It took them a while to iron out all the details. In the end, Thomas would serve as the overall commander, Steve would continue to be in charge of crafting, the two Franks would advise on military matters. Any important matters would be voted on by a council, composed of the people in charge of various aspects, like foraging, scouting and, etc. Any new group of adequate size that joined them would also receive a council seat.

They briefly discussed implementing some sort of currency but concluded that it wasn't needed just yet, and perhaps Settlements would introduce something to keep track of everyone’s contribution. In the meantime, everyone would have to contribute what they could, in exchange for food and equipment. Rare items like potions would be given on an as-needed basis.

Steve informed them that the smaller group agreed to join them, while the larger group of Asian businessmen would make their decision in the morning. Seeing how it would take these groups about ten hours to get here, Thomas felt tomorrow would be best spent on drilling combat tactics and familiarizing the two groups with each other.

They got to talking about tactics and specializations, and Frank had to admit that Thomas had a much better approach to it than the Marshall. Instead of letting everyone do as they wished, with limited cooperation between teams, Thomas had divided everyone into four groups of about forty. The first one was armed with rectangular shields and swords, forming the frontline. Behind them were spearmen, aiding the shield bearers in delivering damage. The third group was formed of ranged attackers. Originally they used sharpened sticks as javelins, though by now most had switched to magic or bows. The last group consisted of healers. Since they fought as a single unit, pretty much everyone was in range of at least twenty healers, making it impossible for monsters to kill anyone, unless it was done in a single hit.

It was simple and effective, so long as they didn’t get flanked. It also explained why they didn’t want to face the minotaurs. The large, powerful monsters could just barrel their way through the two front lines and slaughter the mages and healers. Not that Frank thought they would do any better. Fighting a monster with troll-like strength and goblin-like reflexes would be troublesome no matter how one looked at it.

The moon was already up by the time they parted ways. Steve and Frank returned to the base, while Thomas and Baj went back to their group, since they had already set up a camp for the night, and there wasn’t enough space in the base for them. Frank felt quite drained and fell asleep without even looking at his skills.

He woke up a good hour later than usual and discovered that most of his group was already gone, save for Amy and Stuart. And they call me a training maniac, Frank chuckled in amusement. He opened his Profile and looked through his skills – he had made significant progress yesterday, mostly from focusing on the lower-level skills like Dash, and Stone Skin. His fire experiment also paid dividends, Heat Resistance went up by 14, Pain Tolerance by 9, and Unshakable Focus by a whopping 17. Altogether he had 152 GP to spend.

Damn, still short a few dozen, he thought, as he eyed the Leading the Pack grid, which was at 50/250. He added 150 GP to the grid, then spent the 15 attribute points on Focus, which added 45 D and R mana regeneration per hour. From now on, all the points will go into combat stats, he promised.

He made his way to the usual training place, where most of the group was already practicing. He was tempted to use the fire method to quickly get the needed GP but decided against it. The reward is probably great, but I need to prepare for our attack tomorrow, he thought. I should get it today anyway.

He joined Kim and the two began to drill the attack combinations from yesterday, mixed with some duels. The fights made a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of Kim’s stat distribution. Not only was she faster, but her high Perception made it simple to read his moves, while the high Dexterity added a degree of nimbleness to her attacks and dodges, that Frank had trouble anticipating. By the time they stopped to get breakfast, he had resolved to up those attributes, in lieu of Strength.

Upon their return to the base, Frank was informed that the group of Asian businessmen decided to join them as well, bolstering their forces by another seventy people. After breakfast, Thomas and his group came over and began to settle in. They would need a much larger base to house everyone, but that was a worry for later. In the meantime, Frank and Baj got busy organizing mock battles to get both groups used to the other’s fighting style. When the scouts’ reports arrived in late afternoon, the two joined Thomas and Steve in planning the details of the attack. They then returned to the mock battles, now organizing them in a way similar to what they expected from the battle.

Things only got busier when the two new groups joined them, reminding Frank of why he didn’t want a leadership position. The day ended without him getting any more combat training, though he did use his skills so his resources wouldn’t go to waste. In the end, he only managed to scrape together 29 GP, leaving him nearly 20 short.

Should've checked on my skills earlier, if I switched to Arcane Bolt I could probably get enough GP, Frank thought dejectedly as he climbed into his sleeping bag. Skills became harder to increase the higher level they were, Lightning Bolt, in particular, was barely moving, now that its level was in the fifties. Three thousand D mana for 3 lousy levels?! He fumed. I feel sorry for the normal mages, who lack my regeneration.

He was hoping to do some training in the morning, but when he woke up he had to join the other leaders in getting everyone organized, distributing potions and armor, making sure everyone had enough food and water. He could only sigh in regret, as it became obvious he wouldn’t get to finish the Leading the Pack grid before their attack commenced.

Once everyone was ready, they left the base, the large group of nearly four hundred people stretched into a long column as they made their way toward the goblin Monster Ground. The goblins seemed to have recovered to their original number of three hundred, but it didn’t matter. Eliminating the ones at the mine, and the patrol group would reduce the enemy numbers by about one hundred. More if they sent out a rescue party. Then, they would crush the goblins’ base, obtain the Settlement Token, and found their Settlement.

