Chapter 271 – Re: Actions

Day 6

[Thermography]

[Venom]

[Venom Resistance]

[Search]

[Evil Eye]

[Berserker]

[Aggressive Defence]

[Bloodlust]

[Enrage]

[Bodycheck]

[Rupture]

[Swashbuckler]

[Tracking]

[Backstab]

[Battery & Assault]

[Hold Up]

[Shenanigans]

[Monk]

[Flow Like Wind]

[Frozen Palm]

[Walking Dragon]

[Crescent Strike]

[Will Of The Heavens]

[Wind Walk]

[Everburning Flame]

[Carpentry]

[Woodworking]

[Alchemist]

[Armourer]

[Tinkerer]

[Tailor]

[Weaponsmith]

[Outfitter]

[Provisioner]

[Transmuter]

[Level 84/100]

"This is just insane," John mumbled as he went through his updated skill list while performing a kata out in the courtyard. Between the snakes and the...milk... He had gained a crazy amount of abilities. Like his DEN skills, some of these Arts were passive and always running, while others were activated with a thought or word.

"Frozen Palm," He said, then lashed out with a palm strike. A burst of magic expanded from his palm, creating a cloud of ice crystals in front of him. It didn't appear to use his mana, but he did feel a very slight energy drain using the 'Art'. 

Then there were the artisan skills. It was weird. I was like he knew how to do tasks related to the different jobs, but he didn’t have any actual experience doing them. If he had to describe it, it was like he learned everything from a book, but would need to actually practice to gain experience. 

"Honestly, it's a bit too much. I need to drill with all of these and make them second nature to use, else they will just slow me down."

Not to mention I need two hands to use some of these arts... oh well. It's better to have them than not.

"It's true, Milord. That is one of the fundamental things that separates the average soldiers and adventurers from the truly powerful ones. The amount of effort they put into mastering the techniques so they complement your base stats, instead of just relying on them to carry the load."

"Oh, good morning, Jean. What are you doing up?" John said, turning to look at the approaching woman. She was in a red bunny suit, with her hair tied back in a long ponytail. 

"I was hoping to exercise a bit, get back into a routine. Do you mind some company?"

"Not at all. I'm just trying to get my workout in before I start training the goblins. I'm going to take another group out hunting today, then plant more of the field."

"Do you have anything for us to do?"

"Well... that depends on what they are up to doing... and if they don't mind being near goblins."

"You say the ones that are left are our children?"

"Yes... as far as I could tell anyway. There were no older female goblins here, and the oldest goblins remaining are only just over a week old. They... we must be your children."

"I will talk with the others about it. Meeting them might cause additional pain, but it might also help in their healing process."

"I was thinking the same, but I didn't want to bring it up yet. In the meantime, let's start an exercise routine for the women, maybe a list of chores that need to happen in the mansion. Nothing excessive, just something to provide some structure between breaks and relaxing. I do want to talk with everyone this afternoon, individually or in small groups. Hopefully, I can help them recover a bit."

"I'm sure they will be happy to talk with our lord and saviour."

"Why do you keep calling me your lord? I'm... a goblin right now."

"You said you are a human stuck inside a goblin's body. Even if that part is a lie, you are an evil race somehow touched with holy powers, can use human arts, and created this palace out of the ground. You're obviously blessed by the gods, and if you can't just get super far away from them, it's always safer to be on the side of people who are blessed than those who are not. Even for the more cynical among us, you saved our lives and are in charge of this group; it would be rude not to call you my lord."

"Okay then... just don't go overboard with it, please. How are Lina and Pellia doing?"

"Just fine. Their little ones are growing like weeds. Their eyes opened yesterday afternoon, and when they are awake, they giggle a lot."

"Very cute. They will grow up fast, though."

"Yes... under other circumstances I would say too fast, but this is truly too fast. For all I know, you're my son."

"Hah, I'm not calling you mommy."

"Oh, but in the shower, you latched on to my breasts so desperately it was almost-"

"And that is enough for me this morning. Thanks for the Arts, I'll see you and the ladies later!"

"Milord? Where are you going? I was just teasing you! Though if you want, I can go another round."

"La-La-La-La! Not listening!" John shouted, running away from the woman, trying not to laugh at how silly this was. He had goblins to go kick out of bed and start training. He didn't have time to indulge in... recreational activities right now. 

