Kurt was getting dinner in the mess hall, and Susan had decided to have her meal with him as well, this wasn't too unusual but also not a daily thing for them.
"So what's going on?"
"Not much?"
Hank sat down next to the two.
"Actually Hank, I was hoping to introduce Susan to Carla, that should be doable now right, I kind of miss her."
"Absolutely, anytime. She does live in the caverns not the pillar, but sure," looking at Susan, "anytime."
"Is she deep in there?"
"Ohh I guess you have never been in the goblin cavern system, I can arrange a meeting, but mostly she is fairly deep. At least while the brood is young, she should emerge outside eventually, when she's ready. The brood cycle is what it is. But that should be soon, in fact maybe I'll talk to her about emerging with you two, she might like that."
"Emerging?"
"Well, the brood mother gives birth to all of us, and well, she deserves her time to do that. She raised me like all the others. I don't know much about humans, and your child seems not to grow. But we do. And most of the time Mother is out and lively, but during the period she takes care of the young, but there are very few young left. And the emerging is when she leaves and can come outside, it signals the entire brood is full grown."
"You goblins do have a lot of traditions, and rituals, I wonder about the murals on the wall her," said Susan.
"Ask a shaman the temple of a god, it is important, warriors are blessed with strength not knowledge."
"A god?" said Kurt.
"Are there no gods in your world?"
"I mean, sure we have religions."
"Then you understand that there are places to worship them?"
"Yes."
"This is one of those temples, or something, I'm not sure super old stuff apparently, like I said ask a shaman, we depend on their wisdom they depend on my arms," said Hank, making a big flex, then taking good care to start eating his meal then.
Kurt had always wondered about the murals on the wall, he thought they depicted something like that. But what is a god to these people, is it still around? Kurt felt something must have happened because the Pillar was in such disrepair for what seemed like a very long time before they were there. And he was still unable to read any of the words, if that's even what they were. He had just never found the time with his potion making and how important it became he only had so much focus and energy for mysterious carving on walls.
Hank had agreed to go figure out a meeting with Carla for the other two and would inform them when it was possible. And about a half an hour later he returned with the news that anytime would be good today.
The cavern system ran along the canyon with various openings for air and many times you could see goblins there from time to time as well, doing one thing or another. There was a hole that was near enough to the pillar that had a surround wall and tower structure. Simply a main entrance to what Kurt assumed to be a vast network by now. Susan had brought Robby as well for their meeting.
"We all actually don't need to go in, Mother Carla has decided to emerge to greet you actually, it is considered an honor, I will get her."
A few moments later a cloud of smoke bellowed in the cavern's entrance. And mother Carla emerged, she was much thinner than the last time Kurt had seen here. Instead of a bulbous slug like creature, Carla was more like an eel than a fat slug. That seemed to make sense a lot of goblins had come out of her in the last month.
"Sir Kurt," said another Carla, as she approached. "I see that you are well," looking over to Susan, widening her eyes, "is that a human child?" Carla smiled warmly.
"Yes, this is Robby," said Susan.
"I was here hoping to introduce you to the other mother we have here," said Kurt, "Mother Carla this is Susan, she has been helping to feed the goblins while you were, I'm sorry I don't know the proper term, busy."
"Yes I was nursing my brood."
"Ohh, yes," said Carla, "Robby here is only two months old."
"Two months? And it's still that small?"
"Ohh yes, I can see the goblins seem to go up…"
"Far too fast in my opinion, when they are little like yours there, that's the best part, so adorable and helpless, just the sweetest little things."
"So we should be seeing you more often then?" asked Kurt.
"Yes, my nursing period has stopped, the next phase of the cycle is rather uneventful for a time. This is actually an event to the Goblin me emerging from the caverns, or wherever the nursing stopping, it signals they could move the brood, that a new generation can begin training, and all of that. I don't want to bore you with all of our customs."
"It's a rather anticlimactic of an occasion," said Susan, looking around with little presence other than Hank and two shamans that were still swinging their incense around Mother Carla.
"Well it's not exactly announced, my emerging is done whenever I am ready, so a celebration couldn't really be expected for something no one knows about, I was ready and when Hank suggested I could meet you, I felt that it was time. It's more of an announcement."
Carla asked to hold Robby and Susan allowed her. They seemed to be getting along well with Kurt. He wasn't sure what to do as the introduction had been made, and so politely excused himself for the mothers to talk about how children differ from species to species. Susan had always seemed really accepting of the whole different species thing.