By the time they dragged the thirty-plus goats back to the tribe, dusk had already fallen.
The greenskins were utterly exhausted. The goblins lay paralyzed on the ground, panting, and the hobgoblins were leaning on wooden sticks, groaning, yet their eyes were shining brightly
—the thirty-plus goats were tied by the palisade, bleating incessantly, and the mere sight of them made their mouths water.
Kurzadh instructed Wry-Mouth to take a few goblin to cut grass for the goats bedding; he also told Zaggur to guard the palisade so the goats wouldn't escape.
Kurzadh himself, carrying his stone spear, walked toward the bonfire in the center of the valley—Dragu was squatting by the fire, poking it with a branch. Seeing Kurzadh approach, Dragu quickly stood up: "Boss! Should we roast the goats? I've already skinned two of them!"
When the greenskins in the valley heard the words "roast goat," they instantly forgot their exhaustion and swarmed over, squatting by the fire and watching eagerly.
Just as Kurzadh was about to nod, a "Ding" sounded suddenly in his mind, and a system prompt popped up:
[Temporary Quest Issued: Hold a "Roasted Whole goat Melee" and successfully win.]
[Quest Description: greenskin happiness comes from fighting! Let all greenskins participate in the free-for-all. The final winner left standing will receive the roasted whole goat reward.]
[Reward: Trait "Hard Bones" ( increase in overall skeletal strength)]
Kurzadh paused, then immediately grinned. A free-for-all? This was perfectly suited to the greenskin appetite.
He glanced at the greenskins drooling by the fire and stroked his chin—increase in skeletal strength. This reward wasn't bad; his small goblin body definitely needed to be tougher.
"Dragu, don't roast it yet!" Kurzadh shouted, stepping onto a stone platform nearby—it was made of residual stones from carving the statue, stacked up perfectly as a "podium."
The greenskins were stunned and looked up at him in unison.
Dragu held the skinned goat, his hand suspended in mid-air: "What's wrong, boss? We're not roasting it?"
"We are! But we have to do something big first!" Kurzadh tapped the stone spear in his hand and yelled down, "Listen up! We're doing something new today—a free-for-all!"
"A free-for-all?" The greenskins exchanged confused glances, the goblins tilted their heads, and the hobgoblins frowned.
"It means everyone fights!" Kurzadh explained, his voice booming, "Whether you're a goblin or a hobgoblin, no matter who you were allied with before, you beat up whoever you grab! The last one standing on the field, these two roasted whole goats—" he pointed at the goats in Dragu's hands, "they all belong to him!"
"WAAAAAAGH!"
The moment he finished speaking, the valley exploded! greenskins were naturally belligerent, and hearing "fighting" combined with "winning means roasted whole goat" made their eyes turn red.
Wreelx, who had just run back from the palisade, immediately threw the stone knife he used for cutting grass onto the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and squeezed into the crowd.
"If we're fighting, we're fighting! Who's afraid of who! That roasted whole goat is definitely mine!"
"Bullshit! It's mine!" Dragu also tossed the goat onto the ground and yelled, sticking out his neck, "I can fight better than you!"
The goblins were also squeaking excitedly. Some were shoving each other, some had already clenched their tiny fists, and even the dullest, ear-missing goblin was standing on its tiptoes, trying to push toward the front of the crowd.
In the greenskin worldview, fighting was the ultimate truth—winning meant not only face but also meat to eat. This was practically a godsend!
"Everyone back up! Clear the area!" Kurzadh jumped off the platform and pointed toward the open space in the center of the valley.
The greenskins immediately retreated, leaving a sizable clearing. The light from the bonfire spilled onto the ground, stretching the greenskins ' shadows long.
Kurzadh looked at the greenskins eagerly rubbing their fists, and his own heart began to itch—how long had it been since he had a proper fight? Beating up Wreelx's group before was a sneak attack; it didn't count as the real deal.
"Start!" he roared, charging into the crowd first.
