Vulbi grows up
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 119202
|
Belboz, watching through his crystal balls and animal spies, was very pleased to see how well the potion was working. In fact, it was working so well that he would let this go on for as long as it would - at least a few years, to see whether the little goblin created from it would age properly. He would miss his test subject in the meantime, and perhaps acquire some more; at this point, he doubted there would be much benefit to be gathered from continued observation perhaps a year or two after she reached maturity, though he could certainly end up surprised. Little Vulbi began to learn the ways of the goblin - how to hunt, fish, make weapons and clothes, move without being seen, and treat other goblins. They had virtually no actual manner, but there were certain customs and conventions it was generally expected they follow. Their main jobs were hunting and standing guard; they mostly each made their own tools and clothes and didn't really prepare their meals, simply eating their kills fresh, and they didn't currently have anyone to take care of - Vulbi quickly came to notice that there were no old goblins here, and she guessed that even if one reached an advanced age and became too weak to care for itself, it would be left to die. The only exception to these universal jobs was Horgu, the shaman, who led the occasional religious ceremony and created crude healing ointments and splints when injuries were suffered. He still did the other tasks necessary for the clan's survival. Though it seemed rather unofficial, Vulbi had the impression that he was a leader of sorts. Time began to pass. The winter was harsh, and the clan fought desperately for survival, constantly talking about how their numbers couldn't be allowed to dip any lower. Vulbi, at a certain point, was able to count her own ribs, and she wondered if, in the event that she died here, she would go to the afterlife the goblins described - a dark place where hunting was not needed and each goblin that remained unseen from the Great Eye which hung in the skies of the void would have a life of ease in the Sky Caves, living alone with a single stream of clean water that would sustain it. Over time, drinking from this water would make the goblins stronger and stronger, until they became worthy of returning as something like an orc or ogre. At first, the descriptions sounded grim and lonely, but as the months went on and Vulbi better and better understood what it was to be a goblin, and just what goblins really held to be important, she understood why they drew such comfort from them. Mincing, weak creatures like them could not even fathom the notions of comfort or contentedness, and they made every effort to avoid relying on each other in any way. She came to see the world more in the way they did, and though she didn't forget that she'd once been human, as the seasons wore on, she began to nurse the odd hope that, somehow, those memories were a dream. She didn't want to return to Belboz's caves. She wanted to stay here and prove herself. She wanted to have a life. She could no longer even remember what it was to have a real life or any modicum of freedom as a human being. This was as good as it got. She grew, and grew and grew. The shadow of the Great Eye - the sun - Gorbukin, as the goblins often called it - wore her soft hide down to a cracked, leathery state. By the time she was five years old,
|
5/29/2022 7:43:32 PM
Linking Enabled
Extending Enabled
25008439 episodes viewed since 9/30/2002 1:22:06 PM.