In the distance, they could see three goblins frantically limping in their direction. Centi was feeling a bit hungry, maybe she could eat these three for a quick and easy meal. Gob felt that their faces were kind of familiar but from this distance he wasn’t too sure. Joy was simply happy that she saw people. The three could see more figures behind them chasing after them.

“Game?” Joy asked.

“No, these guys are running for their lives. Look at their bodies.” Gob pointed out.

  Now that they weren’t as far away, the group could see that they were heavily injured and wounded. Fresh blood flowed from their wounds, causing Centi’s stomach to silently rumble. Joy was very worried and upset, she could fell that they weren’t okay. They needed help. An indescribable gaze appeared in Gob’s eyes.

“Please help us!”

“Please save us!”

“We’ll do anything in our power to repay you back! Just please don’t let us die!”

  Gob recognized these three goblins.

“And why should we help you?” He asked in a nasty tone, brandishing his bone knife towards them.

“Gob? Is that you?” One of the goblins asked shocked.

“Yeah it’s me. Surprised I'm not eaten by wolves yet?” He snarked.

“How... How are you...” He was interrupted by the third goblin.

“Who cares about that right now!? Listen Gob, can you help us or not?!” He asked with a glare in his eye.

“Help the same people who supported sending me to my death? Ha! That’s a real funny joke Gobi. Letting you three die here is what you deserve.” Gob said.

“Come on Gob, you weren’t useful to the group. You and I both know that useless goblins are used as slaves or exiled. The only reason you weren’t enslaved was because you’d blow up the village even as a slave!”

“None of you ever gave me a chance! No one ever believed in me! But now I think I found two people that do believe in my potential. I’ll reach far greater heights with them than I ever would have in that damn village.” Gob exclaimed as he pulled out a clear vial of orange liquid and shook it, causing the substance inside to shake from side to side.

“A fire bomb potion?”

“Impossible... You couldn’t even make a simple cleansing potion before!”

“If you could do something like this, we would’ve never agreed to kick you out!”

“Maybe if you all weren’t so quick to humiliate me and exile me after a few mistakes then you would have a potioneer in the village.” Gob smugly smiled.

“We’re sorry Gob! Please find it in your heart to forgive us to not let us die!” They struggled to get on their knees and bowed towards Gob.

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  Seeing their desperation and heartfelt pleads made Gob’s heart waver. These were the people who agreed on sending him to certain death. Part of the same group that constantly put him down while trying his best for the village that never accepted him. He wanted to become the best potioneer in the village. Once it was revealed that he had the potential to evolve into a Medical Goblin, everyone placed their expectations on him becoming one of the foundations of their village. Everyone treated him like a king before his lacking talent showed. Then he was nothing more than garbage wasting the resources of everyone’s hard work.

  As he was still struggling whether to save them or not, the other goblins chasing them caught up as well. They held makeshift weapons in their hands and stared warily at Joy and friends. Joy was overwhelmed from the emotion she was feeling from Gob and the other goblins. Centi was rather amused by the situation as a whole. If things worked out in her favor, she may get to feed on six goblins instead of three.

“Are you friends with these three?” The middle goblin asked cautiously.

“Friends!?” Joy asked excitedly.

“Yeah, friends. Are they your friends?” He repeated his question.

“Friends!” Joy nodded.

  They eyed the giant centipede staring at them with its teeth showing ravenously. Fear struck them to their core, they knew they stood no chance against that monster. It was upsetting that they couldn’t kill their foes but keeping their lives was more important. The middle goblin gathered the courage necessary to let them leave with their lives intact.

“I see. Farewell then.” They turned around and began shakily walking away. Once they made it a certain distance away, they quickly started sprinting while looking back.

“What a shame... I would’ve loved to snack on those three.” Centi shared.

“Here Centi!” Joy handed Centi a berry from her pouch, she momentarily imagined herself eating Joy instead of the berry.

  Her instincts and heart were telling her two different things. One to devour and the other to not. Was it time for mating season already? Her maternal instincts shouldn’t be affecting her, she wasn’t a mom. If that is the reason why she didn’t understand herself when it came to Joy. She didn’t want to be this little thing’s mother but she also didn’t want to it to die.

  Centi knew that the strange creature inside Joy was more than enough to overwhelm her. So, even if she was overtaken by her instincts, Joy would be fine. As of right now, Joy was the strongest one in this little rag tag group. But Centi doubted that the little pink monster would ever purposely try and hurt something. This would be a problem for them in the future if they encounter a monster stronger than her. She will have to think of a way to get Joy to hurt something or hope that her training will be enough to combat any future threats that they come across.

“Thank you so much for saving us!” They bowed their heads towards Joy.

“Thanks! Thanks! Uhm...” She looked towards Centi for help.

“Thanks is good. Thanks means that they are happy you helped them.” Centi explained. She’s never used the word around the kid and honestly believes that she was born literally days ago.

“I helped! I like helping!” Joy said happily.

“Please help us save our village!” They bashed their foreheads against the ground, blood leaking from their foreheads now too.

“What’s in it for us?” Centi asked with a scary looking smile.

“Yeah, why should anyone help a crappy village like yours? You obviously don’t care about anyone but yourselves anyway.” Gob added, not wanting to help these three in the least.

“Uh...”

“We could give you all of your tools back Gob!”

“We can also feed your two friends!”

“Don’t call us friends.” Centi corrected sharply.

“Sorry Great Insect Monster!” He quickly apologized, making Centi feel quite good.

“Why would I ever want to come back to that crappy village after it kicked me out?!” Gob asked.

  Gob wasn’t being entirely truthful here. If these three approached him before he met Centi and Joy, he would happily accept their proposal to come back to the village. He may have been angry, upset, and felt betrayed by the people he grew up with exiling him. But he was also still a young goblin, one who has yet to reach adulthood and never known much of companionship. All he ever knew were those goblins that used to treat him with such warmth suddenly treating him with cold attitudes and cruelty.

  The three goblins were speechless at his outburst. Why would he want to come back to a village that basically sent him to his death?

“We save village!” Joy suddenly decided on her own.