"Do you have a grindstone?" Harm asked.

Dafu looked at Harm before calling over to Nathic. "Grab the stone from the hut we use for the spears."

Nathic hurried over with a small whetstone. Harm took it from Nathic, thanking him. The young goblin grinned and hurried back to where he was busy helping some other goblins construct a new hut.

Harm looked at the stone. It was of poor quality, its surface was pitted, and it was apparent none of the goblins really knew how to sharpen metal edges. 

"This won't do," Harm said. "It's damaged; it is no good for honing the edges of the swords we got from the warehouse." Harm was aware of the different stones that smithies used to sharpen and hone the blades of weapons. One of his adventuring party had been a dwarf named Gufillow. He had been a smith by profession, but had been enticed by the love of coin and had only the basic skills. It had been enough to maintain the weapons of their party, and Harm had spent time learning from him about how weapons should be maintained. Harm had always taken care of Florence and kept her well. 

"I need to go to my farmstead," Harm said, looking at Dafu.

Dafu nervously looked at Harm. "But that's on the open route. The patrols have been passing constantly. It may be too dangerous."

"It may be, but if we wait until night, we should be able to get there easily enough. I had a set of whetstones in my shed that I used to maintain my tools. They would be perfect for sorting these swords out," Harm said, turning one of the training short swords in his hand. It was basic, the grip was standard wrapped leather, and the hilt was a straight and unfashionable one, but if the blades could be sharpened, then they would be much better than the weapons the goblins currently owned. 

Harm knew that if he were going to go into town to deal with Satil, the goblins wouldn't let him go alone. Even if he told them to stay, he knew that they wouldn't. In the very short time he had become their chief, they had shown an absolute commitment to completing any tasks he asked and shown loyalty beyond what many friends or family would. 

"I can go," said Dafu.

"It will be just as dangerous for you to go as it would be for me," Harm said.

Dafu looked at Harm, tilting his head, and grinned. "I am half your size, and I can also see at night. I am sure I will be less of a target than you would be."

It was true, Harm was two if not three feet taller than Dafu, and they could see in the dark after all. Harm had been out with the scouts over the last few days in both daytime and at night, and the patrols had been constant. It wasn't really something that Harm had ever paid any attention to previously, and now that he had, he had realised how much time and effort Satil put in protecting the town and its borders. He assumed it had always been this way, but it was not something he had ever been aware of previously.

"Do you know where my farmstead is?" Harm asked.

"Yes. It's on the far side of the valley. The one in ruins," Dafu said, before realising what he had said. Dafu looked at Harm nervously.

Harm just looked at Dafu, then smiled weakly, before turning and looking across in the direction of his farm. He hadn't been back there since Wes and Sister Carol had collected him and taken him to the chapel. Wes had explained to him the state it had been in, and if he was being honest, he wasn't even sure he wished to see the state of disrepair he had allowed it to fall into. He had always taken pride in his farmstead, and even when short of coin, as they had been over the months prior to his family's death, he had always maintained and looked after it. The thought of how it may be sat heavily on his heart, never mind the thoughts of his family and his life in peace and harmony.

"Okay, but if you go, you take another with you," Harm said, turning back and looking at Dafu.

"I'll take Luubu. She will be happy to help," Dafu grinned.

Harm chuckled. It was evident to him that Dafu had a thing for Luubu; he was like a puppy around her whenever she was doing anything. When Harm confirmed that the group would go to the warehouse, Dafu almost begged Harm to allow Luubu to be a member of his party. Harm had refused, knowing that Dafu wouldn't be focused on what he needed to do, as he would be too focused on her.

"No," Harm said gently. "Luubu will stay here."

"But..."

Harm tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. Dafu had gotten used to Harm's expressions and knew that there wasn't any point in arguing. His shoulder drooped, and his head fell.

"Why don't you just talk to her?" Harm said.

Dafu reacted as though he had just been struck by lightning. His eyes opened wide, and his body tensed. "What?"

"Come on. You like her. Why not just talk to her?"

Dafu paled at the comment. "Talk to her?"

"Yes, Dafu, talk to her, tell her you like her? If you don't tell her how you feel, then how will she ever know?"

Dafu choked, coughing violently as he sipped from a waterskin. "I can't talk to her. What if she doesn't like me?"

"Has she ever said she doesn't?"

"No, but I have never spoken to her that way."

"Then why don't you?"

"Because she may say no," Dafu's shoulders drooped, and he looked down.

"And what if she says yes?" Harm countered. 

Harm watched Dafu's face run through a thousand emotions as he unpacked what Harm had just said. It took him several moments before he shook his head emphatically. "No. I can't chance her saying no."

