After being led quite a ways through different tunnels and different off-shoots, they finally reached the end. The little Goblin took off back into the tunnel.

“What a sight!” They stood on the northern shore of Glacier Lake. Its blue water reflected the stars in the sky. It butted up to the base of the mountain, but there was enough room to walk. “Water hole must have just meant opening by the lake. I’m glad too. I was worried we were going to have to swim to get out.”

Ivan shook his head. “I can’t believe you trusted them like you did. Just glad it didn’t backfire on us. Let’s follow the shore of the lake bypassing the forest and get away from here. We should be able to see the camp’s fires burning from there.” He dusted himself off and started walking.

“Agreed. Lucky.” Monty added.

John sighed. “Perhaps. But it was a chance worth taking. I think it’ll pay off in the long run. Four loaves of bread for a bag of iron! We’re gonna make out like bandits!” John said excitedly rubbing his hands together.

“Not worried about money, but if it helps us grow, so be it,” Ivan said, continuing to walk.

“I’m not either. But yea, it’s really going to help if we can trade it to Innsbruck or Woodhaven for stuff we need.” John jogged to catch up to Ivan. “By the way, did you notice all the tunnels we passed? I didn’t realize we had gone this far back east. I tried my best to keep track with my drawings, but they aren’t even close to scale. I honestly didn’t know which way we were going most of the time. I think it took us through extra tunnels to confuse us. You know what that means right?”

“Yes, I do. That there’s bound to be exits in the forest or north of our future village. And that’s what I plan to do tomorrow, scout them all out. Monty and I will be busy for a couple days. I want to guarantee they can’t sneak up on us by finding as many exits as possible. I don’t care how much you trust ‘em. I don’t. Now that they know we’re here, they’re going to be watching us.” Ivan said his piece and continued on.

I didn’t think he’d be so upset with me. Maybe not upset, disappointed? Worried about what may happen? All of the above? Guess I can’t blame him. Still. I think it’ll be ok. I just have to make sure of it. That’s all. They continued in silence until they rounded the forest and came in sight of the fires in the camp far in the distance.

“Thank god,” Monty said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Ivan just turned to look at them and continued on.

When they got closer, John saw someone standing on a wagon. The person pointed their direction then jumped off. Soon, nearly everyone except the kids were running their direction.

“We’ve been so worried!” Marie said, running up to Ivan, slapping him. He flinched. Then she hugged him tight. “What happened? How did you end up over here?”

“It’s a long story. Really.” John tried to smile reassuringly. “In the morning, I promise to tell everyone in the camp what happened. I promise. We’re fine. Just exhausted. Please, everyone, let’s go back to camp. And in the morning, I will tell you everything. It’s important and affects us all.” John walked through the crowd of people, keeping on a confident face. I’ll have to do my best to convince them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John awoke early. He wanted to check the progress of the dwellings before explaining to the villagers. He stretched, donned his clothes, and stepped out of the wagon.

Nearly everyone was waiting for him, eating breakfast. Eech. Wasn’t expecting them all to be up yet. He walked to the table to get some breakfast. He sat down in an open chair. “Good morning everyone,” he said with a mouth full of food. People nodded and waved back to him. They don’t seem too mad at us, me. He ate, noticing more than one person glancing at him. I could be wrong.

When he was finished, he cleaned his plate and stood in front of the group of people. “I think almost everyone is here. I didn’t expect to do this so early. I was hoping to check on the progress of the dwellings,” he said smiling. No one reacted. “A-hem, well, where to begin.” John started his story.

He talked about the empty room they’d found, the large cavern, the shiny rocks, and the blocked path. He added that no one had been there in many years. Then he stopped and looked at Ivan whose face held firm.

“Then, we heard a noise coming from a passage out of the cavern. I went to investigate, and well, I,” he paused, nervous. “There’s no easy way to say this. And so I continued on and encountered some Goblins.” Several people gasped. One of the men stood, angry.

“You should have told us last night,” one hollered.

“It’s not safe here!” a woman said, her voice shaking.

“I can’t believe this! We came all this way just to die!” another man said angrily. More voices started to chime in in agreement.

Ivan stood and glared at each person. The voices quieted. “Now just hold on. John did not lead any of us to our death. How do you think we got out? Hmm? And not injured? It’s not the end of the story. Hear him out. It’s the least you can do. You’ve trusted him so far. So calm down, quit yappin’, and listen.” He gestured to John. “John, continue.” He sat back down.

