Chapter 67

Blinded by Anger

Hawkin

Things had been quiet during the fishing competition, and Thrush was content with the fish he was receiving. When the event ended, we began to see Goblins in the forest again.

I stumbled upon an atrocious sight one day. Trees had been ripped from the earth and piled in a huge bonfire. By pure luck, the fire had not spread. However, I couldn’t contain my anger. I was fuming and decided to do something about it.

After a long day of discussion, Thrush and I decided to confront GloomGlower. I wanted to set the record straight and deal with the Goblin king myself. It took some convincing, but we finally got GloomGlower to come out and meet us.

The Goblin king was brought ashore by a small boat. 2 columns of 3 goblins each sat on each other’s necks and carried GloomGlower over the water and onto dry sand. An entourage of armed guards followed on their heels and dragged the boat ashore. Thrush and I waited for them to approach. Displeasure bittered the king’s face.

“You better have a good reason for making all this commotion and dragging me down here,” GloomGlower said.

After the goblins set the king down, they clashed together to form a chair made from their bodies, and a single goblin on all fours as an ottoman.

“If your boats could carry me and didn’t sink, I’d have gone up to see you myself” I said.

“Starting with insults,” GloomGlower said. “Either that or excuses. You’re just afraid to be in the midst of my fleet. My power.”

“Your goblins are deforesting the coast,” I said. “That needs to stop.”

“What does it matter to you, hawkman.”

“It’s Hawkin, and if I let you destroy the coast, what will stop you from moving more inland and cutting down more trees?”

“That’s not up to you, human. Isn’t that right? Back me up, Thrush. Thrush and I are friends now.”

“We’re not friends,” Thrush said.

“Well, I ain’t stopping,” GloomGlower said. What are you going to do about it? Hunh?”

GloomGlower began to gesticulate, saying we’re powerless to do anything, things are going to happen his way, and if we kept pestering him about it, he was going to unleash a fury of goblins on us.

“Here’s the deal,” I said, raising my voice over him, interrupting him just as he seemed to pick up momentum. “I won’t brew any more of your beers. The deal is off.”

“WHAT!” GloomGlower banged his fist on the arm of his chair—the poor back of a goblin. “Out of the question. I need you to keep producing beer. I need twice as much starting next week!”

“No,” I said. “I’ve had enough. Either stop cutting down trees, or forfeit buying my beer.”

GloomGlower snapped like a rabid coyote, “You wouldn’t go back on your deal with me, Thrush. Would you?”

Before Thrush could answer, I said, “I’ll honor the rest of this month's production. “After that, you’re on your own.”

Thrush nodded.

“You’re making this unnecessarily difficult,” GloomGlower said.

The Goblin king broke eye contact and looked off into the woods. For a minute, all was silent. Then he continued.

“Let’s say you’re no longer brewing spit beer. Let’s say there’s no deal anymore. Why would I refrain from logging your damn trees? What are you going to do? Stop tens of thousands of goblins? We’ll be burning down this whole forest and roasting Thrush on a spit before even thinking of you!”

I became possessed by anger. I rushed the king and grabbed him by his collar. The goblins beneath him uncoiled from their furniture and whipped out rusty blades and blunt objects. The guards came raging toward me.

Thrush became a terrifying force. With claws extended, he shoved goblin after goblin into his mouth. A mouth that he stretched and broke wide as though he were part snake. Rusted blades pierced out through Thrush from the inside of his belly from struggling goblins. His mouth was crammed with goblins and he chewed ferociously. Screams escaped every time he opened his mouth for another chomp. Goblin meat mushed around his tongue like an omelet. He didn't stop there, He bolted for the approaching guards and ripped their bodies to shreds. Goblin blood hovered like a mist. The guards became scattered appendages in mere seconds.

GloomGlower writhed violently in my grasp. He lashed out with short limbs and clawed at my forearms, drawing blood and giving pain. He choked on his own efforts and spit flew from his mouth as he cursed and scrambled for all he was worth.

A loud crunch distracted GloomGlower for a moment, and by instinct he glanced over at Thrush. Thrush picked up pieces of goblins and chomped straight through bone. He swallowed each piece with a loud gurgle and his eyes pulsed out of sync. The color green began to fill the spongy layers of his gigantic irises.

Goblins shrieked and hollered aboard the nearest ships. Harpoons on lines were shot into the coast. Goblins zip-lined down to the shore and into Thrush’s wide open mouth. He gobbled them faster than they could gather force.

When GloomGlower and I made eye contact again, his demeanor changed. He clutched onto my wrist and his expression pleaded for mercy.

“You threatened my friend,” I said. “We asked you many times to stop logging. You’ve been putting up a fight about it since the week you arrived.”

Goblins swam ashore for their king, but Thrush only got fatter and fatter. His body had widened; his belly huge enough that he looked like a furry boulder. Goblins that didn’t make it to his maw were ripped to pieces. Horrific screams pierced my skull.

“Stop,” GloomGlower choked. “Stop. Please.”

“Tell your goblins to stop!”

I walked closer to the sea, still holding GloomGlower aloft. The king screamed as loud as he could. He waved an arm while the other held onto my wrist. He commanded his goblins to stand down until he was nearly red in the face and the goblins finally stood down. They continued to amass while goblin captains spread the word to new arrivals that they were to follow GloomGlower’s orders.

“Put me down, Hawkin,” GloomGlower snarled. “Give me dignity!”

I dropped him.

He rose and brushed wet sand from his clothes.

“Let’s talk,” he coughed.

“Oh now we’re going to talk?” I said.

Thrush held the goblins at bay and put on a fearsome display. He snacked on goblin parts as he caught his breath. He belched like a roaring lion. He picked clothing from between his fangs. He spit weapons out from under his tongue.

