BXBX NOVEL 163 Chapter 163
"Wait! Ian!" - Gobi
I turn around to see Gobi running towards me.
"What's wrong?" - Ian
"I want to ask you something. Can I leave my post and head towards the grassland?" - Gobi
Gobi straightens his back and looks at me with a determined face.
"Is something wrong?" - Ian
"Nothing is wrong, however, after seeing Gewari, Gopopo, and Gyumi coming back evolved I want to train as well and improve myself. While they still respect me as their Boss, I cannot help but feel that I too need to evolve in order to lead them properly. As I have evolved before, I can feel that I am close ever since I left the Ikanda. I just need a bit more." - Gobi
"I see. Then I will allow you to go, however, it will be with more goblins. I want you to take 5 goblins who you think are close to evolving as well. Ask them, and only if they are willing to venture out will I allow them to accompany you.
Equip yourself properly with the weapons and armor in the Barracks and Armory, respectively, and ask Lucina about food and water. After you have prepared yourself, follow the vine path we have created on our way back. Eliminate any monsters that are near it and deliver the materials from them to the Krepost. The Krepost will be a big building, and you will find Celine there. She will take the materials off you, and then you can explore the grassland." - Ian
"Understood, Ian." - Gobi
"Is there anyone here that will take your post?" - Ian
"Yes. A goblin by the name of Geni. He had taken my role while I was in the Ikanda and has performed extremely well. While he is lacking in his own strength and agility, he makes it up for his strict teaching and constant efforts to increase everyone else's strength. He also stays up late after everyone else has finished their training to train himself because he knows he is weak. Geni will take over the role of training the goblins while I am away." - Gobi
"Alright then, be careful while you are gone." - Ian
"Will do. Next time you see me, I'll be with 5 other hobgoblins." - Gobi
"I'll be waiting." - Ian
Gobi runs off towards the training grounds and Noah resumes the tour. There were 2 watchtowers on this side of HavenFall as well, both at the ends and against the mountainside. We walk down the sloped path which now has handrails, with wooden shields secured on the other side to protect against any projectiles. Noah told me it was Howard's idea as a small precaution against any enemies that might attack with arrows or stones from below us.
Further down, were 3 wolf cubs next to Luna and Dawn relaxing in front of the cave, next to the waterfall. The two wolves had bolted through the gates and reunited with the cubs and were playing with them. Looking to the left, I see that there is a pond carved out beside the small lake created by the waterfall.
"What's the pond for?" - Ian
"Oh, Owen made that with Rex and Meg. We found that we were fishing a lot of small fish, so they decided to build a home and feed them until they were bigger. It connects to the lake at the top and then exits down a bit, making the water constantly flow in and out." - Noah
"I see and where are they?" - Ian
"Rex is most likely helping Owen in the mines, along with some other people. The girls are probably outside the mine. While they aren't the best fighters, they are definitely one of the better archers. Robin is most likely with them as well. Ever since the death of her son and the new kids coming in, she has been like a mum to them, which fills the void in both their hearts." - Noah
"I'm glad Robin is feeling better. I see that the path towards the mine is looking good." - Ian
"Yep, 4 kilns making bricks every day, and eventually we were able to fill the road. We added handrails on the side and the bridges are made out of wooden planks like the one near the gate. The path is as smooth as we can make it, since we filled in any cracks with dirt and mud." - Noah
"Good job. Let's move down." - Ian
Moving down the path, I notice some carved-out holes in the mountainside. They were high up on the mountainside with smaller holes below it reaching to the ground. Each small hole was enough for a hand to fit in it, reminding me of ladders.
"Noah, what is this?" - Ian
"An idea by Geni. The smaller grooves are for hands and feet, and at the top is a carved out hole with a quiver of arrows already prepared. It is made for archers to climb up and position themselves above the enemy before raining arrows down on them." - Noah
"A sniper nest… I like this idea. The only problem with it is how do they escape?" - Ian
"Uhh… I don't think any of us thought about that yet." - Noah
"Put a shield in there as well, so they can protect themselves from any projectiles. As for an escape route, we would have to dig into the mountain but without proper equipment, it will be dangerous." - Ian
"Understood. I'll tell someone to put shields in the 'sniper nest'." - Noah
I continue to make small talk with Noah and found out that even Spike, Val, and Meg who were the youngest are now about to read and write, albeit a little slow. They were also able to do simple addition and subtraction as well. Lily, Rose, and Daisy had started to record daily events in a clay tablet, storing it in a building, making HavenFall's first unofficial library.
