The Monster King's Legacy

Chapter 21 Coming up with a Plan

"You've got guts, human," the ogre growled. "Summoning me like this. What do you want?"

Lance gave a polite nod. "I wanted to discuss our arrangement. We're working on gathering the supplies you need, but it's taking longer than expected. We're a small tribe, after all."

The ogre crossed his massive arms, his gaze narrowing. "You're stalling."

"I'm being honest," Lance countered, keeping his voice steady. "If you take from us now, you'll get less than what we promised. But if you give us a little more time, we can provide exactly what you asked for."

The ogre leader's expression darkened, and Lance felt a bead of sweat roll down his back. He pushed forward before the giant of an ogre could respond.

"Think about it," Lance said quickly. "You're mercenaries. You're not looking for a fight, you're looking for profit."

"Telling me what I want and what to do. I look stupid to you, human?" The ogre growled in a low tone.

"Not at all... that would be foolish of me. All I'm saying is that attacking us now would be a waste of resources. But waiting? That guarantees a bigger haul."

The ogre leader studied Lance for a long moment, his scarred face unreadable. Finally, he let out a low chuckle.

"You've got a silver tongue, human," he said. "Fine. I'll give you a few more days. But if you try to cheat me..." He leaned in, his voice dropping to a menacing growl. "I'll burn your little camp to the ground, and slaughter every single one of your green friends, and I'll be sure you watch the entire thing from the best viewpoint."

Lance nodded, his expression serious. "Understood." He could feel an unnatural feeling that came from the ogre, and it sent a terrible feeling down his heart and bowels. The others who stood behind him were no different.

Mira brought a team of goblins with her to gathered herbs to make poultices and salves, ensuring the tribe would be ready to treat any injuries.

Lance moved between groups, coordinating their efforts and offering encouragement. He could see the doubt in their eyes, but he also saw determination, a flicker of hope that they could survive this.

Their preparations continued in that fashion, and as for the new traps, they made sure they were deadlier and even more spread out in unexpected locations.

Just like that, two days went by quickly in the blink of an eye. Lance returned to the ogre camp, this time alone. He carried a small bundle of supplies as a gesture of goodwill, hoping it would be enough to buy them more time.

The ogre leader greeted him with a sneer. "You're cutting it close, human."

"I brought this as a show of progress," Lance said, handing over the bundle. "It's not much, but it proves we're working on your request."

The ogre inspected the supplies, a mix of dried meat, mushrooms and other fruits, and crude tools. After going through, he grunted in approval.

"You've got one more day," he said. "After that, we take what we want."

"Understood," Lance said, bowing slightly.

He felt a little disgusted having to act so weak in front of his enemies, but that was the reality, that he was weak, and so were his people, the goblins. Even though they would outperform him any day, in the face of true strength, it didn't mean much. Rynne, Zarra and Rikka alone would scarcely be enough to face an entire group of Ogres.

As Lance made his way back to the goblin camp, his mind raced with plans. The ogres had taken the bait, but the clock was ticking. If the ambush failed, the tribe wouldn't survive another attack, since they'd all be dead.

Lance grew resolute, 'my new life just begun, I can't die now.'