Breathing a sigh of relief at his friend’s interruption, he started again. “Thanks Ivan.” Ivan nodded. “He’s right. It’s not the end of the story, so please let me continue. I promise that I think it’s a happy ending.” He waited for any disruptions. There were none. “After I encountered them,” he went on, leaving the part out about them knocking him out, “they left me standing there stunned. I think they actually accused me of stealing a glowing moss they were collecting and then left. I’m not sure on that point, about the stealing. Anyway, as I stood there dumbfounded, Ivan and Monty joined me. Together we followed them back to their warren.”

He got a mug and filled it with water. “We watched them for a short time hidden in a recess in a wall. Eventually a big Goblin came out, the chieftain, and ordered them to look for us.” A few people became restless in their chairs. “They searched and found us hiding, and we decided to confront them. To fight them if need be. Instead, we were surprised. The chieftain, Vrichik by the way, only wanted us to leave. They didn’t attack. They didn’t threaten us. We couldn’t believe it. I was stupefied. It was the opposite of everything we knew about them. Two of them came forward with a bags full of the moss. They wanted us to take it and leave. A gift.” He stopped, letting it sink in. Some of the faces showed weariness, some skepticism.

“I see some of your faces. You don’t believe me.” He pointed to Ivan. “If you would Ivan.” His friend grabbed a sack from beside a wagon wheel and dumped it in front of John for all to see. “Glowing moss. Hard to see here in the light, but it glows. They gave it to us. I know that doesn’t prove anything, but maybe this will. Monty, the other sack please.” This time Monty walked forward with a sack hoisted over his shoulder. He dumped the contents next to the moss. Again, gasps rose up from the villagers, but they weren’t like before.

“Iron. Hard rocks as they called it. After I realized they weren’t hostile towards us, I decided to take a chance. I offered a trade. I gave them bread. They wanted to give us more moss.” He picked some up, crumbling it up in his fingers. “I asked instead for something else, showing them my sword. Vrichick, the chieftain, knew what I meant and that’s when they brought out the sack of ore.” Two of the men had gotten up and picked up pieces while John talked. “They are willing to trade a sack of ore for four loaves of bread. Vrichick said there were a lot of hard rocks around.” He stopped for a moment and looked at everyone’s faces, particularly Stanley who looked somewhat displeased.

John continued. “I didn’t want to scare you with this last night. Do you understand? You would have acted without thinking. I had your best interests at heart. I knew today I’d be able to tell you what happened without too many bruises.” John tried to joke. No one laughed. He took a deep breath. “I did what I thought was right.” He walked amongst the people. “I’m a fighter at heart, and everything in it told me that Goblins are evil, vile creatures. But what kind of person would I be, would any of us be, to attack those who meant us no harm? I knew they didn’t want to fight us. I could feel it in my bones. So I did what I thought best for our community. Look around you.” He motioned in a circle. “We have fields upon fields where we can grow wheat. But how many of you would want to mine in the mountains, hmm?”

“Not me,” said a little boy, drawing a few smiles.

“Me either. And if they’re willing to trade for a few loaves of bread? So be it. We come out on top, by far. We can use it and trade it with towns to our east. We’ll be able to afford everything we’ll ever need!” John was excited again, nearly shouting, with a smile on his face.

Ivan again stood and walked to the middle of the group. “I’m going to be honest with you all, and John knows it. I don’t trust them completely, but I’ve never seen anything like it. They didn’t attack. They waited for us. From everything we’ve been told and seen, we should have been torn to bits! But here we are! Like I just said, I don’t trust them completely, but I trust John. I’ve known him a long time, and he’s never done me wrong. What do we have to lose?” He sat, finished with his speech.

This time, Drew stepped forward, surprising John, who he smiled at. “John saved me, maybe two weeks ago? I’ve lost track of time. He could have left me in the woods where he found me, without food, scared. He didn’t. He helped me get to Innsbruck, invited me on his journey, and helped me find training to better myself. You may not owe it to him, but I do. I trust him with my life. If he says this is a good thing for us, then it is.” Drew plopped in his chair, tears in his eyes.

John nodded his thanks to him and walked towards Marek and his family. “I told you I’d do my best to build a community here and to keep you safe. And I will. We will, together.” He shook Marek’s hand. “Please trust in me to do so. I won’t fail you. I want this more than anything. This isn’t a set back. No. It’s an opportunity, and a good one. I really believe that.” John motioned to Ivan and Monty. “But I’m also not stupid, and neither are my friends. Today and the next couple days they plan to scout the mountain and woods to our north and east looking for entrances to the cave system. If they decide to betray us, we will be ready.” John waited for a moment before continuing. “So, friends, who is with me? Who will continue on this journey together?” For a moment, no one said anything.

