Chapter 46

It was getting late as the group arrived back at the town. Hiro noticed that Leo and Leara were waiting at the gate for him and his group. When they got close Leo walked up to Hiro.

“I have some bad news.” Said Leo

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Foria told me to let you know that Korin came back and he was not happy with your idea of bringing together monster races with humans. He told Foria that he forbid any monsters to live in the town”, explained Leo.

“Wait, Foria spoke to you? That means she can speak to animals too?”

“Yes I assume so.”

“Well that is impressive. Anyway, I can understand his anger because goblins and orcs killed his family”, said Hiro as he dropped his head.

“What will you do with them?” asked Leara

“I don’t know. Honestly I hadn’t anticipated this.”

“Hiro we are strong enough to fend for ourselves in the woods now. If you need us to we will wait for you in the forest where you found us”, said Blackrock.

All of the hobgoblins nodded their heads.

“No, you may stay in my home. If he has a problem with that then he can deal with me. Starting tomorrow I will pay for a new home to be built for you guys outside of the town. Once it is built you should go back and get your families then expand your home as you see fit.”

“Really we are going to have a home?”, replied Argus.

“Yes. You are my comrades now and as such you will be given access to all of the benefits of any of my other comrades.”

The hobgoblins looked confused as no human had ever treated them as well as Hiro had.

“Are you sure about this Hiro? I mean you don’t want to make an enemy out of the town’s chief do you?Plus he is the brother of your mate. Won’t this cause some problems with your mate?” asked Leo.

“It may but right is right. They have given me a second chance even though I have killed many of their kind. So why shouldn’t we give them the same chance to prove that they are not mindless savages?”

“I understand but this is not an argument of logic. It is an emotionally charged situation.” Said Leara.

“Be careful my friend. To make room for the hobgoblins we will sleep with our pride until their home is built”, said Leo

“Thank you my friend.” Replied Hiro

“Hiro were you just talking to those ligers?” asked Argus

“Yes, I gained a job called beastmaster that allows me to tame beasts and communicate with them.”

“I would like to do that!” said Argus

“Continue training and then we will work on that.” Hiro said with a smile. “Alright everyone lets go to my place and get some rest. Tomorrow you will train with the army.”

“Agreed”, said Blackrock

The group entered the city absent any harassment by the guards. He quickly got them to his home and showed them around. The group felt the distinct difference between the inside of his home and outside. Hiro walked over to his fireplace and placed a few pieces of wood from his inventory on top of each other. He then cast a simple fire spell and lit the fire. Immediately warmth began to flow all through the area. Hiro also lit two lamps that he had in the room.

“Welcome to my home. I’m sorry it is not much as I don’t spend a lot of time here but you are welcome here. I’m going upstairs to my room to rest. Please stay inside tonight. I don’t know how the villagers will react to your presence yet.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sheera

“Well.. When I first came to this village, it was under attack by goblins and orcs. Many people were killed including the chief of the town and his wife.”

“What!? And you bought us here? Are you crazy! They will want us dead!” said Argus

“No. You will show them that all goblins and hobgoblins are not the same just like you now know all humans are not the same becasue you have met me.” Said Hiro

“You are definitely good at talking. I just hope you know what you are doing.” Said Argus

“Alright I do have 2 rules while you are here.”said Hiro

“Ok what are they?” said Blackrock

“First you stay with me wherever I go. You never leave my side while we are in public. Second do not hurt anyone even if they try to harm you.”

“I will comply with the first request but I don’t know about the second one. I mean what if it is a soldier who is armed. You expect me to die?” said Ash

“I am the commander of the army. I assure you no soldier will harm you. The citizens of this town are farmers and merchants none of them have the strength to harm you at this point. Also I am good at using magic to heal wounds so you will be fine.”

“Well when you put it like that I guess I can comply then.” Said Argus

“Alright rest tonight for our training continues tomorrow. Good night.”

“Thanks for everything Hiro.” Said Blackrock as Hiro walked up the steps to his bedroom.

Once he entered his bedroom, Hiro looked at himself in his mirror.

They were right this beard is crazy. I look like some sort of rustic lumberjack or something. This has to go.

