"The rats you killed," Kelvin said, looking proud. "We cooked them! Well, Grimnir did. He said we couldn't let good meat go to waste."
Satou looked at the meat dubiously. He'd eaten worse—much worse—but something about eating the same creatures he'd fought made his stomach turn.
Still, his body needed fuel to recover. He took the stick and bit into the meat.'
It was... surprisingly not terrible. Gamey and tough, but edible.
"Thanks," Satou said between bites.
As he ate, his mind wandered back to the Magicule Bestowal skill. The system had called it "Unique," which implied there weren't many, if any others who had it. That kind of power would make him a target if the wrong people found out.
The humans already want us dead for being goblins. If they knew I could create an army of evolved monsters...
He pushed the thought away. One problem at a time.
"Grimnir," Satou said after finishing the meat. "You said the scouts found berry bushes. Were they able to bring any back?"
"A few," Grimnir replied. "Not enough to feed everyone, but it's a start. The forest around here is dense with vegetation. There should be more food sources if we look."
"We'll need to establish proper foraging parties," Satou said, his mind already working through logistics. "Small groups with at least one fighter for protection. We can't risk everyone going out and getting picked off by predators."
"Agreed," Grimnir said. "I'll organize rotations."
Lyra cleared her throat. "There's something else we need to discuss. The cave."
"What about it?"
"It's too small," she said bluntly. "Twenty-five bodies in this space, plus injured who need room to rest? We're packed in here like salted fish. And if we're attacked, there's only one exit. We'd be trapped."
She was right. The cave had seemed adequate when Satou first cleared it, but now, with everyone crammed inside, the limitations were obvious.
"I might have a solution," Satou said slowly. "I acquired a skill from those rats—Earth Manipulation. It's weak right now, but I should be able to expand the cave. Create additional chambers, maybe even reinforce the walls."
Grimnir's eyebrows rose. "You can reshape stone?"
"Sort of. Not stone directly, but I can work with earth and soft rock. It'll take time, but it's possible." Said Satou
"That would make this place significantly more defensible," Lyra said thoughtfully. "We could create choke points, storage areas, separate chambers for the injured..."
"Exactly," Satou said, warming to the idea. "We turn this cave into a proper shelter. Maybe even a base we can defend long-term."
"Long-term?" one of the unnamed goblins spoke up nervously. "Are we staying here? Shouldn't we keep moving?"
It was a fair question. They'd escaped the humans, but that didn't mean they were safe. Staying in one place made them easier to find.
But constantly moving with wounded and limited supplies would be just as dangerous.
"We stay for now," Satou decided. "At least until everyone's healed and we've built up our strength. Once we're in better shape, we can decide whether to move on or fortify this position permanently."
The goblin nodded, accepting the reasoning even if he didn't look entirely comfortable with it.
Satou was about to say more when a sound caught his attention—his enhanced hearing picking up something the others couldn't.
Footsteps. Outside the cave. Moving quickly.
"Someone's coming," Satou said sharply, rising to his feet despite the lingering weakness in his legs. "Grimnir, get the fighters ready. Everyone else, move to the back of the cave."
The mood shifted instantly. Goblins scrambled to obey, the fighters grabbing whatever weapons they had while the wounded were quickly moved deeper into the chamber.
Grimnir positioned himself near the entrance, his massive axe ready. Jessica and Kelvin moved to flank him, their new Hobgoblin bodies tense with anticipation.
The footsteps grew closer. Closer.
Then one of the sentries stumbled into the cave, breathing hard.
"Reporting!" the goblin gasped. "There's... there's something out there. Multiple somethings. Moving through the trees. Big ones."
"How big?" Satou demanded.
"Bigger than the rats. And there's more than three."
Satou's enhanced senses reached outward, trying to pinpoint the threat. His Tremor Sense picked up vibrations in the earth—heavy footfalls, multiple sources, surrounding the cave entrance.
"We're being hunted," Satou said quietly.
And right on cue, a howl split the night air—long, mournful, and entirely too close.
Wolves.
Satou's blood ran cold as more howls answered the first, creating a chorus that echoed through the dark forest.
Not just wolves. A pack of wolves.
And they'd found the goblins' hiding place.
Grimnir's grip on his axe tightened. "How many?"
Satou closed his eyes, focusing on his Tremor Sense. The vibrations told him a story he didn't want to hear.
"At least eight," he said. "Maybe more. They're circling the cave entrance."
"Can we fight them?" Lyra asked, positioning herself beside Grimnir.
Satou did quick mental math. Four Hobgoblins—strong, but untested in their new forms. Fourteen regular goblin fighters—weak individually, barely effective in groups. Seven wounded who couldn't fight.
Against eight or more wolves in the dark.
"We can try," Satou said, drawing his damaged sword. "But it's going to be ugly."
The howling grew louder. Closer.
And then, through the darkness beyond the cave entrance, yellow eyes began appearing.
One pair. Two pairs. Four. Six. Eight.
Nine.
The wolves emerged from the shadows slowly, deliberately, their movements coordinated in a way that spoke of intelligence and experience. These weren't mindless beasts—they were organized predators who'd hunted together for years.
The alpha stepped forward first—a massive creature easily five feet tall at the shoulder, its fur dark gray and bristling with muscle. Scars crisscrossed its muzzle, telling stories of past battles won. Its eyes locked onto Satou, and for a moment, predator and prey simply stared at each other.
Then the alpha's lips peeled back, revealing fangs the size of daggers.
And it howled.
The signal to attack.
"HERE THEY COME!" Grimnir roared. "HOLD THE LINE!"
The wolves charged as one, and the cave entrance exploded into chaos.