Chương 3: Finger Food and Friendly Fire

Recap: You sacrificed your coin to distract Grib. It failed. Chief Grumble's sword is stuck in the floor. His hand is on the hilt. You voted to BITE THE HAND. Opportunity doesn't knock twice. Sometimes, it lunges. Grumble was focused on the sword. His fingers were wrapped tight around the rusted hilt, knuckles white, tendons straining. He was pulling up. He was leaning forward. He was within range. Sorry, buddy, I thought. But I'm starving. I coiled the muscles beneath my wooden base.

It felt like crouching before a jump, if you were a piece of furniture. I launched myself forward. Not a slide this time. A lunge. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: BiteCost: 2 Stamina Damage Roll: 4 (Critical Hit on Fleshy Target) My lid snapped open wider—wait, it was already open. My false bottom dropped. The rows of yellowed teeth surged upward like a bear trap springing shut. CRUNCH. I caught him right across the knuckles of his right hand. The taste was immediate. Leather glove, stale sweat, iron blood, and…

green? Do goblins taste green? It was like biting into a moldy lime wrapped in jerky. Grumble screamed. It wasn't a heroic battle cry. It was a high-pitched shriek that cracked halfway through.

"MY HAND!" He yanked back. His fingers slipped off the sword hilt. Blood sprayed onto my inner lid, staining the wood dark red. Warm. Invigorating. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION XP Gained: 5 (Damage Dealt to Hostile Target)Current XP: 5/50 (Level 2) But physics is a cruel mistress. I had committed my weight to the bite. When Grumble pulled back, he didn't just pull his hand away. He pulled me. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. My teeth slipped off the slick blood. I lost my grip.

Grumble's left foot came up like a piston. THOOM. His boot connected with my side. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 3 HP Current HP: 12/15 I flew backward. Not far—maybe two feet—but enough to slam into the stone wall. My vision (whatever kind of vision a box has) swam with static.

"Little bastard!" Grumble roared. He cradled his right hand against his chest. Two fingers were hanging at weird angles. Broken? Maybe. Definitely bruised. He looked at me with pure hatred. No more annoyance. No more pragmatism. Just rage. He reached for his sword again. It was still stuck, but he had two hands now (one working, one broken). He'd get it free in seconds. And then the vibrations changed. The faint thump-thump-thump from the corridor exploded into a clamor. The door to the Side Chamber swung open.

Three goblins stood there. Not scouts. Warriors. They carried spears and crude shields. They looked at Grumble (bleeding hand), then at Grib (groaning against the wall), then at me (blood on my teeth).

"Chief?" one of them asked. He had a nose ring.

"We hear scream." Grumble straightened up. He stopped trying to pull the sword. He kicked the hilt instead, leaving it embedded in the floor. He turned to his reinforcements, pointing at me with his good hand.

"Mimic," Grumble spat.

"It bit me. Kill it. Burn it. I want the wood for my fire." The three goblins stepped forward. They didn't look scared. They looked bored. This was just another Tuesday in Grimfang. I was backed against the wall. HP 12/15. SP 17/20. MP 8/10 (Tremorsense upkeep). Grumble was wounded but angry. Grib was dazed but waking up. Three new goblins were fresh and armed. Gerald the skeleton was still in the corner, watching everything with empty eye sockets. I needed a miracle. Or a really good trick.

Current Stats: HP: 12/15 (Kicked by Grumble) Mana: 8/10 (Tremorsense upkeep) Stamina: 17/20 (Bite cost) Inventory: Old Bone, Spider Web, 3 Pebbles. Status: Wounded, Cornered, Outnumbered (4 vs 1). What do you do? A) PLAY DEAD (FALSE APPEARANCE) Close your lid. Close your false bottom. Stop all movement. Hope they think the bite was a trap mechanism that already triggered. Maybe they'll leave you for later. (Cost: 1 SP to close. Requires absolute stillness. Charisma Check.) B) TARGET THE WEAK LINK (GRIB) Grib is injured against the wall. He's the easiest target. Lunge at him. Eat a goblin to regain HP. Risky, but rewards are high. (Cost: 2 SP. Potential HP regain. Risk: The others attack while you eat.) C) USE GERALD AS A SHIELD Slide over to the skeleton. Knock Gerald's bones onto the goblins. Bone clutter might trip them or creep them out. (Cost: 3 SP. Distraction only. Does not damage.) D) REGURGITATE THE BONE You have an Old Bone in your stomach. Spit it out like a projectile.

Aim for Nose Ring Goblin's face. Chaos ensues. (Cost: 1 SP. Lose Old Bone. Ranged distraction.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins.