The first light of dawn peeked through the trees of the Wild Woods. Gribble crawled out of his hiding spot. His body ached from the fight the night before. His stomach growled with hunger. He needed to find food to get his strength back. He had to keep going, to stay ahead of the goblin army chasing him. Gribble crept through the bushes. He kept watch for any danger. At the same time, he searched for berries or mushrooms he could eat.

Every step made Gribble's wounds hurt more. The cuts and bruises reminded him of what he'd been through. They showed the price he paid for his new powers. The pain was bad, but Gribble pushed through it. He had to survive. He couldn't be weak, as to fulfill the prophecy.

Suddenly, the quiet forest was broken by snapping twigs and rustling leaves. The sounds made Gribble's heart race with fear. He was already on edge. Now he looked around wildly for any movement in the trees. Any sign of the danger he knew was near. Gribble's body tensed, ready to run or fight at any second. His mind raced, thinking of the scary things that could be hiding just out of sight. He silently scolded himself for letting his guard down, even for a moment. In the Wild Woods, you could never relax. It could get you killed.

Gribble's worst fears came true as a group of goblin soldiers stepped out from the trees. His sense of smell seemed to fail him, his exhaustion perhaps too great to focus his senses properly. Their weapons were out and they looked serious. Seeing his own people, now turned against him crushed Gribble. He had hoped maybe some of the goblins would question Grimrock's orders. That they would see how wrong it was to hunt one of their own. But the hard truth was right there, in the mean eyes and ready weapons of the soldiers facing him now.

Panic rose up in Gribble's throat like he might throw up. The nasty taste of being scared and betrayed mixed in his mouth. His instincts yelled at him to run, to get as far away from the goblin soldiers as he could. Gribble knew he was outnumbered and outmatched. His own wounds and tiredness made him an easy target for the skilled warriors closing in. With a burst of desperate energy, he turned and ran. His feet pounded the forest floor as he raced away from the goblins chasing him. Gribble's heart beat so hard he could barely hear the soldiers behind him over the sound of blood rushing in his ears.

The shouts and war cries of the goblin soldiers echoed through the woods. The sounds got louder and wilder every second. Gribble could hear their armor clanking. The heavy thud of their boots hitting the ground. He knew they were gaining on him. The soldiers wouldn't give up. Their duty and fear of Grimrock was stronger, He could feel how much they hated him. Their anger pushing at him from all around.

Gribble's lungs burned with every rough breath. His chest heaved as he pushed himself to the limit. Wounds from the fight before screamed with new pain. The tangled roots and thorny bushes of the forest seemed to grab at his feet, slowing him down. Gribble's mind raced, trying to come up with a plan. Some way to escape the goblin soldiers. He knew he couldn't outrun them forever. Sooner or later, his body would give out. The tiredness and pain would be too much.

Just as Gribble's strength was about to run out, the ground under him suddenly disappeared. He stumbled and flailed at the edge of a tall cliff. He had no energy left to even use his powers against the goblin soldiers. His heart jumped into his throat as he wobbled on the edge. Sharp rocks and churning water waited far below. A deadly drop that would surely kill him. Gribble's mind went blank with terror. The dizzying height and the roar of the water too much for him. For a moment, he couldn't move. Frozen by how close he was to the end. His own death right in front of him.

The goblin soldiers came out of the trees behind Gribble. Their weapons pointed right at him. They spread out in a half-circle, blocking any escape. Anger and fear twisted their faces. Gribble could see the doubt in their eyes. They unsure of Gribble hostility. The flicker of uncertainty behind their tough act. He knew they were torn between loyalty to Grimrock and their own sense of right and wrong. But even as he looked for any hint of kindness or understanding, Gribble knew he couldn't count on them to go easy on him. The soldiers had their orders. They would follow them no matter what.

Gribble stood his ground at the edge of the cliff. His back straight and eyes blazing with a desperate need for answers. The fear that almost took over him moments ago was gone. Now a fierce need to understand why he had been hunted took its place. Why his own people hunting him, just because they're afraid of the powers he possessed? Gribble's hands squeezed into fists. His jaw clenched tight as he stared down the goblin soldiers. He knew he might not live through this. That the next few minutes could be his last. But he refused to go down quietly. Without at least trying to make sense of the craziness that had taken over his world.

