Chapter 8 - Changing Priorities

A warm light filtered through the forest, gently gracing Kazimir's face. The makeshift cot provided a comfortable warmth throughout the night and the wooden floor was able to prevent some of the glittering dew from chilling his body.

Kazimir got up and once again went through his morning regimen. The warmth and energy from meditation was much stronger in intensity this morning. Looking around the village, he saw the goblins that crowded the wooden foundation of his half-finished house. He started organizing his plans for this village.

Yesterday, he saw how these goblins dutifully followed his orders. They seemed to be opening up to him despite him being from a different race. Moreover, Obie was so grateful for being rescued that he swore to always follow Kaz and watch his back even while he barely clung to his consciousness. The weak hearted goblins did not have a culture of helping others if it meant they would face danger themselves. So the rescue mission yesterday was something not seen before and gave them a new feeling, a feeling of pride in themselves.

Kazimir appreciated the support he received; it wasn't something to be taken for granted since he was little more than a stranger to them. This showed the faith the goblins had it him and his abilities. He already made plans to use the goblins as his foothold in this world in the short-term, but after their performance yesterday and their dexterous craftsmanship with the little knowledge he shared, Kaz was rethinking their future. These goblins could become a real asset if he seriously developed them in the long term, and supported them in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Strength and physique were important, but so was intelligence and cleverness. Kazimir valued the latter qualities that were abundant in these goblins. He will properly train them up from here on, and make them believe in him so that he can rely on them.

Kaz walked to the cave to grab Obie, he greeted the quiet Josz. The hobgoblin let his displeasure be known the previous day and was still giving Kaz a cold attitude because Obie got captured and hurt.

"I know that you're upset about what happened to your nephew, and I must apologize. I underestimated the dangers in this forest. From now on I will greatly improve the strength of this village. Continue putting your trust in me and you will not be disappointed."

Josz frowned at Kazimir and wanted to say something, but Obie, having been woken up by Kazimir's words jumped in first.

"Uncle, I meen Elder, p-pleaze don't bee angry w-with Kaz. Hee covered for me, and then rescued mee when I gott captured. It was my mistake and he only helpedt." Obie pleaded, slowing his speech down and doing his best to pronounce Common as well as he could.

Josz assented to Obie, and his expression loosened. Even though he blamed Kaz for what happened to Obie in his heart, he knew that there was always going to be danger in the forest, so instead of staying angry, he made Kaz once again swear to protect Obie.

"I will not forget my promise to you, and I have already thought up plans to strengthen not just Obie, but the whole village as well." Kaz smiled confidently as he assented to Josz.

The duo exited the cave, and woke up the goblins that were still sleeping. Kazimir enthusiastically told Obie about his plans, and Obie shared his vision in excitement. Obie reaffirmed his high opinion of Kazimir, and reswore to himself that he would support this human in the future.

Once the entire village was awake, Kaz greeted them with a kind smile that hasn't been shown to them until now.

Unlike the preceding days, Kaz had the young goblin children gather as well to watch the demonstrations. With Obie acting as his assistant, he demonstrated how to cure the Rock Bear hide and gave instructions to turn it into leather.

The Rock Bear bones were extremely sturdy, Kaz figured that they were as strong as iron. With a lot of effort, and while actively guiding the goblins, they were able to shape the bones into useful shape: long needles, spear tips, and even blades were molded from the bones. The shoulder blades were turned into axe heads.

Kazimir requested a pair of swords to be made from the long straight legs bones to be crafted for him. He would affix them into a double sided sword that could be separated for dual wielding.

With the new knowledge of processing the bear carcass and the previous assignments, the entire goblin village was abuzz with frenzied activity. Observed from a distance, one would be able to see buildings constructed at a visible pace. Having gained experience with building the longhouse foundation and floor for Kaz, the goblins were moving even faster than the previous day.

While the adults were busy with construction and material gathering, Kaz had Obie gather up the children at one corner of the forest. He started their education by having them practice Common, while he himself polished up on his Goblin language. After an hour of basic language lessons, Kaz had the kids procure knives from their parents, as well as some flax string.

Leading them into the close parts of the forest, Kaz taught the young goblin children how to pick out wood for a bow. Next, showing how to carve the correct shape and the meaning behind each action, Kaz spent several hours with the group until they were able to make and string well working bows.

After a short break for lunch, Kaz taught the children how to make arrows. He also wanted them to try hard, saying that he will teach how to make an even better weapon to the five who are able to make the best bows and arrows after giving them two days of practice.

What followed was archery practice. The goblins weren't physically strong, so their best chance to survive was to fight in groups and to be smarter than their opponents. Several hours were spent in mock group combat before he gave them another break.

During the break, Kaz made sure that the village had enough food. Between the bear meat and other foodstuffs, he guessed they had at least 3 days' worth. Since he wasn't worried about hunting for now, the rest of the time until sunset was spent on teaching the children martial arts: breathing, hand to hand combat, group tactics, and most importantly: how to move around and hide in the forest. The goblin children were ecstatic. Normally young goblins wouldn't receive much attention from adults, and all the exercises seemed like a fun new game for them to play.

After night fell, Kaz dismissed everyone except Obie to prepare dinner. Taking Obie into the forest, he gave him a more detailed lesson on what the kids learned, while throwing in higher level concepts like anatomy and silent footwork. He also had Obie start thinking about what weapon he would like to be trained in, as a dagger would not be the best weapon against the larger Kobolds.

The smell of roasted meat and smoke from the cooking fire drifted over to reminded them about dinner. When the two could no longer stand the grumbling of their stomachs, they called it a day. They could hear the sizzling and crackling of the oil dripping into the fire as they got close. Joining everyone else in the feast, they stuffed their bellies with the delicious bear roast.

The mealtime was passed in laughter, the goblin children were excitedly telling their parents about training and showing off their new weapons. Adult goblins were also interested in the bows and several asked Kaz to explain the design. Kazimir was only happy that the adults showed interest in the weapon and happily obliged.

After dinner, Kazimir made his way to his now-finished wooden house. The goblins finished its construction during his second break, but this was the first time he stepped inside. All the hide being given away, he improvised a mattress with a plant filled hemp blanket.

Kazimir and Obie asked Josz to join them indoors, but the old Hobgoblin refused their offer. They built a fire to keep him warm, and gave him a thick hemp blanket made by one of the goblins earlier today. He said the cave was his home and he would be uncomfortable sleeping somewhere else.

Kazimir was thankful that on this night, he would sleep under a roof. The goblins' construction skills were improving as they worked. They completed the longhouse walls and roof very quickly. The only thing missing was to put in a door but leaning wood planks against the doorway worked for now. There were even a few small cabins in half-finished states around the village besides the large longhouse, and every goblin would have their own dwelling soon.

He took in the fragrance of hay and flowers from his bed as he relaxed. Tomorrow would be another exciting day.