"Waaagh Waaagh!" The greenskins charged forward as well. Instantly, the clearing became a chaotic battlefield—the hobgoblins, relying on their height, swung their fists down onto the goblins; the goblins, in turn, slipped through gaps, grabbed the hobgoblins' legs, and scratched with their claws; some frantic greenskins picked up small stones from the ground and hurled them at others' heads; still others simply tackled their opponents and rolled on the ground, not caring who it was, just trying to pin them down first.
The moment Kurzadh charged in, Wreelx grabbed him around the waist. "Boss! Sorry about this! I'm taking that roasted whole goat!" Wreelx yelled, pulling hard to drag him down.
"Get lost!" Kurzadh squatted down and thrust his elbow backward, hitting Wreelx right in the stomach.
Wreelx cried out "Waagh," and released his grip. Kurzadh seized the chance to turn around and smash a fist into his face—it wasn't a killing blow, but it made Wreelx stumble.
"Boss, you're really hitting me!" Wreelx shouted, covering his face.
"Free-for-all! No boss!" Kurzadh grinned and charged again. He was small and agile, specializing in diving between the hobgoblins' legs, and whenever he saw an opportunity, he kicked their knees—hobgoblins had high centers of gravity, so one kick made them stagger. Kurzadh would then take the chance to push them sideways, and they would crash onto the ground with a "thud."
Dragu and Zaggur were tangled together, the two hobgoblins grabbing each other's hair and rolling on the ground, making it impossible to tell who was who.
Zaggur bit Dragu's arm, making Dragu yelp "Waagh" in pain.
He countered with a fist to Zaggur's back, sending him sprawling face down on the ground.
The goblins' melee was even more boisterous.
Scarface was the fiercest. He didn't mess around with other goblins, instead targeting hobgoblins—spotting a downed hobgoblin, he rushed over and stomped on his face, his short legs kicking rapidly, making the hobgoblin cry out "Waagh Waagh."
When a goblin tried to ambush him by grabbing him from behind, Scarface simply dropped onto his back, pinning the goblin underneath him. He then flipped over, pinned the attacker, and administered a swift, rattling beatdown.
Kurzadh watched while fighting, growing more surprised the longer he looked—Scarface was truly ruthless! He was already the best fighter among the older goblins, and now, for the sake of the roasted whole goat, he was pulling out all the stops. Not only did he beat up goblins, but he dared to provoke hobgoblins too.
Just now, he had even taken advantage of Dragu's distraction to bite his ankle, making Dragu jump up and curse.
Before long, quite a few greenskins had fallen on the field.
Some were beaten black and blue, squatting on the ground, afraid to move; others were knocked unconscious and slept soundly on the dirt; and the rest were also wounded, breathing heavily, but still flashing fierce light in their eyes.
After another round of fighting, only two individuals remained on the field—Kurzadh, and Scarface.
Kurzadh hadn't expected to face Scarface in the end.
He panted heavily, wiped the dirt from his face, and looked at Scarface opposite him—the goblin wasn't doing well either. One eye was swollen shut, and blood trickled from his mouth, yet he stood ramrod straight, clutching a small stone in his hand, his gaze bright, clear, and resolute, without a hint of fear.
The surrounding greenskins quieted down, all staring at the two goblin in the arena.
Dragu clutched his ankle, and Wreelx rubbed his face. No one spoke—who would have thought that the last ones standing wouldn't be hobgoblins, but two goblin?
"Scarface, not bad," Kurzadh smiled, flexing his wrists. "To fight until now, you're tough."
Scarface didn't speak, but simply stepped forward, adopting a fighting stance.
He had followed Kurzadh the longest and knew Kurzadh was powerful, but he didn't back down—he wanted the roasted whole goat, but even more, he wanted the boss to see that he wasn't just good at supervising; he could fight too.
"Then I won't hold back!" Kurzadh growled and charged forward.
Scarface charged as well. The two goblin crashed together, fists slamming into bodies, claws raking faces, and they rolled onto the ground, grappling.
Kurzadh tried his old trick, kicking at Scarface's leg, but Scarface grabbed his foot and pulled, sending Kurzadh crashing to the ground with a "thud." Scarface immediately pounced, trying to pin him down.