Harm looked over Dafu's shoulder. "Hi, how long have you been standing there, Luubu?" he said.

Dafu fell backwards on his chair as he spun around, absolute panic on his face, looking where Harm had been. Luubu wasn't there, and Harm burst out laughing. Dafu picked himself up from where he lay tangled with the chair.

"You bastard," Dafu said, snarling.

That made Harm laugh even harder, and several of the goblins stopped what they were doing to look over at the big man, who was now holding his gut as he roared at Dafu. 

Dafu growled and ran at him. Harm didn't even move as Dafu ploughed into him, knocking him backwards over his chair, still laughing as they tumbled. Harm grabbed Dafu and flipped the goblin over, pinning him down. Tears of laughter rolled down Harm's cheeks as he spoke. "Have you calmed down now?"

Harm was kneeling on Dafu's back. His arms were pinned to his sides.

Dafu growled, his face buried in the grass. "That wasn't funny."

"You should have seen your face," Harm chuckled as he climbed off Dafu, allowing him to stand.

Dafu looked furious, glaring at Harm for several moments, before the infectious grin on Harm's face took effect. 

"Okay. It was sort of funny." Dafu admitted, now that his anger had subsided.

Harm patted Dafu on the back, almost knocking the goblin over.

"So, who will you take with you if you go to the farm?" Harm asked.

Dafu stood and turned, looking at the goblins working. "Hatu is a good scout. I will take him."

"Not Luubu?" Harm said, teasing him again.

Dafu growled again and stalked off in the direction of where Hatu was.

Harm wiped the tears from his eyes. It had felt good to laugh. He hadn't done so in such a long time, but over the past few days living with the clan, he had begun to relax. The thoughts of goblins and their antics had always been one of scorn, but after living with them, all they were doing was trying to survive. They weren't evil at heart; they were like any other group of beings, trying to live in a world that was unfair and unjust.

There had been several things that he had immediately changed since becoming the clan chief. The priority had been toilet pits; the first time he had seen a goblin stop mid-stride and squat, emptying his bowels in the middle of the huts had brought that about. It was half the reason for the stench the area had, which was due to goblins just going to the toilet whenever they needed it, finding an open space. The second thing was tidying up. All the huts had been emptied, their contents removed, and the floors had all been scraped to reveal fresh earth. He had then instructed all the blankets, skins, and their clothing to be cleaned, including themselves. There was a stream that ran through the hills close to the clan's position, and it had taken the clan almost three days to wash and scrub all the items. 

Harm had completely emptied the chief's hut and disposed of everything, burning it. There was no way he would ever sleep on anything the previous chief had owned. The same had been done in his hut, with the floor being scraped away to fresh earth. He had then ordered them to construct him a bed. He didn't fancy sleeping on the cold earth, especially with the seasons changing and knowing how cold or damp the ground would get. The frame had been crude when finished, but it was better than nothing, and he had topped the frame with ferns from the woods before covering them with one of his blankets, which he had stolen. It was much better than curling up on the ground each night.

Harm saw Hatu grinning at Dafu, who was standing and talking to him. His head bobbed excitedly. He was obviously pleased to be asked to go with him. He sighed as he picked up the chair that had been knocked over and sat back down. He looked around the small enclave at his clan members. They may be goblins, they may need to learn matters of hygiene more, but already the clan was changing. There was a feeling of pride, almost in what they were doing.

"Come on. You can't sit here all day watching them work. Get up and give them a hand," he said to himself as he got back up again. The tilled earth where they were attempting to grow crops needed more work, and he was the one with the knowledge to ensure they at least had a chance of growing some crops. He walked over to help the three goblins who were busy at work.

Several hours had passed, and Harm was returning from the stream where he had gone to wash off the sweat from digging the ground, when one of the scouts came running into the hamlet.

It ran straight to Dafu, and Harm couldn't hear what was being said. Dafu was waving his arms frantically and started shouting.

Harm approached. "What's wrong?"

Dafu turned pale. "Murgo is coming."

"What?" Harm said, surprised. Murgo was a clan chief from the end of the valley where Rebo had gone with the others who had left when he had become chief.

"The scouts report that they have seen him not far away," Dafu said, pointing south, to the woods further into the hills.

"What does he want?" Harm asked.

"They say Rebo is with him," Dafu said, his eyes looking fearful.

"How many were there?"

"Twenty," Dafu swallowed hard.

Harm stopped and thought for a moment.

"Okay. Well, they may not be looking for trouble, but if they are, we will give them some. Get the swords handed out."

"They are blunt?" Dafu asked incredulously.

"They may be, but they don't know that, and they are much better than nothing."

