The morning after our "victory" over the goblins, the cave was bustling with activity. Glowshrooms were being planted, tools were being crafted (poorly, but it was a start), and Grumpy was complaining louder than usual about his water-hauling duties.
Things were starting to look up—until the goblins came back（￣_￣）
I was in the middle of showing Scarface how to sharpen a stone axe when one of the younger ogres burst into the cave, panting and wide-eyed.
"Boss! The goblins! They're back!"
I groaned. "Of course they are."
---
The goblin leader from yesterday stood at the edge of the clearing, flanked by twice as many goblins as before. He looked smug, his arms crossed and his weapon glinting in the early morning light.
"Didn't we scare you off already?" I called out, stepping forward.
He grinned. "You did. But then I thought, why fight when we can... negotiate?"
The ogres behind me grumbled, their grip on their weapons tightening.
"Negotiate?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," he said. "We'll share this part of the forest with you. In exchange, you give us a portion of your Glowshroom harvest. Say... half."
The ogres exploded into protests, shouting about how they'd never share with "stupid goblins."
I held up a hand to silence them. "Half? That's a bit much, don't you think?"
The goblin leader shrugged. "You don't have a choice. If we fight, you'll lose."
I glanced at the goblins, then at my own group. The ogres were strong, but unorganized. The goblins were weaker individually, but they had numbers—and strategy.
This wasn't a fight we could win easily, it was still doable but that's just annoying to deal with if they come back again...
Welp, time to bargain(°∀°)b
"Alright," I said, stepping forward. "Let's talk terms."
The goblin leader blinked, clearly not expecting me to agree so quickly.
"Terms?"
"Yeah," I said, smirking. "If you want Glowshrooms, you're gonna have to earn them. We'll give you a share—but you'll have to help us defend the area from other threats."
The goblins exchanged uneasy glances.
"You're saying... an alliance?" the leader asked.
"Exactly," I said. "We work together, we both benefit. You get Glowshrooms, we get extra muscle. Everyone wins."
The goblin leader hesitated, clearly weighing his options.
"Alright," he said finally. "But we want 40% of the harvest."Of course as the leader, the goblins would have a counteroffer.
"30%," I countered.
"35%, and we'll throw in some of our weapons," he said, gesturing to the crude but serviceable spears and daggers his group carried.
I pretended to think it over, then nodded. "Deal."
The ogres behind me started to protest, but I silenced them with a glare.
"Trust me," I muttered.They looked unconvince but they did listen.
The goblins moved into a nearby grove, setting up a small camp within shouting distance of our cave. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was better than being constantly at odds.
True to their word, they handed over a few of their weapons, which the ogres examined with equal parts curiosity and disdain.
"This thing's tiny," Grumpy complained, holding up a goblin dagger.
"It's a weapon, not a club," I said, rolling my eyes. "Learn to use it properly, and it might save your life."
Later that day, the goblin leader approached me with a proposal.
"There's a herd of Forest Deer nearby," he said. "They're fast and skittish, but if we work together, we could bring down a few. Meat for everyone."
I nodded. "Alright. Let's see how this alliance works in practice."
Time to see if they're useful（・∀・）
The plan was simple: the goblins would flank the herd and drive them toward the ogres, who would ambush them from the other side.
Simple... but not foolproof.
It started well enough. The goblins moved quietly through the underbrush, their smaller size making them nearly invisible. The ogres, meanwhile, crouched behind a line of bushes, waiting for the signal.
Then Grumpy sneezed.
Fuck.
And what do you know? The deer bolted away, scattering in every direction.
"Go! Go!" I shouted, running after one of the stragglers.
The clearing erupted into chaos as goblins and ogres alike scrambled to salvage the hunt.
In the end, we managed to bring down two deer—not exactly a feast, but enough to share between the two groups.
"It's a start," I said, sitting by the fire that evening as the meat roasted.
The goblin leader nodded. "Could've gone worse."
Scarface chuckled. "Could've gone better, too."
I smirked. "Give it time. We'll figure it out."
As the firelight danced on the cave walls, I couldn't shake the feeling that this alliance was going to lead to more complications than benefits, still, it was better than fighting.
For now.
"One step at a time," I muttered, staring at the Boss Relic Shard in my hand.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges, no doubt. But tonight, we had peace—and meat.
And for a monster, trying to carve out a place in the world, that was enough.