Chapter 3: Moon’s Vision

“What? I never said you’re the weakest,” Stryg took a step back, his voice rang hollow.

Gathi began pacing around him, “Everyone knows you’re not a great fighter, even you know it. The other girls and I guessed you’d try to pick the weakest of us to challenge.”

Stryg frowned, what did she expect, he’d challenge Srixa?!

“You’re a coward, Stryg. I could expect nothing less from a freak,” Gathi mocked.

“I’m not a coward!” Stryg shouted angrily.

He wasn’t afraid to fight, he simply had enough intelligence to know when a fight would be lost.

Stryg remembered all the backhanded comments other goblins had said to him through the years. He shook his head. He wasn’t a coward, he just needed to bide his time, waiting for the right chance.

Gathi laughed, “Then why do you keep backing away from me?”

Stryg knew she was taunting him. He was simply matching her pacing, making sure she wouldn’t get the jump on him.

When he didn’t answer, she snarled, “I knew you’d try and challenge someone easy. You thought that was me, huh? I’ll show you who’s the weakest!”

She lunged at him, her claws raked the air as Stryg rolled out of the way. He quickly stood back up. She turned and swiped at his face. He ducked and took a step back.

Gathi screamed and swung with her other fist. Stryg knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge in time. He raised his right arm to block. The fist collided with his bicep, sending a shock of pain through his arm. But she had overextended. He gritted his teeth, and jabbed with his left hand. Stryg felt the satisfying punch connect with her cheek. Gathi yelled in pain and jumped back.

He smiled, he could do this, he just had to focus. Gathi put a hand to her lips and held it up. Red blood smeared her fingers.

“Oh, you are so dead!” She shrieked and lunged at him.

Stryg rolled away, but she kept running at him with full force. He backed up as she charged him again.

“Stop running, you coward!” She shouted.

Stryg ignored her words and kept back pedalling, trying to look for an opening. His back was close to the crowd. There was nowhere left to go. Gathi rushed at him with a tackle. He needed to finish this fast. Stryg raised his leg in anticipation, he’d aim for her temple, and knock her down in one go.

“Get in there!” Someone in the crowd shouted and pushed him from behind.

Stryg stumbled forward as Gathi tackled him to the ground. She jumped on his chest and flung a flurry of punches at him. He covered his face to little effect.

Stryg tried pushing her off, but the force of the blows was too much.

“Is this too weak for you!” Gathi yelled and kept pelting him with her fists.

Stryg could barely hear her over the punches. He tried rolling out from underneath but she simply locked him down with her legs. He didn’t know what to do.

“Am I too weak now!” Gathi screamed.

The crowd cheered at the thrashing. The blows didn’t stop, Stryg was beginning to lose consciousness. While killing was usually forbidden in a night challenge, beating your opponent to a bloody pulp was not. At this rate he’d be too wounded to recover. He could actually die. He couldn’t stop her.

“I give up,” Stryg shouted with the little energy he had left. “I give up!”

The crowd's cheers drowned out his voice.

“Stop the fight!” yelled the chief.

Gathi didn’t stop. The chief came over and whacked the butt-end of his spear across her face. She fell over, out cold. The crowd suddenly grew quiet.

“I give up,” Stryg managed to gasp out.

The chief looked down at him and sighed, “I hoped for more, but expected as much.” He turned away, “Your weak blood is not wanted in our tribe.”

The crowd gave Stryg looks of disgust.

“Freak!” he heard someone shout.

Stryg struggled to get up, but someone kicked him back down. He heard laughter around him. Tears began welling up in his eyes. This was the end for him. He had failed.

“What is going on here!?” First Mother shouted.

The crowd parted for her as she came through. She looked at Stryg, his body covered in injuries.

Her yellow eyes practically glowed with anger in the firelight, “You lost?”

Stryg didn’t have the nerve to answer. He looked away.

“I was pushed,” he mumbled.

First Mother laughed as she held her head.

Her shoulders shook in fury, “You… You little shit, you shame me with this sorry excuse of a challenge. Someone give me their spear. I will take this boy to the log house and carve him up right now. He’ll at least be able to serve as a meal for the tribe.”

Shouts of agreement resounded through the tribe. A goblin ran up and passed First Mother his spear.

Stryg looked at First Mother’s eyes and only found cold hatred. To think she was calling him her child just moments earlier. Of course she didn’t mean it. She was strong, capable, intelligent, and he... he wasn’t any of those things.

Stryg smiled bitterly. How ridiculous, he couldn't even beat Gathi. So much for his dreams of greatness.

“I have returned!” Someone shouted.

