Orchid let out a quiet huff as the badger fled. She had hoped to tame it. Hopefully however the next time she'd see it, it would remember her and learn not to mess with her. And since that problem was dealt with, it was time to deal with the second problem. As the girl was climbing down Orchid put her shield away, holding her club with both hands as she slammed it into the other goblin's back, keeping her pinned against the tree. [color=firebrick]"[i]If[/i] you make it back. Since it's just you and me here... I think I'm going to kill you. Turn you into a 'fancy stick'."[/color] Orchid says threateningly as she pressed harder into the goblin girl's back, one hand pressing into the elbow of the arm holding the sticks so she couldn't use those to try and swipe at Orchid.

[color=firebrick]"It's getting dark too. We have to go fight soon. No more time to work on weapons. All you got is a [i]stick[/i]. Think you can fight monsters with just a stick, you idiot?"[/color] In an act of heated cruelty, slammed the crown of her head into the back of the other girl's skull. [color=firebrick]"You're going to [i]die[/i] Because you're stupid and you're going to fight strong monsters with a stupid stick!"[/color] Orchid headbutted the girl again, making sure that her face was getting pressed into the tree. She bit the other girl’s ear and gnawed the tip off, spitting it into the bushes. The goblin screamed shrilly and tried to kick backwards at Orchid's knees and shins, but from this angle she didn't have enough reach to get a solid blow.

[color=firebrick]”But the stupidest thing you did was [i]piss me off[/i].”[/color] Pushing the goblin against to tree even further, Orchid viciously slammed her knee right between the other goblin girl’s loins, even using her [b]Smash[/b] skill to make it hurt even more. Right after she did that, Orchid tossed the girl to the ground, and as she did so she’d tear off what little clothing she had, cutting it with the stone tip of her spear. Orchid didn’t care if that would end up hurting the other girl too; she wanted her to suffer. 

Orchid approached to continue her assault on the girl, but when she got close she swung her stick, giving Orchid a shallow cut across the arm. Despite the beatdown she was still strong enough to fight, even as her face bled and tears streamed down her eyes. The face of a scared child. Orchid snarled. [color=firebrick]”We could have helped each other. I wanted to keep you all safe. But [i]you[/i] didn’t listen to me. First mistake. Then you tried to steal from me. Second mistake. You won’t make a third mistake.”[/color]

The girl roared and charged at Orchid, trying to stab her in the face with the wooden stick. Predictable enough that Orchid was easily able to block the attack as she pushed against the other, smaller goblin. Still, fear and anger were powerful motivators, and it made this other goblin girl capable of holding her ground against Orchid if only for now. "Even if you boss, you not gonna make it long! Gobs got to help other gobs--and you only ever been helpin' ya self! Big pile of fancy shit not gonna help--ya only got two hands!"

Hearing this made Orchid really angry, angry enough that she slammed her club down towards the ground, breaking the other goblin girl’s stick in half. Then Orchid kicked her to make her stumble back as she made herself look bigger and roared at the other girl. [color=firebrick]”I am helping! When Crispy got attacked I helped him even when he was too weak to fight! I made weapons and shields for other goblins! I even came here to find you because we’re going to go fight soon! But you are stupid. Whenever I try to help you, you spit back at me, try to steal from me even. I even gave you a chance to let me help you.”[/color]

The other girl still held onto her two shorten sticks like daggers, circling around Orchid waiting for her to open herself to an attack. Right now Orchid’s club had a longer reach than her two sticks, so if she tried to get closer she’d just get smashed or stabbed. “Nu uh, you said you was gonna make me into s'ords and gut-ropes! Crispy and da Boss kicks da dums around, but at least none o'dem ever killed other gobs!" Orchid scoffed. [color=firebrick]”I said that because I need to be strong! If I wasn’t strong and just let you take stuff, I would be weak. Rattle is big, Crispy can make fire, but me… I gotta be [i]real[/i] mean, cause if I don’t, it’s going to be bad. Especially for goblins like you and me.”[/color] Orchid honesty wanted to avoid this subject, but frankly it was the whole reason she even wanted to kill Rattleskull in the first place. She’s seen the horror stories of young girls in tribal cultures like these goblins. She wasn’t going to end up like that, not while she draws breath.

[color=firebrick]”When we get older and bigger, Rattleskull is going to make us have little goblins in our stomachs. He’s going to stick the meat between his legs into our holes until it spits into us, and then we’ll get fat and sick. It’s going to hurt a lot worse than getting stabbed with sticks. We will get weak and can’t fight. And because he’s big and strong if he’s going to do that, you can’t beat him. Other goblins won’t help you. They might even fuck you too.”[/color] Orchid says harshly as she glares at the girl. She wanted to see what her reaction was, or if she even knew how babies made.

“You not strong! You just pretendin' to be! You just said so!" Rather than understanding the real point of Orchid's conversation, the female seemed more emboldened to fight back now rather than let herself be dominated. "You tryin' to boss me around, and we all borned da same day!"

