The Goblin Nation - 95 A Different Way Of Life

“Would you mind telling us how you got here?” Mari asked Artio.

“I was part of a mercenary company called Hawkwoods. We were hired by one of the dark elf kingdoms during their war of succession. I assume you guys known it, considering you guys live above them.” Everyone nodded, “Anyway, it started out pretty good. We were making profits, and the battles, hard-fought as they were, did not take too much from us. But the good things didn’t last long. It started getting really bad when the Black Crows, another mercenary company, joined the war. They are known to be brutal and often raided civilian homes and villages. Thre are even rumors that they capture civilians and turn them into slaves if the ransom money can’t be paid. We left when they joined. Most mercenaries will leave when they see them on the battlefield. We can’t risk being associated with a group as vile as they were.”

Artio cleared her throat, “So my company left. We had to go through a maze-like cavern before we could reach the surface. That’s when things got worst. A swarm perytons were also fleeing the war, and lo and behold; our captain happened to run into them. During the battle, a cave-in happened. It was probably due to the runoff from the melting snow above us. That cave-in separated me from my team. The water carried me, but I don’t remember much of it because I hit my head on a rock. Next thing I know, I woke on the creek in the middle of the forest with a little goblin staring at me behind the bushes. And I don’t think I need to tell you who was staring at me like a creep.” Artio laughed.

“I didn’t mean to stare,” Cossack said while scratching the back of his head, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Um, sorry, but what is a mercenary company, and what did you do in it?” Shuja asked.

“We are just soldiers for hire. Most of them were pikemen. Good, they were fighting the perytons inside a cramped cave. I, however, am a marksman, more specifically an archer.”

Shuja’s eyes sparkled, “Were you the best archer in your company?”

“Were I!” Artio yelled, “Of course, I was the best archer.” Artio tossed her cup into the air, and it landed on Sun’s sword, fitting its pommel inside the cup.

“Woah,” Everyone said in unison.

“That’s right. I can defeat ten enemies at once, with only one arrow and,” Artio stopped when her nose began to twitched. It seemed that Cossack’s exaggerated lies and stories were rubbing on her. “Anyway, that’s not important.”

“Could you teach me?” Shuja sat next to her.

“Pardon?”

“What got you interested in learning archery?” Sun asked.

“I’ve always been good at it, and after watching Smoke fight, I feel motivated. Plus, all this talk about Kas and whatnot got me thinking. Will I be able to learn it? Can I awaken my Kas?” Shuja’s eyes began to gleam, “Will it be alright if you teach me some of your moves? At least until you fully recover, please?”

Artio found this female goblin’s sincerity strange after what Violin informed her of the northern goblins’ savagery. But it is a welcome surprise, and she learned that even those that lie could be kind. “Alright, I’ll teach you my style.”

Shuja could not contain her excitement and hugged Artio while squealing like a little girl. Everyone was surprised by this, but Sun found Shuja’s sudden interest in learning new things to be a good thing for her growth. In addition to that, Shuja would be too preoccupied with her training to train the legions, who find her high standards and cold persona to be irritating and downright bullying. It saves Sun the trouble in reprimanding Shuja for being too harsh on them, although Sun would miss the chance to see Shuja’s darker side.

After chatting for another few minutes, Violin had to get everyone out of the room to tend with the mob waiting at the center of the village. Shuja chose to stay behind to ask her more questions about archery.

On the way, Sun saw the large meadows surrounding the town. The land was not barren like Lev. There were wooden poles laid out in the field marking small plots of land. “Violin, what are those for?” Sun asked.

“We are going to grow yams and beets. Some grain too.”

“You guys, farm? Flute, why don’t we do that?”

“Our dirt isn’t fertile enough to grow them.” Flute answered, “We can grow some vegetables, but it was easier to hunt and gather. As well as raid the outside settlements. If we can grow vegetables, that would be great.”

“But your people did not care for the land, and you ended up destroying it,” Violin commented, “Sun, I don’t wish to be rude, but I hope you’re nothing like her father and ignore the land we live of off. Destroying its fertility.”

“Sun is nothing like my father.” Flute growled at Violin, ready to attack her if not for Mari holding onto her arm.

“I hope so,”

Sun walked awkwardly between the two women, unable to intervene due to the heavy surrounding them. To keep his mind occupied, Sun wondered how large their army must be. Unlike Lev, this tribe had the potential to store a large surplus to feed a large number of specialized soldiers. But there is still the problem of winter, and the small plot of lands scattered in the meadow was not enough to grow large quantities of extra food to be stored for later. That problem was solved immediately when they reached the square.

