It was an odd feeling. Very new, completely unfamiliar.
Not that he could remember anything being familiar before this feeling arrived.
It wasn't a bad feeling though, and it just seemed like something natural.
Oh that's right, he knew what this was. Somehow, he had recalled some basic knowledge that he had no memory of learning.
This was the feeling of being alive.
Trying to take it all in at once he matched things to his implanted knowledge. Breathing, heart beating, cold rocky surface, toes wiggling, sniffing, the smell of the forest, eyes opening.
The creatures staring... wait, what was going on.
Sitting up in a daze, he looked around at the odd group of forest creatures that had formed a circle around him. They just stared in eerie silence.
Then he heard the voice. Not with his ears, but with his heart. It was a reassuring, welcoming.
"Welcome to the dungeon! As the first goblin to be recruited, I dub you Gob-1. The name is just temporary until we find you a proper goblin name, one the suits you. Now up you get, have a look around and get yourself situated. We will have a few more goblins joining soon and you will need to do their orientation."
Gob-1 looked confusedly for the source of the voice. His gaze finally landed on what looked like an oversized blueberry. Despite its tiny size, it still projected an aura of majesty. There was an intrinsic desire to do as this entity commanded, to protect them, serve them, to live up to their expectations.
"Yes boss!" Gob-1 gave a sloppy salute, before standing up and brushing the dust off himself.
Walking through the cave, the creatures avoided him. He marveled at the mushrooms he saw. As if knowing exactly which could be eaten, he plucked a few as he walked.
"Tasty!" Meatshrooms became an immediate favorite, though the burnt out glowshroom had a rich smokey flavor.
——— POV: DM BLUEBERRY ———
Another glutton... I watch my first goblin methodically put everything non-poisonous he finds in his mouth, chew a little, then judge its flavor. Spitting out the nasty or flavorless.
Today is his orientation so as long as he's happy that's fine. I can't be bothered explaining everything, and nobody else can talk to him. I guess tasting things is a way to familiarize oneself with the dungeon...
Anyway, I got a notification after summoning Gob-1, so I should look at it.
"Ding! Due to the presence of an intelligent species, new features unlocked: Linguistics, sound projection, image projection, telepathy."
Hmm, to sum up: the basic communications bundle. Yeah I'm definitely going to be using this a lot. Linguistics feature is great, basically like an auto-translator app.
Looking at my first goblin again, he's pretty much as I expected. Scrawny, short, green. He's got some muscle, calloused hands and is wearing some simple greyish clothing that could be considered rags.
Looking up his stats in the editor, it seems I can make only minor adjustments. Rather than actually change anything, all I can do is define a general direction for development. That will be useful if I want to train up a group for the same task, like a platoon of soldiers, or a mining crew.
I leave Gob-1's direction unchanged. No need to mess with specialization until I understand the basic unit better. His current stats are what I'd expect, prioritizing being nimble and dexterous over raw strength and beefiness.
By now, my forest biome has been rounded out more. With the addition of several types of small birds, bugs, and rodents, there is enough to support its independent development. It's time to change the setting for feeding. My basic creatures are now allowed to be hunted and eaten to a certain extent, the limit ensuring that there will be enough to repopulate the losses. Intelligent creatures and named creatures like Batson are of course off limits. Can't have my mascot become bbq dinner for the future goblins.
Gob-1 has by now found the old pantry and kitchen that belonged to the Blue-Fang Goblins. There isn't much to salvage, merely a ladle, a cauldron and a little rusty cleaver.
Excited about his discovery, the goblin stakes his claim, as if intrinsically knowing that the position of chef is really important and respected. To insure his legitimacy as head chef, he gets to work immediately, combining ingredients harvested from the dungeon randomly. It's trial and error, so I'm sure it's mostly nasty. Any experience he gains now means another leg up against other aspiring chefs.
Now I just need to save up and buy a few more goblins, then I can really get things rolling!
——— POV Shift ———
Grub'nut was enjoying his new position as assistant to the head chef, although not really having the authority to order the other chefs around the title itself had already earned him the admiration of several more runts. It had been almost a week since the escape from Dimwood forest, although the two day hike back to the main camp had gone smoothly, rejoining the other goblins was a relief.
Chief Blue Fang, however was not as happy. Making his report to the King, he didn't earn anyone's admiration. The forest had been an important source of food due to the abundance of small prey, berries and mushrooms. The loss of the Dimwood outpost, therefore, put pressure on the community's dwindling food supply.
Two other chiefs were also present for the report. Chief Red Fang and Chief Green Fang silently enjoyed their peer's misfortune, with this loss of resources he would be out of the runnings for the position of general, no matter how bravely he held off the enemy. Considering only one goblin was lost, it was clear that Blue Fang was just a coward.
"The loss of our Dimwood outpost without a fight is unacceptable," the Goblin King rose from his throne.
Standing a head taller than the average goblin the King once again demonstrated the quality that won him the throne. Facing the tall and muscular goblin, Blue Fang immediately lost all desire to compete for the position of King.
"Take your warriors and reclaim the land that was your responsibility." The King ordered. "You have a few days to prepare. Don't disappoint me again."
Returning to his quarters, the king dismissed the 3 chiefs with a wave.