Clearly Varda had not expected me to come storming into her space first thing the next day. I had thought about simply showing up with at least a bit of notice before hand... but decided that she was not deserving of that consideration, given she had not afforded me the same either.

  So it was amongst a great deal of panic that I, Lagdon, Kishi, and Brillum marched into the yellow ogre's 'camp' early the next morning. The Ogres darted around- both clans, not just the yellow Drallda- hurrying to inform their chieftess', and figure out what it was that needed doing. As I made a beeline, directly for the makeshift hide tent that I knew to be Varda's, I saw the confused face of Gwen gaping at our group. She blinked at me a couple times before dashing back into the heavily muscled crowd of ogres. I had no doubt that Astrid already knew I was here, but I was sure she was also about to hear the news once again from her curious daughter.

  A tall male with mustard skin and a single tusk poking out from between large lips tried to block my path as I came upon the tent. I saw the dark red Brillum tense in my peripherals, but held up a hand to stop him- not to mention the others- from acting. Instead I addressed the Drallda male myself.

  "Step aside." I stated, glaring up at the man. I watched as his black eyes narrowed, brows furrowed.

  "I think-" He started to rumble, but I decided I did not need to hear the rest. I pushed past the man in a leather loincloth, not caring for his useless opinion, nor wanting to waste time with what I normally thought of as 'politeness'. As far as I was concerned, the Drallda were murderers, and there fore had no right to my manners.

  I hadn't any doubt that the ogre was going to try and stop me... But I also knew that that was never going to be aloud. Sure enough, less than a second after I raised the heavy leather flap of the tent I heard the tell tale grunt of an ogre being man handled. Given I did not hear any growling, I assumed it was handled by Lagdon, but didn't bother looking back to confirm.

  Instead, I kept my eyes forward and trusted my people to take care of the side characters for me. My attention was centered on the bald, yellow, and very angry Varda. She was seated in a high backed, wooden chair in front of a cobbled together wooden table. I wasn't sure if they had dragged those in from another part of the city, or maybe Varda was just so extra that she brought her own throne... I wouldn't have put that beyond her, actually.

  Her black eyes were nearly glowing red with her rage, despite the rest of her body reflecting an icy cold calmness. If it hadn't been for the glare telling me that she wanted to roast me alive, I may have thought that she had expected me to come this morning all along.

  "Lady Enna..." She growled by way of a greeting, after twelve seconds of silence on my end proved that I wasn't about to be the first to play nice. I saw her jaw twitch as the flap moved again and Lagdon's warmth crowded at my back. Then the moderately sized tent was instantly filled with copious amounts of cream colored fur as Kishi brushed past, taking up the majority of the free space with her bulk, consuming more space than even Lagdon had managed. It seemed that Brillum had been delegated to guarding the entrance, which seemed to be for the best given I didn't think there was any more space in here for more fur.

  "Varda." I replied, my own voice rather growly as well. I really did not like this woman.

  She sighed, sitting up straight in her chair; proving that, even seated, she was taller than I was. She then levied an inappropriately superior look my way before continuing. "What brings the Lady hear so early in the morning? The talks-"

  "You are no longer welcome at the colosseum." I stated, cutting her off and causing her to glare back at me. Normally this was where Lagdon would interfere with his intimidating mass of hobgoblin muscle to threaten anyone who dared glare my way. But, it seemed he really was going to leave it to me this time. "In fact, I expect you and your clansmen to leave Sky Keeper before night falls, today."

  "What?" Hissed the ogre chieftess as several ogre males mumbled where they stood guard behind her chair. Varda's glare had gone steely cold and I saw a vein on her bald head actually twitch. "What right do you have to order me to do anything?!" She snarled.

  "What right?" I asked, completely dumbfounded. Surly she wasn't that stupid? Did her rage cloud her usually sly brain cells? "I have every right. In fact, I would say that, as your land god, I transcend any sort of 'right' you can fabricate."

