34 I promise to feed and walk him

Seeing that the oncoming Ogre was charging straight ahead, Zanir knew, he might not be the brightest attacker. There were still several hundred feet between them, based on the speed he was approaching, they would have a few moments to prepare.

With the troops released, everyone did what they could, to get ready. Waving his hands, several covered pitfalls were created. No spikes were added this time, they definitely wanted to capture the Ogre alive.

Behind him, the men worked quickly to spread the vines he'd left out. Using gloves, they were able to arrange the plants, forming makeshift barricades. No matter how stupid the ogre was, he wouldn't charge headfirst into a stack of vines, otherwise he'd be stuck.

To his surprise, the goblins had actually mounted the wolves. Quick speed from the wolves was now complemented by the reach of the goblin's spears. The two deadly units had integrated together, forming something even deadlier. It would be a nightmare for any enemies to deal with.

They didn't intend to go toe to toe with such a large bruiser. A single blow from such a large monster, would surely crush anyone here to paste. Trying to resist with force would surely result in losses. Therefore, he had to to use superior intellect.

A normal opponent would take caution, having seen him doing something to the area, but Ogres were renowned for their brawn, not their brain. Even though he saw them being placed, he still fell into the covered pits.

The entirety of his battle plan, was to use the tree that he had found, to smash anyone who got in way. Losing his footing, the pit caused him to stumble. Too shallow to contain his larger frame, it tripped him up, sending him tumbling forward.

The tree he was holding flew out of hand, as he sprawled forward, his momentum carrying him into the nearby vines. Lucky for him, these vines were bereft of their normal thorns. Instead they contained small sections of sub-vines, which branched out, perpendicular to the main vine.

Zanir had designed the ends with tiny hooks, similar to velcro. The main branch had tiny corresponding loops. As the sub-vines were wrapped around, they attached back to the main vine. Once someone got stuck, they would become trapped.

If they could think calmly, and clearly, they would be able to tear the vines apart. Unfortunately, the most common reaction was to struggle and resist. Given that the Ogre had a small brain to body ratio, he struggled even harder than most.

His valiant effort put great strain on the vines. As they became taught, several men piled onto the Ogre's limbs. They weren't quite able to hold him down, but it was enough to prevent him from breaking loose.

Realizing that he couldn't escape, the large Ogre slowly calmed down. He was now looking around, with a somewhat lost and confused expression. With the intelligence of a small child, they could only understand the most basic concepts.

Hunger, thirst, mating, and smashing things. They were a primitive, yet powerful monster. Ogres that survived adolescence would gain basic human intelligence. Legends even spoke of ancient Ogre cities and kingdoms, where powerful Ogre shamans ruled large tribes.

He didn't know how much of those legends were true, but he knew with certainty that getting this Ogre absorbed was paramount. Such a large warrior would be an invincible vanguard. Being able to control him directly, would remove the Ogre's greatest weakness.

A simple creature required a simple approach. After all, more flies are caught with honey than vinegar. He ordered his men to hunt a few nearby animals, preparing a bonfire near the captive Ogre. The smell of roast meat and strong alcohol soon spread, as the men ate and drank.

Naturally the Ogre took notice, taking in long draws of air through his nostril. It was the same thing a small child might do. Making a greatly exaggerated display, he shifted to and fro in the vines, gazing over with a wide eyed look.

The pitiful attempt to garner sympathy worked as intended. Several of the men laughed, as he brought over some meat and beer. Zanir was very careful, pushing it over cautiously. As the food got close enough, the Ogre chomped it up.

He was glad that he didn't try to deliver it by hand. The ogre had eaten the large piece of meat, spit and all. Seeing the Ogre's satisfied grin, he pushed over a bowl of strong beer. Like a bottomless pit, the Ogre's mouth devoured again and again.

The Ogre was full, at this point he was also very drunk. How could such a large monster get drunk off such a small amount of beer? They didn't have the intellect to collect and brew anything. Often, the only drinks that Ogres even had, was due to wild, sour, fermented puddles occurring in nature.

No tolerance, this Ogre was a young male, he had never had any kind of alcohol. This ensured that the strong brew they used had a very effective result. Seeing that the Ogre was drunk now, he just needed to catch him off guard.

It was at that moment a golden opportunity unfolded.

One of the men, having had a bit too much to drink, fell over. He was still in full battle armor, so it made a loud clattering noise. Immediately catching everyone's attention, there was a brief moment of silence, before one person burst into laughter.

That was all it took. Being drunk, everyone else started laughing, even the Ogre was laughing. In fact, he was laughing so hard, that it sounded like snorting. This was the moment he needed, the distraction that would allow him to absorb the Ogre.

Having suppressed the Ogre, he only felt a slight childlike curiosity, as the attempted to dominate it's will. He could feel the Ogre's massive soul power, but despite it's huge size and power, it was young and naive.

This particular Ogre was actually a gentle giant, cast out of his tribe at young age. Unable to fit in with his more violent peers, he left when they bullied him, taking his aggression out on the smaller forest denizens.

Sensing that he had met another kind soul, he submitted himself to the young stranger before him. With much relief, Zanir finally felt that the absorption was completed successfully. Beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead, evidence of the effort it took to capture a large, powerful monster.

[Material analyzed:

Name: Ogre

Type: Monster, Biped

Rating: Level 6

Description: These large monsters have a ferocious appetite coupled with devastating power. Considered dim-witted, this is actually only a half truth. Although they are born with a tiny peanut sized brain, it continues to slowly grow in size their entire lives.]

With the Ogre absorbed, the men were able to clear up the area. Nothing else was coming for them, but they still wanted to get out of the area quickly. They could see the city further down the road, everyone was eager to get to inn before nightfall, it certainly beat sleeping outside in tents.

He was eager to get to town and make some money. Looking around, he also noticed that he was lacking woman in his party. Hopefully the next town had some beauties. If his men wanted to get married, their spouse and family could live inside the space.

Soon, he'd have to see about creating another group of people for the space. Skilled laborers and artisans would be needed, so he didn't have to do everything himself. It also wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out for any teachers.

Before any of that, he'd need to find somewhere to sell his products. Now that he had several more guards, and some powerful monsters, he had the strength to negotiate a sales contract. As they approached the town, he and his men met the guards.

They would need to pass inspection before entry.