“You need to stop destroying the coast,” I said.

GloomGlower looked at me for a long moment.

“Fine, I didn’t know you were so protective of the land.”

“Fine? How can I trust you?”

“I’ll make a promise to you, Hawkin. My Goblins will not set foot on your land anymore.”

“That’s it? It was that easy for you all along? All this time? How can I trust you?”

“It’s not that easy,” GloomGlower said. “Fool! Things are never that easy! Which is why I need something from you in return.”

“More spit beer, I’m guessing.”

“It looks like we both value the land for different reasons. I don’t know what your deal with these trees is, but if I’m going to give up a resource like lumber, then I need something big in return. Yes. More spit beer.”

“I don’t know if I can double my production at the moment.”

“You have to. As soon as I set foot on my ship again, I’m never coming back. I learned my lesson. This is the last time Thrush, you, and I will be meeting. From now on, I’m sending someone else to negotiate with either of you, and it won’t be a negotiation. If you don’t double your production, I will send goblins to tear down trees.”

“It’s not that easy to brew twice as much.”

“I don’t care. Make it happen. I don’t care how many of my goblins you kill, how many Thrush eats, I’ll keep sending them.”

“I’ll brew what I can brew,” I said.

We talked in circles for a bit more, with neither of us gaining ground. I didn’t want to resort to killing goblins. I didn’t want what happened today to happen again. It didn’t feel right to me. Self defense was one thing, and today was another. I hadn’t meant for things to spiral, but as soon as GloomGlower threatened Thrush, I snapped.

“I’m not going to be under your thumb,” I said at last. “Either you take what I can brew, or you leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” GloomGlower said. “Either you brew what I need, or I’ll take what I need.”

“We’re at a draw,” I said. “You understand that?” GloomGlower simply looked at me so I continued. “I’ll brew as much as I can, and your goblins will stay off the land. That’s where we’re at. If you want more beer, that’s the way it’s going to have to be. Otherwise I’ll leave.”

“You’ll leave?”

“I’ll leave.”

“Well, hold on a minute, Hawkin. Let’s not get too carried away. Your beers are good for my business. If you leave, then business will suffer.”

“That’s what I’m willing to do.”

This was the biggest move I’d made so far. No one had to die, but something needed to change. As long as GloomGlower didn’t call my bluff, I would come out on top in this deal. Thanks to some of Thrush’s Merchant Bluff tips, I tried my best to control the conversation and lead it to this point. Losing my cool hadn’t been part of the plan. Killing a few dozen goblins hadn't been either.

“Let’s talk again at the end of the month,” GloomGlower said with a little panic in his eyes and in his voice. “I understand now. Apologies. I understand that you’ll brew what you can. Sure, sure—but you might be able to double production, and if none of my goblins put a foot on your coast, you’ll stay and keep brewing for us?” I nodded. Gloom Glower continued. “That’ll be the deal for now?”

“For now,” I said.

GloomGlower’s smile turned mischievous and he said, “just remember, hawkman. We're talking about Goblins. As long as none of my Goblins touch the coast, then you and I are fine.”

“What about the Orcs? I saw Orc ships sailing in.”

“What about the Orcs?” GloomGlower shot back.

“You know what I’m asking,” I said.

“The Orcs are under my control. They won’t be a bother. I promise. Cross my heart.”

I was dubious, but we shook on it, and GloomGlower grumbled as he walked off into the crowd of goblins. Thrush and I watched them disperse over time via boats. When they were all gone, Thrush waddled beside me as we made our way home.

“Do you think GloomGlower’s good for his word?” Thrush said.

“His word was good with the fishing competition, right?” I said. Thrush nodded.

“I’m going to need a long nap,” Thrush said.

Despite Thrush’s greatly inflated size, we speedily returned to the cabin. My mood had soured by then. Thrush plopped onto his back next to his smoker and immediately passed out. I cleaned my wounds then took a seat before an empty fire pit as dusk descended.

BarnacleEyes approached me. She was in shock at how large Thrush had gotten since this morning and I broke the news to her that we’d gotten into a brawl with GloomGlower. At first she didn’t believe me, but as I recounted the event in detail, she was practically shaking with thrill when I finished.

“Wow!” BarnacleEyes said. “I can’t believe you attacked GloomGlower himself and lived to tell about it!”

“Yea,” I mumbled.

“That’s a big deal, Hawkin. Why do I get the feeling you’re not happy about it?”

“I let my anger get the better of me. Things got out of hand because of me. Your kin lost their lives because of me. If I hadn't grabbed GloomGlower, his guard wouldn’t have attacked, and Thrush wouldn’t have had to come to my defense. It was stupid of me. I was so enraged by the bonfire we found in the forest that I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Aww, stuff like that always happens with the Goblins. Brawls. Fires. Dying.”

“Those goblins didn’t deserve to die.”

“Dying’s part of living,” BarnacleEyes said with a shrug.

“I’m just trying to defend my woods. This is where I live. I don’t feel good about today. I have the feeling I can’t trust GloomGlower’s promises. Now that Orcs might be involved, I have to do something. I can’t just keep hoping GloomGlower will be cooperative.”

“Why don’t you brew a beer to help you?”

“I’m brewing as much as I can.”

“I’m talking about your special beers. You’re always brewing all kinds of special beers. Why don’t you brew one that makes them listen to you, or go away, or protect your home, or something.”

“I’ve got a lot of leveling up before I can even think about something like that.”

“Mk, well let me know if I can help any.”

“Thanks, BarnacleEyes. I will. In the meantime, I guess I could browse my Brewer’s Guide to Magic Ingredients some more.”