He took off shirt and pants then put on some cloth shorts he fashioned. Hiro turned around and caught a glimpse of his shirtless body.

Whoa! How…What.. I can’t believe it

Hiro was flexing the muscles in his arms and chest like he was trying to winner a bodybuilding contest. Each muscle of his body was chiseled to the utmost perfection. His body looked like a certain golden haired alien anime character. His abs were ripped, his arms and chest bulged, and his shoulders and back looked liked a night vipers hood when it opened.

This is way more than I could have imagined. No wonder Foria turned so red when I asked did she like what she saw. Well my plan is going well. I just have to figure out a way to settle this peacefully with Korin tomorrow. I have to get him to see reason in this situation.I just hope it doesn't come down to a fight. I would really hate to have to hurt him.

Hiro sighed at the thought of harming his future brother-in-law. Hiro stared out of the window and looked out at the town. It was a getting bigger everyday. People from towns that were attacked from all over continue to pour in daily. It has become a bustling hub for trade as well.

I have to keep it safe and the only way to do that is to make peace. I have to do this! There is no other solution! I don’t want to fight but if I have to fight to keep that peace I will! Master thank you for all of your teaching and I hope that as the new Master of the Lightning Blade Style i will be able to live up to be the warrior that you were but more than anything i want to be a protector of those who need me.

Hiro laid down in his bed and closed his eyes so that he could rest. Sleep took some time to come as Hiro longed for Foria's soft body lying next to him. Finally, late into the night he finally fell asleep.

The next morning Hiro awoke and went downstairs to find the hobgoblins already awake waiting on him.

“Good morning”, they said in Unison.

“Good morning”, said Hiro “Anyone want to get some food?”

“Absolutely!” said Blackrock enthusiastically.

Hiro led the group to the restaurant where he would get his meals. They went inside and sat down. No one was in the restaurant but the waitress did not come to take their order.

“Waitress can you come over we would like to order.” Said Hiro

“Ummm… Hiro…. Do you know they are hobgoblins?” asked the waitress

“Yes, they are the newest additions to our growing army and they are hungry. Would you mind getting us 5 orders of pancakes with bacon and eggs?” asked Hiro.

“Ummm…. Ok.” Said the waitress as her voice trembled.

“Thank you, miss. I know we may seem scary but no harm will come to you because of us”, said Sheera.

“You’re welcome. Wait you can talk?” asked the waitress.

“Yes we are not savages we have language. We learned a little of your language as we talked and trained with the commander here. When we ranked up our command of the language increased by leaps and bounds. Please do not be afraid we mean you kno harm.” Said Blackrock.

“Ummm.... th.... th... thank you I guess. Well I’ll go put in the order for your food”, said waitress nervously.

She backed away slowly not wanting to turn her back on the group of hobgoblins as she was not convinced about their sincerity.

The group chatted for a few moments before the food came to the table. The hobgoblins immediately began wolfing down their food.

“What manner of sorcery is this?”asked Argus

“What do you mean?” asked Hiro

“It is so good. I have never eaten anything like this.” Said Argus

Hiro smiled and said, “The human world has all sorts of good foods. You will earn money by slaying things and doing jobs for people around the town and you can buy whatever you want. First though I have to get you accepted int the society around here”, said Hiro with a smile

The group continued to eat until they were completely stuffed. Hiro took a deep breath then grabbed the check. He paid the bill and left the waitress a nice tip. He then patted his stomach and stood while motioning for the hobgoblins to come with him. Before leaving the hobgoblins thanked the waitress for the delicious food. She smiled nervously and then the group left. The group immediately went to the area where the army was training. They walked in and immediately everything stopped. The soldiers came to attention. All of them had a mix of hate and adjulation mixed with apprehension in their eyes. Hiro could feel the killing intent coming from many of the soldiers. He walked up to the area where Caesar had been working with some of the recurits on some offensive and defensive maneuvers.

“Hey Caesar!”, shouted Hiro

“Yes Sir!” replied Caesar as he came to attention.

“These are the new recruits. I want you to take care of them. Their names are Blackrock, Argus, Ash, and Sheera. Their growth has been amazing since I have met them”, Hiro said while pointing to the Hobgoblins.