Lucina and Melody are also recording details about their medicinal findings in clay tablets, with Ash drawing the herbs onto a separate clay tablet. They get stored next to each other so that anyone that wants to know about the details behind the herb, can easily look at the drawing and then read the text on the tablet next to it.
We near the mine and as we cross the river, I see the girls in the front practicing their archery on a wooden dummy. Robin was looking from the side, making sure the girls' form was correct before they release the string, letting the arrow fly through the air and slam into the center of the wooden dummy.
"Robin!" - Noah
Robin turns her head around after hearing Noah call out to her. The girls also stop their movements as they glance toward me.
"Noah! Ian! How are we?" - Robin
"Ian!" - Lily, Rose, Daisy, Meg
"Doing alright Robin. I heard you have been doing a good job training the girls." - Ian
"Yep, the 4 of them are able to hit a moving target from the top of the watchtower 5 out of 10 times, which is pretty impressive since they have only been training for a little over 2 weeks. Especially Meg here, the smallest out of all of them. She was to kill a couple of jackalopes with just her bow and arrow, during the small raid." - Robin
"Wow! Good job Meg!" - Ian
"Hehe." - Meg
"I'm doing good too! Tell him Robin." - Lily
"Yes, yes, Lily. Lily is one of the fastest out of the girls and even saved Gobi one time during the jackalope raid. She ran in front of him with a shield when a jackalope pounced out from the side, protecting him from the attack." - Robin
"That's right! Boss Gobi is in debt to me." - Lily
"Tell him about me too!" - Rose, Daisy
"Alright girls, one second. They have been very hyper ever since they started to see improvement in their archery. Rose has exceptional eyesight and Daisy is able to tell the direction and speed of the wind, which helps in the accuracy of her shots." - Robin
"I see. I can tell they are doing their best and are improving bit by bit." - Ian
Name: Meg
Race: Human
Health Points (HP): 20/20
Mana Points (MP): 0/0
Strength: 3
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 5
Dexterity: 13
Agility: 8
Luck: 1
Name: Lily
Race: Human
Health Points (HP): 22/22
Mana Points (MP): 0/0
Strength: 5
Vitality: 11
Intelligence: 5
Dexterity: 13
Agility: 20
Luck: 1
Skill: Quickstep
Name: Rose
Race: Human
Health Points (HP): 16/16
Mana Points (MP): 5/5
Strength: 9
Vitality: 8
Intelligence: 10
Dexterity: 11
Agility: 13
Luck: 1
Skill: Enhanced Sight
Name: Daisy
Race: Human
Health Points (HP): 30/30
Mana Points (MP): 5/5
Strength: 6
Vitality: 15
Intelligence: 10
Dexterity: 8
Agility: 10
Luck: 5
Skill: Wind's Grace (Passive)
Wind's Grace (Passive) - The user is able to detect changes in the wind as well as read the flow of the wind.
The girls' stats weren't the greatest, however, they had skills to back up their ability. Having Robin as their teacher has helped them a lot in improving their fighting capabilities and since they were archers, they don't need to be as physically capable. They are able to help from a distance and if their arrows can attack a weak spot then it doesn't matter if they don't have high stats.
"Keep improving under Robin's leadership. The 4 of you will do wonders later on, so just be careful to not injure yourself." - Ian
"Yes, leader Ian!" - Lily, Rose, Daisy, Meg
"Thank you, Robin, and take care of yourself as well. I'm glad you are looking better." - Ian
"No, I should be thanking you, Ian. Thank you so much for what you have done, I'm only doing my best to repay the favor." - Robin
"Ian, I think it's time to go down into the mine." - Noah
"Got it, Noah. Girls, stay up here, if there is anything that happens, come down and find us. I'll be there as soon as possible." - Ian
"Yes, leader Ian." - Lily, Rose, Daisy, Meg
"Take care." - Robin
I smile at them and turn towards the cave entrance.