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Gribble's mind raced, searching for some way out of this impossible situation. He knew he couldn't fight them all off, not in his weakened state. And even if he could, what would be the point? He couldn't bring himself to hurt his own people, no matter how much they had hurt him.

But he also couldn't just give up, not after everything he had been through. Gribble's hand tightened around the hilt of his small dagger, the only weapon he had left. It wasn't much, but it was something. A last line of defense against the inexorable advance of his pursuers.

As the soldiers drew nearer, Gribble's resolve hardened. He would not go quietly into the night. He would not let Grimrock's lies and manipulations win out over the truth. Even if it cost him his life, he would make sure that his people knew the real reason behind his exile. The real story of the ancient prophecy and the role he was meant to play.

Gribble took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. Then, with a voice that rang out clear and strong across the forest, he spoke.

"I know you have your orders," he said, his gaze locked on the lead soldier. “I know you think you're doing the right thing by following Grimrock's commands. But you've been lied to, I never once hurt anyone in the clan even how bad I have been treated until recently as to protect myself”

The soldiers hesitated, their weapons wavering slightly as they took in Gribble's words. He could see the confusion and uncertainty flicker across their faces, the first cracks in their unwavering loyalty.

"Grimrock isn't trying to protect the village," Gribble continued, his voice growing more impassioned with every word. "He's trying to protect his own power. He knows how my powers would grow. But he's too afraid to let that happen, because he knows it means the end of his reign. But that wasn’t my intention."

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, their resolve faltering in the face of Gribble's conviction. He could see the wheels turning in their minds, the pieces starting to fall into place.

"Think about it," Gribble pressed on, his eyes blazing with intensity. “Why would Grimrock send an entire army after one lone goblin? Why would he go to such lengths to hunt me down, if I was really just a traitor and a coward like he says? Ever I hurt anyone with the powers I possess?”

For a long, tense moment, the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind and the distant roar of the waterfall below. Then, slowly, one by one, the soldiers lowered their weapons. Their faces were etched with confusion and doubt, but also with a glimmer of something else. Something that looked almost like hope.

"I don't expect you to take my word for it," Gribble said, his voice softening slightly. "But I do ask that you think for yourselves. That you question what you've been told, and seek out the truth on your own. Because the future of our people depends on it."

Gribble watched the soldiers closely, his heart pounding as he searched for any sign that his words had reached them. For a fleeting instant, he thought he saw a flicker of doubt in their eyes, a momentary hesitation that gave him a surge of hope. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, their expressions hardening once more into masks of grim determination.

The soldiers stepped forward in unison, their weapons held at the ready. The metallic rasp of swords being drawn from scabbards cut through the tense silence. Heavy boots crunched on the forest floor, each step bringing them inexorably closer. Gribble's mouth went dry as he realized the time for negotiation had passed.

He was out of words, out of options. The only path left was to fight or to surrender to the fate they had in store for him. Gribble's hand tightened on the hilt of his small knife, his only defense against the armed and trained warriors. He knew it was futile, but the thought of going down without a struggle felt like a betrayal of everything that had brought him to this point.

His mind raced as he weighed the impossible choice before him. To fight would almost certainly mean his death, cut down by the very people he had once called family. But to surrender, to allow himself to be dragged back in chains to face Grimrock's twisted justice - that was a fate that chilled him to his core.

And what of the prophecy, the destiny that had been thrust upon him without his consent or understanding? If he fell here, what would become of the fate that had been foretold? The price of failure seemed too high to even contemplate.

Gribble's breath came in short, ragged gasps as the soldiers closed in, their shadows falling across him like a shroud. He could feel the weight of the future pressing down on him, the burden of a fate he had never asked for. The choice that would define his life, and perhaps the lives of every goblin in the land, hung before him like a sword's edge, ready to fall one way or the other.

Fight or fall. Defy destiny or embrace it. At that moment, Gribble felt the full crushing reality of the path that had been laid before him. And he knew, with a cold certainty that settled into his bones, that whichever choice he made would come with a price he could scarcely imagine.

The soldiers were nearly upon him now, their breath hot on his face, their blades gleaming in the dappled forest light. Gribble's pulse thundered in his ears as he stared into their hard, pitiless eyes, seeing his own reflection staring back at him. The moment of decision had arrived, and there was no turning back.

With a wordless cry that was equal parts fear and defiance, Gribble made his choice and leaped forward to meet his fate, the die-cast and the future unfolding before him with the inexorable force of destiny.