All goblins were greedy bastards, but when it came to life or money, every decent merchant knew what to choose. After all, as long as you stayed alive, making money was ridiculously easy for calculating goblins!
Before the imposing knight, the seasoned merchant had already written off this deal as a loss. But instinctively, he still put on a troubled expression. Even if he was practically giving his goods away, he at least wanted this obviously wealthy boy to remember him and know that he'd taken a loss to do him a favor. That was the wisdom of a small-time trader.
With that in mind, Fizzle put on a nervous air, rubbing his hands together as he carefully chose his words. "My lord, you know how it is. How could these savage creatures possibly understand so much? If you're interested in my goods, I can offer you a special price: two silver coins. I really can't go any lower!"
The goblin merchant wasn't lying. Two silver coins was a fair price, even a little low. Although the dozens of Gnolls and Kobolds behind him were all injured, most weren't seriously hurt, and nearly all were young adults. To any buyer, they would be quite a bargain.
If the deal went through, he'd at least get some travel money and capital to start over. And if the boy was kindhearted enough, he might even offer him a little help. Fizzle looked at the richly dressed boy before him, already imagining what he'd be like after making a comeback.
This time, though, Alvin disappointed the goblin. He'd only asked out of curiosity. If he wanted Gnolls, he could simply have Abberton take a few men into the forest and catch some. Mayor Martin certainly wouldn't refuse such a small request from him, a prince. Whether his father would punish him afterward was another matter...
After learning that none of the unusual creatures could speak Common, the boy no longer intended to linger. It was nearly noon, and he still had to find his way back to City Hall!
Thinking of this, Alvin spread his hands toward the goblin merchant and gave him a helpless look. "I see. I thought you might have something interesting, but I guess I'll pass."
Why wasn't this brat following the script? Fizzle had just been lost in fantasies of making a comeback, and now he felt as if a thousand mythical beasts were stampeding through his mind. He stared blankly at the boy, who had already turned away, and forced a dry smile, at a loss for words.
What could he do? Force the boy to buy? The knight, who looked like a mountain, would probably be delighted to get the chance to teach him a lesson!
To expand his trade routes, the goblin merchant had traveled all the way from Booty Bay to Lordaeron with a batch of goblin-made engineering gadgets, hoping to make a fortune. When he landed in Southshore, he was unfamiliar with the area. To cut costs, he hadn't hired guards; instead, he'd paid to join a sizable merchant caravan.
And then, by terrible luck, the caravan ran into those damned Gnoll bandits while crossing the Alterac Mountains!
Over a hundred mercenaries fought bravely, suffering the deaths of more than thirty warriors before they subdued the monsters. Before Fizzle, who had been hiding under a wagon, could even celebrate surviving, the remaining members of the caravan seized his goods as compensation for their fallen comrades...
Those greedy bandits had left him only these dozens of tightly bound monsters. If the men hadn't been "kind" enough to escort him all the way to the outskirts of Andorhal before parting ways, the helpless merchant might never have made it out of the Alterac Mountains!
After shaking off those scoundrels, Fizzle entered the bustling town of Andorhal, but his troubles didn't end. The nightmare went on.
The silver-tongued goblin merchant had been hanging around the busy docks for days, but still hadn't managed to offload the monsters. He was so broke he couldn't even afford to buy food for the bastards. After one hardship after another, his purse was almost empty, and Fizzle, who'd been scrimping for days, was on the verge of madness.
"It's all because of these beasts who belong in the Burning Legion's jaws!"
Alvin had already turned away and was about to leave. Unable to take his anger out on the master and servant, the goblin merchant vented it on his wares instead. He'd make these despicable bandits understand how terrifying it was to cross Fizzle, the future king of trade!
Fuming, the goblin merchant unhooked the leather whip from his belt. He turned toward the biggest Gnoll and lashed out hard. "You damned beast! This afternoon, I'm selling the lot of you to the slaughterhouse to become dog food for the nobles!"
"The honor of a warrior will not be sullied by you, green-skinned wretch!"
A shout of anger rang out among the Gnoll captives. Their vocal organs gave the words a strange tone, but they were unmistakably spoken in Common!
As the oddly pronounced words sounded behind him, Alvin keenly sensed a distinct surge of energy. A moment later, an explosion and the goblin's shrill, distinctive scream reached his ears.
He stopped and spun around. An old Gnoll stood among the cluster of captives, the ropes that should have bound him nowhere to be seen. But what truly stunned the boy was the magical energy still clinging to the creature's sharp claws. A visible spark of lightning danced between them.
Looking down, he saw that the goblin who'd been haggling with him moments earlier had turned almost completely black, like a lump of charcoal. He lay on the ground, twitching, and smelled of roasted meat.
After only a sidelong glance at the unlucky goblin merchant, the prince looked back at the Gnoll spellcaster glaring at him. The ball of lightning gathering in the creature's claws made his identity clear to everyone: a Shaman, a spellcaster who forged close bonds with the natural elements—earth, air, fire, and water—and channeled their untamed power to unleash devastating attacks upon their foes!
The Gnoll Shaman's eyes gleamed blood-red as he stared at the young prince. Faced with the hostile stranger, Alvin's expression changed sharply. He nimbly stepped back and, on instinct, swept a hand through the air, summoning a barrier of Holy Light before him.
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