CONFRONTATION

He walked past the corpses of the adventurers and goblins. Different shapes and shades of bird feathers used as fletching marked the positions of the departing souls-- sticking out like flags from the bodies. Chu scanned and then hustled to the more injured of the two, calling Miki over for assistance.

Lucy had Ming and Rose act as nearby guards while she circled the outer perimeter. Mr. Pick who occupied a position in the support group during times of battle conducted his duties by tugging the sled closer and then handing out the medicine.

"What are you kids doing out here with these girls? Hurry and run away, I spotted at least one goblin escaping during the fight. It's only a matter of time before these woods crawl with them. You need to run..."

The man clutched Chu's cloak with a trembling hand seemingly devoid of power. His bulging eyes and raised voice displayed the fear he felt. The ordeal of the battle seemed to have shattered his mind. His weeping companion did not bear the same idea though.

"Those vile beasts ambushed us when we chased a boar into the forest."

He coughed while belching a mouthful of blood

"They attacked from the trees. Killed my brother. I will kill them all..."

Chu stuffed a pill down the man's mouth and scatter the coagulating powder on the wounds after removing the arrows. Sniffing the arrowhead he sighed in relief on not smelling any poison. With the injured out of danger from bleeding to death, he sat on a partially submerged root floating like a boat over the ocean of snow.

The men had grown weak from the loss of blood and the fatigue of battle. With the health potion and its accompanying powder, trudging out of the forest would not become an issue. The arrows he had cut out, did not strike any critical locations.

Before he could gather his thoughts, Lucy called

"Chu, a group is coming from the north. A large group of adventurers or mercenaries."

The injured men had begun to doubt the words of the girl when three scouts skirted out from behind the trees with nocked arrows.

"Oi, we heard the sounds of fighting. What happened here?"

A cloaked man asked with his voice muffled from behind a thick scarf. His eyes fell on the dead goblins and a group of children. In the forest, a scene like this didn't add up. While listening to the tale of the wounded men, the main party appeared.

Chu roughly estimated about thirty men, surrounding and guarding four large sleds stacked with supplies. The vanguard parted, allowing the protected leaders in the center to appear. Some of the men had matching armor and swords while the rest looked like they had raided a tanner's shed.

A mixture of soldiers and adventurers.

As the command group stepped forward, Chu recognized some familiar faces. He regretted not leaving when Lucy handed out her warning of their approach. Too bad she didn't have the OP skill, to recognize by smell everyone they previously met.

"Vice-Captain, I left specific orders for no adventurers to enter the forest while we conduct our research. Now, look what happened. These fools messed up my chances of meeting a goblin raiding party. All of them here deserve strict punishment..."

Master Rang poked and overturned a dead goblin with his staff while cursing loudly. Turning in a spectacular fashion he paused halfway through flourishing his sleeves, as his arrogant eyes fell on Chu. His hands dropped while he swiveled his neck, locking onto the rest of the little brats.

"Why are you here?"

Chu stood and provided a brief summary of his report.

They had entered the forest to gather firewood and set snares. Hearing the sounds of shouting, they ventured deeper into the forest, only to meet these two wounded survivors. They had only finished bandaging the men and looked to return home when the scouts appeared.

"That's our story. You can find out more about the goblins from the wounded men. Well, I hope you guys find what you are looking for out here."

Chu wrapped up his tale, as the adventurers and some of the soldiers nodded. Obviously, the actions of these children were commendable out in this deadly forest.

Master Rang and the newly appointed leader apparently had some issues though. While Chu made his report, the two of them carried out their own conversation. Now that his party bid farewell, logic dictated that they needed to cause him trouble.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Huh? I'm heading home."

One look at the smug face of Master Rang divulged the old man's intentions.

"The forest is unsafe for you to travel at present. Yesterday a wolf pack ambushed us and wounded the Captain and five others while killing seven of our party members. Since you have shown some skill in caring for the wounded, join our party. Don't worry, within this large group, no harm will come to you."

The old man crowed a speech for everyone to hear.

"Master Rang is right, we will spare you some coppers for helping us during this journey. You guys can help pull the sled at the rear, so the soldiers can rest."

The new Captain chimed in.

"That's right, we already had the wounded leave for the village, but nobody knows when danger might strike."

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"The Senior Mage speaks the truth. It is better to have more people skilled in bandaging. Look at the great job they did on this man."

"Yeah kid, join us. Think about all that copper you will soon make for your family."

Chu cast a glance at Scholar Rang. The old coot had played on their medical skills to goad the men. After having tasted a battle in the forest, this large group would not let them leave so easily.

"Well played old bat, well-played."

Chu muttered.

With the support of the soldiers and adventurers, leaving this party would lead to conflict. From glancing at the leader and his nearby cronies, Chu understood they would instigate a fight the moment he decided to leave.

His thoughts followed the correct assumption since Master Rang had written him off as a liability to the farm.

Why else would the farm send him into the dangerous forest to collect firewood? Only plebs would receive this job.

"Sure no problem. We will join you guys, but what about the wounded men? Let my brother guide them out of the forest to the village to rest."

Chu replied. He hoped to use this opportunity to inform the farm.

Not everything turned out as he expected though.

"No. We might be wounded but it's not serious. Let us join your party."

