With the objections heard and dismissed, Len was able to get on with the task of deciding how to break her plans to the rest of the camp. Things had been in such a state of flux at the Hovel for so long that she suspected it would be a challenge to get everyone on board with things quickly, but time was an issue. Everyone decided that she really couldn’t get out of the responsibility of a proper public speech. She didn’t love it but she couldn’t think of any good excuse to avoid it, either.

They spent a bit of time trying to come up with a perfect speech that might calm everyone’s fears while also conveying the information that the commander was going to be leaving them in the hands of a couple of goblins, but it was quickly decided that none of them really had the writing chops to produce that speech. Instead, Len would just have to wing it, like a lot of what she’d had to accomplish the past couple of months. It was a reckless approach to a major problem but, in fairness, it had worked pretty well so far. That’s how Len found herself staring out at 30 faces with expressions ranging from curious to annoyed to outright pissed.

“So yeah,” she said awkwardly. “A lot of you are new here, getting the feel for this place and trying to figure out your position in the grand scheme. Trust me, I’ve been there. I know that it’s a pain in the ass having the rules change on you constantly, having a flaky boss who comes up with new plans and expects you to implement them without thinking things through. The good news for all of you is that you aren’t the ones who’ll have to implement my crazy scheme. This is all on me.”

More blank stares.

“I will be leaving tonight on a mission that I expect will bring the local clan under my direct control. I’ll spare you the details, but it’s a plan that I have confidence in. In the meantime, I will be leaving Moe and Larry in charge of the direct operations of the Hovel. You’ll be expected to carry out their orders as if they came directly from me because, truly, they will. They know more about the next steps needed here than anyone else, and I know that they’ll be able to handle things just fine in my absence. I expect to be gone for a week at the least, so please do your best to keep up with the tasks you’re assigned, and trust that I’m working with all of our best interests in mind.”

Even more blank stares.

“Err… any questions?”

After a moment, a hand raised. It was from one of the new recruits whose name Len hadn’t managed to learn yet.

“Go ahead.”

“Isn’t it a bad idea for the honored commander to be heading off on a mission like this alone? Is this just some elaborate excuse to abandon your post? I’d heard that you were different than the other commanders, it’s why I volunteered for this garbage assignment. Is this really how you operate here?”

“Look, err… what’s your name?”

“Gevarn,” the Orc replied.

“Look, Gevarn. It’s unorthodox, I’ll admit, and a dangerous gamble but I’m taking the steps I see as most likely to get the desired result here. I get that I haven’t had a lot of time with you to earn your trust, but my instincts on these things has been rock solid. I’m taking steps necessary to ensure the survival of this post and for the betterment of the Demon Army on the whole. I’m not asking for your trust here, just your patience.”

That seemed to quiet him down, though she could see the skepticism on his face.

“Anyone else?” she asked.

“I want to know more about what your actual plan is,” said Weaver, ever the problem child.

“Like I said, I’m not going into the details right now. Once it’s done, it’ll be self-evident, but I don’t intend to announce exactly what it is. For the time being, just continue to operate as normal. Any other questions?”

No one spoke up.

“Excellent. With that out of the way, I’m pleased to announce that the rest of the day is free for everyone. No more tasks will be expected of you today. Go forth and frolic, or whatever it is that you crazy kids do when not toiling away at rock and earth.”

That got her a smirk or two and even a single courtesy chuckle but other than that, crickets. Everyone dispersed quickly enough at the dismissal though, so the main goal of the declaration was achieved. As soon as everyone was out of eyesight and she’d retreated to the solitude of her tent, she sagged slightly and sighed. This next challenge really was gonna be bigger and tougher than what had come before, regardless of what she might tell others. Still, it was the only shot that she could see at the moment, and she was going to take it. The whole process would be grueling, but what hadn’t been since she’d gotten here?

She glared at the swirling shadows in the corner of the room that indicated Pitch was feeling talkative, pushed them out of her awareness, and sat down to get into the next work of the day: passing her plan on to the Demon Lord. She doubted Astrid would be any more supportive of her approach than anyone else, but she also didn’t think that this was the sort of thing that she could get away with NOT letting her boss know about. Asking for forgiveness over permission was a policy that Len adhered to more often than not, but this? This was the sort of thing that could backfire tremendously, and she owed it to Astrid to at least be aware of what was about to happen.

