Furneces are Cool

The goblins continued to slurp up the stew with fervor, each bite met with enthusiastic approval. They chattered amongst themselves, using a mixture of goblinoid and the broken Common they had learned from me and Mackenzie, expressing their delight at the new meal.

Amidst the communal meal, Zarra, who had been sitting beside me, caught my attention with a tentative smile. She looked at me with a hopeful glint in her yellow eyes, and I knew she was still thinking about our earlier conversation regarding her request.

Once the meal had concluded, I decided to discuss the matter with Nassa. I approached her, who was sitting by the fire, her elderly form a testament to her wisdom. She glanced up at me with a knowing look as I settled down beside her.

"Nassa," I began, choosing my words carefully, "I've given it some thought, and I'm willing to accept your request to help the tribe."

Nassa's eyes widened slightly, and she nodded in acknowledgment. "I am surprised that a human like you would accept, especially since Zarra said that you probably wouldn't agree."

"Well, I have my reasons, but just to make sure, the tribe will raise the children, right? Because normally humans see raising their children as a big responsibility," I replied.

Nassa, seemingly coming to some kind of understanding, said, "Yes, goblin children are raised by the tribe, so much so that it is uncommon for goblins to know who their parents are. Also, goblins are usually self-sufficient at four and considered adults at eight, so the time they need to be cared for is short. Although I don't know how being part human might change that."

Having had some of my worries abated, I continued, "there is also the issue of how likely a goblin and human are to have a child together. From what I know, it is quite low," trying to relay what the AI told me without revealing my secret.

"Don't worry about that; there is a special alchemical blend that was taught to me that will make goblins ready to breed with other races," Zarra replied, having walked up at some point.

"Really?" I asked surprised.

Nassa nodded, saying, "according to the history passed down in our tribe. All goblinoids are descendants from Hobgoblins, who figured out how to increase fertility using magic and alchemy, started breeding creatures together for certain traits. Like bugbears were bred for their raw strength to be foot soldiers, worgs, large wolf-like creatures, were bred as hunting animals, while goblins like us were originally created as a servant race."

After thinking about what was said to me, I asked, "Interesting, why are there independent goblin tribes now? Also, I have been wanting to ask, but how are you so knowledgeable and able to speak common so well?"

"I was born to a tribe near an impoverished human village 40 years ago. Normally goblins are ruled by our greed and instincts, but our tribe was different. We were calmer and smarter than other tribes, allowing us to learn common and trade occasionally with certain people in the village," Nassa paused, a dark scowl covering her face as she continued. "But some of the other villagers found out about how their neighbors were benefiting from working with monsters and reported them to the local lord. Soon knights were sent to kill the heretics that sided with monsters and the goblins they befriended."

Nassa went quiet for a while, shaking slightly, seemingly reliving what happened. "When the villager who was trading with our tribe found out that a group of knights were going to the village, they fled to the woods warning us, before moving on. Our tribe disbanded and split up with several groups going different ways, hoping to confuse the humans that were sent to hunt us. Our group continued deeper into the forest until we made our way here. I don't know what happened to the other groups that fled."

"That is why I know common and other things about humans." She said, before continuing, "as for why there are independent goblin tribes, like what happened with my tribe, when a tribe is discovered, especially if they have higher-ranking goblinoids, they end up getting attacked, and usually a few goblins manage to escape, creating their own tribes."

Unsure of how to respond right away, I stared at her silently before replying, "Thank you for telling me, and I am sorry to make you relive something terrible."

Nassa waved her hand dismissively before turning to Zarra and asking, "How long will it take for you to make the fertility drug?". Zarra, surprised to be addressed suddenly, took a moment to reply, "I would have to leave the camp to go gather the materials, and then a day or two to prepare it."

Nassa and Zarra continued talking for a while, making plans to form a group to go collect the herbs, and I agreed to tag along, hoping to find signs of ore. After reaching a conclusion, we all went our separate ways. I stepped out of the cave, emerging into the moonlit clearing, the vague outlines of the two mud huts standing out against the backdrop of thick trees.

