ALL NOVEL Chapter 8
The gobbs all climbed down the vines, using the elevator shaft’s ladders too. We descended into darkness, and I pulled up my anti-magic helmet again to help me see. Nozzle’s eyes glinted in the dark, and I saw his tribe members’ eyes do the same. It made sense they could see in the dark, the gobbs had called Storage home for thousands of years. The next level was darkened, but the gobbs swarmed into it regardless.
The tunnel was covered in racks of storage containers and had no external lighting. The roots of the vines extended down into the storage racks, and I watched as the gobbs with free hands began gnawing through the hard wood structures. They broke off lengths of the roots and started spreading out between the racks.
BuyMort pods floated in and out of the tunnel, in the dozens. Anytime they approached a container, the door would automatically slide open for the pod, then close behind it once the pod was finished warping away whatever item it had been sent for.
Each storage container was the size of a small building, and the section was filled with thousands of them. Tiny indicator lamps twinkled from between racks of them, providing just enough light for my helmet to enhance and show me the entire scene.
Gobbs waited patiently for BuyMort pods to arrive, jumping and clambering to the containers they opened, and then jamming the roots into the open doors. Once a door was wedged open they swarmed inside. When the gobbs returned from the recesses, they carried various materials and items with them.
Reams of heavy tarpaulin cloth, lengths of wood, tent poles, rebar, even simple sheet metal. Anything they could carry by hand. They also hauled out boxes and bags of food. One tossed a small bag up to Nozzle on their way past, and he opened it to reveal a series of instant noodle soups.
SwiftNoodleExpress: A Meal in Minutes!
On the go and need a quick meal? Try out our instant noodle soups. Small, easy to cook, and easy on the morties, our noodles are the perfect solution to almost any situation!
Simple to Prepare:
Open the Bag: Each bag contains a delicious assortment of noodle soups.
Add Hot Water: Just pour in hot water, stir, and watch the magic happen.
Enjoy: In minutes, you'll have a hot, flavorful meal ready to enjoy!
Perfect for:
Busy professionals
Mercenaries
Refugees
Return BuyMort Customers!
Why Choose Our Instant Noodle Soups?
Variety of Flavors: From classic chicken to spicy yarsp, there's something for every taste.
Quick & Easy: Ready in minutes with just hot water.
Portable & Convenient: Lightweight bags make it easy to carry anywhere.
Don't let a busy schedule keep you from a satisfying meal. With our Instant Noodle Soups, delicious nourishment is always within reach. Try them today and taste the convenience!
Order Now and Never Go Hungry!
1990 morties, 3.2 stars.
Nozzle tossed one to me and tore open a package to crunch on himself. I chuckled and did the same. The noodles were bland 3.2 star fare, flavorless without their packet, and excessively crunchy. But it put something in my stomach, so I didn’t complain.
I simply moved to help the gobbs with their load. A trio of them were struggling to carry a long metal flagpole, so I swooped in and took it for them. The gobbs chattered happily and scattered to find other materials and goods to carry instead.
By the time the small horde of them was clambering down the roots and ladders again, they were fully loaded. The last gobbs out of the storage racks knocked the root wedges free and the doors slid shut behind them. Each of them kicked or hauled the severed chunks of root off the edges of their platforms and tossed them into the clustered growth at the bottom of the tunnel. Covering their presence in the storage racks, making it harder for slavers to track their movements.
A small handful of the gobbs carried other gobbs, but most of them had materials and food. The industrious little green men hauled their loads with one arm and climbed with the other, their wiry muscles popping from the effort.
Nozzle had his spider web up a particularly large batch of wooden beams, and the cyborg beast carefully clambered down the elevator shaft with its load dangling below. The next level was abandoned, its long tunnels open and free of structures. The foliage grew tall, reaching up to the windows at the top where murky light flowed in.
