Thirty-plus orcs, organized and established, with proper weapons and fortifications. Against twenty-one goblins, nine of whom were Hobgoblins strong enough to maybe take down one or two orcs in favorable conditions.
The math was brutal.
"If we try a frontal assault, we'll lose," Satou said after Grimnir finished. "Even if we somehow managed to fight our way in, the casualties would be catastrophic. We'd save one goblin and lose a dozen doing it."
"So we leave her?" Finn's voice cracked with emotion. "She's our sister now. Our pack. We can't just—"
"I'm not saying we leave her," Satou interrupted firmly. "I'm saying we need to be smart about this. A rescue is possible, but it requires information, planning, and timing. None of which we have right now."
He looked around at the gathered goblins—all of them watching him, waiting for guidance. The weight of leadership pressed down harder than ever.
"Here's what we know," Satou continued, forcing himself to think like a strategist rather than someone who cared about his people. "The orcs captured Kira but didn't kill her immediately. That means they want something—information, entertainment, or maybe they're just planning to eat her later. Whatever the reason, it buys us time."
"How much time?" Lyra asked.
"I don't know. But probably at least a day, maybe more. Orcs aren't known for rushing anything." Satou began pacing again, his mind working through possibilities. "We need more information about their settlement. Guard rotations, weak points in their defenses, where they're holding Kira. And we need to know what resources we have that they don't expect."
"What kind of resources?" Grimnir asked.
Satou stopped pacing and turned to face them. "Magic. Skills. Evolution. The orcs probably think they captured a regular goblin scout. They have no idea she's a Hobgoblin, and they definitely don't know about our other abilities. That gives us an element of surprise we can exploit."
He could see understanding dawning on several faces.
"You're talking about a stealth operation," Lyra said. "Get in, get Kira, get out before they know what happened."
"Exactly. But we need a better layout of their settlement first. And we need to know exactly where they're holding her." Satou turned to Finn. "You said there's a western approach to their settlement. Is it less guarded than the main entrance?"
"It seemed like it," Finn replied. "There were fewer structures on that side, more forest coverage. But I didn't get close enough to check properly."
"Then that's our first priority. Tomorrow night, two scouts go back—staying even more careful than before. Map out the western side, identify any vulnerable points, and try to locate where prisoners would be held." Satou looked at Grimnir. "You'll lead that reconnaissance. Take whoever you think is most capable of staying undetected."
"I'll take Finn and Mira," Grimnir said after a moment's consideration. "Mira's small and quick, even as a Hobgoblin. And Finn already knows the area."
"Good. Everyone else, we prepare for the possibility that this goes wrong. If the orcs discover our cave, we need to be ready to defend it or evacuate quickly. Lyra, work with the non-combatants on establishing an emergency fallback position deeper in the forest. Somewhere we can regroup if we're forced to abandon the cave."
Orders continued to flow, each one helping to create the framework of a plan that was still mostly guesswork and hope. But it was better than sitting around doing nothing while one of their own suffered in enemy hands.
As the meeting broke up and goblins moved to follow their assigned tasks, Satou found himself alone with his thoughts once more.
His Pack Leader's Instinct skill was providing constant feedback—emotional states of nearby allies, optimal positioning for defense, tactical assessment of threats. It was useful, but it also meant he felt the fear and uncertainty radiating from every goblin in the cave.
They were looking to him for strength. For confidence. For the certainty that everything would work out.
But Satou wasn't certain. Not at all.
He was making this up as he went, drawing on half-remembered action movies and video game strategies from his previous life, hoping that somehow it would be enough.
What if I'm wrong? he thought. What if my plan gets more people killed? What if Kira dies because I wasn't smart enough or fast enough or strong enough?
The doubts circled like vultures, but Satou forced them down. Doubt was a luxury he couldn't afford. Not when people were depending on him.
A notification sound pulled him from his dark thoughts.
DING!
[New Quest Available: Rescue Mission]
Objective: Rescue Kira from the orc settlement
Reward: 500 Experience Points, Skill Evolution Token, +5 to all stats
Failure: Permanent death of companion, significant morale loss among remaining goblins
Time Limit: 72 hours
Accept Quest? [Yes/No]
Satou stared at the notification. He'd received combat notifications before—level ups, skill acquisitions—but this was the first time the system had given him an actual quest with specific objectives and rewards.
The 72-hour time limit confirmed his suspicion that they had about three days before something irreversible happened to Kira. And the rewards...
A Skill Evolution Token. He didn't know exactly what that was, but the name suggested it could upgrade one of his existing skills to a more powerful form.
But more importantly, failure meant Kira's permanent death. Not just death—permanent death. As if there was some other kind.
Unless... Satou's mind raced. Unless there are resurrection abilities in this world? Or maybe the system is just emphasizing the stakes?
Either way, the message was clear: this quest was important, and failure would have real consequences.
Satou mentally selected [Yes].
[Quest Accepted: Rescue Mission]
[Timer Started: 71:59:47]
A countdown appeared in the corner of his vision, ticking down second by second.
Seventy-two hours to plan, prepare, and execute a rescue mission against a force that could crush them through sheer numbers and strength.
Satou looked out at the dark forest where, three miles away, one of his people was imprisoned and probably terrified.
"Hold on, Kira," he whispered into the night. "We're coming for you. I promise."
He just hoped it was a promise he could keep.