The red-haired adventurer requested, while his companion nodded in agreement. The two of them had been whispering with a fellow adventurer in secret.

"Oh, you want to join us? Haha, my friends, you have made the right choice, because you will make history together with me. This party is seeking goblins, not to kill but to converse and spread our ideals. Soon all the goblins will submit to me, and ultimately the Empire."

Master Rang boasted while conducting an animated display to highlight his lofty goals.

Chu glanced around at the faces of the soldiers and the hired adventurers. The soldiers apparently followed orders, having been informed of this by their injured and now-defunct Captain. The twitching faces of some of the adventurers, especially like the ones he just rescued spoke otherwise.

Those gleaming eyes thirsted for revenge or contained some form of malice. This trip of Master Rang did not bode well for a happy ending.

"Alright, have the scouts follow the escaping goblin. Let's move out."

The new Captain sneered while glancing at the hijacked teens. His companions snickered as they returned to pull the covered sled of Master Rang. Chu and the others could only struggle in the snow to the rear of the group, where the heavier, larger sled lay.

"I think we just found ourselves in a deep pile of..."

"U-huh."

Chu sighed.

***

Bon hammered the last rivet onto the iron band, completing another large wooden barrel. A young boy rolled the barrel away as the hot rivet sizzled on contact with the cold ground. An apprentice dragged another barrel near the forge to begin the process all over again.

"How much have we done today?"

"Ten, Master Bon. We have five more to go to finish today's quota. Jim just returned from the cave, they have already begun sealing the barrels."

An Apprentice replied. The hammering and sizzling began once again.

Over in the large warehouse, Jim stood on the wagon waiting for the bucket brigade to finish filling a barrel with water from the well.

"Throw another pail to reach the mark, that's it, good job. Start filling the other one over there."

Jim said as he scooped some portions of thick slime with a large ladle and dumped it into the barrel. He grabbed a long stick and then began mixing the contents thoroughly. On the other side, a teen slobbered the slime inside of a recently rolled barrel, ensuring he coated it evenly without missing the spaces between the wooden planks.

This barrel would join the others on the opposite end to dry for the night. Tomorrow they would be filled with water and mixed with a portion of slime to create a diluted liquid that could make waterproof clothes.

"Finished, this one looks good. Halter, it's all yours."

Jim shouted while moving to another barrel. This type of assembly-line production as the Boss called it really made work much more efficient.

Halter and his son moved towards the filled barrel and pounded a cover onto it. As if to ensure a tight seal, they brushed some thick slime over it, sealing the edges. The two of them struggled to twist and roll the barrel to the finished corner. Blowing while wiping away the beads of sweat, Halter grumbled.

"Damn, this is hard work. Where did all the women go? If they helped us in the drawing of water from the well, this would be so much easier."

"All the girls and women are either in that new delivery room or in the classroom. Sue is keeping an eye on Apprentice Mage Tye in the workshop while Doug and the others are continuing that hellish weapon training with Mr. Thomas."

Someone replied.

"The Boss left instructions for Sherry to train the girls in sewing a batch of dresses. Sherry says when completed, it would place those nobles to shame. She is even allowed to use polished gems as buttons and decorations."

Finn sighed. He spent his free time grinding gems instead of cuddling with the seamstress during the cold winter nights. Although he complained, he loved seeing the sparkle in her eyes as she boasted about her work.

"Well no matter, once this work is done we will have all winter to relax. Tomorrow I need to deliver some sausages and smoked meats to the home in the village. The girls May sent to train as midwives will return to help in preparation. Who wants to come with me?"

Jim asked.

Within the training field, Doug and his group tumbled on the snow while panting and breathing heavily. In the freezing cold, beads of perspiration streamed down their foreheads and neck.

"Not bad this time around. Remember, fighting in the sewers of a city requires coordination and instant action. One minute you might launch a swift attack, while the next you run for your life. Besides the usual sneaky thieves and gangs, you need to worry about the critters that live down there."

Mr. Thomas lectured during the rest break. The team had practiced running, fighting and shooting inside a narrow passage constructed by Halter. A framed building with rooms and doors served as a model equipped with moving dummies and targets powered by ropes and pulleys.

"Fighting in the city resembles a dogfight. I think the Boss is right in training you to increase your skill with the crossbow. If you can keep the enemy at bay while working together as a team, then dispatching a mob in an alley or passageway would prove easy. We still need to work on your swordsmanship skills though."

"Elder don't worry, we won't let you down. With our secret weapons and skills, we will prove unstoppable. Dareck says he will complete the shield and the double shot crossbow by the end of the month. Soon our attack and defense capabilities will double."

Doug said. Chu had shown him the design for a strong rectangular shield, based on the type carried by riot police. Used in the doorway, a pair could block any incoming attacks while allowing them to strike freely. Chu had also issued some short swords to use in narrow places where the longswords may prove cumbersome to wield.

With all this training in 'martial arts' and teamwork, if they failed then they might as well hang themselves. At the end of winter, they had to prove themselves worthy to the name Behemoth. Their focus for winter consisted of learning to fight in small rooms and launch ambushes in buildings.

Blitz striking while rapidly escaping as a unit.

As with most members of the farm, Doug and the others complied without asking questions. Sooner or later, they would find out eventually the Boss's plan.