Approach the treasure room.

You sneak down far enough to kneel on the staircase and peer down into the room ahead. It isn't a large room, but it's filled with gold, silver, and copper coins like a dragon's horde. There are gemstones--every colour of the rainbow--and various items such as bracelets, necklaces, and more. But when you listen closely, you can hear the clinking of metal. Somebody is moving the treasure around, or moving themselves around within it. Slowly, you draw your blade from its scabbard and make your way closer.

The first thing you see is a small figure--no more than three feet tall. It's a girl with green freckled skin, a large pair of ears, and dark purple hair that reaches past the back of her neck, though her bangs are styled up to the side. There are several piercings between both ears, and when she turns, you see a stud in her navel as well. She has a couple necklaces, and a few bracelets and rings too. A brown cloak wraps snugly around her neck and covers her backside, while her front is the opposite. She has wide hips and a large bust for her size, and both are accentuated by their roguish attire. Above a pair of boots are black booty shorts that split open on the front, giving a glimpse of her purple underwear. Her shirt is a crop top which tightly squeezes her chest like a sports bra, nearly pushing them out the top.

A dagger hangs on the side of each curvy hip, and as you come into view, her ruby gaze widens as she reaches down to grab one--her other hand busy holding a burlap sack already filled with some coins.

"Don't you move a muscle," you threaten. Though as you walk inside, you can see that she isn't alone. There are two other goblins nearby.

She drops the bag and raises up her hands while looking to you with a sharp, toothy grin. "Hey, hey. We're cool. No need to kill me."

"I know the Demon King died, but I'm afraid I've already claimed this castle, and I need this treasure to rebuild. Surely you've seen us around if you just got here, which means you're fully aware this would look like theft."

"We're not thieves..."

"Yes we are," speaks one of the other goblins. She's a girl as well, but her hair is dark red and messy, and tied back into a short pony tail. Her top is made from animal hide and bones forming what looks like a bikini top. Her bottom half is covered by a loin cloth. She looks confused at her ally's frustrated glare shot her way, but she stands there with a crude hatchet hanging from her hip.

You turn to the third goblin. Though his face is partially shadowed by the hood from his cloak, you swear you recognize that suit of leather and furs--the bow and dagger. His big red eyes peer up from the darkness, and the two of you lock eyes.

"Koblix?" you ask.

"You know him?" the thief girl asks.

"I do." Koblix pulls back his hood and sighs. "This guy's no joke. We helped each other out before. I have no doubt that he's the one that killed the Demon King here."

"So we can't take him?" she mutters.

He shakes his head.

The girl turns back to you and smiles wide. She steps closer, and holds out her hand to shake. "Then it's a pleasure to meet you. It looks like we won't be stealing from this treasure hoard after all. Sorry for the misunderstanding. You see, I figured it would be up for grabs, you know? I had no idea you were claiming the whole castle. Anyway, they call me Stax."

You look her over. There's certainly not enough trust between the two of you yet for you to lean down and shake her hand. After all, she was trying to steal moments ago. "Because you're a shortsta--"

"Because I make stacks of cash!" she shouts over you. "I'm the captain of our little trio. I keep the others safe. This is Koblix, who you've met before, but this other chick's name is Mipa."

"I remember Amara explaining how goblins are normally evil incarnate, but powerful magic could theoretically purify them in a sense, and that happened to Koblix. So did that coincidentally happen to all three of you too? I thought it was rare."

"It's incredibly rare, but what's even more wild is that sometimes it happens naturally. Either way, the three of us escaped the life of your typical gob and found each other one by one. We kinda represent a small collection of other monsters who've had a similar time. That's right. Not every monster out there wants to eat your skin. Though... you do look kinda tasty." She grins.

"But we need to sustain ourselves somehow," Koblix speaks up. "Not that I'm justifying us stealing here, but you know how it is. Sure we can hunt for most of our supplies, but sometimes we want nice things!"

You lean against the side of the entryway and think for a moment. "Well, if you're just looking for money, why don't you work for me?"

"Come again?" Stax asks.

"I'm the lord of this castle now. Like I said, this treasure is funding a full repair. A lot of people could live here if they really wanted, so if you have some monster buddies, why don't you take up residence here? In return, you'd need to do your share, and definitely don't attack people... or steal from them. Work here, and live here. It's gotta be the safest place in the mountains, right? And I'd like my land to be a welcome place for any types of creatures."

"You're serious." She glances between her allies. "You know what? If this isn't some kinda sick joke, you've got yourself a deal, boy."

"It's Kyle Warren," you say.

Mipa pats her stomach. "Can we eat now?" she asks dejectedly.

"All right. Let's get some food." Stax dumps her bag upside down, empties the contents back into the pile, and walks towards the staircase back up. "You're not so bad for a human you know, Kyle. I thought you'd have lopped off my head the moment you saw me."

"I'm not a demon," you reply.

As she walks past, she slides her hand down and over her chest, where she squeezes and pushes them up. "Or maybe you were busy looking somewhere else," she teases before hopping up the stairs. Her allies follow behind.

You're then left alone to see what you can find. There isn't anything in the way of magic items, and you'd assume Sa'dis would have made use of them instead of tossing them into a pile, but it really is a lot of wealth. You decide you might as well help yourself to a bit of it. You think it might be almost time for a wardrobe update, but until you can visit a shop, you adorn yourself with some jewellery. Why not? You're the lord of a castle now. It's time to look the part. You don't want to seem gaudy, but you grab a few things.

Looking good! You feel wealthier already with your new accessories--a thick gold bracelet, a silver ring inset with a sapphire gem on the opposite hand of your signet ring, but you feel like a necklace would get in the way of your mobile style of combat. The last thing you want is something swinging all over the place or catching on something. Instead, you find a gold ring and put in on the hand next to the other. Earrings? Maybe not. But you do find a small golden crown with a rainbow of gems encrusted around the outside. It definitely isn't something to wear out and about, but it's small enough not to seem too over-the-top in formal occasions you reckon.

You pop the crown on, and an hour or so later, you make your way back to the great hall.