Monster Breeder

"I need to speak with the Mayor." Maybe it's selfishness, but I can't get my hometown out of my head. I'll finally get to see my family, friends, and teachers again! "Eliminating the Elder Tree will allow us to open a safe path between my hometown and Field Town. Even if the town guard aren't the strongest in the region, what we'll need most after the war are loyal allies. If everything goes right and we're able to remove Bruke and the Wolf Lord from power with minimal bloodshed, that leaves a ton of Canines and Goblinoids alive who'll need to be managed. They may profess obedience at spearpoint, but feeding and policing them will be critical in the coming days. Henlin eggs, Taurine Milk Maids, Orc and Warg guards, and other town monsters will make a huge difference post-war."

Gabby nods in understanding. "Agreed. There's more to consider than simply winning the battle. Maintaining the stability of the region won't be so simple."

Not only that, it's a mission that only I can do. "I don't need much help. If anyone joins me, it'll be a short list. That leaves most of our forces available for Team B." Nods all around. "I suppose we could load Dura up with Brenda, Olindia, and Flou before using her as bait for the Sandworm. Then Suka, Gale, Megan, and Cottontail bombard it with magic from a safe distance. Bringing it down should be possible, though making sure the worm doesn't retreat underground could be a problem."

There's no guarantee they'll succeed, but Dura's Ogre Toughness with Brenda's stone body as armor should be able to resist the Sandworm's stomach acid, and defeating the monster inside its mouth should allow them to steer it to the surface. However, if they do accomplish the feat, and Spindle rescues the captive Kobolds as promised, the Lizardmen would be able to join us in battle!

"If the Weblings and Servitors are such a looming threat," Suka says, considering our options aloud, "Shouldn't we thin their numbers a bit?"

Tilting my head to the side, I ponder her idea. "A preemptive strike? Hmm." I see, as long as we don't attempt to fight she-who-would-be-queen under the mountain herself, the risks to my girls would be minimal.

"Not a bad option while Spindle is otherwise occupied," the Wicked Weaver agrees.

While it's doubtful such a venture would yield as many rewards as the other potential paths, delaying a pending Incursion could buy us precious time to consolidate our assets before the next big battle. A valid choice.

"What if I try talking to the Cactus Turret?" Isabella says from her comfy place cuddled up with Suka and Moka. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Would they listen to you?" I wonder, "Since you evolved?"

The Desert Rose Dryad shrugs, "It's not like I have some special standing there or anything, but I know the Cactus Turret won't fire at plant folk on sight. Anyone behind me could probably approach safely."

That's good news, but I won't say any of my girls are what I'd call, 'Diplomatic Experts.' My expectations are tempered. "Interesting, so Drosera and Mulu might be useful on such a mission." At least as 'human' shields.

On the one hand, the risk seems small. What do we have to lose? On the other hand, the more resources we invest in this task, the less we'll have for the resulting Team C. Optimistically, Isabella could at least talk the Turret into not shooting at my Harpies. "Either way, we could send everyone left available to the Misty Grove for resource gathering." Throw enough monsters at the subregion, and they might clear the whole place out. That'd be a lot of Slime cores!

"In other words," Gabby summarizes, "We can put all our bacon on one plate," (it used to be 'eggs in a basket' before catgirls hunted the majority of bird species to extinction) "Or spread ourselves thin and hope for the best... But the best course would be to prioritize."

She's right. My choice here isn't whether to split Team B, but how I should rank the task list.