Four hours later they arrived at their destination. It took another thirty minutes to get everyone in position. Their forces were split into three – one group would assault the mine, another would ambush the patrolling goblins when they rushed toward the mine, the last and biggest group would take care of any reinforcements sent from the base.

Frank found himself in the second group, acting as the leader. His people were positioned on both sides of the trail, which had been widened into an actual road to make an ambush less effective. It didn’t matter, unlike their previous attempt, this time the humans would outnumber monsters two to one. They didn’t need a surprise attack to win with such odds.

His attention was on the Battle Group Chat, where Thomas was giving a countdown.

“They have begun! Get ready,” he whispered to those nearby.

Soon, they heard the sound of rushing feet, a bit later the group of running goblins came into view. Frank’s fingers danced on the grip of his weapon as his anticipation built. They let the goblins reach their position, before launching an attack.

Frank lept from behind a tree and shot several Lightning Bolts into the mass of monsters, before advancing. Archers and Mages pelted the goblins with ranged attacks from both sides, quickly reducing their numbers before the melee fighters joined the fray.

Dash brought Frank to the nearest goblin, though he didn’t incorporate an attack into the movement skill, weary of the feedback damage. Instead, he lunged at the monster with a deliberately slow attack. When the monster moved its weapon to block, the saber in Frank’s hand sped up, switching from a stab to the stomach into a downward slash at the chest. He drew blood. More attacks followed. The monster tried its best to persevere but was soon overwhelmed by the onslaught. Frank caught a glimpse of Kim dodging an attack and sinking her dagger into the goblin’s neck, on his right, and Clay’s club sending a goblin’s mangled body flying, on his left.

He finished his target and looked around: most of the goblins had fallen, with only their level 45 leader putting up a fight. The monster was slain before Frank could make his way over. The battle was over in less than a minute.

“Loot them. We'll move in a minute,” Frank shouted and sent a Chat message about their victory.

Checking the Chat, he saw that the mine was taken without casualties as well. The only concern was that no reinforcements came from the base, despite there being plenty of commotion inside.

“Move out!” Frank shouted again after the allotted time.

The group made their way up the road, toward the Monster Ground. A few minutes later they reached the ambush point and joined the main group. Frank walked over to Steve, Baj, and Thomas.

“No reinforcements, huh?” He asked, waving to the men.

“The goblins appear smarter than we thought. Given the number of humans they saw in the two attacks, they probably felt it best to focus on defending their base,” Thomas said.

“Then, what do we do now?”

“We’ll have to attack the base head-on,” Thomas offered with a half-smile.

“The entrances to the base are pretty narrow, we won’t be able to rely on our numbers,” Frank mused.

“We’ll use a few powerful groups to break in, then the rest can join without getting stuck at the entrance,” Baj said. “My guys, and your group,” he continued, seeing Frank open his mouth to ask a question.

“Good, I barely got to do anything during the ambush,” Frank said with a smile.

“Don’t get careless, even with all the healers, it’s still possible to die,” Steve warned him.

“You don’t have to tell me. The base has two entrances, do we each take one?” Frank asked.

“No. Your group doesn’t have the numbers to do so alone, and my group could use some help as well,” Baj shook his head.

A few minutes later, Chon Jong-Su, a Korean man acting as the leader of the Asian businessmen, joined them. After bringing him up to speed, everyone began to move again. They traversed the forest until they were at the very edge, the goblins’ base looming just a hundred feet ahead.

Thomas gave the signal, and everyone rushed out of the forest, forming into a semi-circle – the two ends held most of their forces, and would assault the entrances, while the rest would try to distract the goblins by attempting to climb over the wall. It was only seven feet high, so climbing it wasn’t difficult, but would leave them vulnerable to attacks.

As they approached the base, goblins popped up above the wall and launched a volley of attacks. The attacking humans responded in kind, as the two sides began to trade spells and projectiles. Climbing the wall was out, but the goblins were distracted all the same.

Over a hundred people rushed one of the entrances, Frank and Baj along with their groups among them. The goblins had used two thick tree trunks stacked on top of each other, to block the entrance, the impromptu barrier was nearly five feet high. Goblins could be seen hiding behind the trees, while further into the base more goblins stood at the ready.

Baj’s group rushed the barrier first. There were a total of nine members, two of each: healers, mages, shield tanks, and sword fighters, the last member was a scout. The scout and the two sword fighters got up to the trees and pulled out three rectangular shields, using them to form a step next to the barrier. The two tanks – defensive fighters with high Constitution, clad in chain armor, and even helmets, advanced. They used the shield-step to leap on top of the tree trunk, before jumping into the base and wreaking havoc.

The two mages began to fling spells at the goblins, using the barrier for cover. They were joined by the scout a moment later, while the two sword fighters joined the fray behind the tanks. Baj’s group succeeded in creating chaos, and it was Frank's turn to join the battle.

Once at the barrier, he propped himself up on his arms, then swung his leg on top of the tree trunk, before rolling over to the other side. I got to boost my Dexterity, he thought absentmindedly as he watched Kim propel herself over the obstacle with ease. Frank took in their surroundings, as the rest of the group arrived.

