The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

"Am I going to die?" Cyan Hide lay on the ground, a trickle of blood spilling from his lips.

A moment ago, a scimitar had flashed before him. Though he’d managed to take a step back, a searing, tearing pain still erupted in his chest.

Then, he felt someone grab him and drag him into a black Domain. It was pitch-black all around. ’Is this what it feels like to die?’

The pain relentlessly assaulted his nerves. He felt as if a single blade had cleaved him in two, diagonally.

In this dark space, his thoughts became unexpectedly clear. ’Why did I have to stand up and refuse that cup of "Holy Water"? I could have just thrown it away and run for it.’

As he replayed the recent events in his mind, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. ’I shouldn’t have stood up. If I had just kept my mouth shut, I might have lived.’

He felt something, or someone, pulling him. Soon after, his surroundings became bright again; the darkness hadn’t lasted long.

Someone had thrown him over their shoulder and was running. Shouts and screams from all around filled his ears. The chaotic noise was enough that Cyan Hide’s curiosity began to faintly overshadow his pain.

’What’s going on?’ He turned his head to look around. The jostling from the run was making his consciousness fade, and the upside-down view was disorienting. ’Why are those goblins running? And why are some others charging forward with Long Spears?’

He quickly recalled what had happened. ’Right, I was cut down by an Earth Goblin. I stopped the other goblins from drinking the Holy Water.’

Seeing the goblins scattering in all directions, their bodies not turning red as he’d seen before, Cyan Hide felt a sense of success. ’Looks like none of them drank the Holy Water. They should all make it out alive.’

A sharp pain shot through his chest. The person carrying him showed no concern that the rough ride was making him more uncomfortable, or even worsening his wounds.

"Put me..." Cyan Hide mumbled weakly, but his voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz; he could barely hear it himself.

’How arrogant of me,’ he thought with a bitter, internal smile. ’You’re just one goblin. The Earth Goblins can crush you without a second thought. Did you forget about the stakes planted around the burrows? Don’t you see those stinking, rotten heads on them every single day?’

But if he were given another chance—to stand in that same spot, to look at the "Holy Water" in his hands, to see the lifeless eyes of the goblins around him and the arrogant Earth Goblin before him—he felt he would probably still shout the words, "We will not drink!"

"There will always be injustice in this world, and there will always be resistance." A voice echoed in his memory—the words of the new leader. The memory was from just after he’d finished helping the Centaurs level some land. Sitting beside the leader, he had casually asked, "Why do the Earth Goblins treat us goblins this way?"

He just felt it was wrong. The new clan had fewer members than the Evil Throat Army, yet they lived so much better. In his simple mind, more goblins should mean greater strength and a better life. So why did the Evil Throat Army, with its greater numbers, have goblins who did nothing but count the days until their deaths?

The leader hadn’t given him an answer, only saying that one day, he would figure it out for himself.

"Urgh!" Cyan Hide cried out in pain as the person carrying him threw him heavily onto the ground. A mouthful of blood immediately surged up. ’Looks like I’ll have to ponder this question in the Nether Sea.’

Even as he thought this, Cyan Hide felt he had already found his answer. He had a vague, dawning realization that in this forest, the only way to truly live—to have enough food and warmth—was to follow the leader. ’But I’m about to die anyway.’

CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP. The sound of hooves echoed. Cyan Hide struggled to turn his eyes, gazing at a luminous white creature before him. "Are you here to take me to the Nether Sea?" he rasped.

The creature lowered its head, touching Cyan Hide’s arm with its horn. Cyan Hide struggled to lift his arm, wanting to feel that long, lustrous horn.

A warm sensation spread through him, and his entire body was enveloped in a glowing cocoon of light. It made Cyan Hide feel incredibly comfortable. ’If this is what dying feels like, it’s not so bad.’

A few seconds later, the goblin Cyan Hide lay motionless on the ground. Miraculously, the massive wound on his chest began to slowly heal, and his chest started to rise and fall in a steady rhythm.

A white Unicorn pawed at the ground with its forehooves, its golden mane fluttering in the wind. Beside it, Cyan Hide had fallen into a deep sleep.

...

"It was Leader Shire who sent me." Oreco approached Evita, longbow in hand. "He knew that once you charged into battle, your gaze would be locked on General Evil Throat."

Evita had already flung Evil Throat’s corpse to the ground. She wiped her cheek, completely unaware that the bloodstains and tears on her face had mingled.

"Oreco, I’m alright now." She gripped her lance, her gaze calm. "Thank you for your help just now."

"I’m glad I made it in time," Oreco said, lifting his visor. He looked at the young centaur before him with a smile in his eyes. He had previously led a group of his kin through another Teleportation Gate to get behind the enemy, planning to encircle the Earth Goblins with Evita. But before the battle, Shire had sought him out specifically.

"Once the Charge begins, you need to keep a close watch on Evita," Shire had told him. "She’s been so grim and serious lately, she’s clearly bottling something up. If the Evil Throat Army hadn’t shown up, she might have worked through it over time. But now that they’re here, she’s going to charge straight into their ranks to find a chance to kill Evil Throat."

Oreco knew Shire was right. Evita truly had been like a different person lately. The once-haughty young woman had suddenly become much more stoic, but the constant, worried frown she wore was heartbreaking for everyone to see.

"So, you cut straight across the battlefield to get here?" Evita asked in a low voice, her gaze sweeping over the distant fighting. Already, many Earth Goblins and Ogres had been surrounded and killed by the Centaurs and goblins.

"That’s right. I ignored the ones who were scattering and fleeing," Oreco said with a smile. "Leader Shire told me that once the Charge began, I didn’t need to worry about them. He said he would lead the others and crush all our enemies."

Evita sighed. "If it weren’t for the leader, I would probably be dead by now."