Chương 102: Chapter 100 The Alliance Begins to Expand

"Travelling from Root to the former Warriorhearts settlement currently requires an entire day," Karath continued.

"Once a road is cleared, even during the short days of winter, the journey should be possible before nightfall." He pointed from Root to the old settlement, then from there toward the mine.

"Karath intends to build a waystation at every day's distance and organise warrior groups to patrol the routes regularly." The word waystation had meant something somewhat different in his former world, but the function was close enough for him to borrow it.

"Ah! If warriors clear the monsters around the roads every day, the creatures will damage them less often," Dagon said.

"Travellers will also have safe places to rest at night."

"Then will you continue building new roads and waystations from there?" Krog asked.

"And create full villages at important locations like the iron mine?"

"Exactly! We will expand our territory gradually and continue absorbing both orc and goblin clans." Karath laughed heartily and looked around the gathered advisers.

"Of course, our alliance has only one hundred warriors. Continuing expansion indefinitely would be difficult. Once we establish a waystation at the old Warriorhearts settlement and a village at the mine, we will already have three locations to protect." The Greenskin Alliance's greatest weakness remained the imbalance in military strength. When powerful monsters appeared, only warriors carrying drake-bone or ogre-bone weapons could inflict meaningful damage. Iron could solve that problem.

If the mine contained enough material to equip every warrior and still leave more, even distant settlements could defend themselves.

"Once the mining village becomes a base, we will absorb nearby orc tribes and give their warriors iron weapons. That new strength will allow us to expand again."

"Y-you mean to keep enlarging our territory in that manner?"

"That is exactly what Karath means. Berners."

"Yes, Grand Chief?" Berners, who had been staring blankly at the unfamiliar style of meeting, answered in alarm.

"Have any other hobgoblins expressed interest in coming to Root?" Hobgoblins were essential to the plan.

"If they join us, this expansion will become far more reliable. Place one hobgoblin at every waystation, or at minimum within every village, and whenever one settlement faces danger, the others can immediately send reinforcements." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. This was the design Karath had imagined from the moment he discovered both the goblins' iron weapons and the hobgoblins' long-distance communication.

"When Bernersh spoke through the horns before, one friend said he wanted to come!"

"Krahahaha! Excellent. Invite him to Root. If travelling here is too dangerous, Karath will personally retrieve him." The two most important pieces required for the expansion project had now fallen into place. Iron and communication.

"Winter has ended! From this moment onward, we will begin the true expansion of the Greenskin Alliance!" It was time to turn the plan into reality. Construction began immediately after the meeting. At first, there was nothing particularly complicated about it. They cleared a route from Root toward the former Warriorhearts settlement. When trees blocked the way, they felled them. When boulders stood in the route, they pulled them from the ground and moved them aside. When monsters attacked, they killed them.

Through that simple, brutal, and effective method, the road advanced steadily. The work relied upon the immense strength of orc warriors. Even without excavators or bulldozers, they cleared the road at remarkable speed. Karath had already grown accustomed to the physical power of orcs. What surprised him was the ability of the goblins. Adult goblins stood between one hundred and fifty-five and one hundred and seventy centimetres tall.

The tallest approached one hundred and seventy, while most were around one hundred and sixty-two or one hundred and sixty-three, roughly the height of an average human woman. Their physical abilities naturally fell far below those of orcs. To survive in the forest, however, goblins had developed numerous methods of compensating for their weakness. Whoosh! The goblin formerly known as T-Two blew through a narrow wooden tube. Something tiny and almost invisible flew from it. Thk!

The projectile pierced a monster's hide. Compared with the creature's enormous body, the wound was insignificant. The monster did not even notice it.

"GRRRAAAAGH!" A few seconds later, foam poured from its mouth and its body began convulsing. T-Two now carried the name Clio, which Berners had granted him. The weapon he fired was a poisoned dart. Every adult goblin used either poisoned blow darts or bows to attack from a distance. Clio appeared to have held the second-highest rank for good reason. Since Berners was a hobgoblin, Clio had effectively been the strongest ordinary goblin in the clan. His accuracy and poison were superior to those of the others.

Goblins were also more dexterous and meticulous than orcs. Their darts and arrowheads were fashioned from stone, monster teeth, or thorns. Every piece possessed a consistent shape and an exceptionally sharp point. They lacked knowledge of iron refining, but if they had possessed it, they probably could have created respectable daggers themselves. Their precision, however, proved most valuable in another role.

"Grand Chief! An Owlbear livesh about one hundred metres to the southeast! If construction continues, it will probably approach thish area!" The goblins were excellent scouts. They had survived as nomads despite their inferior bodies because they knew how to conceal their presence. Karath had also trained the orcs in concealment, but the purpose differed. Orcs hid so they could approach prey and attack. Goblins hid because discovery meant death.

They had learned stealth instinctively to survive in the monster-infested forest. Their smaller bodies also made concealment far easier.

"It would be inconvenient if the creature interrupted construction. Eliminate it before that happens."

"Krahahaha! Kaden will handle it quickly, Grand Chief!"

"Let us go together, Younger Brother!" Clio had spent several days with the orc warriors and had already learned to count beyond one hundred. The moment Karath issued his order based upon Clio's report, Kaden and Parker stepped forward.

"Take Clio with you. Clio, wait for an opportunity during the battle and support them with poisoned darts."

"Understood, Grand Chief!" Karath smiled as Kaden, Parker, and Clio departed together. Once iron weapons became available, he would need to reorganise the warriors. One orc could carry a large shield made from thick iron plates. Two more could fight in close combat with axes or spears. A goblin could provide reconnaissance and ranged support. That would create an efficient four-person unit.