My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 8: An Unexpected Distraction

Kace had no idea what to say in response. He felt like Vaskra had played with his feelings. Completely and utterly toying with him. The goblins however had a new found enthusiasm. After all they were going to enthrone one of their own. Someone they had grown up with, fought with and celebrated with!

Shagrat made his entrance from a cave behind them, it seemed to Kace that the Goblin had grown. His stature more overbearing than before. 'Could he... have levelled up?' this fleeting thought crossed his mind briefly. He instinctively knew that this was the truth.

It appeared that the tribe also felt this. He now gave off a dangerous feeling to them. Similar to the one they gained when they were in the presence of Kharja. This meant that Shagrat was now the most powerful goblin in existence to them. They would have no problems convincing the Goblin tribes to join their uprising now. This just might work!

Shagrat took his place on the throne. In a solemn manner Vaskra walked over to stand before him.

"I now crown thee, King Shagrat. May your blessings be upon us!"

Upon the completion of this moment the crowd went into an uproar. Their cheering, feet stomping and beating of the drums added to the chaos.

After awhile, once Shagrat had fully enjoyed this new feeling he raised his hand.

"SILENCE!"

All became still. Silent as though a great hammer had pounded on an anvil demanding their attention.

"We must prepare for battle! Hear my decree. Litter the forest wi traps! Expand oor defenses, I want gates 'n' walls spread all throughout my home. Dig pitfalls and litter em wi spikes. Gather food and stone. Send scouts to the other leaders. Demand ther' presence in me court to pledge 'er loyalty. Go now. Spread the word. The Goblin King now rules this 'ere mountain!"

Thunderous footsteps answered in response as the goblins cleared the cavern to set about fulfilling their new king's orders.

As silence descended the three leftovers looked at each other.

"Finally! I can stop wi the feckin' nicey nicey talk. Ah, Vaskra yer a fuckin' demon making me speak all proper!" Shagrat announced, sulking. "Ah, sorry fer no warnin' yeh lad. The witch just dropped it oan me as soon as she realised I entered level 3 after oor fight wi them spiders yeh see."

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"No worries. Was quite the shock though eh? Your Highness." Kace replied with a big grin in a teasing, mocking tone.

"Now boys, quit your fun. We have a lot to do." Vaskra said. "Ah Kace, Durz mentioned you were planning on going out on a hunting trip."

"Y-yeah. I guess that won't be happening anytime soon now though."

"Nonsense! You do know who you are talking to right? I know what it's really about. You want to get stronger right?"

"Your right. I'm really starting to hate being weak after what happened."

"Well I think it's a good idea. After all we will need your strength in the coming battle. It should take a few days for them to gather before they launch their attack so you have time."

"Ah that's great then. I'll be heading out now In that case."

"One more thing! Here take this!" Vaskra said as she threw a package to him.

He caught the object nimbly shaking it open. It was a black overcoat with red spots. A baggy hood was attached to the collar. It had clearly been made using the parts from the giant spiders they had killed. It felt tough and durable beneath his fingers. The hair itself had a coarse feel to them.

"Thanks." He replied with gratitude, slipping into the coat. He pulled the hood up to cover his face and ears. Giving him an even more terrifying appearance, well if the onlooker was human at least. To monsters he would simply look quite dashing to their tastes. Pulling the collar up high and looking out with his golden eyes from beneath the brim of his hood he nodded in gratitude.

With one step before the other he set out. He left the tribes cavern in his shadow passing the still sleeping guards on his way out. 'Seriously how did they sleep through that?' he thought, admiring the pair. As wandered the forest, while keeping the mountains peak on his right side to use as reference for his return journey, he took his time admiring his new coat. He felt it when he put it on but he had to confirm it. Besides the several pockets on the exterior the inside had several holders for hidden throwing blades stitched inside and it came completely stocked. This made him feel as though he had not thanked Vaskra well enough.

He used this travel time to gather some berries, furs and meat from the natural life within the forest. The scenery was quite beautiful. Currently he was camped by a waterfall, the sound of the running water was quite soothing to the beast within him. The chirping of insects made for perfect background music in this scenario.

As the sky darkened and night set in Kace noticed several lights poping into existence in the horizon over the treeline. Feeling curious about what they were he decided to check them out. It did not take him long to close the distance when running at full speed.

As he broke free from the surrounding forest his eyes widened at what he discovered. 'Civilisation!' he almost screamed out. Before him stood stood stone walls with a large wooden gate. It appeared to only be at the level of a town rather than a city. But still, this was a massive deal in his eyes.

Standing on the walls watching over the closed gates were what seemed to be town guards as they were wearing uniformal armour. Several merchant caravans were currently camping off to the side of the road.

Laughter and loud voices could be heard from people surrounding their fires. 'A curfew perhaps?' he thought, diligently studying the situation. 'This is a chance!'

Silently approaching the nearest caravan he held up his hands in a gesture of meaning no harm as he saw that they had been alerted to his presence. Seeing this they relaxed their guard. 'Thank God I look human enough with this hood up.'

"Hey friend, what can we do for you?" the leader called out as drew closer.

"Ah," his thoughts raced for a suitable answer. Remembering his gains from the forest he finally gave his reply. "I'm a travelling hunter. Just so happens I missed the curfew. Mind if I share your fire?"

"Sure thing! Come, come. Take a seat."

"Thanks. I wonder if you would be willing to buy any of my furs?"

"Hmm, it is possible but the price would depend on their quality."

Hearing this Kace opened his displaying several pelts that he had tied to the interior as he had nothing to store them in. The pelts of larger animals had been cut into smaller pieces so that they would fit.

"Hoh! Those are pretty good. Each one has only a single hole in it! That's pretty rare. Most self proclaimed hunters are mere amateurs that ruin the pelts." the man replied as Kace laid them out. With an expert eye he quickly evaluated their worth. However he would not be able to call himself a merchant unless he tried a little negotiation. He immediately decided to offer a lower price.

"Ah with this quality they should be worth about eight gold pieces." He said with conviction. In reality the goods in front of him were really worth about seventeen gold. Meaning to make profit then fourteen would be the highest he would go. He mentally prepared himself the bartering that was about to begin. This is what he lived for.

"Let's go with that." Kace casually replied. Immediately deflating the merchant. Kace had no intention of bartering. For one thing he had no idea what the value of money or any items in this world were anyway. Secondly he had come from a world where you paid the price stated. Bartering was non existent for the most part.

"S-sorry, I must have misheard you. Can you repeat that?"

"I said the price sounds good."

The merchant paused, not wanting to believe in his good fortune. If he could make connections with this hunter then his profit margin in the furs industry would skyrocket! Nobody would be able to compete. Especially if he could convince this strange man to hunt monsters! Taking the coins from his purse he laid them out counting them one at a time.

Kace collected the coins feeling pretty good about himself. Being independent and making money had been engrained in him his whole life. The familiar sounds of clinking coins in his pocket gave him a nostalgic feeling for his old life.

After this exchange they talked long into the night. He learned this town was called Stonefall. It had gained this name as it was primarily a mining town on the edge of the Hastia Kingdom. Apparently the curfew had only been put in place in recent times due to orc attacks. Apparently the town was waiting on reinforcements before attempting to wipe them out again.

Kace rubbed his chin as a nefarious plan began to form in his mind. His eyes gleaming in the moonlight as stared at the walls.

The merchant shuddered as he watched him. That eye colour was unusual, so unusual that he had never seen anyone with it. However it gave him an uneasy feeling. Like eyes watching him in the darkness. Waiting for him to make a mistake. He flinched, deciding to ignore his discomfort as he stared into the fire.