“You want me to train them?” replied Caesar

“Yes I do. Argus will be going with me soon as he said he wants to be a beastmaster so I will take him to get a pet soon. I am also going to try and get Rain to train Sheera for me so that she can improve her magical abilities.” Said Hiro

“Are you sure Hiro I mean they are Hobgoblins. They are our enemies aren't they."

"Caesar, enemies are those that wish us harm. These guys wish us no harm in fact they wish to be like us in terms of strength. They wish only to be strong so that they can protect their own."

"Well if you feel like it ok, it that is good enough for me”, said Caesar

“Hobgoblins, I am the Commander of this army and this is my General Caesar. He is in charge of training the troops. You will follow his every command without question and without failure. Understood!?”

“Yes sir!” replied the hobgoblins in unison.

Caesar looked at the hobgoblins and began speaking.

“First we need to get you some decent equipment. Argus the future Beastmaster, you will wear leather armor and use two swords so that you can do maximum damage.”

“Argus as you say sir!” said Argus

“Next, Sheera you wield a sword like a warrior but i was told that you use magic as well. I believe you will be more like a paladin type warrior. What type of magic do you possess?”

“I am able to use a healing spell sir.” Replied Sheera

“Then you will will were leather armor and shield until you are strong enough to wield heavier armor. What weapon do you prefer a sword like Hiro or a hammer like mine?” asked Caesar

“I would like to keep my sword if that is ok sir!”

“That is fine. I would like you to check on the other swords that we hold in the armory as that may change your mind.

“Yes, leader”, she said with a bow.

“Now onto you Blackrock. You look strong I assume you are a close combat warrior like myself?”

“Yes sir!”

“You will wear heavy armor made of iron and use a large tower shield. What weapon have you been using?”

“I have been using a club.”

“Ok then I will give you a hammer which is similar to your club”said Caesar

“Yes sir!”

“Finally, I come to you Ash. It looks like you already have a good weapon in that spear I see you holding. It looks to be a bit heavy for you right now so I will give you some chainmail armor until you can wear something heavier to protect you.”

“Yes sir.”

The group followed Caesar to the equipment storage where he got them all of the pieces they needed. He gave each of them the pieces he said and then helped them put each of the pieces on. The group came back out and stood in front of Hiro.

“You guys look fierce.” Said Hiro

“Thank you” said Blackrock

“Alright you new recruits go over there and practice your strikes on the enchanted dummies. You will begin with the basic training regimine. That includes 500 pushups, 1000 situps, and 50 laps around the compound.”

“Yes sir!” The hobgoblins said as they saluted Caesar.

“I will leave them in your capable hands. They are very loyal and capable fighters. They are probably already stronger than most of the soldiers here. Just make sure that no one gets hurt too bad during any sparring sessions.”

“Understood Hiro” Caesar said with a smile. “I guess your plan is already in motion. These guys seem like they are going to be good additions to the army.”

“Yes, I believe they will. I told you when given an opportunity everyone is not an enemy.”

“Once again you are right. Just don't be so smug about it Mr. Know-it-all.”

“I will be back for you guys when it gets dark. Train hard and follow Caesar’s orders. I am going to go get started on having a place for you to live", laughed Hiro

The hobgoblins nodded and began their training regimen as Hiro walked away. Just before he got to the exit Korin showed up.

“What are you doing Hiro?!”, Korin barked.

“What do you mean?”, Hiro replied

“You know exactly what I mean. I want to know why you are bringing those THINGS into my town after I forbid it!”

“YOUR TOWN?! I believe you and everyone else who are still alive in this town are only that way because I saved you, your sister, and the rest of this town!” exclaimed Hiro

“You saved the town?! Did you forget that I fought alongside you when WE saved the town!”, said Korin.

“Yes but the only reason YOU made it back to your town is because I went out of my way to save you from the orcs that had you in a cage!”, yelled Hiro “I believe that should entitle me to do as I see fit. They are not going to hurt anyone in this city. If they do they will answer to me! I will kill them with my own two hands but if they are willing to help to protect this town they should be allowed. You know like I do there are good and bad humans so why couldn’t there be good and bad monsters?”

