Husband of the Goblin Tribe

Chapter Fifty – In which Diana Artemis uncovers the indisputable truth surrounding Ark’s existence as the Husband of the Goblin Tribe.

~~** Interlude | Diana Artemis **~~

After the Great Protector told Husband to rest, he fell asleep just like that. Many many things happened quickly after that.

The first thing was Jewel taking the shiny white stone back from Husband before heading back to her cave-hole. I had asked her earlier about why Husband refuses to use stone magic without her nearby, and her answer was simple. It was a promise between them that she would always keep the goblin tribe safe, by making sure Husband would never misuse the power of his stone magic.

I had thought it was strange that he might misuse it, but seeing how easily Husband dug a hole in the ground as deep as the cave-hole Berry and I share… How he tore chunks of dirt and stone apart as he saw fit to… how he easily made the ground crumble beneath the paws of the Black-claws only to fall upon many stone spikes… and then made the land beneath our feet carry us up quickly into the tree-branches… How Husband rode the wind through the forest while I clung to him and did my best to point the way… and how Husband waved his hand and swatted the Black-claws into the stream as if he was swatting away a mosquito!

Then it all began to make sense to me. Husband… is just as ridiculously strong as I thought!

This meant that Jewel had a very important and dangerous job within the tribe. Husband might accidentally break part of goblin-home when making cave-holes bigger if she wasn’t there to make sure he was properly controlling the strength of his stone magic!

It must also be why Vera lives with Husband and no one complains about it. All the other goblins say that she was the stupidest one in the tribe. She wasn’t able to hunt by herself, make anything to trade with others by herself, or even talk properly. Husband must have wanted to care for her, so he brought her to his cave-hole and taught her his stone magic and the drawing magic in return, so that she could also help Jewel when needed.

After all, it was Vera who knew where to find Husband’s shiny white stone in Jewel’s room.

The second thing that happened was for Lily and Berry to come wandering outside the cave. When both of them saw Husband lying on the ground next to Beast-talker’s bloodied body, they instantly began to cry. Husband’s body had no scars on it, but seeing him lay still next to her, and seeing the rest of us four goblin hunters covered in Black-claw blood while the Old One and the Great Protector were also together out here must have made them think that Husband was also dead.

Prima let them both know that Husband was fine, calming them down. Berry walked over to me and pulled my face into her chest. I thought at first she was going to have me drink milkies right now, but she was just happy to see I had returned alive and uninjured.

Berry and Lily, together with Doll and her injured bleeding shoulder had decided to drag Husband inside goblin-home. Berry was the most capable among the goblins in caring for those with bloody wounds, especially scars left behind by the Black-claws. The same kind of scar that adorned the front of my mother’s body and nearly killed her when she was no longer a strong one, but not yet an adult.

I knew the truth, however. My mother was not a strong goblin to begin with. She was not a strong hunter. But Husband is. Husband gave his big seed to Berry anyway, and that is why Diana Artemis was born and became a strong goblin hunter.

Again, things began to make more sense.

My sisters, Orchid and Lilac, both strong ones born to Lily who was also not a strong goblin, nor a strong hunter. But Husband gave her his big seed anyway and she gave birth to strong ones that were not runts like she was. The same went for my newest sister, Button. Truffle is a lazy mushroom-head goblin who only knows how to shit and sleep, but Husband gave her his big seed anyway and she too had a strong one come out.

Maybe Husband wishes to have the weakest goblins make his strong ones first, so that they can be cared for properly? Things will probably change once the stronger goblins have their strong ones. Going by those with the weakest strength in the Bloodmaw Tribe… Vera should be next to have a strong one.

Does that mean my next sister will be able to use stone magic as strong as Husband?

I find myself looking forward to that. Seeing Vera hunt with little magic, seeing Husband hunt with big magic, I can say from seeing it with my own eyes, that it is very useful. While I cannot use it, I can see the benefits it brings. How it changes the way hunting can go. It is like that game Husband plays with Vera sometimes, called… Chest?

The third thing that happened was for Prima and I to explain to Old One and the Great Protector about everything that occurred out in the forest.

Prima explained how the four of us came across Beast-talker’s bloodied body full of slashes from Black-claws. How we scouted the area until we found many-many of them gathered together, and how they split apart into fewer-many, chasing after Prima and Jewel who ran in one direction, and Doll who ran in another.

I explained how I went unseen by them and dragged Beast-talker’s body back to Goblin-home. How I told One One what had happened, and how I wanted Husband to come with me to hunt Black-claws. How Husband didn’t want to leave goblin-home at first, because there would be no one left to protect it if he left. But would not leave me to hunt Black-claws alone.

How Husband and I used the great pit under the tree to kill Black-claws and rescue Prima and Jewel. How, after that we rescued Doll and returned to goblin-home with Husband, we ended up leaving all the Black-claw bodies behind.

The last thing was the matter of what to do with Beast-talker’s body, but Old One said she would take care of it, so we left things to her.

The Great Protector instead had insisted on accompanying Prima and I back into the forest to show them to the places where we battled the Black-claws. So while we were together, Prima and I showed the Great Protector all the traces we could. I showed all of the pits Husband made around the great tree, with the Great Protector using lifting magic to recover each Black-claw body Husband and I killed. There were black-claws all in the field, bodies riddled with stone arrows and one with a big hole in its back from where Prima threw her spear clean through it. The same thing at the stream. Five dead Black-claw bodies we left in the grass just off the bank.

Those two were lifted and all the bodies were brought back to goblin-home thanks to the magic of the Great Protector. They were stored in a cave-hole in the front, where Vera had come out to pay her respects, however limited she was.

The Great Protector took interest in Vera, who held a sharp bone with a blue stone placed in the top. Digging into the ground, which was her way of using magic, she pulled water from the air, put it around the bodies of the Black-claws, and turned it to an ice-cube.

I only know about the ice-cubes because Husband always gives me the cold tasty drink with them in it when I would stop by and visit, sometimes with my sisters, to show him how kind of a big sister I was.

Ah. That makes sense to me now as well. The reason behind why Husband wanted me to be kind to my sisters instead of showing them that I was simply the strongest. Because he already knows that I’m the strongest of his strong ones. The whole reason why he told me the thing about my sisters being ready to push me down one day if I kept pushing them down now, was so that I could become even stronger later on. Maybe Husband thought there would come a time when my strength wouldn’t be enough, and I would need to not only borrow my sisters’ strength at that time, but to trust in it.

…or maybe I would have to keep limits on it one day when I am even stronger, like Husband does with his magic?

“You look lost in thought, Huntress?”

The Great Protector had spoken to me.

“Now that Beast-talker is dead. Husband has given big seed to all adult goblins. What happens to Husband’s human now?”

“What would you like to happen?”

“Keep Husband’s human here. She get big seed meant for Beast-talker. Her strong one become my sister. Her strong one will be Bloodmaw. Husband’s big seed, Husband’s strong ones, all meant for Bloodmaw.”

“Guardian, do you object to what the little Huntress says?”

Prima was close by to give the Great Protector her own answer.

“I also agree Husband’s seed and strong ones are for the Bloodmaw Tribe. But for the human female, Stella… He does not think she cares for him in the way he cares for us, because she did not want his big seed. I don’t see much use in having one who doesn’t understand the importance of having strong ones being a part of the Bloodmaw.”

“Yes, some humans can be ridiculous like that.”

The Great Protector seemed to think about something for a moment.

“I have no use for the human female if your Husband is able to perform his task once again. So I will leave her with you, Guardian.”

“Why?”

“Maybe she will come in handy for something, eventually. As you’ve no doubt discovered with your Husband, humans like to keep themselves occupied doing all sorts of different… things.”

“Why do I think those things you speak of will all be stupid things, especially with this one…”

“Because they probably will be. That is the Human Way.”

I watched as Prima crossed her arms and shook her head.

“Goblin Way is better.  Even stupid goblins do less stupid things than Humans.”

What Prima said made the Great Protector laugh. A laugh that rattled the bones under my skin. I figured now was the time to head inside.

“Diana Artemis will go collect her reward for killing most Black-claws and saving goblin hunters with Husband.” I said with confidence.

“What reward?” Prima asked.

“Husband will sleep in my bed until he wakes up. Diana Artemis has hunted many many Black-claws tonight, and will not have to hunt again for many days. Can be big-lazy and enjoy having Husband keep my body warm. Maybe share a little bit of my Husband with Berry in trade for milkies. Diana Artemis Still like milkies.”

I strolled away confidently from Prima and the Great Protector, heading into goblin-home to claim my reward, and to also better plan ahead what I was going to do with all of the Black-claw kills. I was hungry and tired, and I figured I would be better off thinking about what Husband would do with his share of our kills, tomorrow.

What would happen over the next two days would make me even more sure that there was far more to Husband than I could have believed.

I was right to keep Husband’s human here with us. There is no question that everything is going exactly as Husband must have planned.

Husband might look like a human on the outside, but there is no way he is not a Grand Goblin on the inside.

This is why there is no better, safer place to be, than right by his side.  Because it all makes sense to me now.