“We are,” Marek said, stepping forward, arms around his family.

“As am I,” added Bethany, smiling at John.

One by one, family and friends stepped forward. John’s smile became wider and wider.

“Thank you,” John said, choking up. “Thank you.” Bethany hugged him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone had dispersed from the meeting and breakfast and went about their day. John still caught glances from people the rest of the morning, but he didn’t take it too poorly. He knew they would be uneasy for a while with his decision. He had a mission though. He was motivated today to get at least one dwelling done, so he ventured over to the build site.

“Um. What is that?” he asked, as he looked at the house. That is not what I had planned. What’s going on? He searched for Vin, finding him in the second dwelling that was going up. “Vin, what happened?” John pointed to the other dwelling. “That’s not wood.”

“Yea, I was waiting for you to come over. We had a small problem yesterday as the day progressed.” He finished sawing the board and turned to talk to John. “So, you and I, we may have grossly miscalculated how much lumber we would need for the homes.” He opened his notepad. “Even taking the wagons apart, which is still a good idea, “he said, appeasing John, “we will still be way short on lumber. It’s just taking too much, that’s with not even finishing the interior walls. Drew and I did some measuring, and to still live comfortably, and I say that liberally, we figured we could make the homes smaller. Instead of 25 feet square, we will make them 20 feet square. Most people just need somewhere to sleep and put their belongings anyway.” John looked at Vin’s notes.

“So, I get that. Mistakes happen. We knew there would have to be sacrifices. But what’s with the walls? They’re stone.” John ran his fingers across one.

“Well, I talked with Virgil who was here leveling the ground. He said he had an idea to help save time and lumber. With a wave of his hand, and muttering a spell, he made walls grow perpendicular to the floor. In just a few minutes, he had a wall that was three meters tall, half a food thick, and a foot wide. I was astounded. He said he and Saul could do a whole house in half a day. We’d just need to cut windows and doors. I tried to push it over and it didn’t budge. I was sold that instant and so was Drew who I had called over. So we took down the framed walls we put up and began on the other homes while Virgil and Saul worked on the walls.” He pushed on the wall as hard as he could to demonstrate to John. It didn’t move.

“Wow. As if they hadn’t impressed me enough,” he said, thinking of Virgil and Saul. “Speaking of Drew, have you seen him this morning?”

“Yes. They almost completed the pens yesterday. I think they’re finishing up today. They lost some time when I had to call him over here for advice.” He pointed in the distance towards the forest. “Are you ok with this? After doing the math, we figured we’d actually have enough wood now to finish all four dwellings but not the interior walls for them. We’re going to make the roofs flatter too. Every little bit will help.” Vin looked pleased.

“Absolutely. Continue. I’ll try to stop by later to help, lay flooring, roofing, whatever’s needed. Thanks, Vin. Tell Virgil I owe him, again.” John clapped him on the shoulder and headed to the animal pens.

To the east, he could see that a small area had been cleared of the tall grass. Looks like they’re moving ahead with planting. The sooner the better. Looks like there’s a small dock on the lake already too. Gramps moved fast, John chuckled to himself, waving as he passed people. Suddenly, there was a man in his path. John stopped abruptly.

“A word, if you please,” Stanley said, still displeased.

Ugh. I was hoping this would happen later. “How can I help you?” John politely asked.

“I think you know,” Stanley replied, annoyed. “We came out here in the hopes of finding untapped lodes. For all we knew, there was nothing here. And now, without talking to me, you offered to trade with the Goblins for their ore. My ore!”

“Excuse me, but it’s not your ore. If anything, it’s my ore. I claimed this land. Not you. And you should remember that,” John said, irritated beyond belief. “Yes, you volunteered to come here, and I understand perfectly why. Untold wealth. Right?” John took a step closer to him. “Well, guess what. There wasn’t nothing here. Goblins were here and already mining it. And I wasn’t about to attack them and take what they had when they showed no intention of attacking us!” John was getting louder. “So here’s the deal. Find another area to mine or work with me. I never said we weren’t going to mine it. You assumed that.” Stanley looked slighted.

“I-I..” Stanley muttered.

