Once everyone came back from the hunting trip, stacked full with Horned Rabbits, Rick brought the squad captains and Jaba inside for another meeting.

  POV Rick

  “Okay, so look, I’ve decided to change some things from our earlier meeting. I’m going to put more faith in the strength of the current Tribe, by taking a little risk.

  “That little risk is the fact that I’m going to go on another adventure to find new Goblins now instead of when Jaba comes back from his training.

  “That means I won’t be here to guide you through the hunting trips deeper into the forests, or for any issues that may arise while I’m gone.

  “Instead, I will trust you all to take care of everything, especially Jaba.

  “My plan is to leave tomorrow morning before anyone even wakes up and before Jaba leaves for his own training trip deeper into the forest.

  “I know this is a fast decision because I just came back, but I don’t like sitting around when I know there are beasts way stronger than us not too far away.

  “We have to grow bigger and stronger quickly and efficiently.

  “That is why my mission is to potentially find another Tribe and bring them back here is very important. Even if I don’t find other Tribes, discovering other threats we need to be wary of or finding other resources for us to make use of is also just as important.

  “But of course the ultimate prize would be to find more Goblins because if I were to succeed we very easily double in strength and size immediately, depending on how many I find.

  “So, since I’ve already been a lot deeper into the forest and I didn’t find any Goblins there or even any signs of them, I’m sure I’ll have to go much farther to find even faint signs of them.

  “That means I could be gone for much longer than last time. I’m not sure how long it’ll take, but I plan to search for them until I find Goblins, something of importance, or I simply can’t go any further.

  “It could take weeks, maybe even months, but if I find nothing even after one year has passed I’ll come home.

  “I won’t just leave you guys in the dark about things of the future while I’m gone. So, I’m going to leave behind some instructions and advice for you all to follow while I’m gone.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Pay attention.

  “First, Jaba will be overall in charge of the Tribe while I’m gone, as he is the squad Leader.

  “The squad captains are to assist him in taking care of the Tribe, but all final decisions will come from Jaba.

  “Tomorrow morning, Jaba will leave to go on his three-day training trip, so the Tribe will be without both me and Jaba for three days. That means the squad captains will be in charge of the Tribe.

  “During that time, if the three of you can’t all agree on a decision, then find out which two agree on the same thing and go with that.

  “If all three want three different things, then all three of you are wrong. Find something else.

  “If any other normal Goblins evolve, then they will still stay in their current squads and will not be promoted to squad captains or get their own squad.

  “The Tribe isn’t big enough for every High Goblin to get their own squad, so nothing will change until we get new members.

  “Now, if any squad captains evolve into Hobgoblins, the same thing still applies. You will remain as a squad captain for now.

  “Once the Tribe gets much bigger, then the positions can change, and we’ll add new ones as we go.

  “If while I’m gone everyone gives sex and reproduction a go, then I expect the new Goblin training grounds to come into play with the two squads we have staying home to protect and guide them as they grow up, then placing them in a squad once they are ready.

  “Nothing will change on that front.

  “Just make sure the main rule about not forcing anyone to have sex is focused on, and if anyone breaks it, then they should be punished like the rule says.

  “Finally, if the Tribe gets attacked, I expect the whole Tribe to fight them off and protect our home.

  “But if the danger is too large, then try to escape and regroup somewhere in the forest. Being alive is always better than being dead.

  “We can always rebuild and start again if we’re alive, but it all ends once we die, so fight if you can, but if you can’t, then escape.

  “Now, are there any questions about all that?”

  “How many Goblins are you planning to bring back?”

  “I’m not too sure, but I will only bring back whatever I think the Tribe is strong enough to handle.”

  “What will you do if there are too many Goblins to bring back?”

  “Two good questions in a row, Jaba. I love it. At that point, it’ll depend on how strong all those Goblins are.

  “If it's just a lot of normal Goblins, then I might risk it and bring them back, but if there are High Goblins and even Hobgoblins involved, then I’ll stick to just making contact and worry about bringing them back depending on how our initial contact goes.”

  “What if you die or get captured? We would never know to come help you.”

  “Another tough question. You're on a roll, Jaba. Though like I said earlier, I will search for up to a year, and if I find nothing once I reach that one-year limit, I’ll immediately come back to the village.

  “So basically, if I’m not back within two whole years, assume your favorite Goblin Rick has died, and my dreams for Goblin domination will fall to you.

  “Does that answer your question, and are there any others?”

  “Yes it does, thank you. That’s all the questions I had.”

  “Okay, great. What about you guys, Geedi, Dal, and Tars?”

  “No.”

  “No.”

  “No.”

  “Then that settles everything.”