Cat-Like Beauty Warrior Nanaruk
Why's this old geezer acting up? I just relayed the goblin's words perfectly.
Our relationship with Pellelian was a strange one. He'd once smacked me in the back of the head, and in return, I'd forced a vow out of him, reestablishing our bond. I learned magic from him and got his help now and then, but we weren't exactly master and disciple. I usually spoke casually to him, but having grown up in the land of Eastern etiquette, polite speech slipped out whenever I studied his magic or noticed those wrinkles of his.
Of course, respect is a two-way street. When he got prickly like this, my own words turned sharp.
-You're just pretending to understand goblin speech, aren't you? Obvious.
What bullshit is this?
Surprisingly, whether I used polite speech or casual like this, Pellelian didn't seem to care much. I'd thought he was some authority-obsessed fossil. Why was that?
He didn't seem to respect me much either, given how he'd called me a "mere beast" at first. After a few days of chatting, I figured it out. It was quite the revelation.
Unexpectedly, he didn't look down on magical beasts. No, he seemed to like them more than humans or dwarves.
If I ranked how much Pellelian respected each race with inequalities, it went like this:
Elf > Magical Beasts >>>> Shit! lol > Humans and other assorted "people" races
If I'd been human instead of a magical beast, Pellelian would've been even more of an asshole to me. The shock when I realized that...
'It's not weird that I understand Elvish, but goblin is?'
-Elvish makes sense. There's blessings and such that let you understand languages.
But goblin? No such thing. I could plainly understand what goblins said. Pellelian was so adamant for a reason.
-Goblins have no unified nation or large-scale civilization. They're scattered in pockets, each with their own dialects. Like regional accents.
I get what you're saying, old man. You understood it roughly too.
-I've studied ancient roots of their language through old research. Goblins from outside this Great Forest? Even I wouldn't understand them.
Meanwhile, the goblin flailing inside the pelican's beak kept screaming.
"Save meee!"
Yeah, from my perspective, I understood Pellelian no matter what he said.
-So perfectly understanding goblin is impossible...
So what? I do.
-...
Pellelian shut his mouth. Yeah, what can you do if I hear it?
-But if that goblin said to go back to the river, should we just let it die?
Oh.
The goblin yelled it needed to return to the river—meaning it knew where it was. But the pelican had already swallowed it whole.
Shit!
Was it dead already? I burst from the bushes. The pelican startled at my appearance, flapping wildly to fly away, but too heavy, it crashed with a thud.
Birds, man. So vicious and greedy.
Getting caught by such a weak beast? Goblins must be nothing special. I bit the pelican's neck. No poison resistance either—it didn't last a second. It let out a final squawk and died, but no EXP came.
Luckily, the goblin was alive. I pried open the beak, and a muddy green hand shot out. The goblin, exhausted, crawled free.
"Huff!"
It spotted me and froze. Huh, kinda small. Well, goblins are, but it looked young. A goblin boy, maybe.
Traits: [Goblin], [Curious]
Skills: [Stealth Lv3], [Stone Throw Lv4], [Running Lv6], [Pathfinding Lv2]
Status: [Exhausted], [Injured], [Terrified]
Weak! Wow, really pathetic. Only stone throw looks combat-useful. Running's like a sub-skill of acceleration? Similar to my old quick dash. Level 11 and still like this? Pathfinding's enviable, though. Good for Borrowing Horn, but I'm borrowing Heavenly Thunder Command already. Gotta seal it till I master that.
"Please spare me! I beg you!"
What a coward. The boy goblin knelt and pleaded. Well, pelican looked tastier anyway—no plans to eat him. No EXP either.
Fine, guide me to the river!
"Just don't eat me!"
But I had no way to communicate. I glanced at Pellelian.
Old man, tell him.
-...Can't.
What? You know goblin.
-It's not language. He can't see or hear me.
I can.
-If I had mana, I could project my voice. Right now, only you see/hear me.
Shock. More useless than I thought. Did he catch my thought? A faint defeat crossed Pellelian's face.
I patted the goblin's shoulder with my tail to reassure. He convulsed in terror.
"H-Hiii!"
Go on, I won't eat you. I wagged my tail.
"C-Can I go?"
Finally getting through. He backed away slowly. I kept my distance, tail waving. Then, an old memory hit—I bowed my head slightly, like the centipede couple.
The goblin blinked, then mimicked me. Good—交流 starts with greetings.
