I went into my help menu looking for more info on herbalism. I skimmed the first page, which was a general introduction to the concept of finding plants and turning them into useful potions and salves. I looked up Bleeding and found an entry for Staunchgrass. Staunchgrass is a very common grass that acts like a bandage, absorbing blood and helping it to coagulate. Best of all, it is a common herb found in plains.

I was unclear on the rules of Pathfinding, so I quickly looked that up as well. All I had to do was ask where something I knew was, and a path would guide me.

“Where can I find Staunchgrass?” I asked myself.

A glowing path appeared in my vision. This was my first use of the Pathfinding skill. I followed the glowing trail without another word, running out the open gate as Max watched. The trail lead me to the grassy fields along the road just twenty yards from the gate.

The Staunchgrass glowed with a bright green outline. The plant was made of clumps of broad, wide leaves of deep yellow. Pulling it from the soil turned out to be a chore; it didn’t seem to want to be uprooted. With a renewed pull, I was able to fight it out of the ground.

Max rode out of the town on a random horse. He galloped up to me just off the road and yelled, “I’ve to got to stop Malworth before he gets back to his army.”

“Why?” I said, holding my clump of Staungrass like a trophy. “Just let them go their own way.”

“He won’t,” Max said. “They’ll destroy the town.”

“You don’t know that… let's just live in peace.”

“Slade knows bullies; he said without Malworth, the goblins will turn on themselves. Their army will collapse in infighting. It’s the only opportunity we have to spare Springfield,” Max said,

“You know,” I said. “This is all his fault, if he hadn’t tried to play king. Hell, if he hadn’t taken this stupid side quest. We’d be a lot closer to the real solution of the game.”

“No time for that now. I’ve got a goblin king to kill,” Max said, then spurred his horse off into a gallop.

I squinted through the kicked-up dust. Malworth was still running. I don’t know that he’d ever slowed. He was a few hundred yards away, but Max was galloping all out. Max would catch up with the fleeing goblin in just a moment. Beyond them, a few miles away, the goblin army was marching toward us.

Turning, I sprinted back to the gate. I paused just long enough to see Max leap from his horse at the back of the fleeing Malworth. The goblin king was quick, spinning and deflecting Max’s lethal blow. I forced myself away. I couldn’t linger any longer. Both Emma and Slade were on death’s door. Max was smart, he’d be able to take care of himself.

Tearing the blades apart, I laid them gently on Emma’s wound. I laid out two coats, then pressed the grass into the still seeping wound. Emma groaned and trashed. She coughed blood, and I realized things were more serious than just her stab. Watching her health bar, I saw it stabilize, at least she was no longer losing life energy.

I went to Slade and did the same, running out of Staunchgrass in the process. Slade’s wound was not as severe. I knew with it sealed, he would live. Emma, I wasn’t so sure about. I was, however, out of Staunchgrass.

Looking through my help menu, I looked up coughing blood and how to treat it. From an injury, it was grace, possible cuts to her lungs or airways. I’d need to make a Staunchgrass tonic and have her drink it. If that didn’t solve the issue, the next step was making some sort of aromatic she’d have to breathe because the wound had punctured a lung. All of this stuff took time, time that I didn’t have right now.

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Exiting the menu I dashed back to the gate and squinted. There was no sign of Max or Malworth. The army was still miles away, but I couldn’t see any sign of the two.

I looked back into the town. Families were fleeing. The townsfolk gathered a few precious possessions and raced to the north side, where a second gate stood. The northern gate was open, and the townspeople were streaming out. The streets were cluttered with people scrambling to escape.

“Help!” I screamed in Hippogloss, the language of horses. “I need help!”

Most of the horses in town were being ridden to the north or lashed onto carts for their owner's exodus. I was beginning to despair that none came to help when Princess suddenly charged down the street, dragging a town guard who’d been trying to confiscate her for his own use. She slowed only long enough to deliver a savage kick, convincing him finally to release her reins.

When she approached, I leaped into the saddle, “We’ve got to help Max. Onward, ho!”

Whatever snippy remark she had died in her throat when she heard we were riding to help. I spurred her on faster down the road, worried that Max had not survived his encounter with Malworth.

We raced nearly a mile, and then I saw two figures lying in the grasses next to the road. Max was on his belly, crawling in the direction of town. Malworth was struggling up, on his hands and knees, dragging himself with great effort to close the distance to max.

I slowed Princess and was off her before she came to a stop. I rushed over to Max, who looked relieved someone had come to his rescue. He was in rough shape. His health bar was low, and he showed it was cuts and bruises all over.

“Victoria,” he cried out.

Hearing this, Malworth looked up right at me. He was only ten yards away, and his health bar was in as bad a shape as Max’s. In the goblin’s hand, though, I saw a black katana. Malworth had somehow gotten the weapon away from Max. When he saw me he lifted the blade ready to defend himself from his knees.

I flicked into my inventory and realized I had no weapons. My bow had been cleaved in two, but I couldn’t remember where my shortsword went. It wasn’t here, and that was a problem. The only thing I had in my inventory was the football-sized egg. It had done nothing for me so far, but I grabbed it as the only weapon available at that moment.

When Malworth saw the egg in my raised hands, he eyed it hungrily, then he laughed with effort, “Is this what you plan to slay me with, traitor?”

“I don’t want to kill anyone,” I said. “Go your way and we’ll go ours.”

“He won’t,” Max choked.

Malworth looked at Max, then at myself. He probably figured that I was unarmed. He ran his tongue over a row of bloody sharp teeth, considering. He then lurched forward on his knees.

“Please, don’t make me do this,” I cried out while hefting the egg up over my head.

Malworth pointed Max’s blade at me, “Come to me, and I’ll make it quick.”

I stepped back, almost on Max.

“You have to kill him. The tribe falls apart without him.” Max said. He held out a long, pointy dagger. Apparently, he’d also figured out that I was unarmed.

“I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to!” I told Max. I stepped over him, flicked the egg into inventory, then grabbed him by his leather armor and dragged him away from Malworth.

“Cowards!” Malworth hissed. “Come and fight me.”

I dragged Max away toward the road.

“We can’t let him…” Max struggled feebly against me. He was ready to take Malworth on again with nothing but a pointy knife. “He’s got my sword.”

“To hell with the sword,” I said. “I’ll buy you another.”

I called out for Princess, and she returned. I couldn’t really blame her for wandering away from all the blood, fighting, and yelling.

“Can you carry both of us?” I asked Princess.

“For sure, if I want to snap my back in two.”

“Fine, take Max back to the town. Then come back for me.”

“Right away, your majesty.” She kept quiet while I helped Max up into the saddle.

“Don’t let him get away,” Max said, making one last effort to give me the dagger. I shooed him away and told Princess to git.

I hoped that what help I’d given Slade and Emma was enough to get them on their feet. I didn’t relish fixing Emma’s wounds with herbs when she could just magic it away.

As I watched Princess ride off with Max, I could hear Malworth struggling to reach me. Turning around, I saw that he was a lot closer than I would have guessed. He was still not close enough to strike me, but I admired his tenacity.

On his knees, he leered up at me, “Give me the egg, and I’ll spare your life.”