Entering the hut, Mackinzie turned to look at me, before asking, "Is everything alright? Why did Nassa want to talk to you?"

Struggling to think of how to tell Mackinzie what was going on, I decided to just relay everything we talked about earlier, starting with, "So the goblins came to me to ask a favor. They are worried about the future of their tribe since they don't have any males. Nassa asked me if I would be willing to impregnate some of the goblins…."

As the conversation went on, Mackenzie's face creased into a scowl before she finally huffed, "Well, what did you say?"

"I agreed; besides us needing the goblins right now, I do want them to thrive, and my system gives me points for doing…. Intimate things." I replied, scratching the back of my head.

Mackenzie went quiet, a frown clear on her face, as she turned over and went to sleep. Sighing, I laid down on the ground a distance from her and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

---

Waking up, Mackenzie was already gone. As I left the hut, I walked through the clearing. The goblins, having heard the news, seemed excited, many of them sending hot glances my way, some jutting out their assets trying to catch my attention.

With another sigh, I got to work on the furnace. Deciding on making it freestanding, at least for now, I picked a spot away from the cave, past the huts in the clearing. Digging a narrow rectangular trench, I then started laying bricks around it, forming a square, using mud as grout, I continued to stack bricks, forming a 2.5' tall box open at the top.

After plastering the outside with a mud-clay mix, using sticks that the goblins had been collecting since we started making charcoal, I filled the brick chute. After lighting a fire in the gap at the bottom, the fire quickly roared to life, spewing out the top with a whooshing sound.

While the hearth of the furnace was fire-drying, using the same process, I built a U-shaped channel connected to it, before laying the blocks on their ends in a circle to form a chimney, filling the gaps with wedges made from the same clay mix. Waiting for the fire to burn out, I used a stick to measure the opening on the top of the hearth, and I started making a clay hatch. After using two curved sticks as handles, and carving out a lip around the edge, I stood back, raising my hand to try a spell I had thought of.

Gathering my mana, a cooling sensation covering my hand as it was converted to water mana, I envisioned drawing the water out of the clay in front of me, forming a ball floating in the air. Feeling mana being consumed as the spell activated, I stared with a satisfied grin as the clay hatch rapidly dried. After a few moments, there was a small, clear ball of water floating in the air a few inches from my hand, and with a thought, I sent it scattering across the ground nearby, dyeing the soil a darker shade as it landed.

After carefully shaping, and plastering the chimney of the furnace, I wiped my hands on my now worn T-shirt. The bricks stood sturdy and solid as I surveyed my handiwork with a sense of accomplishment.

With the chimney in place, it was time to bring the furnace to life once more. I gathered a hefty pile of sticks, dried and ready for the flames, and began filling the hearth to the brim. The sticks crackled and hissed as I piled them higher and higher, the residual heat from the previous fire still lingering.

Once satisfied with the pile, I placed the clay hatch I had crafted atop the furnace. It settled into place snugly, and a sense of anticipation hung in the air. With a flick of my wrist, I ignited the sticks in the hearth, and a sudden burst of flames shot up the chimney, driven by the draft I had deliberately engineered. It was a mesmerizing dance of fire and air, a testament to the power of nature harnessed by human ingenuity.

After watching the furnace for a while, making sure that the weren't any spots that fire managed to leak out from. I decided it was probably time to take a bath, removing of the layers of mud and soot that clung to my skin and clothes. I made my way to the creeks edge, undressed, and waded into the cool, refreshing water. It washed away the grime and fatigue, leaving me revitalized.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the camp, I returned, still somewhat damp, to find the goblins preparing dinner. A bowl of soup was handed to me, its aroma tantalizing my senses. It seemed one of the goblins, named Oss, had been inspired by the previous night's meal, and I couldn't help but smile at their eagerness.

Sitting around the fire pit in the cave, Oss watched me expectantly as I took my first sip of the soup. It wasn't that bad, a medley of earthy flavors and slightly gamey meat danced on my palate. I smiled and nodded toward her as I savored the warmth, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement thinking about the future.