He smiled faintly, crept toward the bushes, then turned back.
"...Ururu-lulu?"
Then vanished. What? Ururu-lulu? Even I, fluent in languages, had no clue.
Did he just curse me?
-Definitely.
Hmm, Pellelian seemed sulky. But I wasn't just being merciful.
-Sharp mind.
Follow him now, and we'll hit the river. He said return to the river—track him there.
One bite first.
Pelican meat—what's it taste like? I scarfed it down quick. The boy was small but fast. Tracking stealthily was tough.
* * *
Goblins are magical beasts. They evolve. Juvenile goblins grow, hit level thresholds, become adults. Then, finding their aptitude, they turn warrior, shaman, hunter, gatherer.
A rare few evolve again: hobgoblins. Goblins' superiors. Taller, red-skinned, stronger. Great fighters, lead packs.
Nanaruk was one such hobgoblin. Runka tribe's top warrior by the old river. Tying her hair tight, darting through woods—she rivaled fairies in agility.
Her cat-like golden eyes fixed on a massive rubber tree. Specifically, the lizard skin pinned to its trunk with a sharp arrowhead.
A smile spread on her lips, revealing pretty fangs.
Dried lizard skin served as paper. Sure enough, lines of text. A letter—and from her lover.
"Chandal..."
She murmured his name softly, reading. But even as a love letter, her face darkened by the moment.
...Nana, sorry. But I couldn't stop my father. Tried a word, got beat bad! War between tribes is inevitable. Honestly, I want you to run. I'll talk to Dad. Can save you and your siblings. Your dad's chief, can't help it.
Love, Nana. Reply below. Tell place and date, I'll bring warriors to fetch you and siblings.
Your Chandal who loves you most in the world.
— Chandal
Short, leaving reply space. That blank felt empty. Instead of writing,
Rip.
She tore the lizard skin, scattering shreds. Her heart tore too.
Chandal's father, Crock, led the neighboring tribe. Once friendly—talks of marriage even. But after Crock the hobgoblin evolved again, everything changed.
His tribe invaded, absorbed neighbors. Now stronger than ancient, mighty Runka—they bared fangs at them too.
She'd hoped Chandal could sway his father... Run away? Never. For siblings, for her father.
Nanaruk was Runka's warrior. Her face darkened in grief—
"Sis, siiis!"
Her brother appeared. Her face lit up.
"Why so late? I was worried!"
"Ururu-lulu saved me!"
Kids always skip details.
"Ururu-lulu?"
"Yeah, nearly eaten by pelican, but ururu-lulu saved me!"
Ururu-lulu: legendary snake. Hearing the gist, she smacked his back.
"Ow!"
"Ururu-lulu my ass—you almost died!"
"But... really."
"White snake and ururu-lulu are different colors anyway."
"True, but it saved me... we even talked."
"Spared you 'cause pelican corpse was there."
Boy tried arguing, but Nanaruk cut him off.
"Late. Boat'll leave."
"Oh right."
"Hop on!"
She hoisted him, dashed like wind.
* * *
Cool breeze. Losing the boy goblin? Embarrassing, but Pellelian and I didn't blame each other.
Good thing water smell hit right after. Fishy stench. I followed it.
Finally, the Medera RiverPellelian harped on.
"Ssshaa!"
Jackpot!
Stench sucked, but the river was spectacular. Honestly, not Han River big—more like Cheonggyecheon downstream. Murky black-brown, muddy not dirty.
Now where? Almost there?
-Hm.
He'd said find Medera, and dungeon's close. That's why we hunted river so hard.
Where's the dungeon?
-Hm.
Pellelian eyed distant mountains. Beyond river, glaring orange rock like burning sweet potato in sun.
-Think it was back there.
Yeah?
-Cross river, done.
Cool.
Yeah, cross it. No boat or flight, so follow till bridge...
...Korean citizen logic kicked in. No way this deep rainforest river has a bridge.
How cross?
-...
Said we'd find it right away.
-Thought this side... or that...
Pellelian coughed awkwardly.
-Swim?
Can't... hate swimming more than flying. Rainforest river's cold, dangerous?
-Snake can't swim!
Possible. Not just hate—croc floating there. Underwater combat? Not confident.
-Then... hm.
Pellelian shut up. Screwed. "Screwed" echoed in my head.
Upstream narrow enough to jump? How far?
-Look there!
I turned dully at his fuss. Riverbank view clear. Saw it: goblins prepping boat.