To love and to Hate

7: Goblins

By midday, Jisung was nearly feeling normal, and after further debate with Minho, they finally decided it was time to take care of this ridiculous job. The mayor wanted them to kill all the goblins, but that would take a lot of power and a lot of time the mages did not want to waste. So they had to come up with another plan.

Goblins were much like childhood bullies. They weren't all that bright, they were loud and pushy, and they chose to steal whatever their victim was carrying. They had a particular interest in jewelry and food. Basically, they liked shiny things and were insatiable.

Going off those attributes, Minho and Jisung were able to come up with a rough plan to scare the horde off. But the more Jisung analyzed the situation, the more he realized just how difficult this job was going to be. Goblins were more intelligent than shapeshifters, so simply threatening them not to come back would likely fail. If anything, the goblins would run off for a few days and then return the moment the mages left town.

For this to work without killing every goblin, they either had to really scare them off, or they would have to negotiate. Just thinking about it all made Jisung want to burn himself into a little pile of ash. 

Jeongin offered to help, and Minho took that opportunity to come up with the worst idea ever.

"You can be the bait."

"Bait?" Jeongin and Jisung asked in unison.

Minho gestured at the window of the town hall that faced the main square. "Well, we need as many goblins present as possible if we want to accomplish anything."

Jisung held one hand up. "I thought you and I were just going to wait for a sizable group to ambush."

"And won't that be easier to do if we have some bait to lure said sizable group?" Minho pointed out a little too smugly.

Jisung always hated his attitude. Like he was the king of the world. It was revolting. "But-"

"I'll do it," Jeongin spoke up from where he was sitting by a further window. "I, uh, may not be all that experienced using my magic in... that sort of way, but I do want to help. My experience has to start somewhere, right?"

Why did Jisung want to wrap this boy in a blanket and hug him until he passed out? He couldn't help smiling at him. "If you're willing, we could use all the help we can get."

Jeongin beamed. "Yes, I'll help, just tell me what to do."

The mayor cleared his throat a bit obnoxiously from his desk. "Jeongin, do you really think you could be of any help to these ma-"

"Back off." Minho and Jisung snarled at the same time.

The mayor flinched back, gulping a bit nervously, while Minho and Jisung glanced at each other in slight surprise. Apparently they felt the same way about something, for once.

Minho was the first to look away. "Well, Mayor, I think we're done here. We'll fill out the necessary forms and discuss payment once we have this little mess taken care of." He motioned, like the arrogant man he was, silently commanding the other two to follow him.

Though he grumbled about it, Jisung went with it, and the three mages exited the town hall in search of an area that would suit their plant the best.

The sun peeked out at random times from behind the thin clouds that veiled the sky, so a goblin had yet to be spotted. But based on the dark clouds gathering at the peaks high above them the sun would vanish soon enough. On the East side of town, the streets widened out and the houses became more sparse, so they decided to set their trap there.

Jisung had serious doubts about scaring the goblins off. He still wasn't fully recovered from the damn sickness that took him down the night before, so he wasn't sure how well he'd be able to fight a horde of them. Minho was strong, but even he wouldn't be able to handle all of them alone. And Jeongin had yet to use his magic in battle. The odds weren't totally in their favor.