Morning came with its usual brand of chaos. Boulder and Gorn were at it again—this time arguing over who got the larger Glowshroom cap for breakfast.
"Can't we have one morning without shouting?" I groaned, grabbing my makeshift staff—a sturdy branch wrapped with glowing moss, these goons are gonna be the death of meಠ_ಠ
Just then, a goblin scout sprinted into camp, panting and wide-eyed. "Boss! Strangers! In the forest!"
The camp froze.
"Strangers?" I repeated, standing. "What kind of strangers?"
"Humans!"
---
The camp exploded into motion. Goblins scrambled to hide their belongings, Boulder hefted his club, and Gorn muttered something about "traps for intruders."
"Hold it!" I raised my hand. "We don't know if they're hostile. Gorn, scout them. Quietly."
Gorn nodded and slipped away into the shadows.
---
While waiting, I gathered the camp. "Listen up! If these humans are dangerous, we'll defend ourselves. But if they're not, then....we might be able to trade with them."
The goblins exchanged skeptical looks. Clearly not believing me, I mean, trade with the humans that hunt us for entertainment, money, glory, fame and even trade?
Yeah, if I were on their shoes I'd say I was stupid too. But...
"Trade? With humans?" one muttered.
"Yes," I said firmly. "We're can't just be wild creatures anymore. We're building something—a home, a community. That means we need resources."
Boulder crossed his arms. "And if they attack?"
"Then we fight," I replied, gripping my staff. "Still, let's not start a war."
---
Gorn returned, his expression serious. "Two humans—a man and a woman—camped near the river. Swords, but no heavy armor. Looks like travelers."
I nodded. "All right. Let's go say hello."
The goblins gasped.
"Are you crazy, Boss?"
"No," I said with a smirk. "I'm just confident."
---
I brought Boulder and Gorn for backup. When we approached, I raised my hands to show we weren't armed.
"Hello there!" I called out, as friendly as possible, that would have worked if not for the fact that, a kobold, a troll, and a small ogre looks nothing like friendly
(－_－)
The humans jumped, hands on their swords. The man frowned. "A talking ogre?"
"Yes, shocking, I know," I replied dryly. "We're not here to fight. Just wondering what you're doing in our forest."
"Your forest?" the woman asked, skeptical.
"Well, we live here," I said. "That counts, doesn't it?"
The humans exchanged wary glances. "And what do you want?"
"A trade," I suggested. "You're looking for something, right? Say, herbs, maybe? We know this forest better than anyone. We help you find what you need, and you give us something useful in return."
After a tense pause, the man nodded. "Fine. What do you want?"
---
We guided them to a patch of rare herbs they'd been searching for. In return, they gave us dried meat and a small pouch of coins.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
First Trade Completed. Base Reputation +10.
When we returned, the goblins stared in shock as the humans walked away peacefully.
"They didn't kill you?" one goblin whispered.
"Would I be here if I was?" I said, tossing the coins onto the ground. "And they paid us for our help."
The goblins gawked at the coins. For the first time, I saw something new in their faces: hope.
I guess the whole "living just to be killed" was engraved too deeply on their minds?
"We're not just going to stays seated," I said, my voice steady. "We're gonna do greater things!"
That night, as I sat by the campfire and stared at the stars, I whispered to myself:
"Step by step... we're going to make this work."
For the first time, I started to believe it. No, more like, we will.