Chapter 31: Hob-goblin

Whilst huffing and puffing, he hobgoblin looked up towards the sun. Or rather, it looked up to its last hue before it finally set.

One axe in the right and one kobold head in the left. Although the combine weight isn't as heavy as what the other hobgoblin was carrying, having to hold two in its hands has greatly increased the work load. As the other hob-goblin had a backpack on its back, most of the weight was carried with less effort.

But even though the child saw the hob-goblins struggle, he did not order it to stop. It was times like these that induring a little pain could save one from a whole lot more in the future. So the child could only do his best by commanding the hob-goblin foward. Otherwise if it were drop it, the hobgoblin might end up dead.

Soon, the growls and howls of the kobolds behind were heard. Like hound dogs sniffing out a runaway prisoner, the kobolds got closer with each second that passes.

In the end, the hobgoblin reached its destination before the kobolds could reach it.

In front of the hobgoblin was a small clearing. It was of course not because the tress just didn't grow in this part of the forest, but that the trees that were clustered there before had all been cut. Only the few tree stumps were left on the ground.

He kobold then went towards one of these stumps. When the hobgoblin got close to It, it got a familiar urge or a feeling. It felt like it should put the head on top of the that certain stump. As for why it wanted to do this, the hobgoblin itself did not know.

Since it has long forgotten that during the day, it was on the very same place that it with a certain gremlin had set up a trap. Of course, part of the reason it forgot was because it was already dark. Barely anything could be remembered in the dim light. It was not a gremlin or kobold after all.

But even though the empty headed hobgoblin does not remember what happened just a few hours ago, it still followed the feeling in its heart. After all, it would always be better have less load on its body.

After putting the head on the stump, the goblin ran away. But it did not run far. As it soon stopped just a few meters away from the decapitated head.

In front of the hobgoblin was a long and taunt rope coming from the canopy of trees. The rope was tied to a thick branch that the hobgoblin had personally stuck onto the ground during the day. But the hobgoblin already had a hard time seeing It, much less remembering it.

Still exhausted from the long run it had just done, the goblin opted to squat down and take a rest. otherwise it would die of exhaustion before the kobolds could get to it.

But it was not too long that the the terrifying wolf growls sounded nearer to the hobgoblin. The rest was of course did not last long enough, and it wanted to stay just a little longer, but it knew that it had to leave. So the hobgoblin stood up.

But at thy moment, a thought came into mind, 'What if i hide behind the bushes instead. Then, they won't find me and leave all on their own.'

This was of course a stupid idea. As even without their sensitive noses sniffing around, the kobolds would surely find it because of how loud it's tired breaths were.

But this idea of its wasn't really the main reason it was squatting behind the bushes. What it believed to be an 'idea' was merely an excuse it gave itself to follow the child's order.

Since the child had ordered, 'Hide and wait.'

But in its head, it was translated as, 'Hide and wait for them to leave.' Thus making a 'rational' reason for the irrational action it was intending to do.

In the end, the three kobolds appeared. Their teeth were bare and their eyes looked ferocious. Those hands that the hobgoblin had seen first hand on action were currently used to trek the forest.

As they got nearer, they smelled the blood of one of their own thicken. So it didn't take long for them to find the tree stump with the decapitated head on it.

Without hesitation, the kobolds went closer to the head and angrily looked at it. Seeing the head, the kobolds felt their blood boil in anger. They had seen this very head still just a few hours ago after all. Only, t that time it was still alive and well. So Such a sight did all but please the three.

With their anger boiling, they of course had to direct it somewhere. So they pointed it at the cause of all this. Since the head is here, then the one who made had caused all this must be as well. So they looked and sniffed around in hopes of catching its scent or trail.

But at that moment, the hobgoblin suddenly got another order in its head. It sprang to its feet and charged with its axe knocked at the side. But what it was charging at wasn't the kobolds, but instead the tautly tied rope.

Woosh! Clush!

With a single swing, the rope was cut. The moment he rope separated in two, the upper half suddenly zoomed towards the sky.

The kobolds saw the hob-goblin and were just about to pounce at the enemy, when suddenly...

Woosh!

...they heard the sound of something approaching really quickly from their left. They turned to look, but if they new, they would have taken that time to run or jump out of be way.

Because in their vision, a cluster of what seemed like logs headed directly in their way. These logs were tied together by a rope and collectively had a diameter of about one meter. A size that was two thirds the size of a single kobold.

Bam!

The log cluster slammed into the three and threw one of them a few meters away.

"Its a success," The child thought. This was the place where the child had ordered a gremlins and kobold to set up a trap.

This trap was something he had thought of to ake care of the boars originally. Since the species lived large groups, the child could not get his hands on a single boar body without his goblins getting stamped to death. So he thought to use a large trap like this to hit one of them.

Once one of them was killed, the child wondered what the boars would do. But he hoped that at some point, they will leave the corpse, giving him the chance to order one of the goblins to retrieve it.

But who would have thought that the trap originally meant to catch prey was used to deter predators.

...