“I don’t know about all of that but I will hold you personally responsible if those monsters cause any harm to this town or any of its inhabitants”, said Korin as the fury in his face reached a boiling point.

Korin began letting his ki out and it created a golden aura around his body. His bloodlust was very powerful.

“Then hold me accountable”, said Hiro in a low growl. “But don’t come here threatening me because…” Hiro paused

He really is letting out killing intent towards me. I guess i will have to show him who is the top dog around here. Hopefully this settles it when he sees he is far outclassed.

Hiro also released his ki. The pale blue aura that came over Hiro’s body engaged his intimidation skill. Korin immediately took a step back.

“You were not my match before I went to train with Master Matsuro! You definitely are not now! I do not want to be enemies but don’t push me!”, said Hiro as he walked up to Korin and stood face to face with him.

Hiro’s threatening aura began to force Korin to sweat. Hiro increased his ki and then Korin began to find it hard to breathe.

“Enough Hiro! You made your point! Just remember you are responsible for those monsters.” said Korin as he walked away.

Hiro took a deep breath and released his ki.

Never ever threaten me again, Korin! I am sorry that we had to have it out like this but know that I would never willingly do anything to hurt the people in this town. Everything I do is to keep the people here safe.”

“Whatever you say! I’ll believe it when I see it!”, said Korin as he pushed past Hiro.

I really wish it could have been a different way but I couldn’t see another option.

Hiro shook his head then said his goodbyes to the hobgoblins, Caesar, and the rest of the army. Then he left for the goods shop.

Hiro walked up to the goods store. Once there he opened the door and found it bustling with adventurers. People from far and wide were in there buying and selling items. Hiro waited on the side until the crowd had been helped. Once they were all helped and leaving Hiro went up to talk to the attendant.

“How have you been Mr. Attendant?” asked Hiro

“Never better. Did you see the crowd we just made a killing! If you give me a minute I can figure out the total profits so that we can split them.” Said the attendant

Hiro laughed, “I didn’t expect to be making a profit so soon. Go ahead and come up with a figure. I will wait.”

The attendant began counting up all of the money and then finally came back and said we made 45 gold 80 silver and 25 bonze coins. We should leave all of the silver and bronze plus half of the gold in the business. We can split the rest of the gold.”

“Sounds good to me. That means that I get 12 gold right?”

“Exactly”, said the attendant as he handed Hiro the gold coins.

Hiro smiled and the said, “All I really came here to bring some materials I found while I was out. It includes some wolf hides, snake fangs, and some other materials.”

“Oh great we actually sold a lot of those materials. Do you have any of those poison sacs, healing potions, or cure poison potions? People asking for those.” Said the attendant

Hiro smiled, “I have just the group that could do that for you. I will set them on that task tomorrow. By the way, do you know who I can ask to build a new house?” asked Hiro

“The lead builder is currently supervising the expansion of the wall. You should be able to find him there. Why do you want to build a new house? I thought you already had one.” Ask the attendant curiously.

“Well I have some friends that need a new home.”

“Ok well I think you should start there.”

“Thanks for all your help.”

Hiro quickly went to the wall. As he walked around the wall, he saw that it was now being reinforced with bricks.

Ah this must be the upgrade that Mr. Attendant was talking about.

Hiro kept walking and then finally he saw a group of workers.

“Hey guys! Can someone give me a hand with something?” asked Hiro

“For you, the Hero of Kaito, we will do anything we can”, said one of the men.

“I need a house built outside of the city. I should have a double wide door that is 12 feet tall. The first and second floors need to 12 feet tall as well with 8 bedrooms. How much do you need to cover the cost of that?”

“That is a pretty big house. With materials and labor I would say you would need about 150 gold. For you we can start immediately and you can make payments until you pay it all off.”

“That sounds great! When can you start?” asked Hiro

“We should finish this job tonight, so I guess we can start tomorrow.”

“You are amazing. I can give you 15 gold pieces right now to get started.” Said Hiro

“You’ve got a deal Hiro” said the construction worker.

He thanked the men and then left the town.

