Chapter 18: Battle (7)

A goblin rushes in a fight and its opponent was a skeleton rank 2, Skellhell! Its combat capabilities cannot be compared to its rank 1!

Dominating!

Skellhell is scary just for one reason. It doesn't fear death! It attacks without taking consideration for any possible injuries.

And now, a goblin is fighting that skellhell or rather a group of three goblins!

Swishh.

The grass parts with the speed of the goblin's feet.

He opened its arms as if it was trying to hug the skellhell and he jumped towards the waist of his opponent.

Crack.

The grinding of bones and the breaking of it can be heard throughout the noise.

The skellhell tried to break free from the hug of the goblin.

He punched, he struggled and he bit but nothing could move the goblin.

As if to seal the deal, two shadows moved in from the corner of his non-existent eyes. The shadows moved fast, swift even.

Their movements showed that they had experience in hunting skeletons. They knew what to do.

One of the shadows threw something at the skull of the skeleton. When it neared, the shadow was removed and a fist was revealed!

Crack.

The Skellhell tried to dodge but he felt pain from the area of his chest. He felt his bones break. When he looked at what happened, he saw the other shadow. No, the other goblin strike at him.

Distracted by the pain, the fist quickly moved in like a snake and finished him off.

Wuuuu.

Instead of the noise brought forth by breaking bones, the whistling of the wind was more apparent.

One large goblin emerged from the shadows. He addressed the other goblins.

"Good work. You guys are getting much better."

They all looked towards the larger goblin and bowed their heads. This group contained the strongest warriors that could be found within the village right now, excluding the king. The Goblin High Didi and the Goblin High Karkas were the two pillars of this group.

The other member was from the first group that was guided by the king personally and now he will be rewarded for his efforts.

"Come forward." The larger goblin, the king spoke to them but only one of the goblins stepped up.

"From today, you shall be called Hig."

Hig gracefully accepted his name and swore loyalty in his heart.

"Yes, king!"

Even amongst the goblins, many of them sought individuality. When one looked through a village of goblins, one would find that almost all of them look alike. Whether it is a Clansman or Strayman, they wanted something that could be called theirs and that is what they call individuality.

There are two ways for one to have individuality in a community of a goblin. One is to be blessed by the battlefield. All goblins wanted to be recognized by the battlefield and to be given rewards in the form of rank up. The other is a name given by an influential figure in the village.

Now, Hig received his name from the king, the highest figure in the village! His comrades could clearly see his happiness through his eyes though if one wasn't a goblin, they could only see it as creepy.

The king then turned around and the three of them followed his broad back.

****

The population of the village got larger when the people of Karkas went to migrate to the village. Before the number of goblins was 34 but now it is 90 goblins, a number that can be a problem, in many ways.

Now, the king is facing a huge problem that never existed before. There is no space. There is not enough open area to create 'houses' to house the goblins. Of course, they could just sleep outside as they are monsters but that would mean endangering them.

Right now, every goblin is a precious member. The army of Raen was over 100 and they are only 90. One could feel the damage if their numbers were chipped even more.

This problem wasn't really felt before as many of the goblins were out hunting. Furthermore, they were alternating. The tired goblins will rest inside their 'house' while the rested will hunt.

With this kind of method, they couldn't possible feel that there is a problem with the space. Things changed when they suddenly rested by the order of the king. The place was filed with goblins! Even on the supposed to be roads, there were only goblins.

That is the reason why the king is quite troubled.

---What should I do...

The king is a goblin that was born in a secluded place. He didn't even experience seeing a goblin after his consciousness took place. He only saw a dead goblin that he ate due to his hunger at the moment.

There is no way he would know how to handle such problems. He knew things the moment he was born but he is not an omnipotent god that knows every little thing. At the very least, he only knew how to survive in the forest as a goblin.

Even if his instincts is making him feel proud at the fact that he is now a king, there is no use if he can't do his kingly duties well. One could call his pride as a double-edged sword. It acts as a motivation for him, lets him fight and do things well but if he fail even once, his pride would burst.

To him, to betray the expectations of his pride is an act equivalent to dying. That is why he didn't hesitate to ask for help from an experienced old goblin and a previous chief.

His pride might be a sin but one could not forget that his pride also sets his mind straight.

"Clearly, we can't fit in here anymore. What should we do?"

The king asked.

"Why don't we move, king? If we move in our village, we could get enough breathing space."

Karkas, the former village chief, spoke.

"We have incredible reproductive capabilities so we will be forced to move out from it however it is enough to just house us until Raen appears."

The knowledgeable Elder advised the king.

The two immediately gave their own ideas to the king.

When the king picked up their words, he knew that the gears finally settled. He felt that something spoke inside him as if to ascertain him. No, it was not his pride. It was the instinct of a goblin!

"I have a plan!"

****

The night wind was as chilly as one could possibly feel. In the midst of such a night, three men were talking amongst themselves.

They wore clothes so extravagant that a commoner could work in his entire life but he wouldn't be able to pay. One of the people decorated each of his fingers with an expensive jewel.

Other couldn't hide his belly fat through his expensive clothes. Not only is he fat but his pocket as well. No one could think of him as a mere commoner. Being fat is a luxury in the world.

The third member of the group and the one who brought them together wore simple clothes but the materials used to make such clothes were a monster so hard to kill thus making its price go higher.

Contrast to their expensive clothing, the room that was their meeting place was shabby. It didn't even have a magic stone to light the darkness but only a burning wood on the center of the table.

In such situation, the man who wore simple clothes spoke.

"This is the letter that I spoke to you about. The content is as what I told you."

The fat man replied.

"This is quite a big thing. Even if there are some risks…"

The person who decorated each of his fingers finished the fat man's words.

"It is not enough compared to the profits. Our safety will be guaranteed too."

"What will happen if they betray us? If we get ourselves entangled with them, not only our kingdom but also the church won't be able to stay quiet."

The man who wore simple clothes asked.

"Even if they won't be able to stay quiet, as long as our statement is consensus they won't even find out. We might suffer some damage in the meantime but it is nothing. The dangers of the forest are real."

The other two nodded their heads at the words of the fat man. Then the fat man continued his words.

"The problem will take place if they betray us. If they attacked seriously instead of getting in the way, we won't be able to control the situation."

"I doubt that. If they attacked in this kind of situation, the one who will suffer the most is them. I'm sure he wouldn't even think of going past that line."

"I agree. That settles it."

The three confirmed each other's expressions and spoke simultaneously.

"We will agree on this deal."

After reaching an agreement, they all left the shabby house and went on their way. At that moment, the one who wore simple clothes had a satisfied expression. He thought to himself.

'Will we be able to fool the eyes of the church?'

This man who had a satisfied expression was a duke of the Rosas kingdom. The pillar of the nation and a powerhouse, Duke Zembo!