[v2] Chapter Two – In which Diana Artemis, the strongest, kindest, and most adult of her sisters, is quite convinced she did nothing wrong.

[v2] Chapter Two – In which Diana Artemis, the strongest, kindest, and most adult of her sisters, is quite convinced she did nothing wrong.

~~** Interlude | Diana Artemis **~~Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

It felt good being an adult goblin at last. After getting to enjoy what all the other adult goblins get to, I had taken a nice long nap and then woke up absolutely starving for something freshly killed and bloody. Knowing that Husband doesn’t care for bloody meat, I figured I’d go hunting for me first, and then bring something back to give him to eat. Maybe then we could do more of that thing that was so much fun last night.

When I came back to Goblinhome later than I should have, after eating far more meat than I thought I could. I went directly to my cave-hole only to find that Husband was no longer there, only Orchid and Lilac who were playing checkers at the table on the ground floor. Figuring he might have gone back to his cave-hole to take a bath, since he liked to keep his body clean, I found that he had returned there, only... he had sealed himself away from us in his smaller cave-hole he used for sleeping.

Vera was the first to notice that it was sealed up, pointing at the door that was usually wide open now being filled with a block of thick and solid stone. Vera’s attempts to use her picture magic to open it were all unsuccessful. She had tried asking Glace to use her magic to open it, but that too was met with failure.

I didn’t think of it as being much of a big deal. After all, I had heard many stories of Husband giving the other adult goblins his seed-stick and leaving them with legs like reeds for a whole day. Since I am a much stronger goblin than most of the other adults, maybe I had done that to Husband and he didn’t want to appear weak in front of the others?

I was a little bit disappointed since I wanted to have more fun with Husband, but it’s not like he was going anywhere. He’d have to come out of his room to eat and use the shit-pit eventually, so I would be patient until then.

I visited Berry at her cave-hole and wound up giving her the excess raw meat I had brought back from my hunt. There was no point in letting it go to waste if Husband wasn’t going to receive it. Berry was eating for two right now, which meant I would soon have a new sister from the same maker as myself. I also thought it would be good to talk with her for a while, since thanks to her teaching me about how strong-ones were made with Husband, I was confidently able to enjoy myself with him last night.

“Berry, I brought you some fresh meat.”

“You didn’t have to... What kind is it?”

“Many horns. I ate more than I should have after hunting it, but there is still much of the side and neck meat left. It will be good for you to eat it and make my sister strong.”

"Many horns? Prima's said that’s not an easy beast to hunt. And the hard ones to hunt are always tasty! I’m glad I made a strong-one like you, Diana Artemis.”

Yes, my maker was always telling me how happy and proud of me she was, even though now I am an adult like her and no longer her strong-one. Berry might be one of the weaker goblins in the tribe, but she did do her best to take care of me from the moment I came into the world until I was able to prove myself capable of taking care of myself and moving into my own cave-hole (with Orchid and Lilac).

“Do you want to trade that many horns meat for red water instead of just giving it to me?”

Berry was, at a deeper level, more of a goblin than I was when it came to accepting things for free. Husband called it kindness and was always excited to see me do that for the other goblins, both adults and especially my younger sisters. But kindness wasn’t something properly aligned with the goblin way. Of course, for Berry, aside from making blue water, red water, and foraging for berries, she didn’t have much else worth trading for with. In a way, I guess it was her pride as a Bloodmaw that made her want to trade with me now that I was no longer her strong-one living in the same cave-hole as she did.

I was my own adult goblin now, and she was among the first to recognize that fact. Something I hope Husband can do now, since I’ve proven myself to be one to him.

“I still have a full jar of red water in my cave-hole from last time.”

I would have accepted it, but Berry makes the stuff faster than I can drink it. I definitely like the red water she makes far more than that bitter tasting blue water.

She giggled.

“Maybe you'd rather have some milkies?”

Hmm.

“Deal.” I found myself quickly agreeing.

It had been a while since I had enjoyed the taste of Berry’s milkies. Sometimes Husband would come to visit Berry in her cave-hole before I moved out and we would both drink from them at the same time. Husband even told me secretly that the best tasting milkies in the tribe belonged to Berry, and that the closest second to them, which was far, far away, belonged to Pear.

I wondered if, when the time came for me to make milkies, would Husband think mine tasted as good as Berry’s since she was my maker goblin? As it stood now, my body, which was still in the midst of my first Blood Fury, was growing bigger every day and would soon be over. My milkies right now were almost as big as Berry’s were, too.

Mint, who was almost always quiet and reserved suddenly began to yell, only to stop halfway through whatever it was she was about to say. Instead, she shook off Ebony who was still rubbing her chest from behind and took a seat on one of the stone ledges in the bath opposite me.

“Mint? Are you okay?” Ebony quickly moved to sit beside her.

“I’m fine, Ebby. But I know why he’s shut himself away now.” Mint answered.

“You do?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s a human thing. They don’t make strong-ones with their strong-ones. To a human, it’s a very bad thing to let happen.”

“Why? Shouldn’t the strongest male give their seed to the strongest female to make the strongest possible strong-ones?”

“It... doesn’t work like that for humans, Diana. When humans make strong-ones with their strong-ones, there’s a chance that the strong-ones made are even worse than weak-ones.”

“But that’s a human problem, isn’t it? You’ve heard the story of the Origin Blood from Old One. For Bloodmaw, it is weak, little-seed that makes weak-ones. And Husband only has strong, big-seed. Not a single one of you sisters are weak-ones!”

“But... we’re...”

“Bloodmaw Goblins. Husband is also a Bloodmaw Goblin. Everything is fine.”

Mint stared at me for a little while and then looked down at the water.

“Was... he happy when you... made strong-ones?”

I couldn’t recall exactly. But why wouldn’t he have been happy? I am his strongest! At the very least, when we were done, he put his arm around me and kept me warm, caring for me while we slept. He had to have been happy! Husband has always been proud of me! He trusted my strength when we hunted the Black-claws!

“He was.” I answered confidently, knowing that Husband couldn’t have felt any other way.

Mint didn’t say anything further, and after a while, all three of us left the bath. I returned to my cave-hole to find Ruby and Jade—Jewel’s strong-ones—together with Orchid and Lilac. They were going on a hunt together out by the big rock to the south.

“Oh, Diana! Nova came looking for you earlier.”

“Yeah, Nova is waiting for you at the chapel.”

Was it that time already? I guess I had been in the bath for longer than I thought. I went upstairs to ready myself for a bit of sparring with Prima’s strong-one.

Yes, everything was going smoothly here in Goblinhome.

But as much as I like this easy peace.

I am a goblin.

I want to hunt.

I want to kill.

I want to continually prove to my Husband that I’m the strongest.

...And that I alone am the most worthy of his big-seed.