“That’ll be one hundred and thirty-seven gold!” said the goblin in the chattering, shrill voice that seemed to be typical for his kind.
Shocked by the obvious price-gouging, Tanthelara slammed her fist on the counter. “That’s outrageous!”
“Hey, I got what you need, and in order for you to get what I got, I need you to get me one hundred and eighty seven gold!” the goblin retorted, opening the crudely-made register before him.
“WHAT?! It was one hundred and thirty seven literally ten seconds ago!”
“Just pay him, lady!” a voice behind her shouted - another goblin.
“Quiet, you!” the priestess snarled back
“You can’t negotiate with them, just give him the gold so we can hurry this up!” a third voice spoke up, with the resonant tone of one of the Forsaken.
Tanthelara was furious. “Light smite you all! This little snot-colored creep is just going to rip you all off after he’s done with me!” she said, pointing her finger at the goblin merchant as she pleaded her case.
The cretin behind the counter just smiled, his jagged and crooked teeth poking out of his mouth, “I’ve got he best deals anywhere! So you got the one hundred and ninety-nine gold you need to get this deal or not?”
She was flabbergasted. “ONE HUNDRED AND WHA—?!”
All she could focus on what the goblin’s greedy smile, contempt and discuss filling her thoughts as she rummaged through her satchel for the correct denomination of gold pieces.
…teach him a lesson, in front of them all… a voice whispered in her mind.
The Void.
It was tempting. She could trace the incantation required for a smite spell silently with her fingers while they were concealed in her satchel. The hulking orc standing guard and general look of disapproval on her face made her change her mind. Before her, the goblin impatiently drummed his fingers on the counter in anticipation of his payout.
“Look, I don’t have that kind of gold.” Tanthelara confessed.
The goblin sneered. “If you ain’t got it, you ain’t gettin’ it, now get lost.”
“But I need those supplies. I’m going to be traveling for the next three days…”
“I SAID, if you ain’t got it, you ain’t gettin it. Get lost, lady.”
The priestess stood silently for a moment, her temper boiling over. Goblins were simple creatures driven by greed and too dumb to realize they easily left themselves open to exploitation in their ever-constant chase for… well, everything. There was no way she was leaving without her supplies.
“Let me look again, I’m sure I have that money in here somewhere” she said, trying to lend an air of seductiveness to her voice as she pretended to fumble around her satchel, covertly beginning the incantation of a mind control spell.
"Easy does it…" she thought to herself, “…it doesn’t need to be strong, just enough to get the job done. Don’t want to attract attention”
Her cut her eyes to the orc guard, who withdrew her finger buried two-knuckles deep in her nose and examined the findings before wiping it on her war harness.
Nearly finished with the incantation, she leaned over the counter and presented herself in a flattering position. “I shop with you rather often,” she purred, bringing her chest closer to the goblin’s face, “surely I have some credit built up…”
"Surely this imbecile’s defenses are down now" she thought as she placed her hand on the counter and finished the incantation with a flourish of her fingers. Within a moment she could feel the connection between her mind and that of the goblin coalesce. He resisted slightly at first, but quickly yielded, relegating her presence to a passing memory as his eyes shifted their gaze from her face to her chest. There were few things goblins loved more than money, but some things apparently were universally loved.
“Why, er, yes miss. I had completely forgot! You’re a member of our special rewards program. That’ll be fifty-two silver!” the goblin spoke. Though the words originated from Tanthelara’s mind, he was convinced they were his own and began counting change as the priestess dug out a solitary gold coin and handed it to him.
“That won’t be necessary” she said, trying to keep a low profile within his mind. The problem with maintaining a mind control spell was that it required consistent effort in keeping the charmed unaware they were being manipulated. A goblin’s love of gold could be intense enough to sever the connection, requiring her to steadily ramp up her concentration to maintain the spell. This, of course, ran the risk of making it noticeable to everyone around her, and the Horde - as loose as it was with its rules - really frowned upon the usurpation of free will. She waited until the register closed before exiting his mind, implanting a false memory of gold rendered as she left.
“Heheh, glad I could help!” the goblin sneered in his usual tone as Tanthelara gathered her goods.
The Void’s whispers laughed in delight inside her mind.
…a superb lession! Look now how others follow your lead!
She craned her head back as she began boarding the airship home to see a rather decayed-looking Forsaken shaking her chest at the goblin, only for a piece of her to go flying off and hit the ground in a burst of gore and carrion, which in turn promptly caused the goblin to retch behind the counter. Stifling a laugh, she focused her thoughts and chastised the whispers for taking delight in her presenting her body like a common succubus that most warlocks were overly fond of. The Void’s whispers quietened, she began beseeching the Light for forgiveness for utilizing such underhanded and demeaning methods to obtain simple traveling goods.
Tanthelara grinned smugly as she boarded the ship. She hated herself for resorting to such low levels over something so petty, however could concede that the payoff of the little gremlin retching again when he finally learned of his shortfall was simply too satisfying. Watching him humiliate himself was just icing on the cake. She took to her quarters - little more than a hammock, a small table, and a lantern - and prepared for the long journey ahead.