My troop of gobbs marched through the tunnel, moving in the opposite direction they had come from. Nozzle and Babyeater marched behind them, guarding the rear and dragging the spider’s load of building materials along behind. Anytime it got snagged on something, the cyber-spider would simply lift the webbed bundle and carry it under its many limbs.
They marched for hours. I hovered along at the rear with Nozzle, and though we didn’t speak, I gained further insight into his people during the long march. The gobbs passed through dozens of tunnel intersections, walking through the rest of the day with their burdens.
We eventually dropped down to the bottom habitable level of Storage, into a swampy tunnel filled with overgrown ferns and murky sunlight. The star’s light reached the bottom of Storage’s levels, but it was dimmed by the thick atmosphere of the gas giant itself.
“Why down here?” I asked Nozzle, as his people began setting up rudimentary shelters.
He looked over at me and narrowed his eyes momentarily. Then he shrugged. “We alternate. Sometimes, if we live up high, the raiders miss us. They lazy, don’t check every tunnel every time. But . . .” he looked around and kicked his spider into movement. “Down here is usually safer. More bugs to hunt too.”
I followed him as he moved away from his tribe, patrolling the tunnel length as they spread out to populate the area. Small fires were started and food was cooked, while structures started to rise from the murky undergrowth.
Some gobbs worked to cut vines and grasses, quickly twisting them to form rudimentary rope. Tents rose quickly, as the industrious gobbs strung tarps and layered oversized fronds across their structural supports.
Nozzle ranged. We covered the four tunnels that joined his tribe’s new home, and then did the same on the level above before he declared it safe. I followed and watched, leaving the gobb to his work. He checked insect warrens and overgrown patches, having his spider pick through the growth to ensure there were no dangerous BuyMort bugs lurking.
Once he was finished, he turned to look at me again. I hovered by his side, anti-magic helmet in place to help me see more clearly. I had marked a handful of the large insects that roamed Storage with fairy fire and watched them closely. All of the creatures gave Babyeater a wide berth.
“What you do now?” Nozzle asked me.
I took a deep breath and shrugged. “I’m not sure. I need to figure out what to do with my affiliate. Though, I guess it's not actually mine anymore.”
“What happened?” Nozzle asked idly. His attention was on his spider’s claw, which had punched through a moose-thick millipede hiding in the loam. Babyeater was hunting. The millipede curled up around the impaling limb and struggled briefly before stilling. Nozzle’s giant spider rapidly webbed it up for transport.
After watching the macabre event, I shook my head and addressed Nozzle. “I, uh . . . left for a while. An old employee betrayed me, and I got stuck in a distant system for a long time.”
“How long?” Nozzle asked, focused on the millipede. “Sometimes I have to leave my tribe for a while. Always come back though.”
“And I bet they welcome you back when you do, huh?” I asked, staring at the mounted gobb.
He nodded, hefting his rifle. “Always. Tribe is family.”
“Yeah, I used to think that about my affiliate,” I replied. “Now though, I’m not so sure. It’s changed. I was gone a long time.”
“Tribe changes all the time,” Nozzle said. “They still tribe.”
I looked at the gobb to see him staring back at me. “What is your role in this tribe, exactly?” I asked. “I haven’t met many gobb warriors like you.”
“Not warrior,” Nozzle corrected. “Ranger. Babyeater and I keep the tribe safe, much as we can.”
“And they equip you with the spoils of what they can steal from BuyMort,” I added.
The gobb nodded. “Babyeater gets hurt, they help fix him. Give me weapons when I lose them. We help feed them too, this bug make a good meal. Feed many of my tribe. You can have some too.”
I smiled from the corner of my mouth. “Thank you Nozzle. May I stay with your tribe for a little while?”
The gobb ranger nodded, eagerly. “You help us fight, hunt?”
“Of course. I can fly, so I’ll check the tunnels and make sure your tribe is safe from raiders,” I told him.
“Then you stay as long as you like,” he replied.