Baj’s group was pushing goblins back on the left side, his group needed to do the same on the right side. They also needed to do something about the barrier, it wasn’t much, but the obstacle definitely slowed down the flow of humans into the base.

“Clay, move the trees out of the way! Everyone, cover him!” Frank bellowed.

He stepped forward to meet the goblins who were trying to reclaim their position. They needed to clear some space fast, so Frank decided to use Lightning Bolt to stun his target, rather than rely on his combat ability to get the victory. He cast the spell and followed it up with a slash, embedding his blade into the monster’s head. Yanking the weapon back, Frank was forced to retreat as another goblin lunged at him from the side, while the one he wounded was pulled back, replaced by a fresh monster.

Frank lifted his hand and cast Lightning Bolt again. Shocked, he watched the goblin dodge it and lunge at him. His mind snapped back in time for him to block the attack. Interesting, Frank thought and smiled, let’s see how you deal with this. He lifted his hand and pretended to cast a spell, causing the goblin to jump to the side. His lips parted into a smile, as lunged at the monster while its footing was compromised. A flick of his wrist redirected the arc of the swing, bypassing the monster’s attempt to block and drawing blood. He managed to score a second hit before another goblin forced him on the defensive.

The new opponent used an axe and a shield, proving a difficult nut for Frank to crack. He was trying to think of a way to get past the monster’s defenses when he saw something flying toward him and ducked instinctively. An arrow sailed over his head, but his maneuver left him in a bad position. The goblin seized its opportunity, swinging the small axe in its hand at Frank’s head. Frank managed to bring up his saber in an awkward block, but the goblin followed the attack with a shield punch – the edge of the shield slammed into Frank’s face and sent him reeling. Before he could recover, the goblin buried its axe in Frank’s stomach.

Frank stumbled backward and nearly fell to his knees. He managed to stay on his feet by using his weapon as a cane, to prop himself up. The goblin was upon him before he could recover, its axe whistling through the air. Frank leaned away and fell on his back to avoid the attack. He retaliated with Lightning Bolt before the goblin could move its shield to block the spell. He began to get up when an arrow hit him in the chest, a moment later a saucer-sized rock smashed into the side of his head, nearly sending him spinning as he fell again.

He would’ve probably passed out, if it wasn’t for Struggler, the ability would keep him conscious so long as his HP was above zero. Laying on his stomach, Frank propped himself up and spit out a mouthful of blood and broken teeth. He couldn’t see out of his right eye, nor could he feel that side of his face. Probing around his mouth with his tongue sent tendrils of pain into his mind. Thank God for the System fully healing all damage, or I’d have one heck of a disfigured face, he thought.

He sensed the goblin approach and activated Stone Skin, before turning his head to glare at the monster. An axe impacted his back, some of the damage coming through despite the defensive skill. The Goblin raised his weapon preparing to deliver another strike when an icicle pierced into its chest. It groaned in pain, but steadied itself and swung the axe downward.

Before the attack could reach him, Kim appeared beside the monster and sunk her sword into its belly while the dagger in her other hand pierced the back of the monster’s neck. The monster fell, and Kim returned to her foes. Someone grabbed Frank by his armpits and dragged him back toward the healers, while someone else took his place.

Clay and others had removed one of the trees blocking the entrance, and a steady stream of humans began to flow into the base. They overwhelmed the goblins defending this entrance, causing some of the goblins at the other entrance to rush over, as well as drawing the attention of the monsters manning the wall. An intense battle unfolded before Frank, as he waited for his injuries to recover.

He let out a coughing laugh upon seeing Baj’s group at work. They were actually using modified SWAT tactics: a shield tank at the front, followed by a mage close behind, a swordsman brought up the rear. Using the tank for cover, the mage would take potshots at approaching goblins, the tank would then use a hook to drag the stunned goblin behind himself and into the waiting arms of the sword fighter. Safe and efficient, they pushed their way through the goblins and toward the center of the base. Frank’s view got blocked as more people entered the base.

By the time he recovered and rejoined the action, a fierce battle was taking place in the center of the base. Baj’s group, Frank’s group, and a whole bunch of other people were being pushed back by a bunch of goblins being led by the Monster Ground’s Boss.

Young Goblin Commander (Boss), Level 55

The description read when Frank focused on the leader. Dressed in light chain armor, it wielded a two-handed sword. The air flowed strangely around it, distorting like a current in the water. The Boss swung its sword in a downward slash, sending an arc of what Frank thought was wind flying forward. People tried to dodge the wind arc, but it moved too quickly, slicing through everything in its way before dissipating around twenty yards away from the goblin.

Frank scowled when he saw the attack. The description for his Phantom Strike did mention that it had the worst range of all similar skills, but to think it was actually ten times worse. Granted, it had no cooldown and perhaps the wind skill did, but Frank couldn’t help feeling jealous. If I had an attack like that, a thought flashed through his head, before he snapped back to the present.

“Keep the other goblins away! Frank’s group, with me! Let’s finish this!” Baj shouted.