12. Helping Our Neighbors

"Take all those with more serious injuries to the tavern, accommodate the others in the square and ask everyone available to divide into teams to prepare food, one group takes care of the utensils and prepare the fire, the other takes the provisions from the knights to make the food."

Gerard told the small group of onlookers who came to try to understand what was happening.

The story was something relatively common, a village taken over by a stronger group that invaded looking for profit and provisions. Even though it was common, it would still be enough for the villagers to help, many of those who lived in the neighboring village were relatives of those who lived here, cousins, childhood friends and often even brothers.

One difference they experienced was the type of invaders that appeared.

A group of goblins with iron weapons and armor. A group of armed goblins attacking villages and some smaller villages was not something out of the ordinary.

A group of goblins using iron weapons?

Difficult, but there are stories of goblins like that from solitary travelers or so-called "pathfinders".

Now, a group of goblins armed with iron weapons, strong enough to attack a large and prosperous village, almost turning into a city? And not just attack the outskirts but attack the entire village in a coordinated attack?

That was something much more difficult, if not impossible, to happen.

Strictly speaking, this happening was not impossible, what is impossible is the fact that they lost.

All the villagers, except those responsible for preparing food and bringing water, came to help those who could no longer stand. Sofi also sent 3 people to her cabin to bring her medications while she went to Gerard's house to get the bag she had left in Matt's room during the assessment.

Ivan, in turn, went to his hut to get the two wild boars he had kept in his "basement", in reality it was just a hole with packed earth to make it firm with space for two people at most, covered by a "door" ( huge wooden board).

"I... thank you... Mr. Ger—"

Before he could finish, the young man leading the group, Dan, passed out from his injuries. Barely avoiding hitting his head on the floor.

Gerard acted quickly and caught his almost son-in-law before that happened. Queliand, or just Dan, was the son of the chief of the neighboring village who they intended to ask for help against the goblins that threatened to appear, but it seems that fate likes to play cruel jokes with people.

Not only was the village closest to them but also the most prosperous in the region already facing danger, that same danger had the potential to spread to them as well.

There is a considerable difference between a village and a village in this kingdom, just as there would be a great difference between a village and a city. Mainly in the number of inhabitants and income that each one has.

Only this group that managed to get here numbered almost 200, if you count the infants and babies the number would easily exceed that.

Now in addition to the goblins that could appear, they would also have to take care of this huge group in a village that barely had room for 100 inhabitants, saying that everyone was in trouble would still be an understatement.

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"What should we do?"

Gerard asked no one in specific at the boss's house.

Everyone who was present remained silent, Ivan, Sofi, Agatha, Hannah, Matt (who refused to stay in bed and took a place at the meeting despite many protests from his parents), Gertrude who was in the place of her still passed out husband and Ogar, who acted as a representative of the new arrivals while Dan recovered after Sofi had tended to his wounds (Constance stayed with him in the room waiting for him to wake up).

"We are sorry to have appeared this way—"

"You have nothing to apologize for Ogar, we've known each other since we used scams, it's natural that we help you in this case. I'm just regretting the fact that so many bad things happen at the same time."

Gerard said in the friendliest tone he could manage, but it was still easy to notice the dark tone he couldn't hide. Not that anyone could blame him, they were all thinking the same things.

Where would everyone sleep?

Where would they get food for everyone?

Would those left behind be able to cope?

Would more come?

Would the goblins attacking the village come after them all the way to the village?

Lots of questions, all bad, all with no easy answers.

Ogar couldn't lift his head, he knew that the people of the village wouldn't just leave them to their fate like others would, just as they wouldn't leave them if it were the other way around. However, everything still boiled down to a game of numbers, even if the village had an excess of food, it would hardly be enough for 200 more, they could distribute it to those who needed it most, but how could they do this in a really fair way?

There was no way, just as there were no places to accommodate everyone, there were some empty huts that could accommodate up to 5 people but they were very few compared to the number of people.

If there was a good side, it would be the fact that the convoy managed to bring horses, oxen and cows, and even chickens with them, even if only a few. With them the need for food decreased a little.

Another positive point at least for Gerard was that no one known had been killed by goblins, at least not yet. This fact and the fact that he was somehow happy with the fact that most of those who died were strangers or foreigners left him disgusted with himself.

"Better if we don't this moralistic blame game, we don't have time for that now."

Ivan said, reading the obvious on his friend's face.

"The best thing we can do is continue with the original plan, repair the holes in the wall, create traps and obstacles and arm those who can fight. With their addition we can have better chances."

"Ivan doesn't think you're being too hasty, they came running from far away to get away from goblins and you want them to fight with goblins here?!"

Agatha said, part in disbelief, part anger.

"I know what you think about that. But being objective is the best thing to do."

He said impassively, but those who knew him well were able to notice a small choke in his throat, one of the only signs that showed how much Ivan himself hated saying that.

"You can rest assured Agatha, I will make sure everyone knows the situation, I guarantee that no one will create any confusion and we will help as much as we can."

Ogar said raising his head, with the firmest voice he could manage, he was determined to do just that, with Dan's father in the village with the militia to fight the goblins and with Dan himself recovering it was up to him to ensure that no one problem would happen and he was determined to do it.

"Other than that there is a positive point in this."

Sofi said after thinking carefully about everything that will happen.

"And what would it be?"

"The fact that the goblins that are attacking the village are not the same ones that we are going to face."

"And why would that be a good thing? or How would you be so sure?"

Hannah asked, not really understanding how this would be positive, it just meant that they would possibly have to deal with two groups of goblins, right?

"Mainly due to the shape of the marks left by the goblins on the plantation, those grooves were deep but uneven, typical of a stone tool. In goblin communities, the only ones allowed to use iron weapons are the commanders, soldiers and scouts, if that scout used stone tools so this tribe would not have anyone with iron weapons, other than the commanders."

Sofi explained.

"Therefore, if the goblins from the village also come here, they will certainly come into conflict with the goblins that will attack us here." The herbologist and healer said.

"Even members of the same tribe often don't get along with each other. A different tribe trying to steal a food source? They're likely to fight more fiercely against the other group of goblins than with us." She said with complete certainty.

With that, Ivan, Matt, Hannah and Gerard already had an idea of ​​how they could alleviate the danger for themselves and perhaps even indirectly help their neighbors' village.

But to do that they would have to count on extra help.