Ch 64
When morning arrived without any nighttime attacks, Matt felt an unexpected twinge of disappointment. Although he appreciated the opportunity to get some rest, it also meant he had more time to ponder how best to handle the new larger group. From what he had learned through conversations with Paul and Zhihao, it was nearly certain that they would be heading straight for the fort, and he suspected they might already be on their way. As he was mulling over these thoughts, Greg approached him.
"Don't worry about the fort," Greg said. "Steve took a group and rushed back last night. Now, just tell me what you're planning to do about these idiots, now that you know a warning is on the way."
"I don't know," Matt admitted. "I don't really feel like launching an attack to kill, but—"
"Don't let yourself become the fool in the stories who can't take down the villain when needed," Greg interjected. "Yeah, I'm not eager to kill anyone either, but if we want to survive, it'll happen at some point. I'm just relieved it won't be Steve or someone else I know personally. That said, part of me hopes that whoever's leading that group has a group of women that he is—"
"Greg, while I appreciate you trying to lighten the mood, I really don't want to think about that," Matt replied.
"Sorry, just trying to help dehumanize them for you. You know how it is during wars—rampant racism and all that tribal mentality. It makes it easier to see the other side as less than human, which in turn makes it easier to pull the trigger. I just figured it might help to picture them as nothing more than a repulsive womanizer with barely any substance."
"No, if I'm going to cross that line, I don't want to justify it in any way other than by acknowledging it comes down to me or them," Matt said firmly.
"Alright then, so what are you going to do?" Greg pressed.
"Negotiate," Matt answered, his voice resolute.
Greg scoffed lightly, "You already did that—they failed, and now you want to negotiate after their response was an outright, unprovoked attack. We both know they typically operate in smaller groups—and—"
"They've likely consolidated now, preparing to assault the fort. We both know they’re going to send at least 200 attackers," Matt countered.
Greg's eyes narrowed as he responded, "Then let's keep them on their toes by harassing them all along the way."
At Greg’s suggestion, Matt smiled as he carefully considered everything before responding. “Let’s send everyone except you, Tana, Zara, and Jaelyn back with our prisoners. Then the four of you can serve as my mobile base while I—”
“No, hold on,” Greg interjected firmly. “Let’s just send Jaelyn back with the others, and the four of us can concentrate on hit-and-run tactics while the rest set up traps along the marked path for our departure.”
“What kind of traps are you thinking of?” asked Matt.
“Probably half-felled trees we can push over onto them. It’s likely the best option we have for now, though I’m happy to see if they suggest any other ideas.”
Matt thought for a second and then added, “I’ll head back to where the path splits, ensure it’s safe, and then relay the plan to everyone. I really just wish I knew exactly where to find the goblins so we could send one group after the other.”
“Who knows? Maybe they’re even working together and—”
“Greg, don’t spout dumb shit like that. There wouldn’t be any women in the group if goblins were involved.”
Greg countered, “From what we saw yesterday, there was only one woman for every two men. For all we know—”
“The injured are, disappointingly, comprised mostly of women or they’re the ones handling crafting work at the central location,” Matt interjected.
“Sure, but it’s also possible that the majority of the 200 dead were women. Matt, we both know that Zhihao is clueless beyond her camp, and Paul refused to do anything but pepper her with questions. There’s definitely something odd going on, and while Paul would likely be let back in, I suspect that Zhihao will simply vanish if we let her go.”
“Fine, then choose a fourth person, and you handle the delaying actions while I go to find out what’s happening at their central base.”
“But we don’t even know where it is,” objected Greg.
“So, I’ll locate it,” Matt replied decisively.
Greg grumbled, “I just wish we had more of us out here right now. Okay, but promise me that if you get a chance to kill their leader, you’ll definitely take it.”
“No,” Matt said coolly, “I’ll only kill them if I genuinely feel it’s in our best interest.”
“How are you even planning to get any sleep?” Greg asked, worry lacing his tone.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“I’m not. I plan to stay awake for the next 48 hours if necessary—16 hours to reach and investigate their base, and another 32 hours to return to the fort.”
“Alright,” said Greg, “but if you’re not back at the fort by then, what do you expect us to do?”
“Nothing,” Matt replied with calm confidence, “all you can do is wait and prepare for a defensive war.”
Greg smirked, “At least promise me you’ll rob them blind if you can.”
“What, why would I do that?” asked Matt.
“You have that massive spatial storage. It should be easy to take whatever supplies they’ve stockpiled—even if you nearly filled it up the night you slip away.”
Matt chuckled, and after shaking Greg’s hand, he quickly headed back toward the site of yesterday's battle. Along the way, he felt relieved to see that there were no indications of a large group having passed through recently. However, when he returned to his starting point, a sinking feeling took over. Scattered on the ground were at least five rocks with blood on them—evidence, he grimly suspected, that he had unwittingly crushed a foot or leg. As he carefully stored each stone into his spatial container, a heavy remorse settled within him; it seemed that he had likely added five more to the count of those injured. Pushing his guilt aside, he knew he had no time to dwell on it as, barely had he put the last rock away, monsters were already nipping at his heels.
