“Hey Kite, why are you here?”

Lance yells from across the slums.

“Ah, I was just finishing up some stuff here. What's up with you?”

Lance is with a group of people. Wait I recognize everyone except for one person.

“Hey Leaf how's it going? I guess we met a little earlier then my fifteenth birthday.”

I joke. Leafs face turns red.

“Kattie how's it going, haven't seen you in awhile.”

She looks frustrated. I ask her a question.

“Whats wrong?”

She looks up defeated, almost crying and says.

“We missed the healer that was fixing peoples injuries. Leon might never be an adventurer again.”

…I don't even say anything. I just walk over and cast regenerate his knee. I can see the bone shards rearrange themselves back into the right place under his skin. It's gross looking but he's not in pain.

“What was that you were talking about?”

I say to her. She has her hands covering her mouth and she started crying. She could only muster the words.

“How!?”

I point to Pokodo. “Hello everyone, my name is Pokodo.”

They all look shocked that I have a talking pet. I'm definitely getting used to the surprised looks on peoples faces.

“Wow I can already use my leg again.”

Leon says stepping down on it and jumping in the air a little. From his clothing I'd guess he's a thief class. Heirloom dagger and cloak so yea, thief class main. Kattie is still shocked from it, she just wont stop crying. I talk about my adventures from just about two weeks ago.

How I ended up getting injured in a fight with a owlbear but it ended with Pokodo and Socks evolving.

“I still have these brand new beast tamers I have to help them catch pets.”

I point to the motley group behind me waiting patiently.

“We'll come help you.”

Lance and Leon both said together. We easily tame spiders for all of the beast tamers. It doesn't take more then an hour and we still have the whole day left.

“Hey does anyone want to go to my fortress?”

Leon and Lance both look at me in amazement.

“You have a secret base already? How many minions do you have?”

Leon half joking with that.

“Only one but he's very loyal to me. I taught him a lot of things and he eventually changed from a goblin to a hobgoblin.”

…He looked surprised by my answer. We get to the fortress and I see that the plants have started budding. When we leave I'll have to cast regrowth on them. We head inside and I see Gobber. He looks behind me and draws his sword.

“Master who are those people?”

He says in the goblin language, I reply.

“My friends Gobber, please calm down.”

He bows his head than speaks in common.

“My apologies, any friend of my master is my friend.”

Everyone looks around amazed at the size of my fortress.

“I also plan on expanding it in the future to fit more people in.”

Lance asks.

“What are you trying to build an army or something?”

I think about his question for a second. Am I?

“No, just enough to get revenge on the bandits that attacked our village.”

Lance understands.

“When you go to fight, count me in.”

I summon a bird familiar and hand it to Lance.

“When the bird disappears, meet me at this fortress then. You can't let that bird die Lance so you have to protect it. I'll give you permission to give it commands. It will follow your instructions. If you have anything to say to me you can communicate it through the bird.”

It's been a week since Lance has left with his group. I managed to make enough scrolls for two shots from the knives cannon. I moved Gizmo to the fortress. For now and he's working on cleaning it. Since Gobber is taking care of his pets, I decided to move my pets to the fortress. I bought more seeds and expanded the farm again. Maybe the idea of owning an army is starting to sound more appealing. You have to be able to feed an army though.

I priced the cost of all the equipment I want to add to the fortress and it totaled two gold. The forge being the most expensive. I haven't bought them yet because I have no way to transport them. The forge I was planning on buying would weigh hundreds of pounds. Making it impossible to move in one piece so it detaches into smaller parts. Even so it will still take several people to move it once it is in pieces.

The loom costs quite a bit. I could make my own. It would take a few days so I buy the parts and plan on making it later. I could also make auto forges and looms but that will only produce less the average equipment since you can't teach automatons jobs. It would also make it so my own jobs wouldn't level. Since I wouldn't be making the equipment.

Gobber has started reaching level 25 with some of his classes. He's unlocked the level twenty scout skill tracking. Knights level twenty five skill to increase stamina. Archers passive twenty five skill dual fire. In order to use that, he'll need a bow so I make him one and it replaces his crossbow. Gobber is strong enough and skilled enough to fire the bow correctly.

