The morning began like any other—chaotic and noisy. The goblins were bickering over Glowshroom leftovers, the lizardmen were engaged in an unnecessary tail-slapping contest, I don't know why. And the imps had managed to set something on fire again.
"Every single day," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "How do I survive these lunatics?"
The answer was simple: barely.ಠ_ಠ
---
The new troll, whom we'd nicknamed Boulder (because his head looked suspiciously like one), was proving to be an unexpected blessing. He'd taken it upon himself to enforce discipline among the goblins, much to their dismay.
"Work faster," Boulder growled, looming over a group of goblins who were supposed to be gathering wood.
"We're trying!" one of them squeaked, struggling to carry a branch twice his size.
Boulder wasn't having it. He picked up an entire tree with one hand and slammed it down in front of them.
"Like this," he said, glaring at the goblins.
"Right, right!" they stammered, scurrying off to find smaller branches.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Boulder might be the best decision I've ever made."
---
While Boulder kept the goblins in line, Gorn approached me with what he called "a revolutionary idea."
"I think we need... distinct clothings," he said, holding up a tattered piece of cloth with holes cut into it.
"Clothings?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! Think about it, Boss. Matching outfits will make us look more professional. More intimidating!" I have a feeling he just wants to look cooler.
I looked at the "uniform" and tried not to laugh. It was essentially a loincloth with poorly stitched patches of Glowshroom fibers.
"Gorn, this is ridiculous," I said.
"But—"
"No."
---
While I dealt with Gorn's nonsense, the imps decided to push their luck again. This time, they'd stolen the lizardmen's tools and were using them to carve crude faces into the wooden supports of the base.
"Imps!" I shouted, storming over to them. "What did I say about messing with the tools?"
One of the imps grinned at me, holding up a wooden plank with a particularly hideous face carved into it.
"Look! It's you!"
I stared at the plank, then at the imp, my eye twitching. "I'm going to kill you."
The imp yelped and took off, cackling as I chased him around the camp.
Just as I was about to strangle the imp, a new figure appeared at the edge of the clearing.
It was a kobold—a small, dragon-like humanoid with bronze scales and a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Who's in charge here?" he called out, his voice high-pitched but confident.
"I am," I said, stepping forward.
The kobold looked me up and down, clearly unimpressed. "You? You're just a kid."
"Yeah, well, this kid runs the place," I shot back. "What do you want?"
"I heard you're building a base," he said, his tail flicking behind him. "I want in."
"Another one?" I muttered under my breath.
"What can you offer?" I asked.
The kobold grinned, revealing sharp teeth. "I'm an inventor. You need traps, defenses, gadgets—I can make them."
I considered his offer. Having someone with technical skills could be a game-changer.
"Fine," I said. "Welcome aboard. But if you cause trouble, you're out."
The kobold smirked. "Trouble's my middle name."
---
True to his word, the kobold—who introduced himself as Tink—immediately got to work. Within hours, he'd rigged up several rudimentary traps around the perimeter of the base.
The goblins were less than thrilled about this.
"Boss, one of the traps caught me!" Gorn wailed, dangling upside-down from a tree.
"Then maybe don't wander off into the forest," I said, smirking.
"But I was gathering mushrooms!"
"Sounds like a you problem."
---
By the end of the day, the base was looking more fortified than ever. Boulder had reinforced the walls, the lizardmen had finally finished the watchtower, and Tink's traps added an extra layer of security.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Base Completion: 85%.
"We're almost there," I said, feeling a sense of pride as I surveyed the camp.
Sure, it was still a chaotic mess most of the time, but it was my chaotic mess. And with every passing day, it was starting to feel more like home.
"Just a little more," I muttered, clenching my fists.Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