There was a lake in the innermost layer of the region he was in, but different from the one where he had hidden earlier. This different location had much darker water, a greenish hue only slightly lighter than the monster's skin.
The trees in this lake grew out of its depths, strange rootless grass floated in patches of water, and the bottom was not visible at all. 'He' knew that down there there were dangerous species, of different types and in large quantities. The goblin could only think shallowly about how scary it must be to live underwater.
What he was looking for in that area was food, that strange lake in particular was chosen because the former was a great source of clean water, which in turn meant the constant appearance of other species.
No, the dark water body would be more suitable for your meals. On the banks lived the jumping greens, beings with full and fat bodies and flattened legs. Dirty little animals that jumped back and forth doing 'ribit' on one side and 'ribit' on the other. It was easy to catch and there were so many on the edges, I wouldn't have a hard time trying to capture them.
He should always eat the skinny ones, of course, it was after almost dying that he learned about the poison present in the fat ones. Maybe they were fat because they were filled with poison? 'He' couldn't say, but he would make sure he never put one of those in his mouth again. Last time he lost feeling in his limbs, had hallucinations and almost died choking on his own spit.
When he recovered, he had at least learned something new, not much, but still something.
That day he ate the small, skinny ones, putting them in his mouth starting with the head and ending up sucking their legs as they struggled. Besides the necessary care not to eat those poisonous ones, there was something else that demanded attention from him. The big vine high in the trees.
Those trees that grew out of the water met in the sky, their branches all clung together and their leaves joined together forming a roof through which no light passed. It was impossible to tell if it was day or night from that point, due to the deep darkness that spread. The goblin could see in the dark, as could all the creatures that dared walk through that area.
That would even make it safer, since that region was close to the abode of the big and green fat ones. They were close, just a short walk east and he could see them, but there 'he' would never find them for two reasons, the first is that monsters that cannot see at night fear the dark.
But if he didn't need to fear the creatures to the east, he needed prudence with that big vine in the trees. The vine in question was different from those that sprouted from plants, it was also far from like the one present in the newly acquired human weapon. No, this one at the top was much bigger, it was thick, slimy, with terrible yellow eyes and a forked tongue that went 'sssssss'
That big vine was looking at the goblin, but it wasn't dangerous, not yet. The animal was wrapped in at least seven branches, from one tree to another, marking its control over the sky, even if it also dominated under the waters. 'He' saw in the past that creature wrap itself around one of the large lizards that swam in the water and kill it after suffocating the prey.
The goblin wouldn't stand a chance in a skirmish with the big vine that says 'ssssss'. More than once he saw that predator descend quickly from the trees and devour some small, inattentive animal in a matter of seconds. The beast even swam in the waters with the speed of a fish.
The goblin would never be a match for the 'ssssss' vine.
Although, if he kept chickening out, he might never become an opponent for anything. The strong kill the weak and those who are born powerless die powerless. It was the law of that forest, with a few exceptions. 'He' knew of monsters that had become 'something new', he didn't understand why this happened or how it was possible. However, he was aware that some of the inhabitants of that hell could become 'something new' and thus grow stronger. The creature responsible for killing the humans the day before was also about to undergo this experience.
What didn't happen to goblins of course, goblins didn't become 'something new', never in the history of their people had that happened. Although even if there was, the little monster wouldn't know about it anyway.
'He' however wanted to try and was willing to die trying. Monsters become 'something new' by killing other monsters, so that's what he had to do. Of course the goblin was weaker than all the monsters inhabiting that land, but wasn't there another race he knew of that was weaker and could take on stronger creatures?
If humans could, he would try. That was the thought that gave him a new dose of courage to master the twig-throwing branch.
before leaving the dark water lake took a long look at the vine that says 'sssss', that would be its first opponent. He would only need to be careful not to draw attention to the thing in the center of the lake, 'he' didn't know what it was, but going further towards the center, farther than he was able to see, inhabited a dangerous creature. He never caught a glimpse of it, but it was the second reason the big, fat greens avoided that region, both because they feared its power and because they knew this stranger dominated the red flower that warms.
These were the thoughts in the weak goblin's mind as he silently returned to his abode, ready to masterfully master the use of all the human tools stored there. It's not hard to predict that his afternoon would be full of frustrations and withdrawals.
His day ended full of sore fingers, locked joints, numb arms and of course, dreams of a future full of victories.