Being able to fire two arrows at once, he can fire around twenty arrows in one minute. After training he could probably improve that to even faster. Maybe even thirty arrows in one minute. He has an arrow quiver now on his belt. Quivers on the back are impractical.

It slightly decreases fire rate and movement might be impaired while running. Also arrows might bounce out of the quiver if he's forced to run. The bow I made was a short bow but once he get's better or stronger. I'll make a recurve or compound bow. I'll have to buy one in order to learn how to make it.

We head towards the gnolls today. Gobber and me know enough of the gnoll language to request a duel. I'm just worried it ends with us being surrounded by dozens of gnolls. Forcing us to either fight our way out or die. We're walking for around an hour when we see the first gnoll. He moves towards us with his weapon readied but when we start talking he lowers it.

“I would like to have a duel with your leader.”

We walk for another thirty minutes. More and more gnolls are following us but none have attacked yet or even acted like they'd attack. I guess dueling is an important part of their culture because all of them are taking it seriously. We reach an encampment.

Not as well made as the goblin fortress. Their are no walls, only shoddy towers. One facing each direction with a gnoll in each. We approach the middle of the area. Their is a single tent. (probably stolen from humans) When we get close a huge gnoll comes walking out of it.

The gnoll is easily as large as a normal height adult human. Probably larger with more muscle mass. If Rock was covered in fur and was a little smaller, that would be the gnoll leader. Even scarier than the owlbear. The gnoll leader could probably single-handedly win a fight against one. He speaks.

“So a hobgoblin has come to challenge me to a duel? Fine I accept the terms.”

I speak up.

“It is me who requested the duel.”

He looks down at me and laughs. He laughs for a few moments then speaks again.

“You!? You're not even tall enough to carry that hobgoblins gear! Let alone fight in his place.”

Gobber interrupts.

“My master is a very strong person, underestimating him. You'll soon regret it if you do.”

The gnoll leader looks like he doesn't understand.

“I wouldn't feel right fighting at full strength against such a weak opponent. I'll give you an advantage of three hits before I fight you seriously.”

“When do we start?”

I asked. Proper procedure with dueling, there is normally a date set for the match. Both parties have to accept. Most of the time, if one doesn't see it as a challenge. He'll award the opponent a free hit. To give someone three hits is a complete disrespect. To the point where you don't see them as a threat. All the gnolls have determined me as a non-threat as well. If I lose this duel, chances are me and Gobber will be killed where we stand.

I won't take those chances. I pull out my knives cannon. Walk within ten feet of him. Still a safe distance to avoid shrapnel if the knives explode and fire it in his direction. He's completely annihilated by the knives. One goes straight into his skull. Probably instantly killing him. One slices his arm and goes flying through the tent behind him. Three explode on impact and the last one lodges in his chest. He falls to the ground instantly, dead.

Gnoll language mastered

Achievement Shock and awe- Terrify a group of people with you're power

“Does anyone else want to challenge me?”

I ask the remaining gnolls. Some are visibly shaking in fear. Others have wet themselves. Some even passed out.

“Does no one wish to challenge me for leadership?”

I ask again. No one responds, everyone is still to terrified of what just happened.

“Well if no one is going to challenge me. I claim leadership of this group. Everyone get in a line. You'll tell me you're name, cut off a portion of your ear and tell me what classes you are."

We go through this routine for around an hour. I have them cut a piece of their ear off for two reasons. You need a determining marker to prove that you've killed a monster for the adventurers guild. The second reason being gnolls will always be disobedient and can revolt unless humiliated. In gnoll culture losing a piece of your ear to another race signals to every other gnoll that you serve under someone.

I don't bother learning their names. Their are far to many to remember. I'm more concerned about their classes than anything. Few have one class. Some have zero classes. None have any specialty classes that only gnolls can learn. I'm a bit disappointed but the results are to be expected.

The few that have classes I split apart and go over each of their skills. None have any secret or hidden skills. Also disappointing. It's starting to get late in the day. There wont be enough time to make it to the fortress with everyone. So I decide to stay at the encampment for that day. I plan to teach them classes and jobs. For now I spend my time learning more about the gnoll culture.

