Few hours after Satou and the other goblins had escaped from the cave
Satou's legs burned with exhaustion, but he forced himself to keep moving. Behind him, the surviving goblins trudged forward like the walking dead, heads down, shoulders slumped, their faces hollow with grief and fatigue.
They'd been running for hours.
After squeezing through the widened crack in the cave wall, they'd burst out into the open forest and simply ran. No direction. No plan. Just pure, animal terror driving them forward.
Away from the cave. Away from the humans. Away from the blood and the screams and the bodies of their fallen.
But now, as the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness began creeping through the trees like a living thing, Satou knew they couldn't keep running.
We need shelter. Food. Water. Rest.
He raised his hand, signaling a stop. The goblins collapsed where they stood some sitting, some simply falling to their knees. A few of the wounded groaned in pain.
Satou counted them again. Twenty-five total. Eighteen relatively healthy. Seven badly wounded.
And two small goblins who immediately latched onto his legs the moment he stopped moving.
"Big brother!" Jessica's voice was hoarse from crying. "Are we safe now? Can we stop running?"
Kelvin clung to Satou's other leg, his yellow eyes wide with fear. "I'm tired, big brother. My legs hurt."
Satou crouched down and placed a hand on each of their heads. His voice, when he spoke, was gentler than it had been all day.
"We're stopping for now. But we need to find shelter before it gets completely dark. Can you two be strong for me a little longer?"
Jessica nodded, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "I can be strong."
Kelvin's lower lip trembled, but he nodded too. "Me too."
"Good." Satou stood and turned to address the group. His voice carried across the exhausted goblins, firm despite his own fatigue.
"Listen up! We can't stay exposed like this. We are prey out here, every predator in this forest will see us as an easy meal. We need shelter, and we need it now."
Gob limped forward, his face streaked with dried blood. "Any bright ideas, whelp? Or are we just going to stand here until something eats us?"
Satou's enhanced senses courtesy of his Demon Wolf Enhanced Senses skill were already working.
His nose picked up scents: water nearby, the musk of various animals, the damp smell of stone. His ears caught distant sounds: flowing water, rustling leaves, the faint echo of something hollow.
A cave, maybe?
He turned slowly, scanning the darkening forest. His night vision kicked in, turning the shadows into shades of murky green. There about fifty meters to the east, partially hidden by thick vines and undergrowth was a dark opening in a rocky outcropping.
"There," Satou pointed. "That cave. It might work."
Gob squinted in that direction. "Might be occupied. Animals use caves too."
"Then we'll clear it out," Satou said simply.
"Everyone, stay here and rest. I'll check it out first."
"Alone?" Gob raised an eyebrow. "That's stupid, even for you."
"I'm the fastest and quietest," Satou replied.
"And I can see in the dark better than any of you. If there's something dangerous in there, I'll come back and we'll deal with it together. If it's empty, I'll signal you."
Gob didn't look convinced, but he was too tired to argue. He grunted and sat down heavily. "Fine. But if you die in there, I'm not coming to retrieve your corpse."
"Noted." Satou turned to leave, but two small hands grabbed his arm.
Jessica stared up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You're coming back, right? You promised you wouldn't die."
Satou's chest tightened. He knelt down again and looked both Jessica and Kelvin in the eyes.
"I'm coming back," he said firmly. "I promise.
But I need you two to stay here with Gob and the others. Can you do that for me?"
Jessica's grip on his arm tightened. "But what if something happens to you?"
"Nothing's going to happen to me," Satou said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "I've survived worse, remember? I fought those goblins in the lower tunnels. I killed humans. I can handle whatever's in that cave."
Kelvin's voice was small. "But you got hurt fighting the humans. You're still bleeding."
Satou glanced down at his side where the soldier's blade had cut him. Blood had soaked through his crude clothing, but his Regeneration skill was already working,he could feel the wound slowly closing.
"I'm healing," Satou said. "See? I'll be fine."
He gently pried their hands off his arm and stood. "Now stay here. Be good. I'll be back before you know it."
Jessica sniffled but nodded. Kelvin bit his lip but didn't protest.
Satou turned and walked toward the cave, his enhanced hearing picking up Jessica's whispered voice behind him.
"He's going to come back... right?"
Gob's gruff response: "Kid's tougher than he looks. He'll be fine."
Satou hoped Gob was right.