As he reached the cave, he suddenly felt anxious. She would scream. It will surely happen.

What should he do?

Moment prior he would just barge inside and do what exactly...

He looked at the stick in his hand. Number of fishes couldn't even look back. They were headless.

He slowly looked around the cavern entrance. There were no visible tracks. They should be alone.

He walked carefully. Step after step as quietly as he could. Why did he feel this need to stay silent? She was no threat to him at all. What happened to all the adrenaline he felt prior.

He didn't even noticed her at first.

She was laying where he left her. Clothes still torn a bit. Hair in disarray. Nothing had changed.

After a short wait he felt a burst of anger. What was he doing? Where was his pride? He violently stabbed his fish stick onto the ground.

Loud noise woke her up, yet she barely moved her head to look in his direction.

"Keruek!!!"

Gob shouted and instantly felt stupid.

He looked at her eyes and could see it.

"Oliver.."

She was dying.

~

Tears were suddenly formed in her eyes. She was on the ground. The cold stone underneath. Was she in the city?

She barely could feel that something was wrong. Why was she in the city?

Sudden sound made her look up. A figure of a boy in tattered robes was looking back at her. Then she remembered.

I'm sorry.

.

.

I'm so so sorry...

"Oliver..."

~

Gob won't let her. He won't. It was his. She was his.

As he came closer, he could still smell the ether.

Magic.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

It wasn't important. Not now. Not to him as he was right now. She was his dumb luck.

And he truly cared for his luck.

~

Memories were shaking in her mind as she saw Oliver coming and leaving. Why won't you stay. I said I am sorry. What do you want from me? Can't you see that I cannot move. Why not stay... Was it because I left?

Do you hate me?

"...sorry..."

She couldn't speak yet somehow knew she needed to. Streams of tears were running down her cheeks.

"..my.."

She needed to...

"fault.. Aghh!"

Oliver suddenly rushed towards her leg and the world ended up black.

~

Gob could barely stand. He already gave her wound some herbs and used his own robe to bandage it around, but he was scared. Someone would come. They would kill them both. He needed to go.

Water.

He needed more than a few cave pools.

Bucket.

He needed something, but he needed it fast. They were coming. The knights. The shaman told them. He knew about her...

As Gob finally moved from the girl he was shaking violently himself.

Faster.

He started smiling and laughing as he ran outside. Not the village. They know.

On impulse he headed north. They must be behind him. He could tell. The hunter. The hob killing hunter was right behind his back. Gob swinged his dagger to block his attack.

It needlessly pierced some air.

He cackled again and continued to run towards the human road.

~

Grimmar was a bad merchant. He knew as much. Despite his father's fortune he couldn't keep up with the others. The berduskan black brew was a failure. Why would he believe this friend of his again? Still. Luck was on his side now.

There were remains of a battle just fresh to be plundered. Many soldier corpses and a few goblin bodies. He suddenly could be on a roll.

"We should go Grimmar."

"Shut up and take the chainmail off."

Even his mercenary didn't obey him. Didn't he have any some in other people's eyes? This barely a swordsman of his should really understand his place. The chainmail, even broken, could be repaired cheaply or sold straight to the blacksmith. Easy money for the willing.

He looked as his servant started to take metal of the corpses and stack them on top of their carriage.

"Ohh!"

Grimmar shouted as a random goblin covered in some destroyed robes barged onto the road. Grimmar looked at his servants face. The mercenary was just pale as he was.

"Move it.."

The mercenary looked around the road searching for other goblins, but there didn't seem to be any. Still, he didn't move.

"I will double your pay. Kill this thing and continue your work."

The mercenary wasn't convinced he instead wanted to get on the carriage and run, but then the merchant said.

"Look at him. It clearly is dazed..."

The goblin seemed oddly out of his mind. Well goblins were stupid, but this one was just peculiar. He walked from corpse to corpse poking them with a stick and jumping back like they could harm him.

"..he must have lost his mind. Maybe he had eaten some bad berries. He's not a threat. Just kill him."

The mercenary finally gathered his courage. He needed to make this stand. He wasn't just some random peasant. He was a warrior.

The man grabbed a short spear and approached the goblin. It only caught his glimpse when he was close enough to attack.

"Hya!"

With a simple shout he tried to stab the goblin in his stomach, but the monster dodged his attack with a swirly movement.

As ripped goblin robes caught on his spearhead swirled around, he saw a clear outline of trained green muscles aiming at his head.

He never saw the dagger.