Len stared nervously at the seal on the folded envelope. Every time she cracked it, Astrid was responding almost instantly. She wondered exactly how the magic of the spell worked, whether the Demon Lord had dozens of these letters just sitting around for use depending on what the situation demanded, or if it was just a single one she kept. Regardless, the instant response was a fairly good feeling and made her feel important in a small way that brought a smile to her mouth. It was silly, of course, but one had to allow themselves a little silliness in their daily activity. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she broke the seal and got to work writing.

[So, boss.] She began. [I’ve come up with a strategy that I think has a decent shot of cleaning things up here. But you’re probably not going to like it…]

And then, for the fifth or sixth time that day, Len detailed exactly how she planned to conquer the Kelvach Clan with minimal loss of life and only severely risking her own. As with every time before, it sounded as insane to her as it had when Balar had first proposed it, but she’d repeated it so often now that her mind was absolutely made up, regardless of the objections that might be thrown her way. When she was finished, she just sat there staring at the paper, preparing herself for the Demon Lord’s attempts to dissuade her, and probably the explicit order NOT to do the thing that she intended to do anyway.

[Sounds good. Don’t blow it.]

[Wait… what?]

[What? I’m not your mother. If you want to put yourself in harm's way all on a crazy plan that’s almost certain to fail, I’m not gonna stop you. I assume that you’ve thought through as many angles as possible and see this as your best chance to pull it off. Sure doesn’t sound like you’re gonna back down at this point, so why would I tell you otherwise?]

[Well… yes, but I didn’t expect you to be so supportive. Shouldn’t you be saying something like “No, I forbid it. I won’t allow one of my treasured commanders to carelessly risk themselves on something that can’t succeed”? Failing that, I’d expect something along the lines of “No, dearest Lenore, don’t you dare throw your life away before I get to see you again. I couldn’t live without our little chats.”]

[Wow, as long as you’re not full of yourself or anything. But seriously, I DON’T want you needlessly risking your life. I DON’T want you throwing that life away. But I also know you enough to know that once you’ve made a call, you’re gonna stick with it. And the fact of the matter is: this really does sound like the best shot of resolving all this easily. Not sure that Claymar will back off if you succeed, but it’s got a better chance than anything else you’ve got on the table right now. Heck, might make it easier to get you into my court proper if you do end up with that clan under your control. Would be fun to see how everyone reacts to having a force of humans loyal to us.]

[Would that be a problem? I’m not really clear on the finer points of demonic diplomacy.]

[Eh, if I say it’s okay, it should be fine. And if they’re actually loyal to you after you pull this off, I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t say it’s okay. Mind you, you’ll have to find a way to make it worth our time. Proper tithing and all that. Gotta keep the empire rolling, don’t ya know.]

[Yeah… I’ve got no clue what’ll happen on that front. I don’t even know what the clan does that’s worth exporting, but I’ll figure that out as I go. Sounds like they’re in a real mess with corrupt leadership and all that fun stuff.]

[Corrupt leadership? What a shocking and unpredictable development. Truly, the heavens weep at the occurrence. Frankly, that should make your job easier if you pull it off. Just make sure you’re not careless, and don’t be afraid to ask me for pointers. I know a thing or two about keeping disparate forces in line.]

[Isn’t a large part of how you keep your forces in line the fact that you’ve got an aura that makes them believe any damn thing you say is sweeter than the finest wine, and don’t you also have a major problem with several under your command who are immune to that power? Maybe I’d be better off asking someone else for advice on this subject.]

[Rude.]

[Hey, truth is truth.]

[Sure, but that doesn’t mean you have to say it out loud. I have feelings, you know.]

[Oh please, you love it. Look, I’ll keep you in the loop, I promise. Anyway, I’ve gotta get going and actually leave on this potential suicide journey. And Astrid?]

[Yeah?]

[Thanks for your support. You’re the only person who just had my back on this without raising dozens of complains.]

[Don’t mention it. And Len?]

[Hrm?]

[Don’t you dare throw your life away before I see you again. I couldn’t live without our little chats.]

Len closed the envelope and was grateful that there wasn’t anyone around to see the blush that crept up her face.