Chapter 48: Chapter 42: One-Eyed’s Small Ambition
"Five grouse and one half-grown deer."
One-Eyed counted the prey the goblins had turned in. He suspected it wasn’t enough.
"Anything else?" he asked, his single remaining eye scanning the crowd of goblins before him.
Every goblin lowered their head. They hadn’t caught many animals that morning.
After a moment’s thought, One-Eyed had a few goblins dig a pit and bury one of the grouse inside it.
He then led the goblins, who carried the rest of the prey, toward a massive cave entrance.
The goblins were divided into four lines, the longest of which had twenty goblins. They were all shackled to thick, long iron chains.
The chains severely restricted their movement, forcing them to shuffle along behind One-Eyed in jerky, halting steps.
Over the years, the goblins on each chain had learned to walk with the same rhythm, moving in perfect, eerie unison.
They laid the prey at the mouth of the cave, then formed a semi-circular line. One-Eyed walked to the entrance and called out.
A few seconds later, two gigantic, pale-blue-skinned monsters crawled out of the hole.
"My two lords, this is today’s catch," One-Eyed said deferentially.
"Good, this’ll be enough for lunch," said the Giant whose face was covered in hideous scars, drool dripping from his mouth.
"No, Zuljin, it’s not enough," the other Giant retorted. "I’m never full."
"You eat plenty, Bansandy." Zuljin shoved the other Giant aside. His yellow eyes scanned the line of goblins, and he pointed to one who was standing unsteadily. "What’s wrong with him?"
"He was butted by the deer while we were hunting. It’s nothing," One-Eyed said quickly.
"Get over here." Zuljin crooked a finger.
The chosen goblin stood frozen for a moment. Zuljin grunted, and the goblin had no choice but to step out of the line.
As he moved, the entire line of goblins chained with him had to follow in unison. The chain scraped noisily against the ground. Soon, the goblin stood before the Giant.
The Giant stared down at the goblin, who was now walking with a slight limp. He snorted. "Damaged goods."
He shot out a massive hand, grabbed the goblin’s body, then pinned the chain with his foot. With a powerful yank, he ripped the goblin straight out of his shackle.
The goblin screamed, its leg twisted at a grotesque angle. In the next instant, the Giant grabbed its head with his other hand. With a sickening "POP," he tore the goblin’s head clean off. Blood sprayed out, staining the weeds crimson.
"Now there’s enough to eat," Bansandy chuckled from the side.
All the goblins stood silently, not making a sound. The death of their kin didn’t seem to faze them, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Zuljin tossed the goblin’s corpse into a massive, foul-smelling iron cauldron. He then grabbed two grouse and threw one to the other Giant. "Get this cooked, quickly."
Then they both sat on the ground, tearing feathers out with their teeth and gnawing on the raw grouse as if it were a casual snack.
One-Eyed and the goblins expertly plucked and butchered the prey, tossing the pieces into the large cauldron to cook. The Giants weren’t picky; they ate everything, not caring about organs or skin.
After One-Eyed reported that the food was prepared and would be ready to eat shortly, the two Giants shooed the goblins away. They then lay down lazily on the ground, picking insects off their bodies.
One-Eyed led the goblins to wait under some nearby trees. They would wait for the Giants to finish eating, then scavenge the Bones for leftover scraps of meat and what little broth remained.
No one saw a goblin rise from the cauldron’s shadow. He poured an entire bottle of purple potion into the pot, but lost his grip, and the bottle sank into the stew.
The goblin stared at the bubbling cauldron, reached out a hand, then pulled it back with a look of disgust. Then, with a WHOOSH, he dove back into the shadow and disappeared.
One-Eyed went to a large tree where another Giant was chained. This one was emaciated, as thin as a stick.
"Eat," One-Eyed said, handing him the grouse he had buried earlier.
The Giant snatched the grouse and wolfed it down, then looked at One-Eyed with pleading eyes. "Hungry... hungry."
One-Eyed ignored the Giant and sat down under a tree. He pulled a wooden plank the length of his forearm from a hollow in the trunk and used a sharp stone to scratch a small, vertical line into it. ’I’ve survived another day.’
The back of the plank was already covered in lines; the front had only a few. ’I hope I live long enough to fill this side, too.’
This was his ambition—a goal as humble and small as it was profound.
One-Eyed figured he was probably the longest-surviving goblin in the group. He did whatever it took to stay alive—eating roots, catching beetles—anything. He had already filled several such planks and had witnessed the deaths of countless goblins.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of escaping. Before, the chains had bound him. But after earning the Giants’ trust, he had been unshackled. Ever since then, One-Eyed had been looking for an opportunity.
Other goblins had tried to escape, some going so far as to break their own ankles or hack off their own feet to get free of the chains. But it was no use. The next day, out hunting, One-Eyed and the others would always find their corpses, half-eaten by wild beasts.
A lone goblin couldn’t survive in the forest.
One-Eyed tucked the plank back into the tree hollow. He would never let another goblin destroy these planks; they were the only things he treasured. Only by tracing the carved lines could One-Eyed feel like he was still alive.
He worked hard, commanding the goblins on the hunt. He didn’t even care that he’d lost an eye when he’d angered the Giants after a meager hunt.
Being alive was better than being boiled in the cauldron.
Five more goblins had escaped yesterday, all from the same chain. One-Eyed hoped they would survive, though he knew the chances were slim. He had seen too much death, buried too many skeletons that had been picked clean to the Bone.
He glanced at the apathetic goblins around him and silently lay down.
’I need to rest while I can. Soon we’ll have to fight for the Bones, and then we have to hunt again this afternoon.’
...
Zuljin, too impatient to wait for the contents of the pot to cook, grabbed a chunk of deer meat and began to chew on it.
The other Giant also scrambled to pull a leg out of the cauldron.
The pair sat on the ground, eating messily as juices ran down their chins.
Zuljin said, "The weather’s getting colder."
"Mmm-hmm," Bansandy mumbled in response, focused on tearing at the leg meat in his hands.
"The goblins are bringing back less and less prey."
"Mmm-hmm."
"We need to figure something out."
"Mmm-hmm."
Zuljin grabbed a log and smashed it over his companion’s head. "Listen to me."
Bansandy grabbed a club and fought back. The two Giants beat on each other for a while, then sat back down in front of the pot to continue eating. The wounds on their bodies were already healing rapidly.
"We need to drive the goblins south," Zuljin said.
Bansandy didn’t even look up, still chewing his meat. "The clanging woods are south of here."
"We just have to get through the woods. It’s no problem for us."
"What’s south of there?"
"New goblins. Lots of them. And humans."
"Humans are tasty. Tastier than goblins."
Zuljin reached into the pot for more meat but pulled out a glass bottle instead. "What’s this?"
He shoved the bottle in his mouth and bit down. CRUNCH. Shards of glass cut the inside of his mouth.
"Those stupid goblins can’t even prepare food right. I’m eating another one of them this afternoon."
With that, he threw the shattered remains of the bottle away.
