Posts from Lafrenia Auto-translated

Should we try to convince them that they are wrong? I would prefer to resolve everything peacefully.

Once upon a time, we searched for saboteurs and goblins in caves through quests, and now we find ourselves in their place 🤔

"Hey, brothers," Raum and his companions exchanged glances, and then he continued as quietly as he had begun, "listen to this peacock and be on your way; we'll manage here ourselves somehow. Just don't forget to take Nolin with you, for she is stubborn."

Absorbed in her book, Nao spent quite a while in the depths of the caves, ignoring the news that someone had arrived. Eventually, she decided to take a look at the newcomers, but it seems she arrived at an inopportune moment.
First, the girl tried to assess whether it was possible to hide everyone inside (and/or lead them out through another passage, if there was a spare exit from the cave). She hadn't really thought about it before, but it seemed that the security measures were quite simple.

The cave was quite large (non-combat characters are located in the part of it that is not visible on the map), but it had no second exit, nor was there any way to hide in case unexpected guests decided to explore it.

So, it was pointless to try to convince the inquisitors of anything: no matter what they were told, they would still want to look inside. And there’s no point in wasting time either. Lily is mentally (and, if this isn’t a trigger, then actively as well) preparing for battle.

The battle with the flock of flying monkeys passed for Tao in a single, fleeting moment: the skill honed over years of training and old reflexes proved useful against at least a couple of the bloodthirsty beasts. As the battle drew to its logical conclusion, Tao did not interfere with his allies bandaging the wounded, instead offering a short mental prayer to the goddess Ira for another victory.
Tao wanted to suggest disposing of the fallen comrade along with the monkey carcasses, but unfortunately, they didn't have enough time for that, so they had to leave the edible meat to rot. What a pity: so much food would have been enough for his village for a whole week.

In the village of the horned people, Tao felt the same as in any other settlement: slightly out of place, but otherwise quite comfortable. For him, the difference between intelligent creatures was only in combat skill and survival experience, and as for external differences, the main thing was that they didn't make you weaker in battle.
The only one who attracted Tao's attention more than usual was Belial: in this mighty warrior, he sensed the proud valor inherent in followers of Ira. He even felt a little envious that he himself didn't have a hole in his head, because then it would be much harder to hit him with projectiles.

When the iron people arrived at their cave, Tao, as always, was ready for battle.
“We need to lure them into the cave and defeat them one by one,” he muttered. “Wandering through the labyrinths in complete darkness, under unexpected traps and rockfalls, they won't stand a chance. And then the monkeys will attack them from behind, and victory will be only a matter of time.”

“They’re so young…” Salassara whispered, her voice tinged with sadness and a hint of fear. Indeed, upon closer inspection, it became clear that all of their new companions (except the leader) were only about 18-20 years old. “This is a typical strategy of the Society,” Raum replied angrily, but still quietly, addressing her concerns. “To recruit orphans and raise them according to their needs.” “Enough, Raum,” Belial objected calmly. “Anyone who takes up a weapon must be prepared to die by it.” “True,” agreed the demon with the raven’s head. “This applies to us as well.”

“We need to lure them into the cave and take them down one by one,” he muttered. “Wandering through the labyrinths in complete darkness, with unexpected traps and rockfalls, they won’t stand a chance. And then the monkeys will attack them from behind, and victory will only be a matter of time.”

“But will they go for it?” Seyr expressed his doubt. “If they decide to surround us but not attack, we will only have to hope for Mucus’s help if he suddenly suspects something is wrong when you don’t return to Arwen.”

Is it far from here to our base?

About 6 hours.

— They're so young... — Salassara whispered, her voice tinged with sadness and a hint of fear.
Indeed, upon closer inspection, it became clear that all of their new companions (except the leader) were only about 18-20 years old.
— This is a typical strategy of the Society, — Raum replied angrily, but still quietly, addressing her concerns, — to recruit orphans and raise them according to their needs.
— Enough, Raum. — Belial objected with absolute calmness. — Anyone who takes up a weapon must be prepared to die by it.
— True. — The demon with the raven's head agreed. — This applies to us as well.

“Including ourselves,” Na’o wanted to add, but unfortunately, in this particular case, her usual defensive strategy was risky. So, the girl just shook her head.

— But will they go for it? — Seir expressed his doubt. — If they decide to surround us but not attack, we will only have to hope for Mookus's help if he suddenly suspects something is wrong when you don't return to Arwen.

— There is a time for cunning. There is a time for directness.

“What are you all standing around for?” Raum asked again. “You delivered Mukus’s package, the job is done. Let’s go, out!”

“The Ironclads are unlikely to lie about letting us leave.” Tao thoughtfully scraped the stone floor of the dungeon with the tip of his blade. “And not because I trust their pious words about who is worthy to live and who is not. But because their detachment is not large enough to fight on two fronts. And if they had reinforcements in ambush, they would rush into the attack like a swarm of ants. But they are using words,” Tao raised his index finger, “not because of their good faith, but to entangle us in a web of doubt. Why? Because they themselves are riddled with doubts. They don’t know how many warriors are in this shelter, and their leader is not sure that their recruits will be enough for all of us.”
Tao nodded in time with his own words.
“We were sent here solely to deliver supplies and weapons, and that is true. But even with this task, we have only accomplished half of it. If we abandon you here, we may complete our mission, but we will lose its main purpose. I served in the Federation, and I have had my fill of that. ” Tao punched himself in the chest. “I am a warrior, and I fight not for the sake of others’ words and medals on armor. I fight for what I believe in. The others can go and bring much more benefit to other settlements. The others can go for reinforcements. But I am only good for one thing, and my job is here and now.

Well, my opinion is that the enemies here are much stronger than us, and we probably won't be able to have a significant impact on the battle, so it's safer to retreat. On the other hand, I'm tired of constantly being afraid and making compromises just to survive until the next opportunity to avoid a fight, so why not help?
Learning Magic Arrow.

About 6 hours.

So, we leave Ples there; he'll drag out the battle for three days, and we'll have time to go get reinforcements in the meantime.