You awake much later, feeling comfortably sore. Your *CENSORED* aches in the way that such things do after heavy use, and your body is heavy with a night well spent. You're still on your back, with Sapphire cuddled into you on one side, occasionally nuzzling you in her sleep. On the other, Feathers sleeps so deeply she barely seems to be breathing, her firm ass pushed back against your leg.

You give a contented sigh, smoke pouring out of your nostrils.

“Morning” you hear, and you look down to see Sapphire sleepily looking up at you, stretching lightly and yawning.

“Sleep well?” you respond. She thinks for a second before responding.

“Mostly.” *CENSORED*

You extricate yourself from Feathers' sleeping form while Sapphire stretches next to you, and the two of you walk through your growing dungeon to the spring pool which is rapidly developing into a nexus of activity. When you reach your destination, Sapphire looks askance at you.

“You're big now, sir. You weren't when we went to bed.”

You nod, and bend your neck to drink, explaining in between gulps. “Yes, I'd wondered about that. Maybe because I've levelled up so much, or that my endurance has grown. I'm not really sure. Feathers has grown some too. I'd wager you have as well, at least a little.”

Thirst slaked, you examined the progress bar for your latest, massive, addition to your lair. It looks to be around a third full, with one of your resurrected kobolds diligently hammering away.

Unfortunately, with one less goblin you'd need to rethink, first think, you correct yourself, how you were organising the workforce. With two kobolds who were good at working but, from what you'd seen, bad at fighting, and two goblins who were a reasonable inverse to all act as grunts, you settle on a plan that will work for now.

You call everyone together in the entrance hall to outline their duties.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The two goblins you set to alternate working on the path to your future larder in the entrance hall, and keeping watch outside. The kobolds you tell to work on the access points around the spring.

Feathers and Sapphire stepped up to you as your minions set about their tasks. “What about us sir?”

“First, a question for you,” you say, looking at Sapphire. “You heard about me from your chief, right?”

She nods, looking somewhere between apprehensive and confused.

“And no one else seems to know?”

“Not... not that I saw, sir. Him, the shaman. They were talking in secret about it and no one else seemed to be. But I left very soon after that.”

You nodded thoughtfully, and then turned to Feathers. “And why did you choose to come here for protection? There are plenty of creatures in the forest who could have shielded your tribe.”

Feathers straightened up as you addressed her, and she considered her response. “You strong. You get stronger. Hide with bugbear, eventually strong hero kill bugbear and us. Hide with you, you get stronger than anyone. Maybe.”

You nod again. “There are seven creatures living here, not including myself. Us and Sapphire's cheif and shaman; that could possibly be every living non-adventurer who knows about me. If I want my Liegelord ability to keep working, I need creatures to know about me, and fast, because we need more minions.”

Feathers raises her hand and waves it energetically. “Know about other goblins, goblins by lake and goblins by deep wood. Maybe they join?”

Sapphire is far less thrilled but she also contributes. “I'm sure I could make it back up the mountain and talk to a few kobolds who were... well, not as bad to me, before.”

You nuzzle her, gently. “I won't ask that of you. I told you once, we're going to kill them one day.”

You internally exalt at the private smile she shoots your way, before she shakes her head.

“There are other tribes, scattered villages. They may not like me because I'm a runt, but they will respect me.”

You're about to offer an alternative when Sapphire meets your eyes. “I will not let you down.” You get the feeling that she wants this. To prove that her birth does not define her abilities.

After a few seconds, you nod.

“Ok. Sapphire, you are to take Hyena-” I need to get her to name him at some point, “- and go up the mountain, spreading word to the kobold clans, and anyone else you find. Feathers, you are to find other goblin tribes and do the same. Don't worry about recruiting them or promising them anything. Hopefully, we will attract their malcontents as is.”

The two ladies, contrasting each other beautifully as they stand next to each other, both nod. Then Feathers speaks up. “And you? Who you come with?”.

Sapphire elbows her and shoots the taller figure a glare. “What will you do, sir?”