A large structure sat in the middle of the town. It’s metal frames held together with the glass walls and ceiling and kept the building from falling inward. A giant tree could be seen growing inside through the glass. Sun saw this type of building before, in his memories as a human child watching tv learning about crops from around the world. It was a large greenhouse with a triangle roof and stone brick as foundations, supporting the metal frame above it. And it was large enough to grow an absurd amount of food during the winter months. How it keeps the internal temperatures warm is a mystery to Sun, but he guessed it is similar to his fire spell.

“Wow,” Mari was staring at the large glass structure with the same gleaming eyes that Shuja possessed when she was pestering Artio. Sun giggled, knowing that his mother was as curious as he was when it came to the greenhouse. But before they could explore the inner workings of the building, Sun had to address the tribe.

In front of the greenhouse, the entrance was a large stage set up by the Razin tribesmen. Despite the short deadline, they managed to build an impressive structure. That’s because most of the men were skilled carpenters, able to build and fix anything, provided they had the tools. The men in Lev were too busy hunting to learn such skills, with Cloud and a few of his followers being the only exceptions.

Smoke was already there standing by the stage, waiting for his brothers. “Smoke!” They waved at him.

“Took you guys long enough!”

Mari and Flute left the group and met up with Dawn, Natasha, Cyrus, and the caretakers watching on the sidelines. The brothers took the stage along with Violin and Cossack. “So what do we do? What do we say?” Rock asked.

“Do as the Romans,” Sun replied.

“Huh?”

Once on stage, Violin took the chance to speak before the brothers, introducing them to the tribe. Razin tribe did not utter a word, while Lev’s goblins were cheering as loud as they could when Violin mentioned the brother’s name. “Alright, calm down, everyone!” Violin yelled.

Sun walked up to Violin, “Just wait.”

Sun stood in front of the crowd with his sword resting his hip. He stood there silently while being surrounded by the noise. Eventually, that noise died down once the Lev goblins saw their Chief waiting quietly without even touching his sword. Not a single movement from his arm nor a word came out from his lips. He just stared at the audience. And this quiet demeanor caught everyone’s attention. Finally, their mouths stopped making any noise as they wait for their Chief to speak.

“Today is a great day. The sun is shining, the weather is good, and the snow is no longer here, making our days horribly cold. And not only that, today is even greater because our tribe has grown stronger!” Sun yelled, and the goblins followed in his example by cheering their loudest cheer yet. And again, Sun waited for them to finish. After a few seconds of intense screaming, the goblins stopped.

“Our numbers have increased, and our strength doubled. But the day isn’t over yet. First off, I am not officially the Chief of Razin, because I did not fight in the duel. That title goes to my brother, Smoke!” Smoke walked next to Sun’s side, holding the Krepkiy Club. The Lev goblins cheered on for Smoke while the Razin stared in contempt, but this did not last long. “This does not mean we are rivals. We are brothers, after all. Instead, our partnership is more of an alliance that is thicker than blood. And together, we can weather any storms and overcome any giant. And fighting with us is our Lev’s new tribesman, Cossack, who will be joining our ranks as leading commander in our forces!” This news took the Razin by surprise, and their eyes traveled to Cossack. The goblins from Lev were too preoccupied in their acclamation for Cossack to realize that he was the former Chief of Razin.

Once they calmed themselves, Sun continued his address, “And there’s more. Razin’s customs are very different. I can tell that they have more hidden behind their walls. At first, I thought they were cowering behind them, but those walls were merely protecting their most valuable treasures, their way of life. My goblins, my people! We survived the months of winter. We stood our ground against the trolls that invading our homes, and we managed to achieve with was thought to be impossible. To find our new home, and to start a fresh new life, we went through the dark hellish cave, and we made it out alive. And we did it all because of me and my brothers, is that right? Or am I wrong?”

“Who killed the Timber Wolves that fed you?” He yelled at them.

“Chief and brothers!” They answered back.

“Who killed the trolls when Cala hid in his burrow? Who was your light inside the darkness? Who won today’s duel?”

“You!”

“Then are you willing to follow us one more time? Are willing to follow my lead? Am I your Chief?”

“Yes, Sun is Chief, Sun is Chief,” They chanted.

“Then follow my command. Do as the Razins!”

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