It was yet another morning, and Greg made his way back to the first goblin village. He didn't feel all that sleepy after staying awake all night, but he decided to take a nap later in the day.

  For now, he carried the corpses of the few lizards (or Runners, as the locals called them) back the way he was going. As for his evolution, his body had become stronger and faster and more agile, but there were no big changes on the outside.

  But what he had unlocked was an innate goblin ability for himself. But more on that later, because Greg was closing in on the perimeter of the village.

  He didn't want to jump the wall again as he was carrying multiple Runner corpses, so he approached the entrance. Unlike yesterday, new guards have been placed here to man the gates, and it seemed like they were new recruits of the chief.

  They looked young and not that strong, and why wouldn't they be? Everyone was afraid to stay outside the perimeter after the recent attack, and nobody would really pick the job on their own volition. So these two must be in desperate need of resources, or they were just naive youngsters with too much energy.

  "Stop," one of the goblin guards said. But when he recognized Greg's tall figure, he hesitated a little.

  "When did you leave the settlement?" another guard asked in confusion.

  "Just a few hours ago when you two were not here," Greg replied from a little distance away. Before they could think any more or report this to the chief, Greg showed his catch.

  "I brought more food," he said, raising the three skinny Runner bodies, and soon he was allowed to pass with their beaming smiles.

  When Greg was inside, he put down two of the three monsters he had killed and announced in a loud voice, "I got lucky again today, so you guys can have some of the food," and he walked away.

  The villagers looked confused about getting free food again, but one by one they took some for their families. When the chief found out, he was enraged, and his squad of people who were planning to scout the area were stopped. The old goblin became more hateful when he found no meat was left for him by the time his people came to check on the premises.

  Greg, by now, had returned to the couple's hut, and the situation didn't look good. Bog looked troubled and he was running around the place, fetching water and wetting a cloth to wipe away Eka's head and neck and limbs.

  Apparently, she had developed a fever and was breathing unevenly. Greg soon found out the source of all that discomfort was her arm, which was slashed by the black wolves, and she had drained a lot of blood by the time she was properly bandaged up.

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  "What should I do, Greg?" Bog said with almost teary eyes. "At this rate... she... she will..."

  "So the local herbs are not working?" Greg asked with a calm mind.

  "No..." The male goblin shook his head. "Our neighbors said she had lost too much blood and can't fight the infection." Bog looked depressed and ready to give up.

  "Is there no other remedy you know?" Greg asked while trying to see her wound that was covered by leaves.

  And it looked bad. The whole place had turned black and some kind of strange infection was spreading through her veins and was deteriorating her condition.

  "Think, Bog, think. If you know something... anything, tell me."

  By this time, many of the villagers had appeared on the doorstep of the one-room house to thank for the morning meal, but nobody intervened after seeing the condition of Eka. Just then, an older female goblin stepped up and approached Greg.

  "There is a way, young man," she said, and everyone started looking at her.

  "What is it?" Bog jumped before Greg could ask.

  "Once, my late father was injured in battle," the old woman began. "His heart was grazed by an enormous Tusk." She sighed like it had happened just yesterday and continued. "And when he was at the brink of death in a dark place, he found a blue bubbling water that had healing properties."

  "Don't make things up, Old Lady May," one of the female goblins said. "Don't listen to her. She has gone senile and doesn't know what she's talking about. And there is no such thing as a magical healing water, or we would have found out about it living so long in this forest."

  Other people immediately nodded, and when Bog was losing his last hope, Greg stood up in confidence.

  "I know where it is."

  "What did you say, young man?" Even Old Lady May looked surprised after hearing those words.

  "I know where this magical healing water is," Greg replied, and then added, "And I have bathed in it."

  Everyone looked surprised and suspicious, and nobody wanted to call him out for lying because, to them, Greg was a kind person who fed them two times already and didn't ask for anything in return. They wanted to trust him, but they had lived all their lives in the woods, so it was hard to believe a myth like that.

  But there was one person who absolutely believed Greg. Well, there were two.

  "If Greg says it's true, it must be," Eka finally spoke with some difficulty. She immediately started coughing and black blood came out from the corner of her mouth.

  Bog got up and carefully wiped it away and then looked at Greg with gratitude and said, "Let's go. We will bring that healing water back in time."

  "The water can't be taken away." But Old Lady May was quick to reject the idea. "According to my father, the water only stays magical until it's on the ground, and the moment he tried to bring some back, it lost its bubbly nature and magical properties."

  "Then why didn't he take other goblins there to see this miracle?" someone from the crowd said.

  But Greg had already stopped paying heed to all their arguments, and he quickly made his way to Eka's laying figure and carefully carried her on his back and moved out of the house.

  "I can carry her," Bog tried to say, but was immediately cut off.

  "Just look at yourself," Greg added. "You're not in better shape than her. You need that healing water just as much as her."

  And he was right, because Bog might look fine on the outside, but Greg had seen the male goblin getting swiped down by the leader wolf. If he remembered correctly, Bog was hurt in the stomach, and that area was currently covered by some clothing so nobody really knew, but he was burning up, too.