  My words were delivered with an glacial calmness as I watched the rage build in her massive form. Whatever she had suspected of me this fine morning, it clearly had not been this. Though I couldn't see why. Banishing her from the area was the most effective way to get rid of the problem. Well, besides out right killing her that was. I figured that path might just lead to more issues down the road, in the end. Besides, killing a person just because I didn't like them felt like I was straying too far from my own morals, no matter the resolve I had.

  "The Drallda Tribe has every right to be represented-" She snarled, slamming a fist into the table and erupting to her feet.

  "Yes, well, you should have thought about that before killing random civilians in the dead of night. For reasons I can only assume were to spite me and the changes I am attempting to make in these lands."

  "You have no proof that it was an ogre that slew that harpy! Much less that it was a Drallda ogre specifically." She snarled, both fists tightly clenched as her men looked on in unease. I was sure that they wished to support their chieftess, but they were also warry of us too. I had already shown them that I was physically stronger than my outward appearance would have them believe. "And, as for these changes, you speak of... No ogre tribe would bend to that ridiculous will of yours! It is pure idiocy to think that we would even consider it!"

  At that I raised an irritated eyebrow. This woman really did believe that she had all the power here? I knew that I gave the air of a pushover... I mean, I basically let the ladies at the Estate treat me like a doll half the time, for one. But I never would have thought that the monsters under my watch actually thought so little of my authority. This simply proved that I was right in thinking that I had to change the way I had been handling things up till now.

  "Bending, or not bending, is hardly the point." I replied, not rising to her intimidation and keeping my cool. Her attitude was insulting, and I was getting royally irritated with it. "What happens in these lands are done with my will and permission alone. Would I like there to be a sense of community and cooperation? Yes. But in the end, it is 'my way'. I am simply being generous and allowing all parties to state their opinions before making my final decisions. And I have rejected your opinion."

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  "You can not do this." the ogress seethed, her jaw clenched so tightly I thought her pointed teeth might shatter. "The other tribes will not stand for it."

  This time it it was I who sighed, leveling a cold and pitying look at Varda; allowing a portion of the power I possessed to leek into my hard gaze. For what I thought was the first time, I took a small amount of pleasure in seeing another person flinch. "I am not really sure what is so hard for you to grasp here, Varda. It doesn't matter what the other tribes think of my position in this matter, or in any matter. I have deemed that you are the problem, and I have decided to remove you. What can the other tribes possibly do to change that? Attack me on your behalf?" I added with a scoff.

  At that Kishi let out a derisive snort, her red eyes locked on the ogress with a gleam of hunger to them. I could tell that the fox was almost aching for the woman to start something. Monsters were a hot blooded race of beings, and it had been a good long while since my Guardian Fox had been in a fight. I had half a mind to let them go at it too.

  "I can say that the Morell Tribe, at the very least, will not be standing with the Drallda if they choose to attack you, Lady Enna." I heard the rumbling voice of Astrid state. The red skinned ogre stepped through the tent. As I looked back at her, I saw Brillum nod at me from the outside before the leather flap fell back again. "We may not stand by all the principles of our god, Lady Enna... but the Morell are not fool hardy enough to think that we can go against our great god either." She placed a thick red hand over her heart before offering me a slight bow. "We are simply grateful that Lady Enna has given us the opportunity to state our hopes and beliefs; as well as feeling humbled that a god would even care to know the ways of monsters such as the ogres under her most forgiving guidance."

  Well that was more eloquent than I had given, even the more calm minded Astrid, credit for.

  I didn't smile- though I was pleased at her comments- but I did nod her way, all the same. I certainly had no issue with the Morell Tribe so far. It was true that there were certain aspects of the ogres daily life and beliefs that I didn't agree with, but it was nothing that I could find great fault in, so long as the continued to do as they were told.

  "How can you say that?!" snarled Varda, slamming her fist into the wood of the table once again; this time sending splinters in every direction. "This creature would have us become nothing but lambs under her dainty thumb!" She said, directing her angry tone at the red ogress at my side.

  "And I can not say that I am overly happy with that." Drawled Astrid, her own gaze shrewdly fixed on Varda now. "Ogres have always been hot blooded and dominate. However, what do you expect us to do when faced with the commands of a god?"

