Chapter 15: Monster Mayhem

With the base halfway complete and a growing band of misfits under my command, I felt like a true leader. Well, a leader of chaos, but that still counted, right?(´･_･`)

"Alright, team," I said, addressing the goblins, lizardmen, and the assorted monsters who made up our little army. "We're making great progress, but there's still a lot to do. Everyone needs to pull their weight!"

I punctuated my speech by slapping a hastily drawn "work schedule" onto a nearby rock. It consisted mostly of doodles of stick figures holding tools, but the point was clear: get to work.

The goblins, however, had other ideas. 

"Boss, we've been talking," Gorn said, scratching the back of his neck.

"That's never a good sign," I muttered.

He ignored me. "We think we deserve better treatment. More food. Longer breaks. Maybe even cushier beds."

"Cushier beds?" I repeated, staring at their pile of leaves and twigs. "Gorn, you sleep in a hole in the ground."

"Exactly!" he said. "We demand decent beds!"

The other goblins cheered, waving sticks in the air as makeshift protest signs.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You've got to be kidding me." I mean, seriously? Do they not see where I, the leader, sleep?

Gorn crossed his arms. "No work until our demands are met."

"Fine!" I snapped. "But if you don't work, you don't eat."

The goblins exchanged uneasy glances, their rebellion crumbling faster than I'd anticipated.

"Maybe we can negotiate," Gorn said sheepishly.

While I dealt with the goblins, the lizardmen were having their own internal crisis.

"I don't understand," I said, watching as the red-scaled leader argued with one of his subordinates.

"They're fighting over who gets to build the watchtower," Gorn translated.

"Why?"

"Apparently, it's a position of honor," he said.

I stared at the lizardmen, who were now hissing and tail-slapping each other like overgrown children.

"Tell them they can both work on it," I said.

Gorn relayed the message, and the lizardmen reluctantly agreed.

---

Meanwhile, the imps were up to their usual nonsense. This time, they'd found a bucket of Glowshroom spores and decided to throw it everywhere.

"STOP THAT!" I yelled, chasing them around the camp.

One of the imps turned and threw a handful of spores at me. They hit me square in the face, making me sneeze uncontrollably. These darn, Imps!!!

"That's it!" I growled, activating Spore Manipulation. These guys adding up fuel to my already burning rage right now!ლ(́◉◞౪◟◉‵ლ)

A golden mist swirled around me, catching the imps off guard. They scattered, coughing and wheezing, as I cornered them one by one.

"Mess with me again," I said, glaring at them, "and you'll regret it."

The imps nodded furiously, their mischief temporarily subdued.

---

Just as I thought things couldn't get any crazier, a shadow loomed over the camp.

I looked up to see a massive figure stepping out of the forest. It was a troll, easily twice the size of the biggest ogre in our group.

The camp fell silent as the troll surveyed the scene, his eyes landing on me.

"You in charge here?" he rumbled.

"Uh… yes?" I said, trying to sound confident. But with how tall and large this guy was, it was hard not to be scared, especially when I'm only the size of his knee.

The troll nodded. "Heard you're building a base. I want in."

"You do?" I asked, surprised. Why? We're not exactly strong nor, well, secured.

He crossed his arms. "Need a place to stay. Can work. Can fight."

This was too good to be true. A troll would be a huge asset—literally.

"Welcome aboard!" I said, grinning.

The troll grunted and lumbered over to join the group. The goblins and lizardmen gave him a wide berth, clearly intimidated.

"Guess we've got our first heavy hitter," I said, feeling a renewed sense of optimism.

By the end of the day, things were running more smoothly. The goblins had abandoned their "union" in exchange for extra food, the lizardmen were working together (begrudgingly), and the troll had already started reinforcing the main gate.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Progress: 75% Complete.

"Almost there," I said, watching the camp bustle with activity.

For the first time, it felt like we were on the verge of something great. Sure, we were still a ragtag bunch of misfits, but we were my misfits.

And together, we were unstoppable.

Or at least, I hoped we were

o(╥﹏╥)o