Day 7

"It's raining?" Aqua said with a yawn, then sat up and stretched. Mi and Ee were both still asleep, as yesterday's training, hunting, and farming took a lot out of them. 

"Yep. It will be good for the plants." John replied. He was standing next to the door of the balcony, holding a mug of coffee while overlooking their little farm. 

Yesterday, with Ee's help, he managed to plant four different varieties of berries, for a total of around four hundred plants. He also started a small orchard with apple, pear, and cherry trees, using the seeds from the bowl of fruit he found in the kitchen. The glen was pretty full now; they would need to start chopping back the woods to make more room. 

I got a whole bag of sunflower seeds I can use to break up the ground once the trees are cut. I just wish I had some vegetables I could plant. There is rice, but I have no idea how to make a rice patty. I'll go through that menu to see what else I can buy later. 

Aqua climbed out of bed and walked over to him. "Did you make me a cup?"

"No, there are pods and cups right over- Hey!" He said, gesturing to the side table near them, when she took the cup from his hands and had a sip. She then leaned on his side, smiling contentedly.

"Mmmm... the best."

"Brat." He said, then ruffled her hair. It was coming out more now, her head finally covered like Ee's and Mi's. Between that and her eyes turning Aquamarine again, she was looking more and more like she used to. He was still bald, with a blue eye and an opalescent one, a massive scar down the side of his face and missing his right ear. He missed his beard, as it covered the worst of the damage. 

"What are we going to do today?"

"Well, I was going to run the goblins through some exercises, then continue to take stock of this place. If I remember correctly, there is a movie theatre somewhere inside it. If I can get it working, I'd like to have a relaxing day with a movie and some popcorn- OH! I can plant some popcorn!"

"Not everything has to be about work, TK. A movie on a rainy day sounds like an amazing idea. I've always wanted to go to a theatre, but I never took my avatar down to Earth to go."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. Can I have my coffee back now?"

"Nope. Mine."

"Dork."

That Evening

"So what are we doing here, Milord?" Lina asked him.

"Lina! You shouldn't question the Lord." Pellia said, trying to hush her.

"We are going to watch a show. It is a form of entertainment from another world. Now, let me take those two off your hands for a bit and enjoy your popcorn." He said, offering the two women and their toddler-sized children a front row seat with him in the theatre. Many of the other women joined them out of curiosity, along with Aqua, Ee, and Mi, and filled most of the room’s couches and cuddle chairs. 

"Of course, My Lord," Pellia said, handing him her child and taking a seat. Lina shrugged and did the same. 

John sat down in the middle of the couch, with a goblin child on each thigh, while they excitedly watched the first Shrek movie. He kept stuffing the kids full of popcorn while the show ran, and he thoroughly enjoyed the blast from the past. 

Afterwards, Lina looked over to Pellia. "That was beautiful, though he was the weirdest-looking ogre ever."

"Yeah. He was fat and didn't have any horns. What ogre is fat? And the fact that they needed to be the same race to fall in love? You don't need that. Still, a love affair with a big, powerful yet kind ogre is such a taboo fantasy, so naughty."

"So scandalous. Can you imagine if some big one took- oh... Are you okay, my lord?"

"Just fine. I got a couple of kids napping on me, so I'm in a happy place. I take it you liked the show?"

"Very much. Thank you for inviting us, My Lord."

"TK... why couldn't we cuddle for the movie?!" Aqua asked. She, Ee and Mi were on the couch behind them, along with a couple of other women. 

"We can do it another time. I wanted to stuff popcorn into these two until they burst."

"Grrr... C'mon, girls, I saw more wine in the kitchen."

John just scratched his head, wondering what was going through her mind, but refused to spy on her with his skills to check.  

She is just a friend, not a girlfriend or wife. If she wants something more, she can ask me directly. I'm not going to chase down someone who isn't willing to share me with others.

Day 8

"So what's in the cave?"

"No idea. We found it while cutting back the trees. It smells weird, so we didn't go in." The goblin said. John thought his name was Chi, but he was usually pretty quiet and just followed whatever John told him to do. 

"Well, let me take a look." He said, stepping into the cave's mouth and activating True Sight and Search. The walls began to glow, and he could tell there were monsters of some sort inside. A lot of them. 

