The Monster King's Legacy

Chapter 67 Scout Mission

Lance sat in his tent, the faint glow of a lantern casting long shadows across the maps and notes spread before him. The air was thick with tension as he reviewed the details of the demon activity marked by the elves. His eyes narrowed as he traced the locations of several markings he wasn't quite sure of.

Rynne, leaning against the doorway with her spear resting on her shoulder, broke the silence. "So what's the plan? We can't just wait for them to hit us again."

"We won't," Lance replied. "If we sit back, we'll be fighting on their terms. We need to disrupt their operations and take the lead."

"But how do we find them?" Zarra asked.

"We don't have to," Lance said. "They'll come to us. They already see us as a threat, so we'll make ourselves the bait."

"Isn't that waiting for them still?" She asked confused.

"We'll see about that. Tomorrow, Zarra, you and I will make some trips to these locations. I already have my suspicions from what the elves told us, but I need to see it for myself."

Zarra nodded. Their discussions continued as they made plans revolving around the upcoming events until deep into the night. As for Lance, he needed to go out, sitting back felt a bit redundant, he needed to change things a bit.

...

The next morning, before dawn and before most of the tribe was awake, Lance and Zarra departed, making their way through the dense forest undergrowth. Even in such a time as it was supposed to be an important scouting mission, with Zarra leading the way, it was never going to be so easy.

"You're too slow, Lance!" Zarra called over her shoulder, her sharp green eyes glinting with mischief. She nimbly leaped over a fallen log, landing with feline grace. "If you're going to keep up with me, you'll need to step it up!"

Lance shook his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "This is a mission, not a race, Zarra."

"Everything's a race if you're fast enough," she shot back, her voice full of teasing confidence.

"You better keep the same energy once I become faster than you."

"That is a long way from now, I have a lot of time."

He glanced at her, surprised by the shift in her demeanor. "Well, you don't have to prove anything anymore, not to me at least, or anyone else. You're incredible just the way you are." Lance said. It was weak, but that was what came to mind.

She gave a small, almost shy smile, her usual confidence momentarily giving way to something more vulnerable. "It's just... sometimes I feel like I'm not enough compared to the others. Rynne's strong, Mira's kind, Kaeli's brilliant, and Lia's... well, Lia. I'm just the scout who sneaks around and makes jokes."

Lance stopped walking and turned to face her. "You're not just anything, Zarra. You're an essential part of this tribe, and us. Every single thing about you... you bring something no one else can."

Zarra blinked, her eyes wide. "You really mean that?"

"Of course I do," Lance said, his voice firm but warm.

'What is all this at such a time? Did me giving up cause this?' Lance thought to himself. He wanted to focus on the mission at hand, but at the same time, he couldn't ignore Zarra's emotional state. The silence was a little unbearable, but before Lance could say more, Zarra's grin returned, and in one swift motion, she jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist.

"What are you doing?" Lance asked, startled but laughing.

"Claiming my prize," Zarra said, resting her chin on his shoulder. "when we're returning, you'll have to carry me back."

"You're unbelievable," Lance said, shaking his head, though he made no move to dislodge her.

"Ok! Let's resume our mission!" She said, jumping down.

...

Shortly after the sun was up in the sky, they had reached their destination, observing from atop the trees, their figures obscured by the branches and leaves.

'Just as I thought.' Lance said in his mind.

After the first marked location, they visited two more just to make sure, and it was the same. These markings were smaller builds of a similar altar as they had seen, the only difference being that there was no sign on sacrifices like the others, but the same twisted magic energy lingered.

"This will be out target." Lance said under breath.