The streets of Karu Dum were filled with people of all kinds, including green goblins who called it home, the red hobgoblins who ruled over them and even the human serfs who were lining up to see the commotion happening below.

Fireworks had been set off, and every street was outfitted with amazing, luminescent lights. It was a rare day when all of goblin-kind would be well-behaved, probably because all the bad stuff was being drowned out by the commotion.

Grubbub and his friends stood watching from the upper walls as the Hob-goblin nobility entered the stronghold. They came inside the stronghold like a caravan troup, strange dragon-like lizards were mounted by guards on all sides. In the center of the group, a large elephant marauded its way past the crowd, and on its back sat one of the goblin kings, and beside him a young woman whose face was obscured by a translucent veil.

His daughter?

Her skin was strangely a different color than all the other hobgoblins had looked like. It was hard to see whether the sun was influencing her skin.

“Is that her?” Wynald asks his peers.

Grubbub who sat on Wynald’s soldiers, squinted his eyes hoping his small head would allow him to see better.

“I don’t get what the big deal is,” an elder goblin said beside them. “These hobs are doing everything they want us these days, who cares about some spoiled brat from the Far East.”

A Hobgoblin guard on the wall overheard this and walked up to the elderly man. The three swiftly got out of his way. The guard stood over the old goblin with menacing intent and put his hands on the neck of the elderly goblin. The old man was barely able to muster the physical strength to move. Struggled to no avail.

“It wouldn’t take much to throw you down from here you old fool. People like the Goblin kings, our kind would be hunted to the ends of the earth by the ‘civilized races.’ One would think you greenskins, especially the old ones would be enlightened by us. Maybe you all belong in a cave after all. This burden hobgoblin kind has to wear for your benefit, it’s a disgrace.”

Grubbub shook his head, he didn’t like it when they went into poh-la-tiks. It was never a good sight when the red ones would practice their ‘O-thorr-ritty’ on them. He has seen some nasty stuff happen, the day he was born as an example he saw nasty horrors he still struggles to wholly remember.

He shook his head, this was hardly the time to remember bad things, they were out here to enjoy themselves. right.

“You saw all that shit down there, you still think you stand a chance? Ratchet asked him. Referring to his proclamation yesterday. He pointed to the conflict between the old goblin and the hobgoblin guard. “You saw that didn’t they’d never let greeny like us even touch that girl.”

Grubbub was neither discouraged nor offended. He had heard stories of green goblins being turned into red ones, through training and effort.

“I’ll just become a hobgoblin myself then!” he stated.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The guard let the old man go and turned his attention to the little miner.

“Bwahahaha, now I’ve heard it all.” the hobgoblin said. “What’s next are you going to turn copper into fucking gold? You miner boys sure are a different breed.”

The guard walked away half giggling, half snickering. Making them all collectively breathe a sigh of relief.

Was he really that much of a moron. No. GrubHub had dreams and Grubbub would have them.

“They’re not that great,” Wynald stated, “Lazy and demanding, can’t do a day’s work without kicking one of us down.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” said the old goblin, holding his around his throat, where the tall one had grabbed him

Clang!Clang!Clang!

Grubbub picked another piece of a small iron off the tunnel wall. The red hob looking over them, thought it was sketchy that he found the jade deposit in the first place. They had sent miners from a different district to handle what he found, yesterday. Sent him to a different spot in the mine.

He was punished for finding the green stuff.

It was much harder to work here, suffocating even. In the other tunnel, they had been able to mine wherever they were comfortable. Here in section 3, They were forced into a specific spot according to the assigned weight class. Perhaps that jade wasn’t a lucky spot after all. If he could go back he could.

He was almost done for the day, only a couple more raw iron pieces, and he would be out of there. The very first thing he planned on doing was taking a nap. It had been an arduous day. Ever since the Goblin princess arrived they’ve gone double on the Owt-poot and Prew-duck-shin.

More words he didn’t understand, all he knew was that meant more work for him.

As he motioned to pick up the piece of iron to the ground. He attempted to grab his work sack.

He couldn’t get a grasp on it. He started clawing at the air, but nothing. He put the iron pick down and started looking around him.

Nothing. It’s gone. It was right here a moment ago.

It had disappeared into thin air, it wasn’t under him nor did it fall to some kind of hole. There was only one explanation. His immediate thoughts drifted to the two goblins right and left of him. Neither reacted to his panic, could they have been guilty.

He approached them and asked.

“Did any of you see my stone bag?”

Both of them gave him looks that could kill, and kept on mining as if they hadn’t heard a thing he said. Pretending nothing happened.

“Please, you have to help or else they’ll punish me.”

The goblin next to him shrugged. “Dog eats dog world mate. Good luck. I didn’t see anything.”

He got upfront and personal, with a goblin to the left. Grubhub started inspecting for himself if weren’t hiding the bag somewhere, taken for themselves.

“Get the fuck out of ma face, worm. I don’t have your fucking bag!” The goblin shouted.

He pushed grubbub with severe force, causing him to fly a few meters away. His face landed on the rough surface, leaving dirt and pain in his face. His arms were scraped by the friction and movement of colliding with the ground.

The man moved a few meters away and kept on working , saying nothing. In the corner of his eye, he could see a group of goblins giggling in the distance. They were giggling, and looking at him with disdain.

He moved towards the center of the tunnel, so that everyone could see him and announced to everyone.

“Did anyone see who took my bag of stones? My quota’s gone! Please.”

Utter silence, not a single word uttered. Safe for the rare shrug or sneer. Was this what his friends meant, that he should start looking out for himself? Without that bag, he wasn’t leaving out of there without a lashing.

The Mine guard approached him. His whip flailed around in the air as he approached, loose and ready to be used.

“Did ya Lose your precious rocks, Grubzy? Perhaps you’ve lost some screws too.” A rat face goblin cackled in the back of the mine. Another one was slapping himself while laughing, snot dripping off his nose.

They were probably guilty.

“Quiet all of you!” The hob shouted. “What’s wrong now?”

“Someone stole my day’s work, without I can’t go home.”

The hob was quiet staring into the room, narrowing his eyes, and then focussing on Grubbub again. He grabbed Grubbub by his waste, throwing grub on the ground, and cracked the who across his back. Sending severe pain down his back. He could feel his skin split, with the nasty sting.

He lashed him again, and again and then stopped.

“Get up. You’re going to see the overseer” The guard says with a sinister tone.

Grubbub did so, this was going to be an awful week. The overseer would sentence him to vile punishments. That even the slaves didn't partake in. He wanted to argue his case, hoping his voice would be heard. The culprit was still in here, but what would it matter? But he knew there would be no justice.

“Come along now.”