The crowd stopped and turned to look at the source. An older goblin appeared from the edge of the crowd.

Crovor, shaman of the tribe, had finally arrived. He smiled, “I have returned to you all with a great revelation.”

“I, First Mother, daughter of Blood Fang, greets Curvor, the great shaman,” she bowed.

Crovor licked his lips, “Ah, yes. It is great to see you as well.”

She was as beautiful as ever, Crovor thought.

The shaman craved her, and while she had to respect him, even he couldn’t have his way with First Mother. If he had more power than that would all change and soon he would.

First Mother raised an eyebrow. Crovor realized he had been staring too long, he looked away. His eyes landed on the unconscious Gathi on the ground and the injured Stryg.

He coughed, “Ah, yes, um, well done, Stryg.”

“What do you mean well done? He lost the night challenge. I was about to kill this little shit before you arrived, Crovor.” First Mother pointed her spear at the silent Stryg.

Crovor laughed awkwardly, “Of course.” He cleared his throat, “I mean, I have just come from a spiritual journey, where Lunae, our mother moon, Watcher over all, has shown me a vision.”

First Mother lowered her spear, “What?” Her voice softened, “Please, tell us what she said.”

Like all goblin tribes, the Blood Fang goblins revered the mother moon, especially the Mothers whose whole role in life was modeled after the moon goddess, Lunae.

Crovor’s lips curled, “Well, of course. It is why I have returned in such haste.”

He turned to the crowd who were now all waiting silently, hoping to gleam any amount of wisdom from their shaman.

“What is happening here?” The chieftain returned with a questioning look.

“Quiet! Our great shaman has just returned with a revelation from the mother moon,” First Mother hissed.

Stryg’s eyes widened, people didn’t speak to the chieftain in such a manner.

“Ah, yes, of course,” The chief looked down, chastised.

Well, I guess she does, Stryg thought.

First Mother looked at Crovor, “Please continue, great shaman.”

Crovor smiled, and raised his head a little higher, “*Ahem* As I was saying, while I was out for my daily meditation, the mother moon called out to me. She told me that this one’s failure,” he pointed at Stryg, “has cost the tribe enough. And so she has decided to bless us. She showed me a cave, where a fallen treasure lay. A treasure that would raise our Blood Fang tribe to be the greatest sylvan tribe in all of Vulture Woods.”

Stryg shuddered in embarrassment as he wished the ground would swallow him whole. He always knew he had been a bad omen sent by the mother moon, but for it to be so bad, that the moon would intervene directly? No wonder the First Mother wanted to kill him. He felt tears burn across his cheeks, he really was a failure.

“Then we must go there immediately,” the chief spoke urgently.

Crovor raised a hand, “Let me finish. The mother moon also showed me who should be going on this trip, for it will be filled with great danger. A single wrong choice could lead to utter disaster.”

First Mother looked up towards the moon shining in the sky and whispered a prayer. She bowed her head to Crovor, “Thank you for conveying the message from our goddess, great shaman. Who will be sent on this quest?”

Crovor smiled, “While this quest may be a great burden, the mother moon has deemed me to be the only one strong enough among the tribe to lead us on this journey.”

The chief’s lips thinned to a small line, but he nodded, “As the mother moon commands. The Blood Fang is ready to obey.”

Crovor’s smile widened, “Good. We leave tomorrow morning.”

The shaman looked around and began calling out goblins from among the tribe. After a few minutes he had gathered close to a dozen skilled hunters.

“Only a few more,” Crovor muttered. He waggled his finger, “Srixa.”

The beautiful goblin stepped forward, “Srixa, daughter of the Blood Fang, greets the great shaman.”

Crovor placed his hands on her waist, “You have been chosen to accompany me on this journey.” He leaned forward, his face an inch from her own, “Do you accept this role?”

“Y-yes, great shaman,” she frowned. She tried to take a step back, but Crovor’s fingers held her waist close.

Srixa swallowed, “I will do whatever I can to help in mother moon’s quest.”

The chief suddenly began feeling uneasy about the quest, but as he turned to the First Mother’s solemn face, he was unsure if he should say anything.

“Perfect,” Crovor grinned and let her go. He spun around, “Bril, come forward.”

“Bril, daughter of the Blood Fang, greets the great shaman,” she said with a tone of indifference.

Crovor looked her up and down, his eyes resting on her breasts, “Hmm. Yes, you are one of our greatest hunters.”

Crovor embraced her, “You have been especially chosen to help us on this quest. It will be your duty to help me in my meditation with the mother moon herself.”

If he wasn’t the shaman, Bril would have kicked him in the balls, repeatedly. As it was, she needed to deal with the situation in a respectful manner. With slow motions she firmly pushed Crovor away.

