Chapter 20 – Foundation of the Pack
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Dawn crept faintly into the Forbidden Forest, though its canopy smothered the sun. The cave reeked of blood and fear.
Some goblins tended wounds, others whimpered quietly, still shaking from the golden gaze of Nyx'Gor. Even Lila and Mira seemed drained, clinging to each other.
Altair sat upon a stone, his eyes roaming the broken pack. If they remain like this, a single strike could end us all.
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He rose, his voice cutting through the cavern.
"Listen to me—all of you!"
Dozens of goblin eyes turned, wide and hollow, haunted by fear.
"Last night we faced more than men. We faced Nyx'Gor—the Chimera of the Night, the Western Guardian. If it wished, it could have ended us with one strike. You saw it yourselves."
Murmurs rippled. Some trembled, some lowered their heads.
Altair clenched his fist. "I will not allow that to happen. We will not die as prey. We will grow. Faster than humans, sharper than elves, harder than dwarves, fiercer than orcs—more savage than the forest itself!"
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He began to dictate law.
1. "Every adult goblin will train each morning—formation, signals, weapons."
2. "Half will hunt, half will guard the cave."
3. "The kill will be divided by rule: the strong eat first, but mothers and caretakers must never starve."
4. "Every goblin child will be forged from birth—not merely to live, but to fight."
The cave was silent, yet eyes began to kindle with something new: belief.
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Lila hesitated. "But… if all fight and hunt, who cares for the children?"
Altair's gaze snapped to her. "That is your duty—and Mira's. Do not think it small. To raise goblin children is to raise the future."
Mira swallowed and nodded faintly.
Seraphina's laugh was bitter. "You're not building a pack. You're building a kingdom of monsters."
Altair turned his head, lips curling. "Yes. Exactly."
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That very day, training began.
Goblin males were forced to line up on a clearing outside the cave. Altair stalked before them, sharp-eyed.
"Triangle formation—again!"
They shuffled, crooked, clumsy. Altair struck those who broke rank. "Hold the line! If you can't stand together, you'll fall together!"
Arden tapped stone against stone. Tak! Tak! Goblins retreated. Tak! They surged forward.
Silas and Neriah set crude snares around the training ground. Lyra hauled ropes, testing her grip.
Slowly, order began to take root.
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By nightfall, sweat drenched their bodies. Yet for the first time, pride flickered in their eyes.
Altair gathered them by the fire. "Hear me! Today we are no longer wild. We are a pack with rules, with formations, with a future!"
Ragged roars rose—uneven, but stronger than before.
"Nyx'Gor may terrify us. The other Guardians may be worse. But one day, we will surpass them all. The forest will bow, and then the world will follow!"
The fire roared, its light reflecting in goblin eyes—feral, but now focused.
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Later, when the pack slept, Altair sat alone at the cave's mouth. The forest whispered with distant howls, unseen wings.
His claws clenched. Nyx'Gor… Chimera of the Night. One day I will kill you. Then the others will fall. The Forbidden Forest will be mine.
He glanced back, watching his four hybrids slumber peacefully. His smile was sharp, hungry.
"You will be my blades, my spears. With you, we will surpass the limits of goblins… and become the disaster that swallows the world."
The canopy shifted with wind, shadows swaying. And in that darkness, a kingdom's first foundation was laid—born not of stone or crown, but of discipline, blood, and an unbreakable vow.
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