John spent the rest of the day helping organise everyone, sending Glorg and the two hobgoblins who'd stayed behind earlier out on a patrol while Fuzz's group went out on a hunt for more rabbits. With the two capable groups of lackeys out already, the problem they faced now was that goblins were idiots. This wasn't an issue for most tasks; they could hunt, gather materials and follow orders without supervision. No, the problem on John's mind right now was that they were terrible builders. The main structure that Vral had gotten them to build was sturdy, which John was putting down to the organised hobgoblin's influence, but the teepees that the goblins were making look like they were the limit of their expertise without direction.
'Usually, goblins act as a cheap workforce and form the lowest rung of whatever society they are in,' Vral explained when John brought it up. 'There's very much a reason why you don't see a goblin in charge of a clan; they don't have the concentration for it. We're going to be stuck with simple buildings until we get either some more competent workers, a dedicated builder or some other way of getting them.'
'That's going to be difficult,' John said with a sigh, thinking of his current options for dwellings. His best option currently would be the hobgoblin camp and then hope that one of the summoned hobgoblins had some talent with the craft.
'Don't worry, I'll get them working on some basic huts tomorrow, that should help for storage and sleeping arrangements. All you need to do is sort out the long term,' Vral said in a reassuring tone. The hobgoblin didn't realise that his words were only making it worse and that the vague hope John had been nursing that Vral had a plan was now dying a slow and agonising death.
'Sure, it'll be fine, I'll work something out,' John said half-heartedly, to which Vral gave him one of the first smiles he'd seen on a hobgoblin and left to chastise some goblins that were fighting with burning branches they'd taken from the fire. Laughing softly to himself as one of the branches split in half and its wielder was showered in a spray of hot embers, John sat back against a nearby rock and closed his eyes to get some rest.
-***-
'Lord John, Lord John!' A high pitched voice shouted in his ear, making John launch himself up from where he'd fallen asleep against the rock, his neck already twinging in pain at sleeping in such an odd position. Whirling to turn to the source of the noise, John saw Fuzz eagerly waiting for his attention, the little fur-wearing goblin puffing his chest out and standing up straight.
'Yes? What is it, Fuzz?' John asked with a heavy sigh as he cracked his neck and gave out an involuntary groan of relief at the release in pressure. There was no answer after a moment, so John looked back over to find Fuzz trying desperately to replicate the motion John had done to crack his neck, frustration written on the goblins face as he clearly failed to do so. Rubbing his face and cursing Morden's name mentally, John clicked his fingers in front of Fuzz's face to bring his attention back to him. 'Fuzz, report!'
'Yes, Lord! We scouted the area and hunted as told, we found a few tracks of wolfies in the basin and followed them back to a cave, when we go back we'll take rabbits and tame wolfies!' Fuzz's face all but glowed with excitement as he spoke about the cave, and John sighed again, at this point, he was just going to let them try and see what happened.
'Okay, once we're finished here you can hunt some rabbits and then try to tame the wolves.'
'Thank you, Lord! We also found many berries, but during the night they were stolen by a ghost!'
'A ghost, did anyone see it?' John glanced warily around the growing camp, wondering what such an apparition would look like.
'No, that's how we know it was a ghost! Nothing else could sneak by so many goblins,' Fuzz said, his voice shrill with either panic, fear or excitement, it was hard to tell in goblins.
'Right and would that be those goblins?' John gestured towards the pavilion that had been put up yesterday and the two goblin guards that were standing out in front of it, both of whom were asleep and leaning against the building they were protecting.
'Yes, yes, the best guards we have,' Fuzz said with no trace of sarcasm or guile, which told John that either Fuzz was a mastermind manipulator or his standards for goblin guards were really, really low. Studying the earnest expression on Fuzz's face, John went with his gut instinct and chose the second option.
'Well, let's leave the ghost issue alone for the moment, anything else?' John said as he relaxed once more, he doubted it was a ghost that had stolen the berries, more likely a greedy goblin.
'We saw a house that way,' Fuzz pointed further up the valley and away from the mountain. 'It was nice and shiny, but all the fields around it were destroyed, and it looked dangerous, so we didn't go in. Then we came back, and Chief Vral told me to wait until the morning to report to you.'
'Interesting. Good decision though Fuzz, you might be right about it being dangerous, I'll go check it out later. Give me the directions to get there now. Then you can go hunting for the wolves, don't forget to go and claim the Hunting Estate as well,' John said, slightly thanking Vral for stopping Fuzz from waking him back up last night.
'Yes, Lord!' Fuzz yipped shrilly, dancing from foot to foot in anticipation as he quickly recited the directions before dashing off to his followers, waving his spear frantically as he urged them to their feet and off to the north.
'A shiny house with damaged fields,' John muttered to himself, it sounded like something worth investigating. Walking over to the pavilion, John took the portion of berries and fish that was his breakfast and immediately went looking for Glorg. They had access to food now, especially when Fuzz and his gang got into the swing of hunting, but they needed more variety and more meat. Just the thought of how many berries it would take to fill up an ogre made his eye twitch, and he mentally moved getting an additional source of food up a notch.
Glorg was fiddling with a bulging pouch while eating a fillet of fish when John found him, the burly hobgoblin quickly cinching the pouch shut and returning it to his belt with a furtive look in his eyes. John paid no heed however, barely even noticing the movement, let alone Glorg's expression, too busy wracking his mind for ways to get more food.
'Glorg, we're heading south today, we'll take all four of your men this time I think. The area around here seems calm and safe enough that I believe we can risk it, what do you think?'
'The goblins are expendable, and Vral is a competent fighter, it shouldn't be a problem,' Glorg said with a shrug, dismissing the potential goblin deaths.
'No, that's not how we do things anymore. Every member of this clan is worth something, who will fish for us or gather the berries if not the goblins after all?' John said, wanting to get this point across now rather than later when the clan was larger. If nothing else, Gitgak was a prime example of why not all goblins were expendable, and he wanted Glorg to see that.
'Your will,' Glorg said with a small bow, acquiescing to John's words. It wasn't the same as him agreeing with John, however, but for now, obedience would do fine.
'Good, now round up the men and gather some supplies, we're heading out in thirty minutes,' John instructed before leaving Glorg to go back for a second round of fish and berries. The combo was surprisingly tasty actually, and with all the responsibility of being in charge, he thought he deserved a second helping.