"Dream on!" Kurzadh rolled sideways, dodging Scarface's claws. He then flipped over, pinning Scarface underneath him, and hammered his shoulder with his fist.
Scarface didn't show weakness, ramming his head into Kurzadh's chest, which winded Kurzadh and made him release his grip.
The two goblin went back and forth, fighting for over a dozen rounds, both utterly exhausted.
Kurzadh's arms were covered in several bloody scratches, and a small piece of Scarface's ear had been torn off, yet neither fell. Both were gritting their teeth, determined to pin the other down.
The surrounding greenskins were panting just from watching. Dragu couldn't help but shout, "Go, boss!" Wreelx chimed in: "Go Scarface! Beat him up!"
Kurzadh looked at Scarface's bloodshot eyes and suddenly felt a surge of energy—this was his subordinate! Tough enough!
He abruptly retreated a step, then charged forward, slamming his shoulder into Scarface's chest.
Scarface couldn't dodge, was knocked back two steps, and his legs gave out, nearly sending him tumbling.
Kurzadh seized the opportunity, pounced, grabbed his shoulders, and pinned him down into a half-kneeling position.
"Do you yield?" Kurzadh asked, breathing heavily.
Scarface looked up at him, then glanced at the roasted goat already sizzling by the fire. He swallowed hard and slowly lowered his head—he couldn't fight anymore.
Kurzadh released his grip and sat heavily on the ground, gasping for breath. The surrounding greenskins paused, then erupted in cheers: "The boss won! The boss won!"
Kurzadh staggered to his feet. Just as he was about to shout, "Bring the roasted goat," a "Ding" sounded in his mind:
[Quest Complete! Congratulations on obtaining the Trait "Hard Bones"! Overall skeletal strength increased!]
Instantly, a warm current surged through his bones, feeling cozy and eliminating the soreness from the earlier fight.
He felt as if his arms had thickened slightly, his legs were stronger, and he even felt like he had grown a tiny bit taller—though still short, he was definitely sturdier than before!
He flexed his wrists and squeezed his fists. Hey, it really worked! Before, punching a stone would leave him hurting for a long time; now, it felt like if he punched one, the stone itself would crack.
"Boss! What's wrong?" Seeing him standing still, Dragu hurried over.
"Nothing!" Kurzadh grinned, pointing at the goats by the fire, "Roast those goats for me! Everyone gets meat tonight! Not just the winner, but everyone who participated!"
"Waaagh Waaagh! boss is awesome!" The greenskins grew even more excited, forgetting all the unpleasantness of the fight and swarming toward the bonfire.
Scarface also climbed up from the ground, limped over to Kurzadh, and squeaked twice with his head bowed—it seemed like an admission of defeat, yet also a sign of respect.
Kurzadh patted his shoulder—it felt much firmer now.
"Good job, you didn't disgrace me," he said with a smile. "I'll rip off a goat leg for you later!"
Scarface abruptly looked up, his eyes shining, and nodded vigorously.
Dragu was quick and skillful, soon placing the goats over the fire.
Fat dripped into the flames, sizzling loudly, and the aroma drifted far away. The greenskins gathered around the fire, watching eagerly. No one mentioned the fight anymore—in the eyes of greenskins , winning was glorious, and losing wasn't shameful, as long as they got meat to eat.
Kurzadh sat by the fire, looking at the golden-brown roasted meat and feeling his arm—"Hard Bones," this trait really wasn't bad.
He looked up at the statue of Gork and Mork. The skull in the statue's mouth gleamed in the firelight, as if smiling.
Tonight's fight wasn't for nothing, and this trait was well-earned.
If the Blackrock Clan was going to achieve great things in the future, he, as the boss, needed a sturdy physique.
"The goat meat is ready!" Dragu shouted, using a stone knife to cut the roasted goat into small pieces.
The greenskins immediately reached out their claws to grab pieces, one here, one there, eating until their mouths were slick with grease. The valley became lively again, with laughter and shouts blending together, warmer than the bonfire itself.
Kurzadh held half a goat leg and took a big bite—crispy on the outside, tender inside, and wonderfully fragrant.