Chapter 23: Honey Trap
“How about I lure one of the men into the forest, then we kill and replace him?” Erika asked casually.
“Hmm… that’s actually not a bad idea,” Theo admitted while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Problem is, people would immediately notice if that man suddenly turned into one of my summons.”
The two of them were currently walking through the village when a teenage boy suddenly approached them. The village messenger.
“Vice-Chief,” the boy called out, “Chief Tara is waiting for you at her tent.”
“Hm?” Theo muttered.
---
Tara’s Tent
When Theo and Erika entered the tent, David and Captain Matheo were already standing around the meeting table.
Roper was there too.
“Woof!”
The dog immediately ran toward Erika with his tail wagging excitedly.
“Hi there, boy,” Erika said cheerfully while petting him. “Did you miss me?”
Roper barked happily while Erika played with him on the floor, completely ignoring the serious atmosphere inside the tent.
Meanwhile, Theo walked toward the table.
“How was the scouting, David?” he asked.
“Ah… that’s what we’re discussin’ right now, boss,” David replied while scratching the back of his head hesitantly.
That alone already sounded bad.
---
A few minutes later, David finished explaining the situation inside the goblin lair.
“Captives, huh…” Theo muttered.
“That’s right.” David let out a long sigh. “Originally, I was plannin’ to just smoke the whole cave and kill every goblin inside nice and easy. But with captives still there…”
He shook his head slightly.
“I ain’t too comfortable killin’ them together with the goblins.”
“It’s not our responsibility to save them,” Tara said firmly. “And I don’t want to put unnecessary risk on my men.”
“And we need to eradicate those goblins before they relocate again,” Captain Matheo added. “If that happens, we won’t know where they moved. Meanwhile, they already know where our village is.”
“Why would they even come back after we beat them that badly?” Theo asked.
“Because it’s their mating season,” Tara explained calmly. “That’s the entire reason they attacked our village in the first place. During this period, their instinct to seek humanoid females only grows stronger.”
“And even after the season ends,” Matheo continued, “there’s no guarantee they won’t attack again once their numbers recover.”
“Damn…” David muttered. “Those things really are dangerous pests.”
He crossed his arms. “Still, I’m gonna insist we find some way to minimize the danger to the captives.”
“…Wait.”
Theo suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly.
“If their instincts are driving them that badly…” he muttered thoughtfully, “…doesn’t that mean we can use it against them?”
Everyone immediately looked at Theo.
---
A few minutes later, the discussion finally ended. Tara and Matheo both looked deeply troubled.
“It’s… it’s so unbelievably stupid…” Tara muttered while rubbing her temple. “…that somehow it actually makes sense.”
“…I agree,” Matheo said slowly. “And if it works, the risk to our men would be minimal.”
“Well, there’s still risk for the bait,” David pointed out. “Question is, who’s gonna be the bait?”
“Hmmm…” The four of them fell silent, thinking.
“Kyaaahaha!” Erika’s laughter suddenly cut through the tent.
She was still busy playing with Roper while the dog happily licked her face.
“You and the hounds sure are lucky, you know,” Erika said while scratching Roper’s neck. “Other men probably wish they were dogs every time they see you licking me like this.”
The atmosphere around the table immediately changed. Everyone slowly turned toward Erika.
“…Hmmmmm.”
This time, the humming sound came while all four of them stared at Erika thoughtfully. Including Tara, her own mother.
Roper happily licked Erika again.
“Kyaaa—” Erika let out a cute squeaky soft scream.
---
Somewhere in the Forest– Five Days Later
“KYAAAAAA!!!” Erika let out a high-pitched desperate loud scream.
Loud enough it echoed across the forest. She was currently tied tightly to a large log in the middle of a clearing.
“THEO YOU JERK! JERK! JEEEEERK!! HUAAAAAA!!” Erika shouted while already crying her eyes out.
Meanwhile, hidden behind bushes near the edge of the clearing, Theo, David, and Captain Matheo quietly waited in ambush.
“Do you think the goblins can hear that?” Theo muttered.
David snorted softly.
“With that volume? And with the wind blowin’ that direction?” He grinned. “Oh, they definitely hearin’ it, boss.”
Then suddenly, a brief glint of light flashed across Matheo’s eyes. He immediately turned toward it.
On the opposite side of the clearing, hidden atop a tree branch, a female elf scout reflected sunlight toward him using a polished iron knife.
Then she gave a hand signal. “Seven.” “North.”
Matheo immediately understood.
“They’re coming from the north,” he whispered. “Seven goblins.”
“Well then,” David muttered calmly, “let’s see if Miss Erika’s charm also works on goblins.”
Then they waited quietly while Erika continued wailing miserably in the clearing.
Several minutes later, goblins finally began emerging from the northern side of the forest.
Seven of them.