“You what?” John sighed, calming himself. “I still need your help Stanley. I’m sorry for shouting, but you assumed the worst of me. I know nothing of mining. You do.” John took a step back out of Stanley’s space. “This is my plan and it involves you. I will talk to the Goblins when we trade in nine more days. There’s a collapsed tunnel the opposite direction of their cavern and beyond it, there is bound to be more ore. I will make a deal that it will be off limits to them.” John thought about it. “Honestly, I don’t think they even know it’s there. There were no tracks found near the entrance. But still, I don’t want them to think we are stealing from them. They were here first. I’ll even allow you to deal with them yourself, if you’re willing, but only when it comes to what you find. Not on what they already have mined and agreed to with me.” John added, “you may be able to hire some of them to help you mine what you find.”

Stanley’s ears perked up at that. “Hmm. Hmm. Perhaps I was too rash. Perhaps this venture of ours will still work to my favor.” He rubbed his chin. “I will think on this and talk to Steven. Good day.” He quickly turned and marched to the camp.

“Hey,” John yelled after him, causing him to turn around. “Remember, for a while, everyone contributes to the camp, no pay. We are building you a home you know, free of charge.”

“Yes yes, I understand.” Stanley turned and scurried away.

“He’s going to be a problem,” John muttered to himself. “While I'm thinking of it, City Status. Expand Trade.”

Trade Status

Import

Export

Gray Mountain Goblin Tribe: Current

Iron ore, amount: Varies, bagged

Bread, amount. Four Loaves

“That is awesome! I have to tell Drew!” John ran over to the pens where Drew was digging a hole for a post.

“Three more to go guys! Then we’re done! Finally!” Light, half-hearted cheering was heard at Drew’s comment. John watched Drew wipe the sweat from his forehead. He’s really working hard. I hope he’s making gains. I know he’ll be disappointed if not.

“Hi Drew. How’s it going here? Looks like you’re almost finished. Good job.” John surveyed the area as he spoke.

“Thanks. Yea. Last few posts are going in now, then a little more fencing.” He pointed to the left. “Over there, Bert, Cale, and I built some chicken coops. I had to bribe Cale by helping him build a small dock, but it was worth it.” It was early, but Drew looked tired.

“Not to sound, um, motherly, but I’m proud of you Drew. Keep it up.” John was happy for his friend.

“Thanks again. All this hard work is paying off. A point in vitality and one in strength. I met my goal.” Drew was smiling wide. “A little later than I hoped, but I’m still happy.”

“Great!” John replied. “What’s next here?”

“A stable. We have a lot of horses and other animals that need sheltering too. Vin said he’d come help us get started once he gets the final floor down for the dwellings.” Drew wiped his hands on his pants. “It won’t be pretty, but it’ll get the job done. What about you?”

“I’m going to help Vin with the dwellings. Maybe he can come over here quick and get you started with me helping there. Then, I’m not sure. Ivan and Monty are scouting up north. I haven’t seen many people, so I’m guessing they’re all out doing their own things. Which I’m glad. I was worried they’d bug me all day about the Goblins,” John said, relieved. “Damn! I almost forgot,” drawing a concerned look on Drew’s face. “Nothing big. Check out the trade menu later if you get time. The agreement with the Goblins is there!”

“Seriously? I’ll check when I’m done. And don’t worry about everyone. They’ll be fine.” Drew chugged some water. “Ok enough chatting. I have work to do. Thanks for checking in. I appreciate it.” Drew smiled again and made to dig another hole.

Hmm at this rate, he may just outdo me! John thought to himself. Nah. Soon, I’ve got to get him out hunting, get some experience. Then I can ask him about home. Soon though, not now. Now he just needs to grow. John walked back to the building site.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vin was finishing up the flooring for the last group of homes they’d be building. The stone walls were up now on two homes, and Saul was working on a third. Virgil was nowhere to be seen.

Probably taking a break. I don’t blame him. I keep forgetting he’s in his 70s. John watched as Jenifer handed shingles to Dragi. The first group of homes was nearly done, just needing part of its roof. I’m going to call them apartments. It’ll draw a few looks, but that’s what they are. He looked again at the pair working. They really work well together, those two. About the same age if I remember. Wonder if there’s something going on there. Not my business! he chuckled to himself. John walked over to Vin and began feeding him pieces of lumber to lay for the flooring. In short order, they had laid the final piece.

