Coming up with a Plan

"You think you can trick me, human?" the leader growled, stepping closer.

"I'm not trying to trick you," Lance replied, meeting his gaze. "I'm offering a bargain, a deal. One that benefits both of us."

The silence that followed was tense, the camp holding its collective breath as the ogre leader loomed over Lance. Finally, he let out a low chuckle, the sound rumbling like distant thunder to the tense goblins.

"You've got guts, human," he said. "Fine. We'll take your deal, for now. But if you try to cheat us…"

He didn't finish the threat, but the meaning was clear.

Lance nodded. "You have my word. We'll gather the supplies you need."

As the ogres retreated to the edge of the camp to wait, Lance turned back to the goblins. Their expressions ranged from relief to skepticism, but none of them spoke.

"That was risky," Lia said quietly, stepping closer to him.

"It was the only option," Lance replied. "We're not ready to fight them, not yet. But we've bought ourselves time, and time is what we need."

The goblins worked quickly, gathering what supplies they could spare. Mira and Zarra organized the effort, their sharp efficiency ensuring that everything was accounted for.

The supplies were then loaded onto a crude looking cart lying nearby and presented to the ogres. The leader inspected them with a critical eye before nodding in grudging approval.

"This'll do," he said. "For now."

He turned to Lance, his scarred face twisting into a sneer. "We'll be back, human. You'd better make it worth our while."

Lance held his gaze. "You'll get what you need."

The ogre laughed again before motioning for his men to follow. They gradually disappeared into the forest, leaving the camp in tense silence.

As the goblins began to relax a bit with the danger leaving, Lance exhaled deeply, the weight of the encounter finally hitting him, full body. Lia approached, her expression a mix of relief and respect.

"You handled that well," she said.

"I'm just glad it worked," Lance admitted.

Rynne snorted as she joined them. "I was ready to skewer them if it didn't."

"I don't doubt it," Lance said with a small smile, his expression turnings serious the next moment, "but we would have all died within a few minutes." Listening to Lance, no one could protest.

The tension had eased a bit, but the air in the camp was still rather intense. Though the ogres had left after their initial demand, their promise to return hung over the goblins like a dark cloud.

Around the central fire that evening, the tribe gathered, murmuring in worried tones about what they would do when the ogres came back.

Lance stood away from the group, arms crossed, his mind was racing with different thoughts on how to handle this predicament. He knew the ogres wouldn't wait forever. They'd return, sooner rather than later, and the goblins weren't ready for a direct confrontation with such a force. His only chance was to stall them, to buy the tribe enough time to turn the odds in their favour, even if just a little.

Lia approached him, her expression serious. "What's the plan, Lance?"

He hesitated, glancing at the anxious goblins. "We need more time. If we can delay them long enough, we can prepare traps and defenses. The stuff we have now won't cut it… But I'll need to convince them to wait."

"How?" Lia asked, her yellow eyes narrowing.

After a short while of contemplation, Lance sighed. "Diplomacy."

Rynne, who had been sharpening her spear nearby, snorted. "You mean lying."

"It's not lying," Lance said defensively. "It's… strategic negotiation." He said, his expression a reflection of the seriousness of the situation.

"You and Lia can call it whatever you want," Rynne said, smirking. "Let's just make sure it works."

"Leave him be, he has more important decisions to make, rather than contemplating your words." Kaeli said as she joined them.

"Hmph… I'm just saying it as it is, didn't mean to strike any nerves." Rynne responded, focusing on her spear.

"This is not the time for it, Rynne. Lance, you are our leader, whatever decision you make, we will follow you, even if it leads to our deaths." Lia said, a serious expression on her face that reflected how she felt about what she just said.

Kaeli supported her, "she's right, we have complete faith in you. No matter what path you decide is best, we will follow. We never abandon one another." Rynne stood behind Kaeli with a wild and affirmative grin on her face, as though to support this notion.

Lance was touched by their words, a slight smile appearing over his lips, "thank you. I won't let you down, everyone."

Lance spent the night thinking things through, recounting the encounter and playing several scenarios in his head to figure out which one would be the safest and yield a better result, so he could plan his course of action.

…

The next day, Lance, Rynne, Zarra, Rikka, and a small group of goblins waited at the edge of the forest where the ogres had set up a temporary camp. He had sent a messenger to summon their leader, framing the meeting as a gesture of good faith.

The spot they were was not the end or entrance of the forest; it was only a wide clearing within the forest where grass naturally grew without any trees or shrubs around.

The ogre leader arrived with two of his men, their towering forms easily diminishing whatever height their counterparts had. Lance stepped forward, forcing himself to remain calm as the ogre's scarred face twisted into a sneer.

"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."