I have to find a way to make money. Hmmm... Mr. Attendant did say that he needed more poison sacs and potions. Poison sacs will take more time to get but I can collect the blood roses from anywhere plus it wouldn’t be bad to start grinding some of my crafting skills again.That is what I’ll do then.

Hiro used his shadow clone skill to make 10 copies of himself. Then they all started immediately gathering the blood roses.They scoured the fields all around the town for hours and found nearly 300 blood roses. His next step was to create the potions. He sat down and took out his potion making supplies, his vials and the grinder. He spent the rest of the day making potions. After he finished he counted up the potions. He had made nearly 125 potions.

By the end of his endeavor Hiro found out that he had some status messages that he had ignored earlier.

You gained a level in herbalism You gained a level in herbalism You gained a level in alchemy You gained a level in alchemy

This is good. While I am trying to make money I can grind some of my skills that I haven’t used in a while. Anyway, I better take these back to Mr. Attendant so that he can sell them. I think I will also give the hobgoblins some when I send them out to hunt those wolf spiders.

Hiro rushed back to the goods store. He talked to the attendant for a few minutes and gave him the potions.

“These are great. The dark red color shows that they are tier III potions. These are very high end. I could get at least 50 silver for each one of them.”

“50 silver for each?! Wow I never thought that they were worth that much.” Said Hiro

“Yes these are medium potions. They will restore about 1,500 health points to anyone who drinks them.”

I will have enough money to pay off their house in no time if I keep making money like this.

“Keep bringing these and will will have a fortune soon enough.”said Mr. Attendant

“Ok. I will need some more empty vials to take with me then.”

“Of course and take these. You should experiment with different types of plants to get different effects. The better the effect the better the price”

The attendant gave Hiro a large case. Hiro opened it and looked inside. It was filled with several different types of beakers and various other tools for an alchemist.

“Thanks. This will be a good start for me. Eventually I think I will expand the military barracks and build an alchemy lab there.”

“Sounds good. Well good luck out there and I’ll see you when you get back.”

Hiro left the store. Once outside he saw that the sun was was well overhead. It would be a few more hours before it got dark outside.

I should go to the army training area and get the hobgoblins.

When he arrived he saw that the hobgoblins were sparring with some of the soldiers. Each of the hobgoblins was having difficulty with the human soldiers. Hiro watched until the sparring sessions were over then he walked over to the hobgoblins and pulled the aside.

“How do you like training?” asked Hiro

“It is difficult! Humans are very strong!” said Blackrock

“Yes, but they are not more powerful than you. They just have more skill and experience.” Said Hiro

“Well being trained should give us the skill but how do we gain experience?” asked Sheera

“Well I have something that might help you with that. Come with me.” Replied Hiro

The group left the training center and Hiro led them to where he fought the scorpions and the wolf spiders.

“Here, I almost lost my life to the monsters that call this place home.” Said Hiro

“WHAT!!!??? You almost died here?” asked Ash

“How powerful are the monsters?” Asked Argus

“Well, you can find out because here they come.” Said Hiro

Just then 2 scorpions came from the sand. Their pincers made a clicking sound as they opened and closed them in a threatening manner. The hobgoblins jumped into their formation behind Blackrock. His tower shield looked strong. He moved forward as the 2 scorpions moved advanced. A red glow went all over his body and the scorpions turned towards him.

Ah that must be his taunt ability. It’s good that he knows to use it right away to draw the opponents towards him. His tactics are getting even better.

Then Ash and Argus moved towards the sides of each of the scorpions while Sheera stayed back and readied her healing spell. The battle began. The 2 scorpions began trying to grab Blackrock with their pincers but each time he smashed them with his shield. While he occupied them Argus and Ash were attacking at the sides. Neither was doing any damage because their blades could not pierce the hard shells of the scorpions.

What will you guys do now that your weapons are not working? Let me see how resourceful you are.

“I can’t pierce them!” yelled Ash

“Me either”, said Argus

“Keep attacking. Their shell is hard but it has to be some small place where they are vulnerable. Keep trying!” yelled Blackrock.

Good leadership Blackrock.

“I see it” yelled Sheera. “Don’t attack the body attack the limbs and the tail! If it can’t walk it can’t fight!”

