My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 191: A Plan Is Needed

Phillip had an ugly look on his face, he was pondering what Sarah had just told him. 'So, the witch of Stonefall really came here?' He was more concerned about the fact that his guess had been right. It turned out that opposing the monster army headed in the island's direction had been the correct choice. If they had not, Lauren's army would have suffered even more significant losses if these reinforcements arrived earlier.

If Vaskra had arrived here, then she was indeed looking for Kace. Phillip had failed to recognise him as one of the figures that had fled from the city walls. This was to be expected with how much Kace's looks had changed so nobody could blame him. On top of Phillip had personally checked everyone that their army had slaughtered within the castle. But he had not identified Kace or the Eljein that travelled with him.

"What about the queen? Have you found her yet?" Tyler asked from the other side of the table they were seated around.

"No, it seems like ever since Lauren's army was defeated the queen just disappeared. Even Elder Zornok confirmed that she was not present in the castle."

Phillip's face contorted in confusion. The worst-case scenario was that the queen was with Kace. Now, according to Sarah's report, Yul had come here with Vaskra. If Zornok had not been present, then subduing that colossus would have been impossible. If Yul was to act as a guard for Kace and the queen, then they would never be able to take him out before he returned to their world.

"On the bright side, I know where the witch has holed up with her group. There's even a chance that it is where we will find the Chimera." Sarah said sweetly. She had held back the information from when she had followed Vaskra after she left the city. It was not precisely hard given the size of Yul.

"With Yul there, we've already failed." Phillip groaned. Kace and Vaskra together would already be a headache. Never mind adding a demigod to the mix. There was also the chance that Kace had gained more allies and may even have the queen there as well. No matter how he looked at it, they could not succeed. 

Right now, their whole operation looked like a lost cause. Not to mention that the island was definitely compromised by now. So they would have to use another gate that would connect them to another world before they could return home. They would have to try and choose a path where time in their own world flowed slower than the ones they would have to go through. 

Otherwise, they might return home to discover that years had passed by. Only now did Phillip understand why Kace had not returned sooner. It had most like only been a few months at most for the Chimera since they last met. Whereas in their own world, two years had already passed since he had crossed through the gate.

Phillip wondered if this was actually a blessing in disguise. It meant that Kace had not had the same amount of time as they had been given to improve. Phillip looked at his level in the system to see the number fifteen there. 'The last time I saw him, he was around level nine or ten, right? Then there's no way that he could have gained more than a level or two within a few months.'

Phillip felt his cheeks lifting up in a smile. 'That's right. With the three of us working together, he will be completely overwhelmed! So we should be aiming to catch him alone.' Phillip thought about the terrain that led from the city to the gate. If they did things right, then they may even be able to separate Kace from Yul.

"Sarah, how many men do you think it would take to overwhelm the troops that Vaskra brought along?"

"Do you really think that matters? Unless we can do something about Yul, then they would be wiped out."

"Do you think their sacrifice is not worth the results if we can take out Kace and maybe even the witch at the same time?"

"Hmm, it would indeed be worth it. However, would it not then be better to attack while they are inside the cave? That way, Yul would not be a threat anyway."

"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. For one, we have not confirmed that Kace is indeed amongst them. If he is not, then Vaskra is our best lead to finding him. On top of that, you know yourself how good goblins are of making use of their caves."

Phillip pondered over their options. His own idea was to ambush them on the way to the gate, whereas Sarah wanted to take them out in the cave. Only Tyler seemed to fail to present an option and had just listened to them quietly. Each choice had its own pros and cons. The question was, which would be more likely to succeed.

"What if we sent this information to Erik? Surely he would lend us a hand in holding off Yul. Even if it is only for a short while. He has a grudge to settle with him anyway." Tyler said aloud as if he had just realised that he had not contributed anything to their discussion so far.

'True, Erik would probably help us out with this. But, how would he get here without alerting Zornok that something is happening? If the Elder comes along, then I can kiss the quest reward goodbye. There won't even be a scrap of the Chimera left if he gets his hands on him.' Phillip was torn over his thoughts. Tyler's suggestion had the most excellent chance of success, while at the same time, the most significant risk to his own agenda.

"Well, we had better decide soon. Only one of these options can be put into action quickly, so it all depends on how much time we have before they decide to leave. Either way, a plan is needed." Phillip finally said as he carefully thought about the three options