Preparation

Chu held a meeting on the same night after the visitors departed.

In the workshop, everyone gathered around the boy sitting at the head of the table. Dyna had recalled her wolves, so as to flush out any stragglers left behind to spy. Currently, the beasts roamed around the farm in circles, sniffing and prowling. At the moment the wolves would serve as adequate sentries.

"How was the exchange. Did you have trouble?"

"No, no trouble at all. The price is fixed at 1 gold. The price might even begin to decline in the coming days. I left the pouch and the receipt with Amanda."

Jim replied. Almost everyone here already knew how the boy operated. Issues pertaining to money needed to be sorted out first. The old man continued

"Just for future reference, the garrison takes the left ear as proof. I also followed the Houses, Chong and I didn't find any trails from persons trying to double back towards the farm. With the exception of one guard who went to the village to alert the garrison about the goblins, the rest continued on the road to Karst."

Chu nodded.

He expected as much since everyone would want to hurry home before the winter so as to begin creating their new products. Since General Kettle visited the region, he knew the towns and nearby cities would not hesitate in shifting both soldiers and adventurers towards the forest.

Despite the impending face-off he might have in the future with the Wu Clan, Chu felt satisfied with the business transactions. He looked around at everyone, casting a wide smile. He really had to thank Fatty Tian for his hard work and assistance, when coming to the end.

The guy had a foul and direct mouth, but according to Master Roak, he actually did not bite. Chu preferred these kinds of people because they displayed their thoughts wide in the open for all to see. Even though the Fatty talked about forcefully acquiring inventions, he never once followed through with his threat.

If he was not an old hand. Chu might have missed the intention of the young man. Fatty Tian simply spoke out loud everyone's intentions, striking a blow to forceful or underhanded plans. Luckily Jill had opened a door for him through the Church. Not even a beggar on the street would dare to grab his plans.

"We accomplished our goals, but still have lots to do. The danger is still on us."

Chu held up his hand, making a space between his thumb and index finger.

"We are this close. This close to achieving our goal. Hard work, in the beginning, will pay off in the end."

He sat at the head of the table and drummed his fingers.

"I expect the goblins will soon mount a surprise attack on us. It's close to harvest, and a farm next to the forest makes an easy target. I want Halter and Bon concentrate on building at least two more multishots. Dareck, its time to install our secret weapon in the four towers. Toll, begin training everyone how to use it."

Chu continued

"Besides tending the fields, I want everyone either helping Bon or making arrows. Doug, set the traps out, and man those towers day and night. After that last wipeout, I am certain the goblins will return with a bigger group."

Chu turned to find Jim

"How goes the poison?"

"I need to make one trip into the forest tomorrow to find some scorpions. After that, we should be ready."

Chu nodded.

"Use that time tomorrow to grab as much as you can from the forest. We need wood for arrows and also for buckets."

He instructed.

If they encountered the goblins while in the forest, only death or serious injuries awaited them. Chu wanted to wrap up the work in the forest by tomorrow evening. During the few upcoming months, only when Lucy scouted the area first, would the lumberjacks enter.

"Boss, I don't mean to smother your fire, but finishing two, or even one of those multishots within a short time is well ah..."

Bon said while sitting up in the chair. The large weapon required a full month to manufacture and test. Chu waved his hands.

"No need, we need quantity not quality at the moment. The forest is next door, tomorrow let the lumberjacks grab as much wood as you like. Later I will introduce a concept called an assembly line, but if we have to work day and night, we need the multishots."

Chu said.

"Do you need us to help in defense, or will you leave us sleeping like that night?"

Mrs. Thomas asked. She like many on the farm had only learned of the goblin raid the following morning. Some of them had awoken during the night in fear when they heard the wails and screams.

"No, this time we will inform everyone. Next couple of days, we will practice some emergency drills."

Chu looked around at the worried faces.

"As long as we hold out until winter, the dangers should subside."

He comforted.

The next day Chu walked over to the lodges in the evening. Two huge wolves lay close by, resting in the shade of the building. These two lived within the forest for the entire visit, roaming around the lumber camp. These days they roamed around the farm.

Chu seated himself on a bench, listening to the snarling and high-pitched screams coming from within the secured lodge. Mr. Thomas, the usual sentries and the ones who hunted in the forest, soon joined him. Chu glanced at the bandages wrapping around Dyna's small arms.

"How is it? Have you checked it today?"

"It's already healed, just some scabs."

Dyna replied, flexing her fingers to prove her point. In the tousled fight to capture the goblin scout, she had gotten some wicked looking scrapes from its sharp little nails. If not for Amarok squashing on it with its huge paw, then her injuries might have been worse. Chu had made her swallow both a healing and an antidote potion the very same night.

Ever since the convoy to the Capital departed, this modified lodge had found a new tenant. It had also been the site of small skirmishes. He continued conversing while Miki and Rose stepped through its doors.

"For me, it didn't even move. I just had a good look at the pitiful thing curled whimpering in the corner before exiting."

