"I, Bundi, am willing to serve chief," he declared, his voice shaking but loud enough for everyone to hear.
Silence followed for a heartbeat, and then another voice spoke. "Me too."
The effect was immediate. One by one, the remaining goblins began stepping forward, the hesitation in their eyes slowly replaced by resignation—and a faint, desperate hope.
They came forward like falling dominoes, each one bowing low, pledging themselves to the very goblin who had destroyed their clan.
Zivra shook her head, disbelief clouding her face as she watched the scene unfold. She crawled forward on her knees, her voice cracking with panic. "Wait… don't you see? He'll kill us all!"
But they didn't listen.
Goblins, by nature, were creatures who bowed only to strength. Words, reason, and sentiment held no sway over them—not when survival was at stake. The second option Eli had given them, the chance to leave, meant nothing in comparison to the security power offered.
