The goblin hesitated for a moment before accepting Thorian's invitation. As he grasped the piece of meat from the thigh bone, he looked up at Thorian and asked, "Can I ask why, master?"

"It's a tradition in our tribe," Thorian explained nonchalantly. "Whoever hunts the prey gets to eat first. Now, this wasn't a hunt, but I believe the same principle should apply."

Hearing Thorian's explanation, Brix nodded and took a bite from the tender piece of meat. Just as he was about to return it to Thorian, the latter stopped him.

"Take a bite from the other side too. I want you to thoroughly taste the results of your hard work."

Brix nodded and said, "Thank you, master." He then followed Thorian's instruction to a tee, taking a bite from the other side of the meat.

Seeing the goblin obeying his orders, Thorian nodded with a smile. Without a word, Brix handed the thigh piece to Thorian who immediately took a large bite out of it.

It’s not bad.

Although it lacked salt and spices, the roasted thigh had enough fattiness and juiciness to provide a satisfying flavor and aroma. The tenderness of the cooked meat made eating it all the more enjoyable. Most importantly, it was civilized. The mere thought of becoming a savage and having to eat raw meat repulsed Thorian so much that he would have rather starved himself to death.

Without uttering a word, Thorian finished his meal with delighted bites. After cleaning the bone, he glanced back at Brix, who looked at him nervously.

"That was perfectly cooked. Good job," Thorian nodded in approval, while Brix let out a deep sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, master," the goblin smiled before looking back at the remaining uncooked meat. "Should I roast the rest too?"

Thorian followed Brix's line of sight to see the rest of the skinned Thumpalopes lying on another bed of leaves. While he would have liked the other kobolds to experience the delicacy of a cooked meal, Thorian still had reservations about the goblin.

"No, don't cook them yet," Thorian shook his head. "Go around the village and try to make yourself useful."

"Okay, master," Brix bowed slightly. "I will do as you tell me."

As Thorian looked at the goblin’s meek appearance, a sudden thought flashed in his mind. Should I allow him to use my name for his safety… Wait, he was marching along the brown kobloids the last time I saw him. How did he do that?

Thorian frowned and asked the goblin, "Last time you were walking alongside the kobolds. How did you do that without getting hurt?"

Brix's eyes widened as he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, about that? Honestly, those kobold assassins almost killed me; they were so fast! But when I mentioned your name, they thankfully stopped and listened."

"You're a sharp little thing, aren't you?" Thorian's slight smile betrayed his hidden emotions. He then scratched his chin with a pensive gaze, recalling Brix's earlier proposition. "As for your tribe, we'll discuss that matter later. I hope they're as smart as you are."

Brix's expression brightened at Thorian's suggestion. "The tribe chief is a shaman, master. He's really wise and smart; I'm sure he'll listen to you properly!"

"A goblin shaman..." Thorian looked down in thought before shrugging. "Well, that's a matter for later. Don't just slack off; make yourself useful, you understand me?"

"Yes, master," Brix enthusiastically nodded his head. "I will do my best."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

With that, Thorian turned around and walked toward his new destination: the eastern gate. With quick strides, he crossed the patch of trees and reached the wooden wall, where he found three of the kobloids sitting next to the gate, battered and wounded. Beyond the wall, the war cries and the sounds of battle raged on. Thorian jumped atop the wall and saw the group of kobloids fighting against three chaskas.

While the brown kobold had little problem blocking the overgrown cats' attacks with his armor skill, the other kobloids were not as fortunate. The agile chaskas darted from one side of the battlefield to the other, smashing the hapless brown creatures with the large boulders attached to the ends of their tails. Kobloids were sent flying through the air from the strikes, their ribs and bones likely broken.

However, the chaskas could not do as they pleased either. Whenever they struck one kobloid, another two or three would take their place and surround the chaska. With their sharp claws and fangs, they would tear apart the large cat's flesh.

It was a good thing they didn't face a Tailmasher; they would have encountered real trouble otherwise.

As Thorian scanned the battlefield, he saw that two of the kobloids were heavily injured from their encounter with the chaskas. Adding them to the three that were sitting inside the village brought the tally of injured to five.

That leaves ten able to fight in this group—eleven if you count the kobold too. Thorian clicked his tongue before formulating a plan in his mind. They have shown enough bravery and they have been naturalized enough, I think it's time to enter the second phase of their integration.

As the battle came to a close, Thorian jumped down from the wall, attracting the attention of the kobloids. Soon, the brown kobold noticed the commotion and turned around as well

"Oh, Thorian, you have come."

Thorian walked toward the brown kobold while the kobloids around them murmured "flame kobold" and "king." None of the kobloids, however, dared to speak up or ask for Thorian's attention.

"I see that a lot of your guys got beat up," Thorian looked around and commented.

The brown kobold bit his lower lip and looked down. "It's my fault. I thought there were only two chaskas, but a third one appeared after we started the fight."

"Let's go inside," Thorian motioned with his head toward the gate. "It's not safe here."

The brown kobold nodded before issuing his order to the rest of his group. "Let's go inside. Handle the two injured with care."

The group of kobloids immediately sprang into action. Four of them tended to the injured while the rest entered the village.

As they passed through the gate, Thorian looked at the brown kobold and said, "Your numbers are running low. Fights will become much harder like this."

The brown kobold bit his thumb and replied, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I was too incompetent."

"No," Thorian shook his head. "You were just too weak."

The brown kobold looked down without saying a word, leaving an awkward silence between the two. However, Thorian did not immediately break it. He needed that silence for the kobold to understand the situation.

After twenty seconds or so, Thorian looked up at the wall and asked, "When do the assassins usually come here?"

Surprised by the change of subject, the brown kobold took a few seconds to answer. "Every half an hour or so? They should be here any minute now."

"Good, that's good," Thorian nodded before looking back at the kobold. "Like I said, you are weak, but you don't need to be."

The kobold raised an eyebrow at Thorian's statement before nodding in understanding. "You're right. I need to hunt more so that I level up and become strong."

"That's one way, but that's not what I was talking about," Thorian looked intently at the kobold, who was engrossed in his words. "Have you ever wondered why all the kobolds you've seen in this place are so much stronger than usual?"

"Is it because of you?" The brown kobold tilted his head in confusion. "Nox said that they became stronger thanks to you."

"In one sense of the word, that is true," Thorian chuckled. "But the true reason is that I gifted them a class."

"A class?" The brown kobold inquired, his face a mix of curiosity and confusion. "What is that?"

"For now, just think of it as a way to level up twice, and get double your normal stats. It also gives you a variety of skills, which would make you that much stronger."

"Tha-That's amazing!" The brown kobold couldn't help but exclaim. However, his loud voice drew the attention of the other kobloids, which displeased Thorian.

Seeing Thorian's facial expression, the brown kobold made an apologetic face before speaking in a lower voice, "I'm sorry."

"Just be calm," Thorian responded before his gaze shifted to the wall. Spotting three figures rushing atop it, he slightly smiled. "And I think they have finally come."