“Done. But we don’t have a whole lot of lumber left. You’ll need to get those wagons taken apart for the last to be done. No one’s going to have finished walls inside for a while, but eh, they’ll be fine. Hang a sheet I’ll tell ‘em.” Vin wiped sweat off his brow.

“I’ll get to that today. Take a break. You’ve earned it. Really. I never would have thought we’d be this far along three days in.” John looked at the four future apartments and smiled.

“Sure, sure. I don’t have to stay as close anymore. Dragi there,” Vin pointed up to the roof, “he didn’t have a job. Now he does. He’s a carpenter now as well. He said he loves doing it. So now we have three. If we can get a stonemason, we’d be all set.”

"Some of the guards will be leaving soon. I'll inquire about one. If not, in three or so weeks when we send a group back to Innsbruck, I’ll see who we can rustle up.” John shook his hand. “Looks like I’m not actually needed here, so I’ll go unload and take apart the wagons. Awesome job, really!” Vin waved him away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John spent the entire rest of the evening taking apart the wagons and trying to organize the loads for Bethany to inventory. She walked by several times but never stopped. I’m sure she just sees a headache, he laughed. I wouldn’t want to do this either, but we need to know what we have. Especially the food. He stopped, back hurting, and looked around. He’d only finished three wagons. But he immediately saw a problem with what he’d done. Their eastern makeshift defenses were gone. Crap. I gotta stop making all these decisions myself. I’m messing up. John was disappointed with himself.

“We need to start some sort of defense structure anyway,” he said to himself. “It’s been quiet, but ya never know. Maybe once Saul and Virgil finish with the homes the next couple days, they can begin building a small one. Yea that’s it.” He took a drink of water and poured the rest over his head. “It’s getting warmer. So many things to do. I need to make a list.” He stopped. “Oh right. I have one, I’ll add to it, because I haven’t done those things yet either.” John sighed. “Tomorrow. I’ll worry about it tomorrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As darkness settled, everyone was returning to the camp. Luckily no one said anything about the opening in their defenses. John had been worried they’d be angry that he made another decision without them. He continued to write in his notepad things that needed done.

Sawmill. Do we have enough wood to build it? Maybe stone again? Somewhere to store our food and wares, underground? Defense structure, wall? Tower? Talk to Virgil Find out which combat classes don't have a job. Maybe they’ll take one Start asking for help. Form a council? Finish taking apart wagons, do inventory Bread for trading. Finish apartments

He sighed again, putting the pencil down.

“What’s wrong John?” Ivan asked, standing next to him.

“I’m happy with how things are going, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like I’m making some bad decisions. The Goblins, the wagons,” he said, pointing over his shoulder. “I need help. And I haven’t asked for it. I hope we don’t pay for that.”

“You’re doing fine. Someone has to make the decisions. They’re not always going to be easy to make, but I know you. You will do what is best for us here.” Ivan pointed at the opening. “Shelter or defense? I woulda chosen shelter too. We’re no pushovers here. We can fight. Trade with the Goblins? After spending the day with Monty, talking to him, I think you made the right call on that too.” He sat down next to John. “May as well tell ya how the day went.” He grabbed John’s notepad and began to draw a rough sketch of the area. “We found a cave entrance here and one here.” He drew a hole in the mountain directly to their north and one on the mountain side of the woods. “We didn’t go in. That’s the plan tomorrow. See how far they go.”

John looked at his friend. “Thanks for your help. Let me know if you want anyone else to go with you tomorrow. We do have a couple other combat classes here.”

“We’ll be fine. You just worry about this right now, getting things built. Talk to Drew. You know he’s willing to help. Don’t do it all yourself.” Ivan ate the food he’d brought over. “He’s a good kid too. I see how hard he’s working.”

“No kidding. He’s making more progress than I did in the beginning. Once we get a little more built, or maybe to take a break, I plan on taking him hunting. Get him some experience you know?” John stole a piece of meat from Ivan’s plate. “He told me he doesn’t want to fight if he doesn’t have to, but he needs to be able to defend himself. We also talked the other night, and I’ve basically put him in charge of building here. Now I just need to let go of the reins and let him do it.”

“Do it boy. It’ll be better for ya.” Ivan lifted his plate and scraped the last bits of food in his mouth. “Let him handle it. He seems smart and willing to do the work.”

“I will. I will.” John stood. “I hate to cut the conversation short, but I’m exhausted and have a lot to do tomorrow. Good luck if I don’t see you before you leave.” Ivan nodded to John. He went to his wagon to sleep.