After a brief burst of speed, Matt managed to evade the monsters and redirected his course toward last night's camp. However, he found it abandoned, prompting him to search for other camps. This hunt proved brief, yet every camp he encountered was empty. It wasn’t until an hour of frantic back-and-forth running that he finally stumbled upon a sizable gathering of people.
The group numbered over 150, yet fewer than 200 individuals from a quick tally, and they appeared to be preparing for something significant. Once again, Matt noticed the stark imbalance—two men for every woman—and Greg’s earlier words echoed in his mind as he mulled over the possible meaning. He was certain these newcomers were the force destined to assault his own group, but he decided to ignore them for the moment since they did not seem to be in any immediate hurry.
Pressing on, he soon encountered yet another large assembly, this time clearly consisting of injured individuals. It was apparent that this was not the main camp; only about 15 people there seemed unscathed, and even those with broken arms were posted as guards. What struck Matt most was the glaring absence of injured women. He did see a few, but only those with relatively minor wounds that appeared likely to heal on their own. The disparity between men and women was even more pronounced now, though he could only rationalize that perhaps there never had been an equal number to begin with.
With no alternative but to scrutinize his inner thoughts, Matt continued his cautious advance, silently praying he remained unseen. Before long, he discovered a solitary tower—or rather, what remained of it—a dilapidated structure that had likely once served as a watchtower, its remnants standing as a silent testament to a past fraught with vigilance and conflict.
With just one glance, it was clear that this place had been established as the main base. However, what he observed there didn't bring him any joy. From his vantage point, which he deemed safe after stealthily evading the latest group of monsters, he could only see around 20 people. It was crucial to find a spot that was out of sight but close enough that he would be perceived as part of the group by the monsters. Fortunately, Matt felt as though he possessed a sixth sense for these situations as he surveyed the men gathered below, appearing to be in the midst of a heated argument.
"I’m telling you, we shouldn’t rush into war when we know so little," one man asserted, his voice firm with caution.
"They have Paul," another countered urgently. "How long before they discover our locations and start taking out one camp at a time? It's either unite or go after them."
"I'm glad that bastard is gone," a third voice chimed in with disdain. "I say we find a new location for our base and leave him to fend for himself."
"Let's not act too rashly," a calmer voice interjected. "Paul only ever did what we asked and even ensured he remained silent unless he was acting as our verification. Surely, we owe him at least a modest attempt at rescue."
"Are you suggesting we negotiate with them?" someone asked incredulously.
"Yes," the calm voice replied. "We could offer to trade all our heavily wounded to a group capable of healing them in exchange for Paul. Once they’re healed, their orders would be to bring this other large group to our side, as I don’t think we can absorb them into our numbers any other way."
"You heard the report," another person warned. "They have an equal number of men and women. That means, unlike most of our groups, they didn’t arrive in exclusively male groups. This suggests they might not share our values."
"We don’t know that—"
Matt frowned as he listened to the heated argument, trying to piece together which values they spoke of and why most of the groups they mentioned consisted solely of men. Yet, he also felt a small measure of relief—finally, an explanation for the notable absence of women—as the debate circled endlessly over how best to handle his group. That moment of temporary solace evaporated when one of the men cleared his throat, and silence fell over the gathering before someone spoke.
"My brothers, perhaps we should see this as an opportunity to rebalance our numbers. After all, while most of us are still grappling with the revelation that everything we once believed was a lie, we continue to rule this territory. I propose that if we play our cards right, we might sway this man—who seems to be unkillable—to our side, and in doing so, secure a new base of operations. Then, gradually, we can absorb every group within a hundred miles or so, ensuring that those we deem expendable take the greatest risks, while the women remain on the sidelines, laboring away as we grow by eliminating these weaker monsters. Until, one day, they have no choice but to—"
"You're all a bunch of bastards, you know that," Matt interjected as he stepped into view. "I had hoped that negotiating with you was possible, but after listening to your debate, I know better than to trust any of you."
"Interesting," remarked the man Matt had just interrupted. "I can see that you truly know no fear. Now tell me, are you here on your own?"
"Let me worry about that," Matt retorted coolly, "though I must admit it's at least reassuring to hear an explanation for the lack of women in your ranks. The truth is, the absence of any women here only underscores that you are all trash."
"It is simply a part of our culture," replied one of the men smoothly. "If a woman were present, I, for one, would have difficulty concentrating, as I find even the mere sight of a woman's face too distracting. Thus, we keep our numbers to just men. Many of us even choose to avoid any locations where women are present, and they understand why."
"I suppose I should be grateful that whatever forced our separation was meticulous enough to screen out such issues when sending us here," Matt said with a bitter smile. "Now, are you all ready to surrender, or must this end in bloodshed?"
At his words, Matt could see the tension mounting among the men. His abilities had clearly spread among them, and he was certain they feared additional reinforcements might be on the way.