“Got it!”, exclaimed the 3 male hobgoblins.

Ash was the first to do damage. He used his power strike ability and was able to take out all 3 of the scropions legs on that side. The scorpion immediately fell down towards the side where its legs had been destroyed. It yelled out in pain and while it was in a frenzy Ash jumped in the air with his trident and attacked the scopions tail. Once his heavy trident pierced the tail, he drove it down into the ground. The scorpion went into a rage but it was unable to move.

“This one is immobilized. Blackrock draw the other one away. So we can attack it from both sides”, yelled Ash.

Good job guys! You guys are really learning to work together.

While Blackrock moved away from the immobilized, scorpion he continued to taunt the scorpion that was able to move. He was doing a great job at keeping the attention of the enemies but it was evident that taking all of the attacks was taking its toll on him. He was bleeding from his mouth and it appeared that he had bruises all over his arm that was holding the shield. Suddenly, his body began to glow. It was Sheera’s healing spell. His wounds began to recover and he fought on.

While he held the attention Argus began dismantling the legs of the scorpion. It screamed in pain then it thrust its tail at Blackrock. He immediately smashed his shield into the tail as came towards him. The tail flew skyward and as it went backwards Argus jumped high into the air and used his power strike skill. His swords began to glow as the fell straight down with all of his weight onto the tough outer shell of the scorpion. The swords broke through the shell and pierced into the scorpion’s soft flesh. The attack was a success but it came at a price. The scorpion brought his tail down and smacked Argus across his back causing him to fly nearly 15 feet. His sustained some serious injuries.

Ash came over and cut off the rest of the scorpion’s legs now it was unable to move. Sheera was currently healing Argus but Blackrock had already begun to attack. He would block one of the pincers and then smash his hammer into the head of the scorpion. As he did this, little by little the hammering began to crack the scorpion’s armor. Then eventually it happened. The scorpion’s armor cracked and began to fall of exposing its soft flesh.

A rather brutish way of doing it but it works none the less.

Now Argus was fully healed. He began attack furiously with his blade. They combined damage of Argus and Blackrock finished off the scorpion quickly. Then they moved back to the one that was currently being restrained by Ash’s spear impaling its tail to the ground.

The group used the same method of cutting off the rest of the scorpion’s legs then let Blackrock smash it until its armor cracked. Once the armor cracked the two damage dealers ended the life of the scorpion very quickly. The goblins raised their weapons in celebration of their victory.

“Not bad guys, did anyone level up?”

“Yes I gained two levels” said Sheera

“I gained 4” said Argus

“I gained 3 levels” said Ash

“I gained 5 levels” said Blackrock

“Not bad guys. That was a good expereicne. It is good for you to analyze your opponent to see what their weakness is. Be sure to study your opponent. Everyone has a weakness and the more powerful you are the better you are at hiding it. You will have to train yourselves to discover these weaknesses.” Said Hiro

“Yes sir!” said the hobgoblins.

“Are there anymore?” asked Blackrock

“I don’t know, keep exploring and maybe you will find some more of them. I will stay here to take care these corpses and maybe I will be able to make some weapons and armor for you guys from the shells and pincers of these scorpions.”

“That sounds great! Their armor is amazing. I would definitely like some of that.” Said Blackrock

The hobgoblins found several more scorpions and battled on while Hiro was able to take some scorpion pincers, tails, and poison sacs.

After the last scorpion was dead Hiro had looted 15 poison sacs 30 pincers and 15 tails. In addition he was able to to salvage 9 scorpion carapaces.

This was a good hall. These guys should have gotten some good experience and we will make some money with these drops.

He gathered his troops from their fierce battles. The hobgoblins looked visibly worn out. Their armor was bloody and damaged and Sheera was suffering from mana depletion as she had run out of man in their last battle. Hiro carried her on his back as they walked home. When they entered the town they went back to the restaurant and ate dinner then Hiro escorted them home so that they could rest. Once they went to sleep Hiro went to the dwarves and repaired their gear. Once he finished he went to the general store and dropped of the spoils of his trip. Finally, Hiro went home went to sleep.