Rugol said. His tall stature along with flowing long blond hair had his looking like a valiant northern fighter from Europe.

"Pitiful? That damn goblin tried to launch a sneak attack on me, the moment I turned my back."

Clod complained. His short height and loose clothes concealed the rippling body hidden underneath. When he went inside, as soon as he turned and made the first limp towards the exit, the goblin had rushed him. If not for Ming's warning, it might have ripped his throat from the leaping sneak attack.

Unfortunately for the goblin, Clod never forgot his humiliation in participating in the tavern brawls. He latched onto a nearby chair and swatted the approaching airborne goblin like a fly. If not for Chu keeping it alive, he might have beaten it to death.

"I think everyone who has been peeping inside during the confrontations should understand its nature by now. It operates between two extremes, a coward when facing an imposing enemy, and a ferocious creature against injured or weak looking opponents."

Chu remarked.

He himself had faced the goblin, and must admit it gave him the shivers. When his eyes had adjusted to the dim light, the goblin had disappeared in a scurrying noise. Chu remained in the center of the lodge, assuming a defensive stance holding onto the wooden practice sword. A soft tap from above alerted him.

Looking up, Chu locked onto eyes that emitted only malice and hate. With open eyes staring at him, the goblin moved slowly on the log roof, clinging onto the wood with short, pointed nails on both its hands and toes. All it missed was a dagger gripping between the yellowed teeth.

Pouncing onto the weak human, Chu and the goblin seemed evenly matched in both height and build. One had trained fluid swordsmanship and basic martial arts. The other fought with a blitz type attack, seeking to wound the opponent no matter the cost to itself.

If Chu had remained naïve in this world, this frightening attack, from an equally vile looking creature would have overwhelmed him. Fortunately, he had placed effort in training himself. Chu could safely say that this fifteen-year-old body could wipe the floor with his past self.

"How was it?"

He said on hearing the door slam shut.

"I think I could manage fighting one on one."

Rose said.

"Urggh, Chu, That thing looks too scary in the dark. Made me get goosebumps. For a little creature, it sure is cunning though."

Miki said, tossing a crude weapon made from the leg of a broken chair on the ground.

Chu first intention had been to try to communicate with the creature. Succeeding in that might have meant a literal breakthrough across the ages. Such thoughts crumpled, however, as the goblin seemed hell-bent on dispatching those who entered.

At least, for now, he had to place such plan on hold.

Jim went in last into the building and came out soon after.

"It works perfectly fine. Doug, help me bury the body."

For the next few days, the farm maintained a bustling atmosphere. Chu created and conducted drills while instructing Sakura to place pails of water near certain locations. Hammering and nailing echoed all over, as Halter and Bon kept busy.

Though they expected the goblins to attack, nobody felt the need to panic. Imagine how others would fare, not knowing about these ferocious creatures until too late.

***

Bob sat in a corner of the Jumping Buck, savoring a keg of ale. One of his foot rested on a chair, so as to ease its discomfort. Ever since nearly being made a cripple, his foot pained him during cold evenings. His previous mobility had returned, but like an old war injury, it acted up every now and again.

Having been caught by the boy in that outlying farm helped to open his eyes. As a member of the Thief's Guild, he had interacted with lots of people from different walks of life. A few had certainly seemed eccentric, but the boy walked on a different level. His ideas and suggestions were close to revolutionary.

The others had already left for the Capital, while he had remained to establish a small branch of the Guild in this rural town. The thing that amazed him the most, had been how the Guild had lacked foresight in certain matters.

Take for instance this town at the edge of the Empire. Nobody would waste their time in training and spending money out here. As a man of the Capital, the news here did not affect him in the cities, but he learned how ignorant he had been.

Merchants plied their trade, passing from north to south traveling on the western front of the Empire. News of excessive bandit raids, shortage of firewood, lumber, pelts, and even grain, trickled down to the Capital. He realized what the boy said, knowing this information beforehand turned to gold in the Capital.

He began to think that siding with the brat might be the best thing ever for the Thief's Guild. Bob chugged a mouthful, but then nearly sprayed it out, all over the empty table. The guard who strutted into the tavern, looked familiar, in fact too familiar.

"Oye, brother..."

As a man of the streets in the Capital, Bob had many informants and interacted with many nobles. Like a true thief, he understood the best source of information came from the mouths of guards and maids, especially the bed warmers. In a short time, he and this guard chatted and laughed merrily, as he ordered another jug.

***

An arrow pierced the wolf neck, silencing the whining sounds of agony.

Ten goblins crawled down the tree trunks like spiders, then jumped on the ground. They circled the large wolf riddled with arrows on the ground before pulling out crude, but sharp daggers. In the space of an hour, the large wolf had been butchered completely.

For nearly five days, little squads like these, constantly circled the forest near the farm, waiting and baiting the wolves that roamed the area. Today that patience bore fruit, as they finally killed one.

A small goblin struggled with the severed head, as the squad made its way to the rendezvous point, in preparation for tonight's raid. One could only imagine the face of Captain Gorl when they presented their kill.