"Wait… Those ones are weird." Damons squinted, intrigued. "They look like… kittens?"
The rabbit beside him frowned. "Try to lure them. Gently."
Damons slowly reached his hand through the bars. "Come here, little ones… That's it…"
"Over here, my darlings…" added the rabbit, in a tone he wanted to be gentle but that sounded almost predatory.
They both did their best to look welcoming, but their tense faces and suspicious smiles had the opposite effect.
The three little goblins jumped, let out a muffled cry, and fled at full speed.
Damons blinked. "It's because of your face!"
"Have you seen yours?! Even I almost got scared!" replied the rabbit, growling.
And as often, their argument broke out again, loud and pointless.
But while they were still bickering like two kids, the three goblins came back. Timid, they slowly approached the cage, shoulders hunched, avoiding eye contact.
"Tss… They came back," whispered the rabbit.
Damons nodded softly. "Wait… if we start yelling again, we'll scare them off again."
The rabbit sighed. "OK. Temporary cooperation. Just this once."
Both calmed down. Relaxed faces, soft voices. The little goblins came closer. The chattiest one, a small green-skinned goblin with a black crest standing on his head, looked up at them.
"Are… are you nice? Can you save us, please?"
Damons blinked, a bit surprised. "Huh? Uh… you want us to save you?"
The goblin nodded. "Yes… We're different from the others. They mistreat us all the time. We want to leave with you…"
There was something in their eyes. A sincere innocence, a hope almost painful. They were cute. Too cute to be goblins.
Damons sighed softly. "Alright. But first, you have to free us."
The little goblins nodded, and one of them pulled out a small stolen key, opening the cage with a click. Once free, Damons looked at them more closely.
The leader, the one with the crest, had sure gestures despite his small size. The shyest one, with normal messy black hair, constantly avoided their gaze. And the last one, a little goblin girl with long black hair down to her waist, held her ragged dress like an awkward princess.
"They remind me of my little sisters…"
Damons knelt gently and stroked their heads one by one, tender gestures. The goblins let him do it, shivering at his touch.
Then a message appeared before him.
[DEMONIC SYSTEM] – [DO YOU WISH TO INTEGRATE THESE INDIVIDUALS INTO YOUR DEMON ARMY?]
"What?" Damons frowned. "System, what's that?"
[AI]– "Every good king needs an army. When someone or a creature has genuine affection for you, you can add them to your Demon Army. It is the first step toward creating a true personal army."
Damons grinned fiercely.
"An army of loyal monsters…? So cool! In that case, I'm recruiting them!"
A second message appeared before the goblins. They opened their eyes wide, mouths agape.
[DEMONIC SYSTEM] – [DO YOU WISH TO INTEGRATE CANDIDATE NO.7'S ARMY FOR THE TITLE OF DEMON KING?]
"What's that thing?" asked the little leader with the crest.
"It's nothing," answered Damons with a smile. "It just means we're going to fight together… and become a real family."
The three goblins lit up, literally.
"A family?! Yeah! A real one!"
The rabbit crossed his arms. "Pff… It's probably a scam. Seeing the human, I'm sure you're stronger than him."
The goblin with the messy hair raised his fist. "It doesn't matter! We'll protect our big brother!"
Damons smiled gently at them. "Very well, guys. I accept you as my little brothers."
The little goblin girl raised her hand. "But… I'm a girl, though."
Damons raised an eyebrow. "Ah! Then you're one of my little sisters now."
Another system message immediately appeared:
[SYSTEM] – [YOU HAVE INTEGRATED 3 GOBLINS INTO YOUR DEMON ARMY. ASSIGNING NAMES…]
Damons pointed at the leader with the crest.
"You, the leader… you'll be Gobo."
[SYSTEM] – THE NAME GOBI HAS BEEN REGISTERED.
"You, the shy one with normal hair… you'll be Gobi."
[SYSTEM] – THE NAME GOBO HAS BEEN REGISTERED.
"And you, the little princess with long hair… You'll be Goba."
[SYSTEM] – THE NAME GOBA HAS BEEN REGISTERED.
[REWARD: 10 STATISTICS POINTS]
The three goblins hopped around Damons, beaming.
"Awesome! We have names! And a family!"
The rabbit made a disdainful sound. "You're as bad at naming as you are at fighting…"
"Shut up, rabbit! You know nothing about style!"
Damons stood up, fists clenched, determined look.
"Well, now that we're free, let's get out of here fast!"
The rabbit burst out laughing, a smirk on his lips.
"Hehe… You'll see what my technique can do. You'll end up bowing before it."