12. Evil Plan

I raised the portcullis.

GRIND. CLANK.

“GORO! GORO!”

“MIMIYA DADA!”

The two goblins flinched hard, jumping backward several steps as their ugly faces twisted in confusion and sudden alarm. Their beady eyes widened, and they clutched their crude wooden clubs tighter, raising them forward as if bracing themselves against some monstrous, invisible foe. Their scrawny green limbs trembled visibly.

It seemed the mere act of raising the gate had spooked them.

But that wasn’t my true intent at all.

My real goal was to lure them inside.

So I waited patiently. I allowed their fear to linger in the air, just long enough for curiosity — and greed — to begin creeping back in.

And it did.

Slowly, as their initial apprehension started to fade, the taller goblin straightened his back, puffed out his narrow chest, and took one hesitant step forward toward the open gateway.

(Haha!)

(Excellent!)

(Come closer!)

However, the smaller goblin, still gripped by fear, quickly grabbed his companion’s arm and yanked him back.

“GORO! GORO!”

At that moment, I realized I needed something more — something powerful enough to stoke the burning greed in their little green hearts and override their caution.

(Very well.)

(Let’s see if this works!)

I opened the shop and exchanged a single Point for 1 Food. A familiar soft chime sounded, and ten small, vibrant red apples appeared inside my inventory.

(Now then, little goblins… would you like an apple?)

I rolled one apple out through the open gate.

Then another.

Then a third.

They came to rest just beyond the raised portcullis, perfectly placed in the sunlight.

Instantly, the taller goblin’s eyes lit up like lanterns, gleaming with raw hunger as if I had dropped a pile of shiny gold coins at his feet.

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“YARRR! APA! APA! YUM YUM!”

He shouted in pure delight and, with a sudden violent jerk, wrenched himself free from the smaller goblin’s grasp, lunging desperately toward the fruit.

The shorter goblin, however, remained deeply wary.

“NARRR! NARRR! GORO! GORO!!!”

Its shrill cries were filled with panic as it clutched its companion’s arm once more, trying desperately to pull him back to safety.

And just like that, the two goblins stumbled backward a few steps, locked in a heated, noisy dispute. They snarled and barked at each other, their voices overlapping in a chaotic frenzy, their clubs trembling wildly in their fists.

“YARRA! YUM YUM! RARA!”

“NAAAAARRR! NAAAAARRRR! GORO!!!”

Their shouts echoed loudly across the clearing.

(Hmm.)

(Perhaps it is time to sweeten the deal even more.)

(If apples aren’t enough… how about meat?)

I spent my last 3 Points to purchase one kilogram of meat. As I selected the option, a small menu unfolded before me.

I could choose between five two-hundred-gram beef steaks or one kilogram of assorted chicken parts.

The decision was obvious: steak!

(Muahaha.)