In a strange world as a Doppelganger

Chapter 34 -Never a Boar

Arriving back in the goblin village there does seem to be some hustle and bustle going on. It's not a quiet settlement but there's a noticeable alertness about.

Thi leads the way toward the northern part of the village and on the way I nod, wave and greet some goblins I've come to recognize. Maybe I really should up and move here. I don't mind them but I also think it'd be hard to find peace and quiet if I did integrate into a society, no matter how small.

A group of maybe a dozen goblins are gathered near a small campfire by the outskirts. Most of them greet me, though I can't say I know them by name I do my best to give a greeting back.

"Okay it looks like that's all who will be joining us!" A goblin with a decently taken care of leather armor and pot helmet speaks up.
"Just to be clear, while boars might be straightforward and in some cases easy to trap don't expect them to go down without a fight."

"My dad got killed by a boar!" Someone says in the crowd and mixed gasps and laughs ring around the area.

"We know, it was yesterday! Most of all we need to spread out and also stick close to the swines. Don't give them room to build momentum or you'll get skewered." Some nods and murmurs come through as the speaker takes a breath.
"Now thanks to our new friend here we got access to some more magic than anticipated for this hunt and we are very appreciative of that. I don't know much about magic myself but it's damn useful that I know." Peoples eyes are drawn towards me and I try not to let my nervousness spill through.

"Now that we've gone over the plan, let's head out!"
The pack of goblins starts moving and looking them all over the equipment seems very ramshackle, handmade or like they might have just found it somewhere. Nothing is fitted or particularly well cared for.

It takes just over an hour before the scouting party returns to the main group with news of our prey. Only a few minutes out busy looking for food apparently. The leader calls out that it's a good a time as any and orders us to carefully approach while the scouts are going to take a long detour around help us pincer the boars.

My job is to be in the rear and use magic to incapacitate any creature I can. Our main goal isn't to outright slaughter all boars but to cull their numbers while also deter them from coming any closer to the village as they've been ruining what little farmland there is.

We get close and it takes not long before someone fucks up and the animals are alerted to our presence.
"Charge!" Yells the goblins and rush up from all directions.

It's over rather fast actually, the boars didn't stand a chance. We let some of the run away since they had some piglets but we struck down the bigger and more aggressive ones. At one point I had to stop one from goring another goblin and with a gout of water I smash the boar into a tree and stun it, leaving enough breathing room for a handful of goblins to regroup and come down on it with their daggers and clubs.

As the adrenaline settles and we gather around the four slain animals there is a little bit of a spectacle as one of the goblins suddenly let out a pulse of light from within themselves and they seem to grow a little taller and leaner. Everyone cheers and congratulates them. One of the scouts had apparently leveled up just then. Reaching level two it seems and gained a new ability. They could now more deftly move weapons from one hand to the other and draw and stow their weapons. A bit odd but Thi reassured me that it was quite normal to gain very particular skills when one levels up and since I have magical abilities I should be getting some really interesting ones.

We carried the dead boars back to camp and there was a really comfortable sense of belonging and morale is high. There's singing and cheering all the way and when we arrive the village greets us with even more celebrations.

Words of the successful skirmish travels fast and a large fire is started to cook one of the boars to feast upon. I definitely feel outside every now and then but Thi is sticking close and keeps reassuring me. It feels strange and nice to have someone keeping tabs on me.

While we eat I show off some magic tricks to those nearby, conjuring fire, ice and water in the palm of my hands, chilling people's drinks and cooking my vegetables on my plate. Being the center of attention can be a lovely feeling when it's intentional.

It doesn't take long before the goblins break out a cask of wine they had traded with some merchants. I'll make sure to ask more about that tomorrow, but for now we celebrate!

The next morning comes to and apparently I changed form at some point last night as I wake up with large webbed feet in a mucus covered bed. Urgh, what did we get up to?
I turn over and see a goblin sharing the bed with me. Huh, I have no memory of who this is. Closing my eyes and focusing I return to my original form while falling back asleep.