Chapter 30

The workers had done really well in the short amount of time they had. It camp was expanded and the buildings were designed to give the whole place a primitive and wild feel. The huts were more like dens and could hold many goblins. This place would do well for Kane's goblins but the human guards and trainers who had to stay here would most likely hate it. Kane would make sure to reward them for their sacrifices.

The majority of the goblins have moved in and Kane made sure to get them straight to work. Whether that work is training them to fight and use better weapons or having them breed and produce little goblins. It was a very busy camp and different kinds of noises could be heard. Most not very pleasant.

Kane decided to leave and meet up with the scouts he sent to the Kobold camp and mine. He also sent a group to go to more villages. He ordered them to not only focus on goblins and hobgoblins this time but also on other tribes. As long as they were not as strong as Kane's men then they could try and recruit them into his forces. Kane hoped they would be able to subdue some trolls or gnomes. Both had their uses. Kane wanted to also get some more wargs and he hoped his men would find more soon. If not wargs it would be interesting to get some other beasts to raise. Ones that could help hunt, fight, carry, and so on.

Kane and his guards met up with the group of scouts a few miles from the kobolds territory. They looked a bit tired and messy but besides that, they seemed fine. There did not look to be any casualties.

"Sir we have scouted the area and it seems that it won't be hard to take the mine. It might also be possible to get them on our side" said one of the scouts. Kane nodded for him to continue. "The kobolds have not occupied the mine and their village is just outside it. They do not seem to want to go in it. They even made a wall in between the deep part of the mine and the place they have their village. We think there is something that they are afraid of there. Their forces seem to number around 230 and we could easily take them as the front of the mine is where they build their village and the walls could easily be destroyed. We won't be able to use cavalry though and I suggest we bring a lot of people with bows."

Kane digested the information and thanked the scouts. He sent them back to the kingdom to get their much-deserved rest. He also sent a guard to rally his troops. He would get together a group of 300 to march on the Kobolds. He wanted them to be afraid and submit to him. They would have nowhere to run and Kane had a feeling that he may not even need to fight them. Well, he hoped. Kobolds could be useful and he did not want to get into another big battle right away. He needed the mine though as it would help his kingdom immensely. He would make camp outside their village and have his men set up there. He wanted the kobolds to fear him and lose their will to fight. He would also be starving them at the same time. Kane then road off to the mine to await his men.

A few hours had passed and several things had happened. He and his army had arrived which scared the kobolds. They dug into their village and didn't even send a scout. Occasionally they would throw a spear at his men but that was it. His men had built a camp to surround the village and lit many fires and made a lot of noise to make it seem like Kane had more men. He would also have his men shoot fire arrows and the village every so often to keep the creatures on their feet. All in all, it seems like Kane would not have to do much before the kobolds would surrender.

Kane decided to weaken their defenses. He would wait for night and sneak away from the camp with some other men. They would light the walls on fire. Kane could chaos and weaken their defenses this way. Kane also commanded his men to hunt some game and cook them to make the Kobolds hungry. With all this Kane hoped they would give up hope by dawn.

He snuck to the bottom of the wall with some crusaders that he chose. They all had oil and started to pour it all along the walls. Some men at camp started to shoot arrows as a distraction so the guards would not notice Kane and the others. Once the wall was all nice and oily Kane started to throw fireballs at it. Flames immediately engulfed the wall and his men back at camp also started to shoot fire arrows at it. The kobolds started to scream and run about. Some threw spears but not much else was done.

All that was left of the wall in the morning was ash. Kane and his men marched up to the village where the kobold awaited them. Their faces were full of fear and resignation.