"Wait... what is... bats?" He said, looking at all the guano on the floor.

If this were Earth, I would just leave them alone. They would be great for keeping the bugs down around here. But with rabbits able to kill goblins, I'd better make sure we don't have a den of bats able to hunt us.

He drew his sword and walked inside. "Wind Walk," He said, activating one of the skills he gained. His body shimmered and became invisible. 

Not sure if a bat can use echolocation to find me... but the skill says I'm invisible. 

After about ten steps or so, he realized that this wasn't a normal cave, but an old mine. The walls were too square to be natural, not to mention that there were ancient timbers holding up the ceiling in a few spots. 

He kept going, and about fifty or so paces inside, he found the bat roost. Dozens of bats with bodies the size of a small dog were hanging off the ceiling, apparently not noticing him.

I wish I had Fireball... I don't really have any attacks that can hit all of them. Well...bugger it, let's try this.

"Aggressive Defence! Bolt! Bolt! Taunting Assault!" The two bolts slammed into the centre mass of bats, then a shockwave hit them, sending them into a frenzy. He activated his Invulnerability and took a defensive stance with his sword. As the bats slammed into him, he struck, cycling his fire magic into the blade. They would bounce off of him, stunning themselves for a moment with his defence spell, letting him have an easy chance to counter strike them with his blade. 

One of them started the shriek, then another one, and suddenly all the remaining bats let out an ungodly loud noise, making it difficult for him to concentrate. "Will Of The Heavens!" He said, activating another skill that cleared his mind of negative status effects. 

Taking a step back, he pivoted his hips and activated another skill. "Crescent Strike!" His leg moved in an arc in front of him, but somehow hit every bat in his frontal arc, even if they were above or below his foot. 

The battle didn't last long after that, and he ended up coming out of the cave with a few dozen bats skewered on his sword. "It should be safe for now, but I'll assemble another group to go check it out. Good work, Chi. Let me know if you find- what's wrong?"

"H-How many monsters did you just kill?"

"I don't know, at least thirty. I wanted to get a good look at these guys to see if we could eat them or if they had another use. They are pretty big, but I never thought about eating a bat before. Worst case, I just used their bodies as fertilizer."

"You're amazing, big brother Rou."

"Big brother?"

"Sure... we are part of the same generation. Is that not okay?"

"No. It's perfectly fine, Little Bro." John replied, laughing at how relieved the other goblin looked. 

That Night

"Sui. Go to sleep!" John said, poking Aqua with his finger. She was beside them in the bed, with the lamp on and pretending to read a gardening book. Mi was lying on his other side, and Ee was under the covers, resting on his thigh. The two of them were already out cold.

"I can't! This book is too good!"

"Oh yeah, Backyard Gardens is that interesting?"

"Huh? Oh yes. I'm... really liking these gardens. It's teaching me- No wait!"

"Sui, if you're going to use a book to hide what you're actually reading, you should at least make sure it's the right side up," John said, holding the book away from her. "You don't need to hide your romance novels, you know."

"Please... give it back and don't look."

"You can have it back, but shut that light off. I want to sleep. Go read somewhere else if you can't put it down."

"But I like to read in bed before I go to sleep."

"Then get your own room. It's really late, and we have an early day tomorrow."

"But I like this bed."

"Fine. I'll go. Enjoy your book."

"TK! Wait! I'm sorry. I'll shut the light off." 

"Thank you. It normally wouldn't be an issue, but with Darkvision, even that dim light makes it like noon in here."

"Maybe we can get you a sleeping mask."

"You can have your own room if you want. You won't hurt my feelings if you don't want to sleep beside me."

"Are you just trying to get rid of me so you can invite some of those human women to your bed?"

"I'm just trying to sleep. Getting laid isn't even on my mind right now, especially with women in their situation. Things like that will have to wait until our next world, when I'm back in my normal body."

"Normal body....Huh, I wonder if that's the problem?"

"What is that?"

"Oh, nothing. Good Night, TK," She said, shutting the light off. He could feel her turn away from him, pushing her butt on his hips. 

"Night, Sui." 

He closed his eyes. Just as he was drifting off, a menu popped up on his eyelids.

[Prerequisites Met - Begin Evolution? Y/N]

Interesting. Does this mean I'm a Hobgoblin now? Yes.

He blacked out.