“You dum! We da girls, dat's what we do!" The female goblin's voice wavered for just a moment, but she swallowed and set her jaw. "If we don't have younglings, pretty soon won't be no goblins in da cave! It might hurts, hurts a lot, but dat's why other gobs got to help! Rattleskull and Crispy and da others kept all da monsters away when we was born! Dey fights, and we fights, and dey helps, and we makes more! If we didn't do all dat, dere wouldn't BE no gobs ANYWHERE!"

And she said that like she [i]meant[/i] it. Orchid had seen quite a lot of goblin behavior over just two days, but had she truly [i]understood[/i] it? Did she realize just what she was dealing with now?

It was almost painful for Orchid to hear this. Sure, she’s seen stuff on TV and sort of spoken about in school, where woman in these sort of societies simply accept and even assist in these sort of twisted patriarchal systems. Orchid always thought if she was there, she’d be able to change it. Use her enlighten knowledge to change things for the better. How naive she felt now. How she forgets that for this goblin girl, the idea that she could be her own leader and do more with her life than just make babies and do what other men tell her to do. 

The life of a goblin wasn’t the sort of life Orchid wanted to live. She was going to be different. [color=firebrick]”Is that all you want? Fight, have babies, and keep fighting until you die? Because that’s all Rattleskull will do. All he can do is fight until he dies. Because all he can do is fight! But I’m different. I know we can do more than fight. Things I know how to make, I didn’t learn from Crispy. I learn from monsters. They know how to talk too. They don’t want to fight, but they have to, because Rattleskull fights them! I didn’t want to fight. I wanted to live and make things. But because Rattleskull keeps hurting other monsters, now the monsters all work together, to kill us!”[/color]

Orchid approached the goblin, weapon in hand ready to slay her. [color=firebrick]”You stay with Rattleskull and you will only fight and have babies, and it’s going to hurt. Hurt worse than when it hit you down there, it will be bloody. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to do more! Make new things, make powerful friends, make it so we don’t have to keep fighting just to survive! I will make sure we can live.”[/color] All of this was likely going over this goblette’s head, so Orchid was going to wrap it up.

[color=firebrick]”I’ll make this simple. Join me and be different; be more than baby maker. Stay with Rattleskull and you’ll die.”[/color]

"Can't have none of dat other stuff til there's more gobs, and til it's safe for all da gobs!" the female said resolutely. "You talkin' bout...bout the stuff the older gobs knows? They seen Humies that makes plants and animals grow and eats 'em? Builds places to live and has lots of shiny round things?" She didn't lower her stick, but the fight seemed to be draining out of her. Her argument, however, still seemed genuine. "We gots to fight! Can't do nothin' else--ain't you seen it? Mobs attacks sometimes for no reason--they just huntin', even if you just walkin', or they wants the same things! Crystals, herbs, water! Ain't enough for everybody! Playin' nice is dumb! Rats and Lizards can't even talk like we can!"

Suddenly "random encounters" seemed like they held a lot more weight in this odd, gamey world. And it was true--the Cave simply did not hold enough resources for every creature living there. But with creatures like that Armor Badger, and Adventurers, and who knew what else out here, they couldn't just flee from the only safety they knew. And things like industry, agriculture, and society could not develop overnight.

"And what's wrong wif baby gobs? Dey can't fight yet...but I likes dem, dey chubby and cute. And I wants more gobs like me in da world. What wrong wif dat?"

Orchid was not arguing with an oppressive society or a tyrannical government. She was arguing with an intelligent and slightly sophisticated animal--with a caveman. With primitives. With a tribe surrounded on all sides by potential enemies and in control of precious few resources for whom survival meant taking harsh conditions in stride and not allowing weakness in anything but their offspring, of which they needed many in order to simply not die out. They didn't know enough to even understand her argument in its fullest capacity. That was why she had chosen force and bravado at first, after all...but in doing that, she herself was killing the same creatures she wanted to rule over.

Orchid was getting angry, but for reasons unrelated to the goblin girl personally. More anger directed towards herself. She had dismissed these goblins as simple creatures, and in a way they were. But they were simple for the same reason her own life back on the farm was simple; she was only concerned about what was necessary to make due with the life she had, rather than do more with the life she could get. That is to say, before in her human life, Orchid never had any further aspiration than living and taking care of her farm. She never had these crazy dreams of taking over a group of people and trying to turn them from a primitive society to a modern civilization that she’s used to. Orchid was way in over her head.

But has she gone too far to back out now?

Orchid lowered her weapon. She let out a sad sigh; as much as she hated to realize this, but she had let her own anger blind her to the obvious. Of course it did; she was here in some unfamiliar place, scared, panicking like an animal despite her attempts at being a thinking human being. Forcing her opinions down the throats of people who, despite their differences, were more or less people too. Just green, small, and unfortunately low on the food chain.  [color=firebrick][i]”Fucking ironic. How’s that quote go, stare not into the abyss less it stare back at you?”[/i][/color] Orchid thought bitterly to herself. Putting these thoughts aside for a moment, she tried to talk to this girl again, with less anger in her heart this time.