Dafu started shouting orders as Nathic sprinted to where the short swords were before starting to hand them out to the others. "Only give them to the ones who don't already have a weapon," Harm called.

Nathic nodded in response.

"Right then. If they are looking for trouble, then let's make sure we give them some." Harm said, looking around the hamlet.

It wasn't configured for defence; there were no structures that offered much protection. The huts were primitive, and although they would stand up to the usual weather of the territory, they weren't effective against any attacks. The doors were weak, and they had no windows. If any goblins were inside and barricaded, then all that would be needed is a flame to kill any inside.

Harm looked at the pensive faces of his clan. The fact that Murgo was coming had sent panic through them, and they chattered excitedly, their faces fearful and scared.

"All," Harm said, his voice commanding silence.

They stopped turning to look at their chief. Harm looked at them one at a time, pausing. There were seventeen goblins plus him. Four were out scouting, and a hunting party was also out. Of the seventeen present, only nine had shown any combat potential. Luubu was the strongest and best fighter they had by far. Then there was Dafu, Fasdew, Jillu and Casew. The others were in the hunting party, but they wouldn't return until that night. Only Luubu had any decent skills, and she was the highest level at sixteen. Of the other fighters or supposed combatants, their levels ranged from twelve to fifteen. None of them had ever been in a battle. 

The rest of the goblins all varied in level, most of them being fighter class, but having never trained or developed since selecting it. There were a few rogues, three archers, who didn't even own bows and a druid who had a pet rat as a familiar. Harm had nearly skewered it the first time he had seen it, until the goblin in question had screamed and run, diving to protect it. Their levels ranged from as low as six to as high as eleven. It had become evident to Harm that the clan had always consisted of some of the weakest and unskilled. It had come as no surprise to him, considering the goblins he had fought in the valley protecting his farmstead. He had never met a skilled combatant, always weak, and it was obvious that none had ever been trained. Their attacks were always wild and uncontrolled. That was something he needed to work on, but not now.

"Has Murgo ever come before?" Harm asked.

Dafu shook his head vigorously. "No. He has never come this far south in the valley or this far into the hills. They are based near Hillnot."

That answered the question Harm had in his mind. They had to be coming to attack. There was no other reason to bring twenty goblins with him. 

Umm! the demonic voice spoke. 

It had been quiet recently, only occasionally commenting, as Harm had started to run the clan. 

Trouble is coming! What will you do? It sang.

Harm tried to ignore it.

He started to give orders. The youngest and weakest were to move into the trees on the far side, away from where Murgo and his party were coming from. That left him with twelve. If things went badly, they were to run. Harm didn't say where; he just told them that if he were killed, they were to flee. They had no weapons or anything to defend themselves with anyway. Dafu, Luubu, Fasdew, Jillu and Casew, where to stay with Harm.

The rest, whom Nathic had prioritised giving the short swords to by Harm, were instructed to gather in the woods on the right. The thicket there would hide them from view, at least initially. Harm placed Nathic in charge of them, and the young goblin understood his duty as Harm explained what he wanted him to do. His face was pale, sweat was forming on his brow, his eyes were wide with fear, and Harm placed his hand on his shoulder. "Just do your best," he said, smiling. If a fight started, only then would they join, attacking the group from the side.  

As the goblins followed his instructions, Harm moved with his group to the end of the hamlet. The path that led from here had a hut on one side and a tilled field on the other. It would stop them from being surrounded easily, if that were their plan. Harm's heart thumped in his chest as he stood, looking towards where Murgo would appear. 

You can always ask for help! The demonic voice said, chuckling.

Help, what help can a voice give me? Harm cursed at his thoughts. Why was he even paying any attention to it?

Help I can give! Boon's I may grant! It chirped merrily.

Boons? Harm thought confused.

What do you think I gave you to understand all? The voice laughed.

All you must do is say I do! It continued singing and humming in his mind.

Harm rubbed his brow, his face scrunched.

"Harm. Are you okay?"

Dafu said, looking at him worriedly.

"Yeah," Harm replied, looking at his friend. 

Friend! The thought as it entered his mind struck him with the force of a charging troll. His clan members had become his friends; it had only been days, but they were his friends. They may be more like an unorthodox bunch of immature teens, but they were learning and becoming more like a surrogate family each day. Yes. Most days, he felt like a parent, instructing them, correcting them, stopping them from bickering over silly, nonsensical things, but in a very short time, he had come to trust them and, strangely, care for them. Never, if someone had asked him during his adventuring days if he would ever live with a goblin, would he have said he could. It was strange how necessity brought change and acceptance.

I won't let anyone else die because of me. Harm thought as they heard the movement in the trees to the south of the hamlet.