Gnolls have a very similar culture to goblins. In the way that they like to live near human civilizations to leech off them. The main difference is that goblins do it for females while gnolls do it for food. They have very little means to take care of themselves so often target caravans to get food.

Gnolls rarely kill humans. Which is different from goblins, who kill any human males on sight. While any females they try to capture. Gnolls also take longer to grow up. Goblins taking shorter then a single year to be ready to fight. Gnolls take three to four years before they can fight equivalently to goblins. Sometimes goblins and gnolls form alliances together. Because of that goblins and gnolls are taught about the others culture.

Both have the same rule where the strongest lead. So if they do combine, there is a fight between leaders to see who will lead the combined group. Gnolls have females and goblins can pick berries and forage to sustain better than gnolls. So the relationship between the two is symbiotic.

The gnolls go to sleep for the night. They sleep in a giant dog pile together. A few are on the watch towers and a few are on guard waiting to attack anything that comes. They live in a forest, so the chances of them getting attacked is fairly high. With no defenses the only way to survive is the defend constantly.

It will be far more peaceful for them once we make it back to the fortress. A few of the gnoll pups have stayed up asking me questions. They're looking at me with admiration now instead of fear. I'm happy for the attention but I still might end up killing all the gnolls. If they don't change their ways and stop attacking the cities caravans.

The next day me and Gobber have split up. Him taking the bulk of the gnolls to the fortress and me taking a handful of the stronger ones to pick up the blacksmiths equipment.

I warn the gnolls going with Gobber that if they injure or attempt to eat my pets, Gobber will kill them on the spot. We separate and head towards the city entrance. The guard there sees us coming and starts to panic before I tell her they're my followers.

It takes some more convincing but I also tell her that I'm the mayors nephew. If he's going to use my name for profit I'll start using his. We're let through and the eyes of the city goers are all on us. I buy a cart to haul the equipment and we head to pick-up the blacksmith parts.

The anvil and the frame for the forge are the heaviest by far. Totaling several hundred pounds all together. It takes all the gnolls plus me and a few other bystanders I tip for helping to load those two pieces. I also buy two blacksmithing hammers, a ring and sword mold and any other tools I need. I also buy some ores to show the gnolls that will start mining soon what they look like and some mining tools.

I'll build the rest of the frame with bricks I make with nature magic, so that dropped the price a bit. Still paying a gold for one thing is a bit expensive. I manage to talk him down eleven silver coins with haggling. We're leaving and I also buy twenty silver worth of food to feed the gnolls for now. I also buy alchemy equipment, engineering pieces and some iron to teach one of the gnolls how to be a blacksmith.

Leaving I head to the stables and buy six cows and twelve chickens. In order to feed this army, we're going to need at least that much. Probably even more animals than that. For now though it should be enough to feed them. Until the crops start growing in at least. We head towards the fortress and I see gnolls standing watch at the towers. They greet me and open the fortress doors. We move the anvil and frame into place.

Today I definitely need to skip school. I start going through the basics with half a dozen gnolls. Teaching them about gathering. I show them the basics as well as the ores they'll be looking for (minus some of the more expensive ones like gold and silver). The reason gold and silver is used as currency is because they make great enchanting conduits. Silver rings would take less time to enchant two stat boosts easily. While gold is even faster to enchant. So they double as an enchanting material.

I also instruct them on how to make the tunnels. Strengthening the walls and using supports as they go so a cave in doesn't happen. Everyday I go to the fortress I'll strengthen the walls with control earth as they go.

Lastly I teach a handful of gnolls some of the jobs. I teach cooking to three of them. One needs to learn blacksmithing but the forge is not ready yet. Same with tailoring, I need to make a loom first. Alchemy was easy enough to teach. Gobber has been watching me teach this whole time but hasn't picked up a single job yet.

Maybe goblins can't? No goblins should definitely be able to make potions with alchemy. Maybe it's because he learned too many classes? Not sure I don't know why. I'll teach the gnolls more about classes later when I decide which path I want them to take. I start to teach common to all the gnolls but start to feel extremely tired. I push on and keep teaching but pass out because of that.

Job upgraded Tutor --> Teacher

Secret Teacher skill Heavy lesson- able to consume fatigue to increase learning speed of students