suppressed it with his muscle strength around his chest.

It was an unbelievable action, but he still did it. One could guess how strong he is.

Swish.

And while he was breathing in relief, a ruffling sound came from his side. The grass parted, and the twigs on the ground broke as a man appeared from the trees.

The other man was tall and slim, wearing the same clothes as the large man. Even though the slim man's appearance was sudden, the large man didn't seem surprised. He only glanced at him and went on his own business.

But, it seems that's not the case for the other man as he clapped his hands while removing the hood from his face.

"Boss! It's been a while. Hehe."

The slim man had a face good enough to be called handsome as his eyes were red and hair black. His lips curled up in a smile as he talked to 'Boss.'

"When are we going back?"

The Boss turned his head towards him, and he pulled the hood covering his face. The Boss' face was just as anybody would expect from a large man; a strong looking jaw and a flat nose; his eyebrows were so thick that he looked to be in a deep frown whatever expressions he did.

Furthermore, he was a bald man. With a not so lengthy beard over his chin, he spoke.

"Ayh Myh Nyat Syure." (I'm not sure) [Author's note: 'Boss' speaks like that.]

Despite the Boss' indistinct words, the slim man seemed to have got it. He plopped down right next to the Boss and grabbed a stick that was still on the ground to try and cook it over the fire.

Seeing that, the Boss glared at the man. He seemed to want to ask why he suddenly stole food from him. Without caring for that, the slim man immediately reached out for the container containing tea.

The Boss couldn't take it anymore as he spoke, albeit with difficulty. His voice was clearly seething with anger.

"Ryed." (Red)

"Don't be like that, Boss; you know how hard life is when we are in the forest."

Then, suddenly, a fist came flying in to on his head. The man flinched from the pain, and when he reacted, the fist was already missing.

When he sent a glance towards the possible culprit, Boss was just sitting there, minding his own business. Of course, Red knew that the Boss moved so fast that he couldn't get a glimpse of it.

"Haaa, you're still stingy."

When he felt a sharp murderous intent, he immediately retreated a few steps back. Only then did the murderous intent subside.

When Red looked at the sky, he muttered.

"I should have gone with the princess...haaaah."

With that, he returned to where he appeared, to hunt for his own food.

****

A large village within the forest could be seen from afar. When one looked over its north side, a large gathering of goblins could be seen.

What's more, is that the battlefield has blessed a considerable number of them. This serves as proof of how many times they battle and the intensity of it.

And the Blessed Goblins have something that the normal goblins do not have; armor and swords.

It is the appearance of the armed forces of a goblin village. Combining with their robust body, the appearance they gave off was truly intimidating.

And the one at the head is Womo, a goblin that has been blessed twice, giving him the name of High Viscount.

His sons by his side, serving as his guards, have ranks of High Baron. If one thinks of how strong a single one of them, one could imagine what would happen if they attack together.

The terrifying fact about these blessed goblins is that they don't only rely on their predetermined strength. They know how to use them, and they are trained with their weapons.

And now, the leader of such goblins, Womo, shouted for Wos.

"Wos, come here!"

After a while, a strong looking goblin came up to his side, and the goblin quickly spoke with a respectful tone.

"You called, village chief?"

Even though most of the goblins are against attacking a goblin that has the mark of the Cave, they will still follow the village chief's orders. Not even the meticulous Wos would dare defy it.

While the King of the legends weren't born, the ones who saved them, led them, protected them is the goblin Womo. Needless to say, even the infamous goblin killer won't be able to sway their feelings.

"Lead the way."

"Yes!"

Thus, the goblin army of approximately 220 goblins marched on Dawn's territory.

****

Under the bright sky, a being that doesn't fit with the word 'day' stands in the ground.

This being was tall and bony; it didn't have any muscles or meat around his body. It is quite a sight to see that it is living, but they are actually quite common in the forest.

This being was a skeleton monster, and two will of wisp were burning in its eye sockets. In its hand was a small bone knife, used for its main weapon.

The skeleton was hidden among the bush while its skull was peeping out of it. A shade of a tree was covering the bush where it was hidden.

Despite having no eyes, this skeleton was watching the goblin army of Womo gather in their village. It was staying still as if it was truly dead. A hint of concentration could be seen in his non-existent eyes.

It noticed that the strongest goblin amongst the goblins was the one at the front wearing some not so fancy armor and a weapon too small for him.

The skeleton made a note of that goblin while it turned around to look at another one.

The one that he is looking at is the one who walked towards the strongest goblin. He was also wearing some armor but to be honest; it doesn't compare with the strongest's.

Signs here and there could be seen that it was destroyed first before it was looted. It was quite strange that he is still using it. No...it is quite strange that the goblins have an idea of what armor is.

When the skeleton heard some words coming from the strongest, the other goblins quickly moved to leave.

Clack, clack.

When the last goblin finally left, the skeleton too turned around to leave; its two will of wisp were burning fiercer than ever.