*On the other side*
After what felt like a lifetime of running errands for the Kobold lady—collecting herbs, hunting critters, fixing broken tools, and repeating the same three quests like some cursed NPC loop—I finally completed everything on her list. And by that I mean, Every. Single. Thing.
(⊙_☉)
I practically crawled back to her, clutching my aching back, hoping for some long-overdue rewards or at least a pat on the head would be fine.
But no, instead, she clapped her hands together with a cheery grin and said, "Alright! Now you're ready to negotiate with our chief."
"…Wait, what?" My brain short-circuited. Negotiate? Chief? I wasn't just gonna negotiate with her but to the chief?!
With the enthusiasm of a con artist who just found their perfect mark, the Kobold lady grabbed my wrist and dragged me along the dirt path toward a larger, sturdier-looking house in the center of their village. "Come, come! If you wish to trade, you must speak to our chief."
It finally hit me.
I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at her. "Wait a minute… wasn't this what I was doing all this time? Didn't you—? I mean, you told me you were in charge!"
"Oh?" She blinked at me innocently, like a cat caught knocking over a vase. "I said I could get you in touch with the right people. And now I am."
"You—! You scammed me!" I clutched my chest like a hero betrayed in their final act. I could practically feel my soul leaving my body. All those hours—those back-breaking tasks—and it turns out she was nothing but a middleman!
And yet, she just smiled. Smiled! Like this was all part of her "helpful Kobold lady" routine. "I did say I'd help you trade. I never said with me."
I opened my mouth, closed it, then pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You… you're worse than the goons back home!"
But there was no turning back now. I was already being herded—yes, herded, like a clueless sheep—toward the chief's house. My shoulders slumped in resignation as I muttered under my breath, "I've been bamboozled, hoodwinked, led astray…"
The Kobold lady just hummed cheerily, her tail wagging behind her like nothing was wrong.
By the time we reached the chief's house, I had come to accept the tragic truth of my life:
I'd been scammed. Again.
But hey, maybe the chief would be reasonable. Maybe this time I could finally make a deal. Or maybe, just maybe—
"Welcome!" A giant Kobold wearing an impressive feathered hat stepped out of the house, eyeing me with a shrewd grin. "Before we talk trade, I have a few tasks that need completing."
I blinked.
My eye twitched.
"...I'm going to scream."
（・∀・）
And somewhere behind me, I could hear the Kobold lady chuckling softly.