Gorn POV:
After the boss left, we returned to work, though the mood in the cave had shifted. The usual chatter, laughter, and grumbling were replaced with an uneasy silence.
Nobody said it outright, but we all felt it. How could we not? The image of the boss—barely taller than the smallest goblin here—marching off to face danger alone gnawed at every one of us.
Sure, the boss was strong. Too strong for someone her size. But that was exactly the problem.
"Hey," one of the older goblins muttered, breaking the silence. "What are we even doing here? Hitting rocks while she's out there risking her neck?"
A few others grumbled in agreement, though no one met his eyes.
Even the Imps, who usually had more energy than sense, sat quietly off to the side. Their wings drooped as if they
were as ashamed as the rest of us.
The thought hit me like a hammer: We're useless.
We'd been relying on her too much. Every time trouble came knocking, we cowered and let her deal with it.
And every time she came back victorious, we cheered and acted like that was enough.
But was it?
"No," I said aloud, surprising even myself.
A few goblins turned to look at me, their eyes tired and confused.
"We can't keep doing this," I said, louder this time. "She's just a kid. A kid. And we're sitting here, letting her do everything because it's easier for us. What kind of pathetic excuse for a crew are we?"
One of the younger goblins raised his hand, his voice hesitant. "B-But she's the boss. Isn't it her job to lead us?"
"To lead us, not babysit us," Tink snapped. "We're supposed to have her back, not hide behind her!"
The room fell into an awkward silence, but I could see the gears turning in their heads.
"He's right. The boss needs someone to have her back to, so that the next time she leaves she can say with certainty 'I'll leave this to you guys' not 'I'll come back as fast as I can'..." Grumpy added, getting the other ogre's and lizardmen to nod their head...
One of the Imps finally stood up, his wings buzzing faintly. "...I don't want her to fight alone anymore."
"Neither do I," another voice chimed in. Scarface, the ogre chief said, coming back from outside.
"That runt is doing everything she can and we're here doing nothing? I can see everytime the runt comes back that she's happy we're all still alive. She doesn't show it but she observes everyone whenever she comes back. Are we gonna let her worry about us all the time? Someone the age of our child? What sort of pathetic excuse are we if we are? It's already happened multiple times, and only now do we think of this? When danger is just around the corner?" Scarface added, he's right though. We can't keep going like this, and I'm sure the others think so too.
One by one, the others spoke up. Some muttered their agreement, while others slammed their fists into the ground in frustration.
"We've gotta get stronger," I said, standing tall. "Not just for her, but for us. We're tired of being weak, of being the ones who always need saving. It's time we start pulling our weight."
A murmur of determination spread through the room, growing louder by the second.
"We'll train," Boulder continued, his voice rising with conviction. "We'll fight. And the next time trouble comes knocking, we won't just sit around waiting for her to fix it. We'll stand beside her, shoulder to shoulder."
A cheer erupted, small at first but growing into a roar.
For the first time in a long time since long ago, I saw it again, the fire in their eyes. Determination. Hope.
The boss wasn't just going to change us. We were going to change ourselves.