[color=firebrick]”There’s nothing wrong with that… I’m sorry.”[/color] Orchid says quietly. [color=firebrick]”I’m just scared too. Scared of what Rattleskull wants us to do. I’ve talked to those monsters. They’re smart. They’re strong. They know that we goblins are the biggest threat because there’s more of us and we work together. So now they’re working together, to kill all of us. I want to stop that, but that won’t happen if we fight. If we fight then that’s it; either we kill everyone or they kill all of us. And there’s more of them than there are goblins, and even if we win, a lot of us are going to die. Even Rattleskull and Crispy. I know you don’t believe me, but that’s why Crispy got hurt, and why I had to run away with him instead of fight.”[/color]

"I'm not scared!" the female snarled. "Bein' scared is bein' weak, you dum! Why you scared when you makes all dem weapons, and when you can even Smash stuff like da boss can!?"

Orchid looked to the other goblin girl, her resolve renewed. She remembers what she was here to do; not to conquer, just to survive. And survival meant cooperation not subjugation. Orchid lowered her club and extended a hand out to the other goblin. [color=firebrick]”It’s fine if you hate me now. I was stupid and angry. I tried to be smart but I was just selfish. So… Sorry. But I do care about us goblins, even if I think we do stupid things sometimes. I wanted to have some goblins listen to me so I can keep them safe when we have to fight; I want to try and make sure we don’t run into a trap in the cave. I was angry at you because… Because no one knew what I knew. Things are [i]different[/i] now. And I think it can be better, but we need to work together. Not just us goblins, but everyone in the cave. I just need Rattleskull to not fight, so I can talk to the monsters. And I need your help to do that.”[/color]

But the other female stared at Orchid's outstretched hand, then looked at her with confusion that seemed to turn back into anger. 

"You talks too much, and you talks about all dis weird stuff." She held her own stick in both hands closer to her body, as if wary of even brushing contact with Orchid. "You acts like you knows all dis stuff even tho you don't listen to da other gobs like I does and you only been borned...uh...dis many suns!" She wiggled her toes, since her hands were occupied. "You dun make no sense!"

She turned, and headed back towards the camp. 

"Just do whateva you gonna do, as long as it helps gobs! Rattleskull and Crispy smart too, but dey not weird like you! I don't wanna be friends wif monsters! Only like Goblins!"

Orchid sighed. Now that she’s let her petty anger go, she was able to focus on the task at hand. She needed to somehow talk to those other monsters before this ended up in a bloodbath. Chances are Rattleskull won’t cooperate unless Orchid can at least pretend to follow his orders. She had an idea for that. So Orchid would return back to the goblin camp, and along the way she’d pick up some more stones too. Smaller ones that would be easier to use with her sling. She used what was left of her fibre string to turn her big leaf into a small sack which would hopefully be able to carry a few stones in it. By the time she’d reach the camp she’d finish. First thing she did was find her minions.

[color=firebrick]”Oi you three, wif me. Sorry fer being late.”[/color] She just noticed that she was starting to pick up on the other goblin’s accents. She cleared her throat but kept it up. [color=firebrick]”Time ta fight. I would’ve taught ya how to use yer spears but… Eh. You’ll learn. Anyways I’m gunna talk with Rattleskull about letting us go first, since we got da big shields dat’ll let us block stuff.”[/color] Orchid didn’t bother actually waiting for them to agree or not as she went over to Rattleskull, shield in one hand anda  loaded sling in the other.

[color=firebrick]”Hey, Rattleskull. I’m back. Let me and my boyz go in first, scoutin ya know? Plus I’ve fought em before. I know dere tricks.”[/color] Or rather, Orchid suspects they have tricks. Lying in ambush or setting up traps. She vaguely remembers the pixies hiding in the stalagmites and some of them hidden underground or in the walls. Chances are they’re going to be doing that again. [color=firebrick]”Just need one or two more lads ta carry torches, an my team will be ready.”[/color]

[hider=Stats/Inventory]
Health - Mostly Full
Magic - Full
Stamina - Mostly Full

Skills -
Use Light Equipment (--)
Pacify Animal I (1.0)
Stronger I (1.4)
Crafting IV (4)
Material Analysis I (1.15)
Monster Analysis I (1.0)
Smash I (1.0)

Inventory -
Raw Dire Rat Hide (Equipped)
Loincloth (Equipped)
Stone Spiked Club (Good) (Equipped)
Wicker Shield (Well Made) (Equipped)
Rawhide Bag (8/12) (Equipped)
[list][*]Hard Stones x2
[*]Herbs x3
[*]Huge Leaf
[*]Antidote Fern
[*]Fiber Cordage (Average)
[*]Plant Fiber Sling
[*]Bloody Garrote[/list]
[/hider]