“Can we kill it?” I asked.

The hunters looked at each other than at their weapons and sighed. “Probably,” Rugum responded.

I grinned. “Then let’s move out. We left in the morning, but it's already noon now. Let’s return quickly after we're done.”

We quickly assembled ourselves into formation. As the hunters were carefully unearthing the trail of the beast, we silently skulked around the forest. After a while, one hunter hushed us. “I’m detecting an animal nearby, it must be the boar,” he said silently.

We crouched down and started walking slowly, avoiding making any sound to not alert any potential beasts. Soon, we spotted a large furry boar, with curved tusks and horns. Its fur was brown and lined with horizontal stripes. It was resting with its eyes closed under the shade provided by a small rocky outcrop.

I gestured to the group to retreat away from the boar. “Alright, everybody gather around me and take out your spears,” I whispered.

They shifted around me, with their spears ready. I took out a sharp rock I had shaped with magic, and without hesitation, I cut my palm. My chest began glowing a dark and ominous red, and I quickly poured my blood onto the spears. The hunters gazed amazedly at my heart and watched attentively as my blood dropped onto their weapons. I quickly began licking my wounds, but the blood flow was unending. They shuffled into their positions, and I stepped back far enough away so that I could still see the beast, and that I could be sure it couldn’t hear me casting the spell.

“Ground-Shake.” I cast the spell right under the boar. The ground started to rumble and crack, causing the boar to wake up. It tried to run away, but it couldn’t get its footing right, its feet fell into the cracks formed by the spell. The rocks that it had used as cover also fell around it, blocking any chance of escape.

The goblins jumped out from the bushes shrieking and yelling madly. They stabbed the immobilised boar with whatever meagre strength they had. The boar’s fur was thick and the rest of its body was protected by the soil, so their attacks weren’t really useful. I tossed over the bloody and sharp rock I had used to cut myself to one of the goblins. One picked it up and successfully stabbed the boar, penetrating its, my blood had entered the boar’s body.

The boar experienced a bout of violent thrashing, after which it was completely drained of energy. Its face was pale and its breath extremely heavy. Once I felt it was safe to approach, I stepped close to it. “Sapphire-Spear!” I conjured the spell at point-blank range. The magical blue crystal penetrated the boar, killing it instantly, causing a burst of blood to splash all over me.

Interface You received +53 Experience for killing a Horned Hog. Some experience was shared with party members.

The message didn’t matter to me, I ignored it. I was more concerned with hauling this beast back to the camp. We spent a fair bit of time digging the boar out, but the other hunters carried it all together on their shoulders.

We slowly made our way back to our base, when we arrived it was already getting dark. I was relieved to see Voglo there alongside all the other goblins, this meant that their expedition at least didn’t result in fatalities.

Upon seeing our haul the other goblins cheered with joy! They must have been happy about fresh meat entering their diet.

The foraging goblins didn’t have any baskets, so the amount of food they brought back was limited, to say the least. But they had gathered a lot of vines, which could be used to make rope. Voglo apologised for the meagre harvest and I simply excused him.

The boar was taken to be butchered, the pelt to be made into clothes, and bones either to be cooked or stored for future uses. I made other goblins weave the gathered vines into rope, and others to gather sticks appropriate for spears. I readied a pot of water and boiled it for 20 minutes to sterilise it, after which I ran my bleeding hand through the water to clean the cut on my hand.

I quickly returned to my quarters to continue practising my [Stone-Shaper] spell. I had found a more efficient way for moulding the stone. I began by forming a cut of a long rectangular chunk of stone, which was simple enough. Then I would do rough physical carvings, using a stone chisel, which I then proceeded to smooth out using my spell. The result of this was a single long stone in the shape of a spearhead. After recovering some mana, I simply cut the rock into slices with magic, which provided adequate spearheads. Finally, I would add some finishing touches to each one, making them smoother, sharper and pointier.

This process required less mana but produced more results. From around a few hours of this, I made 50 spearheads, which I gave to the goblins to make spears. I also made an additional 2 specialised spearheads for fishing. These I made purely using my spell, and as a result, they were very crude. I prepared a stone flask in which I would store my toxic blood, to avoid having to bleed on the battlefield and reduce the risk of infection.

Nightfall came quickly, all the goblins including me, gathered in the mess hall for our dinner. I insisted for the boar to be boiled for safety, as I did not know precisely how potent my blood was. The goblins received a small portion of cooked pork and a side of berries. I received a bigger portion. The goblins devoured their food savagely, while I ate very slowly. The food had no seasoning and was very tough. Yet even if it was the most tender and succulent steak in the world, my appetite would have been spoiled by gnawing, loud chewing and spitting of the other goblins. It was very difficult to suppress my irritation.

“Mighty Chieftain, could I have your attention?” A goblin spoke. I turned my head, and I saw a female goblin, short in stature, with curly black hair and blue eyes approach me. She was carrying things I couldn’t interpret. Her anxious face became embedded in my head.

“Who are you?” I asked with authority.

She knelt and presented the items to me. “I am Olma. I am the best craftsman in this tribe and I have prepared these for you.”

I picked up the furs and unfolded them. It was a robe made of the boar’s fur, it was primitive, to say the least, but it was something. I quickly put it on and I felt relief at being somewhat clothed again. She then presented me with a hood made from the boar’s head, with the tusks and horns removed. Despite my hesitations, I put it on. I could not afford to pass up any protection. And finally, she gave me a horn from the boar, carved into a cup, with some engravings representing gems and diamonds on it. Once more, it was primitive, but I couldn’t help but feel pleased by it.

“I will take your offerings. I hope to see your skills improved in the future,” I said.

Olma’s face beamed with joy. “Thank you, Great Champion.”

“I provided the goblins with spearheads. I want you to overview their production, and I want them done by tomorrow,” I said, gazing into her eyes sternly.

She quickly prostrated herself. “Thank you for this opportunity.” She yelped.

I dismissed her with a grunt. The shaman poured some water flavoured with berries into my cup. He had a knowing grin on his face and gave a wink. I simply rolled my eyes.