He glared at her with indignation.

Bril smiled curtly, “I’m sor-”

Before Bril could finish her sentence she noticed First Mother raise her spear and glare at her. If looks could kill, Bril would be dead already.

“Be respectful to the great shaman. He has brought important news, I will not let you ruin this sacred quest,” First Mother warned.

“What were you saying?” Crovor asked Bril with a smirk.

Bril took a deep breath and closed her eyes, “...I said I will obey the great shaman on this quest.”

He dragged her back into his embrace, “Wonderful.”

Bril gritted her teeth.

Crovor leaned in and whispered into her ear, “If you disobey me in any way, I will make sure that the First Mother cuts you up real well, and I personally will make the fire we roast you on. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly,” she muttered quietly.

“Excuse me, Crovor,” the chief cleared his throat.

“Yes? What is it?” Crovor asked, annoyed.

“I’ve noticed that all the goblins you have chosen are young, surely it would be a good idea to take some of the older more experienced hunters on the quest. I’ll even nominate myself to go.”

Crovor shook his head, “No need. Everyone I have chosen has been specifically selected for this quest, the mother moon has given me this knowledge.”

“Only the younger generation? Even with Srixa’s fighting skills that hardly seem practical,” the chief frowned.

The First Mother eyed Crovor thoughtfully, “That does seem a bit strange, great shaman.”

Crovor stopped groping Bril and stepped back, “You misunderstand. This group hasn’t been chosen just for fighting strength, but in the hopes of proving ourselves to the mother moon herself.”

Crovor pointed at Stryg, “Even this failure of a goblin has been chosen.”

“Eh?” Stryg mumbled in shock.

“Him?” The chief asked, confused.

“This sorry excuse of a goblin!?” First Mother exclaimed.

Crovor nodded, “Yes, him. Especially him. He is the bad omen of our tribe and mother moon has chosen him to redeem himself.”

“Really?” First Mother looked at Stryg with skepticism.

“Yes, in fact, he will do great things in the future. I was shown this by Lunae herself. Would either of you question our mother moon? Hm?” Crovor stuck his head out like a vulture, daring them to contradict him.

First Mother nodded slowly, “I believe you, great shaman. While I find it hard to believe, I must admit that the mother moon is far wiser than I.” She gripped her spear, “And I know you would never dare lie about the mother moon’s visions for your own personal gain, such as using a young huntress for your own pleasure.”

Crovor felt a shiver run through him, but he kept a stoic face, “Of course not. No goblin would ever dare bring shame to the mother moon.”

First Mother stared at him for a moment, then nodded, “I’m glad that this quest is in your hands. You are quite wise, great shaman.”

“Yes, well, Lunae has blessed me thoroughly,” Crovor shrugged stiffly.

First Mother bowed deeply, “Which is why I hope I could send my right hand, Second Mother, with you on your quest, so that she may learn from your great wisdom and be able to share it with us when she returns. Please, let her accompany you.”

Crovor frowned, “...Very well, I shall allow Second Mother to join us on this quest. But, no one else.”

First Mother smiled, “Thank you very much.”

One of the older goblin women stepped out from the crowd, “I, Second Mother, daughter of the Blood Fang, will gladly join you on this quest.”

“Yes, well, I will be busy trying to meditate and focus on this journey, so try not to bother me, yes?” Crovor didn’t dare touch Second Mother, especially in front of First Mother.

The Mothers were off limits, at least for now.

“I will do my best to not be a burden and watch closely from afar,” Second Mother smiled coldly.

“Second, I do hope you pay close attention to the great shaman’s every move. Learn all you can from him,” First Mother said.

“Of course,” Second Mother nodded.

“Well, it seems you all have a busy day tomorrow. So, there will be no night challenges this evening, or anything that might follow. Get some sleep everyone,” the chief smiled at an annoyed Crovor.

“Very well,” said Crovor. He winked at Bril and walked away.

Bril glared at him and clenched her fist.

First Mother held Bril’s shoulder and stopped her, “The great shaman has been given a sacred quest by our goddess. I will murder you myself before I let you ruin this quest by attacking our shaman, no matter how he behaves, understood?”

“U-understood,” Bril stuttered.

“That being said,” First Mother whispered, “Second Mother will look after you while on the quest. She won’t let anything happen to you. Stay close to her at all times, understood?”

“I understand,” Brill nodded.

First Mother pointed her spear at Stryg, “Let us hope that you can redeem yourself. Or I will gut you like a rabbit. Now get some rest, you’ll need it.”

Stryg bowed his aching head, “Yes, First Mother.”