The Monster King's Legacy

Chapter 50 A Strange Warning

The sound of hoofbeats resounded through the quiet forest as the humans approached the goblin camp. A line of armored knights escorted a single, rich looking carriage. Well, it was adorned in a richly gesture, that is. The gleam of polished steel and the stern faces of the soldiers left no doubt about their purpose, intimidation... at least, that was what Lance perceived.

Lance stood at the entrance of the camp, flanked by Rynne and Zarra, his expression calm but his jaw tight. Behind them, the goblins watched, ready for whatever was to come next. One thing confused Lance however, and that was the presence of the carriage. 'I thought they abandoned their mounts?'

"They're making a show, aren't they?" Rynne muttered, her golden eyes narrowing. Lance could see that she was losing her temper slowly.

"They sure are," Lance replied quietly, trying to make sense of what was going on. It didn't make sense for these humans to travel such a long journey just to kill a hundred goblins – neither did it make sense that would send an envoy to a race viewed as monsters. Something was off.

...

The carriage rolled to a stop just outside the camp's perimeter, and a tall man with slick back blonde hair stepped out. Dressed in fine robes and adorned with a crest having a kind of bird on it, the man adjusted his gloves before striding forward. His expression was a blend of disdain and superiority, an expression mirroring that of the elves, quite familiar.

The man's eyes flicked to Lance, taking in his human features with a brief flash of surprise. "Who leads this... gathering?" the man asked, his voice cold as his gaze swept over the goblins with thinly veiled contempt. Even though he didn't show any initial force, Lance could tell that the man was capable, but for some reason, he didn't get the feeling that the man was stronger than him, or at least, so strong that he would notice. In a sense, there was no, "pressure", accompanying the man's presence. Then again, it could be an illusion, Lance had read about such characters back on earth in fictions.

Lance stepped forward, his stance firm. "I do."

"A human leading goblins? Fascinating. And yet... irrelevant." The man said in a disdainful tone that was contained to almost sound flat.

"I come on behalf of Lord Darric of the Eryndale province. You and your... tribe," he said the word with distaste, "are occupying lands under his domain. As such, you are required to pay tribute: gold, weapons, and slaves. Failure to comply will result in swift and decisive action."

'Slaves... not labourers or workers. Then again, why would a human Lord care about Goblins of all races?' Lance thought to himself.

Listening to the man, Zarra and Rynne seemed to take serious offense, but they contained their anger.

"I know," Lance replied, his expression serious as he contemplated something in his mind. "I don't think this is as simple as it appears to be, there's something we're not getting. Why would a human lord send his people over such a long distance just to send some message about land to goblins? It doesn't make any sense at all." Lance said, drawing a knowing understanding look from Lia.

"What does it all mean then?" Lia wondered to herself, without an answer.

...

That evening, Lance called a meeting with the key figures, his elders. The atmosphere in the tent was tense, the weight of their situation pressing heavily on everyone's shoulders.

"They'll be back," Zarra said, her voice sharp. "And next time, it won't just be threats."

"We'll need to fortify the camp even more," Kaeli added. "If we're going to fight knights, we need to be prepared."

"This could all be some kind of test." Lance blurted out his thoughts.

Everyone looked surprised and confused following his words, not understanding how he could come to such a conclusion.

"What do you mean by test?" They asked.

Lance took his time to explain his thoughts and speculations, and the more he spoke, the clearer the others saw through his eyes.

"If it's so, then, what do you suppose we do?" Zarra asked.

After thinking for some seconds, Lance responded, "there's nothing we can do. They'll certainly be back, and they'll put on some kind of force, we have to fight back and hold up." He said. "When that time comes, we will know how to handle it."