  "I expect the fight that should exist within the heart of a good and proper ogre!" Roared Varda, several veins now bulging on her bald head, eyes flashing with incredulity and a fevered madness. "You want us to conform to this ridiculous notion of monsters holding hands in some fantasy land, or cooperation and mutual goodness? Or what? We flee?!"

  "Flee?" I asked, glaring at the yellow ogress with her fist buried a good inch into solid wood. "There will be no fleeing. I tried that once before, and it only caused more problems for me. There will be no fleeing." I said, a clear threat evident in my tone.

  I had asked Margund to banish the protesting goblins once, and that had resulted in nothing but their deaths anyway. And, on top of that, it had also lead to humans prematurely invading my territory. No, I would not be making that mistake again, especially not with monsters as strong as the ogres. If I simply drove them out to spare blood being spilled on my own hands, then they could cause no end of issues with other nations. Those issues would inevitably result in outside forces coming for my neck, and the lives of my people.

  I did not have the confidence in my own power to think that I could take on an entire invading army on my own. We would be over run in little to no time at all, and everything that I had come to love and cherish would be lost. Sure, I would continue on. I would make this land so unlivable for the invading forces that they would either flee or die! But that would do little for the lives lost do to my own soft heart.

  No, to protect what I loved, I had to harden this heart of mine. Diplomacy was a tool for the safe and secure. This was not a democracy at all. And, If I had to become a tyrant to ensure that those I considered mine had a future, then that was what I would do. I wanted to see that Ozzie would become a fine man with a proud future, that Draxly and Luxana would probably get married. I wanted to see the kingdom Margund would build, and the future the Kobolds could make for themselves. Heck, I had to find the grumpy hobgoblin at my back a wife, or else I would be stuck with him as a shadow forever! All these things would be lost should I let things like the Drallda Tribe have their way, weather that be through fleeing or bullying their way into getting what they wanted.

  That was not happening.

  "You will comply with my orders and leave Sky Keeper by the end of the day." I stated, turning my back on the seething Varda. Lagdon held the flap open for me as I looked back over my shoulder at her. "If you do not leave, I will kill you and hope that the next leader of the Drallda will be less stubborn. And, should that also prove to not be the case, then I will remove the Drallda all together. I have gotten by quite fine without you in my life so far, I can't imagine it will be a great loss to continue without you in it. Do keep that in mind."

  The flap fell back as Lagdon followed behind Kishi and I. From within the tent I heard the a resounding crack; clearly Varda had manage to punch clear though the table in her rage.

  "Brillum?" I stated as we left the encampment with many ogre eyes on us.

  "My Lady?" The foxie said, appearing at my side.

  "I want the Drallda watched at all times. Have as many men as needed keep an eye on them, and make sure they do as I have told them. Enlist aid from the harpies and goblins if our own numbers are lacking. The foxes too, though I don't think Brixie brought enough people to spare many." Having the equestrians to help would be rather pointless. Sure, many were strong... but they were not fighters by nature, and their size made it rather hard for them to be stealthy and keep tabs on the ogres.

  "Right away." Brillum said with a slight bow, wasting no time to run back to my own people and organize them as I had asked.

  "I suspect that they will not leave quietly." Said Lagdon. He was behind me, but I could imagine that he was glaring back at the tent where I could now hear muffled shouting. We were far enough away that I couldn't pick out the words, but I was sure that the two ogress chieftains were mid screaming match at the moment.

  "I don't expect they will." I sighed, emotionally drained. Being the boss was exhausting. I glared ahead was we marched back to where we had come, hardening my heart for what I was sure was to come before the day was over. "I fully expect that Varda will not comply, and that I will have to dispatch her before the sun sets..."

  "I will gladly fight her for you." Lagdon growled, causing my lips to twitch into a slight smile. "That woman has had it coming since the moment she arrived."

  "I have no doubt that you could take her. But," I said with a frustrated sigh. "This is something that I must do for myself."

  Tonight my hands would be stained with blood once more; and there would be at least one less ogress in these mountains. I only hoped that it would end cleanly, with as few deaths as possible. I really didn't want to wipe an entire tribe off the map. If it could end with Varda, then I would count myself lucky.