“Kreeee—” One of the goblins snarled excitedly the moment it saw Erika tied up in the clearing.
“Eek!” Unfortunately, Erika looked far less excited the moment seeing the goblins.
The goblins began walking toward Erika.
They moved confidently, but not carelessly. Even while grinning at the tied-up elf in front of them, they still kept glancing around the clearing, making sure no enemies were hiding nearby.
“THEO! DAVID! ANYONE!! PLEASEEEE!!”
Erika cried desperately as the goblins reached halfway across the clearing.
“Krrreeekekeke!” The goblins laughed excitedly at her panic.
And to make things even worse, their intentions were painfully obvious. Beneath the scraps of cloth they used as pants, their aroused “weapons” were already bulging visibly.
“NOOO!! I don’t want to get raped and have goblin children!! HUAAAAAA!!” Erika cried even harder after seeing the goblins’ secret weapons.
Meanwhile, hidden behind the bushes, Theo—and somehow even David—looked a little too entertained by the scene unfolding in front of them.
Matheo frowned at both of them.
“Uh… sir?” he whispered carefully. “Isn’t it time?”
“Huh?” David blinked before quickly clearing his throat. “Oh. Right.” He straightened slightly. “Sorry. That was unbecomin’ of me.”
“Aww, can’t we watch a little longer?” Theo complained quietly.
David ignored him.
“Alright, Captain. Give the signal.”
Matheo nodded. He turned toward the opposite side of the clearing.
Several men were hidden there among the bushes. Beside each of them crouched a demon hound, silent and completely focused on the goblins ahead.
Matheo raised his hand and gave the signal. “Attack.”
The men nodded back before lowering their hands from the demon hounds.
“Go,” they whispered firmly.
The demon hounds immediately began moving.
Their bodies stayed low against the ground as they silently crept through the tall grass toward the goblins.
Thankfully, the side chosen for the ambush had the thickest grass in the clearing. That had been intentional. David specifically chose this hiding spot to make the demon hounds harder to notice.
Five demon hounds slowly closed the distance without making a sound. Ahead of them, the goblins kept giggling while Erika kept crying pitifully.
Then the tall grass ended.
The demon hounds immediately exploded into a sprint. Fast. Terrifyingly fast.
Not a single bark escaped them as they charged toward the goblins. The later their prey realized they were there, the better.
“Kre?” One of the goblins finally noticed the demon hounds.
Too late. They were already less than thirty meters away.
“TRAAAK!!”
The goblin immediately screamed a warning to the others before turning around and fleeing in panic.
“Huh?” Erika blinked in confusion, tears still covering her face as she watched the goblins suddenly run away from her.
All seven goblins immediately bolted toward the forest.
Goblins knew demon hounds. They knew how dangerous those monsters were. Their thick hide was already hard enough for goblin weapons to penetrate.
But the worst part wasn’t their toughness. It was their speed.
CRUNCH
“KREEEE!!”
One goblin let out a dying shriek as a demon hound slammed into him from behind, its jaws crushing into his chest and stomach.
The other hounds continued chasing the fleeing goblins.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
One by one, the goblins were tackled to the ground by predators far larger and far faster than them.
“It worked!” one of the handlers whispered excitedly while watching the demon hounds attack exactly as ordered.
Soon, every demon hound had caught a goblin of its own and happily began devouring the bodies.
But two goblins managed to escape. The hounds didn’t bother chasing them further. As soon as they secured prey, their instincts shifted toward eating instead of continuing the hunt.
“Hmm…” David rubbed his chin slightly. “They’re still operatin’ more on huntin’ instinct than battlefield instinct.”
His expression looked thoughtful now.
“They stop chasin’ once they catch prey.” David continued.
The two surviving goblins continued running desperately through the forest without even looking back at their dying companions.
But the moment they crossed the edge of the clearing—
Whoosh—Thud!
Whoosh—Thud!
Both goblins suddenly collapsed. One had an arrow buried through its head, the other took one straight through the chest.
High above the trees, Tara and her elf scout squad revealed themselves among the branches.
“No, no,” Tara muttered with a small grin while lowering her bow, “you won’t be telling the others what happened here.”
Now every goblin was dead. The trap had worked perfectly and the bait was still alive.
Unfortunately...
The bait didn’t exactly feel safe right now.
As one of the demon hounds had stopped eating and was now staring directly at Erika with a hungry look in its eyes. Apparently, one goblin wasn’t enough.
“Grrrr…”
The hound slowly growled.
“What?” Erika’s face immediately paled. “N-no… why are you looking at me like that?”
The hound slowly stepped toward her.
“I’m your friend!” Erika cried nervously. “I even play with one of you guys!”
She tried calming the hound down but it didn’t work. The demon hound began walking faster toward her with every step.
“No… no… NOOOO!!”
Erika screamed and shut her eyes tightly as the hound lunged closer.