He barged in without so much as a warning. The door flap thrown aside as though it had offended him personally. In his hand, he held the snake's skull very tight and very dearly like a trophy. His breathing came out uneven, heavy, as though he had run the entire distance without pause.
Which from how exhausted he look, didn't seem far off a description.
"Look," he declared, voice strained yet determined. "As you asked, I have brought it. Proof of my love for you, I have!"
Then he stopped.
A complete stop that did away with the gradual procession. His entire body froze in place, like a statue carved mid-motion. The words died in his throat, cut short by the scene before him.
Uhm… Kaiden my friend. This is not the kind of place you just storm into uninvited. Especially not when the occupants are clearly… occupied.
Wait. Hold on.
He just said proof of my love for you now, did he not?! Yeah, am certain that he did.
I could say I had a earing deficiency issue, but a Ghost doesn't develop that sort of thing. Or do we?...
Damn I really need an encyclopedia of a sort to see me through this Ghost like territory.
As for what was going on here, I don't think an encyclopedia was necessary to guide me through it.
Exactly one second. That was all the time it took for everything to click into place for me.
My hands flew up to cover my mouth in exaggerated shock as realization struck with the force of a hammer. Oh. Oh no. Oh, this just got interesting.
At the same time Kaiden burst in, the two goblins inside reacted instantly. The male practically leapt away, scrambling off the female as though the ground had turned into fire. He retreated to the side in a panic, while the female hurriedly covered herself, her movements rushed and flustered.
Though, honestly speaking, I wasn't entirely sure what she was trying to cover at that point.
My attention, however, drifted elsewhere.
Specifically, toward the male goblin.
"…Right," I emphasized under my breath.
Now I understood.
There was a reason he had given the highest experience point so far. The guy might have looked small and unimpressive at first glance, but clearly, appearances were doing him a favor by being deceptive. Very deceptive.
"An Hobo-Goblin…?" the male goblin stammered, his voice trembling as his eyes locked onto Kaiden's towering figure. "Who… who are you? How did you get in here?!"
Fear poured out of him, thick and obvious. His entire body shook, his stance unsteady, like he was one wrong breath away from collapsing entirely.
And honestly? Fair.
Kaiden, in his evolved form, was an entirely different creature. Comparing him now to the goblin he used to be was like placing a wild dog in front of a silverback gorilla and asking them to be equals. There was no balance there, no fairness.
If I were in his position, I would have been terrified too.
Scratch that. I would have already been halfway out the door.
But strangely enough, Kaiden didn't move.
He didn't attack. He didn't even speak. He just stood there, silent.
"Who are you, I said!" the male goblin repeated, his voice cracking under pressure.
He fumbled around beside him and grabbed the nearest thing he could find, which turned out to be a stick. He pointed it toward Kaiden like it was some kind of weapon.
I stared. Really dude? A stick? Against that?... Really?
Bold. I will give him that. Stupid? Without a shred of a doubt. But hey, he's bold so he gets a pass.
Death often came quicker for the bold ones. That saying, said by the historian whose name I know I won't remember but I can acknowledge still that they said it right.
Kaiden on the other hand still didn't respond.
His gaze had shifted, locked onto the female goblin instead. Completely focused and unmoving.
From where I floated, I could feel his emotions, I think... The quiet, crushing realization settling into him.
The snake skull slipped from his hand. It hit the ground with a dull thud.
That sound alone was enough to draw attention. Both goblins turned toward it, their eyes landing on the object lying between them. At first, confusion flickered across their faces. Then recognition followed.
The male goblin's eyes widened slightly.
"Isn't that…?" he began, before turning fully toward Kaiden.
Realization hit him.
"You," he said, pointing. "You're the one begging for her love, aren't you? The fool who was tricked into harvesting a venomous snake skull just to prove your sincerity."
Ah. Ladies, gentlemen and gentlegoblin alike. There it was at long last. The missing piece to an epic soap opera.
Starring Kaiden the Hobo-Goblin! Male Goblin the energetic one. And finally, Female goblin the upcoming bitch.
Everything was starting to fall into place now. Like a poorly written drama suddenly revealing its plot twist.
And the drama in particular is brought to you by yours truly, The Ghost.
Now onward we go. Stay tuned not to miss a single line of the epicness that is to unfold.
The male goblin straightened up as he spoke, his fear evaporating as quickly as it had appeared. His posture shifted, his confidence returning in waves. He even went as far as brushing himself off, standing tall as though he hadn't just been moments away from panicking.
"You had me scared for a second," he admitted, stepping closer to Kaiden. "I was wondering who this freak was and why he looked so… tall and muscular."
He circled him slightly, inspecting him without restraint.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, tone shifting from fear to casual curiosity.
I narrowed my eyes.
Yeah… something was definitely off here.
The change in attitude was too sharp. Too sudden.
Just moments ago, this guy had been terrified. Now? He was acting like Kaiden was nothing more than a joke.
Even the female goblin had regained her composure. She stood up, calmly adjusting the thin linen wrapped around her body, as though the interruption had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
For the both of them there was no fear, none of that concern or caution they first displayed at first sight.
Just poof. It was gone. Just like that.
That didn't make any sense. Not when Kaiden looked like he could flatten both of them without effort.
Yet they refuse to show fear in the face of that terrifying truth. There was more to this I suppose.
And naturally, I wasn't about to let it slide.
What's that? Mind my business you say?
Absolutely not.
Moments like this didn't come around often. This was prime entertainment. A live performance, drama unfolding right before my eyes, and I had front-row seats.
There was no way I was leaving.
If I wanted answers, the most straightforward approach would have been to ask the female goblin directly. She was clearly at the center of this whole situation.
But that wasn't an option.
She couldn't see me. Couldn't hear me. Couldn't even interact with me.
Even if she could, there was no guarantee she would tell the truth. No. I know she won't tell the truth.
One look at her is all you need to know folks like her. Lies. Lies and more lies. It is what she... What people like her do.
I could tell. Her being a Goblin didn't matter in the face of that familiarity.
Luckily for me, I didn't need her cooperation.
I had a much better method to get around this.
A more cleaner, much more reliably efficient method.
And best of all, impossible to deceive.
I glanced at her, a slow chuckle spreading across my face as an idea formed.
I didn't have a need for a conversation with her. No need for permission.
If I wanted the truth from her, I would simply take it.
With my very own Pathway Ghost skill?Memory Hijack.