Chapter 82 - 81: Foundations of the Second Dawn
The goblin village buzzed with motion once more.
Smoke no longer rose from the trees, but from forges and fire pits. The air smelled not of death, but of sweat, steel, and dirt. Voices shouted orders, carts rattled with lumber, and hammer strikes rang out like a heartbeat. Life driven, hungry, relentless was back in full roll.
The second base’s construction had begun.
Logs were being shaped, stone hauled, earth cleared. Kobolds and goblins worked side by side, guided by Krivex’s planning and Gobo1’s barking orders. Even the boars hauled timber.
Lumberling moved quietly among them, not as a commander this time, but as an observer.
He passed the training yards, nodding at Grokk who was sparring two new militia recruits. Skitz had already taken some of the elite squad out for mounted drills. Aren was reviewing the salvaged armor, reorganizing supplies.
But his feet took him toward the infirmary tent.
It was quieter there, too quiet.
Inside, the light was filtered through canvas. Zarn hunched over a makeshift cot, binding the leg of a hunter whose thigh had been torn during the flank ambush. His face was lined with focus and fatigue.
"We’re low on herbs," Zarn muttered, not looking up. "Again."
"We’ll gather more," Lumberling replied.