"How come you accepted us without suspicion when we said the Queen? You know we could have just made that up, right?" Raze asked Gundar as they walked.

Gundar shook his head. "That's not possible."

"Why is that?" Raze asked.

"Because we knew you were coming," Gundar replied.

"We were?" Raze asked, surprised.

"The Queen had spoken to us. My father, specifically. She said a guest would be coming, a young human, who would come to discuss her plans with us, as she is incapable of doing it herself due to her political state," Gundar explained.

"You speak so fluently for an Ogre," Fey stated.

Gundar looked at Fey and frowned slightly. For some reason, Fey gave off an invisible, towering pressure. Gundar could tell that Fey wasn't simple.

"I got quality training from the Kingdom of Vermilion back in the day, when I was a child. A few scholars were sent to our tribe, and under my father, they taught me," Gundar explained. "Nearly everyone in our tribe can speak the human language easily, and a few can actually read and do arithmetic. We have our own wizards and sorcerers as well."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. If you knew I was coming, why the hell did you attack?" Raze asked.

"Oh, because she said you were strong," Gundar said. "And our people value strength more than anything. So we wanted to see just how strong this negotiator was. And it turns out you do have some level of strength. That magic spell was quite impressive."

"Hmm, that's crazy," Raze replied shortly. "But since you already knew I was coming, then you already know what to expect from me, right?"

"Yes. It is something to do with the Lizardmen and our lands. I'm sure you believe you will come and offer your solution, and that will be it. But I have to tell you, we are not willing to budge that easily yet, even for someone sent by the Queen. This land belongs to us, and those vermin should not be allowed here," Gundar said firmly.

Raze frowned slightly. The tone Gundar used made it clear that the friction ran deep.

"Why not find new land?" Raze asked.

Gundar shook his head. "We were here first. If anybody is going to leave, then it has to be them."

Raze thought to himself, 'Shit, this is going to be hard. If they are unwilling to move, then how am I supposed to take them to Rybest?

Tsk. I should wait until I see the father before I start the true negotiations. But I can use the meantime to think about what to say to ensure this goes smoothly. I don't want to stay here any longer than I should. I still have to visit the Lizardmen after all.'

After a few more minutes of walking, Raze finally saw the village in a large clearing inside the forest. And to say the least, it wasn't what he expected. He had anticipated a rundown, barely-standing village of mud huts and scraps. But what he saw was simply beautiful.

It was a tribe with houses built from well-made bricks, carefully baked and constructed, with roofs of wood intricately intertwined and braided together. The houses were arranged in layouts that created ample space for work and walking around. Some houses were larger than others, but every building was clean and well built. The village was massive, so large that he couldn't see the other side from where he stood.

At the center of the village was a grand house. Modest compared to the architecture of the Kingdom of Vermilion, it still reflected that the ogres were not a backward race. Thick, polished logs formed the walls, and the gate was sturdy and well crafted, with ogres standing on either side holding swords to protect the entrance, they slammed their fist against their chest to salute Gundar.

Children played around freely, while the older ogres worked, mostly women, as the men focused on training. Yet there were women training as well, building their strength and skill as if preparing for war. The constant friction with the Lizardmen meant they had to be ready for conflict at any time.

"This is our village," Gundar said. "The place those filthy Lizardmen want to take away from us."

'Oh shit,' Raze thought. 'This is bad. If they're this advanced, it makes sense why they don't want to leave. This looks like a great home. I wouldn't want to leave either.'

"This is a pretty nice place," Ella said, looking around in awe. "I can't believe ogres are capable of this."

Gundar paused and looked at her. "Humans tend to believe that every race that isn't them is less intelligent. And perhaps that is true for some ogres. But over centuries, our race has grown to a high level of intelligence.

We even have ogres secretly working with your kingdom in intelligence departments. That shows how far we've come. Unlike the vermin Lizardmen that keep attacking us, I do not understand why your kingdom offers them an olive branch when all they do is roar and swing their tails around."

"Don't you think that's a little racist?" Raze interjected.

Gundar clicked his tongue. "Those vermin are nothing but waste in my eyes," he said, the hatred in his tone unmistakable.

They headed toward the central house. When they arrived, the guards ensured Gundar passed first, then whispered to him about the people behind. Once confirmed, they stepped aside to allow them into the main house.

"This is my father's house," Gundar explained. "And this is where you will meet him. I'm pretty sure the negotiations won't happen today, but you will have to stay a bit before we start."

"Why is that?" Raze asked.

"Because despite being a warrior race that values strength, we are also hospitable and indebted to the Queen of Vermilion. Messengers from the Queen should first be shown proper hospitality before anything else," Gundar replied.

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