Together, they began dragging the Bloodhorn Boar through the forest, although Grey quickly discovered that transporting the enormous creature was considerably more exhausting than killing it had been.
Its heavy body caught against exposed roots and thick vegetation every few meters, forcing them to stop repeatedly and reposition the corpse before continuing, yet Krag stubbornly refused to leave any part of it behind despite the obvious pain coming from his injured side.
Grey initially assumed the goblin was simply being stubborn, but the longer they struggled with the corpse, the more he began to suspect there was another reason.
Krag had nearly died trying to kill the Bloodhorn Boar alone and was now willing to worsen his injuries rather than abandon it, which suggested food was valuable enough to his people that losing such a large amount of meat simply wasn’t an option.
Grey kept his attention on their surroundings as they traveled, allowing Krag to guide them through narrow paths almost completely hidden beneath the vegetation. The goblin wasn’t simply choosing whichever direction looked easiest either, because he deliberately avoided several open areas, occasionally inspected crude markings carved into tree trunks, and changed direction whenever they reached certain parts of the forest.
Those small details gradually gave Grey a different impression of his strange companion.
Krag didn’t merely wander through the forest hoping to avoid predators; he knew the area well enough to recognize safe routes, dangerous territories, useful landmarks, and paths that probably couldn’t be seen by anyone unfamiliar with the region.
Grey was still observing him when something else caught his attention.
The scars covering Krag’s body weren’t all the result of claws or teeth, and now that Grey had enough time to examine them properly, the differences were obvious. Several wounds were narrow and unnaturally straight, while others had healed into long lines that looked far more like injuries caused by blades than anything a wild monster would leave behind.
His gaze eventually settled on a particularly noticeable scar stretching across Krag’s shoulder. "What happened to you?"
Krag glanced over without understanding the question, forcing Grey to release the boar with one hand long enough to point toward the scar.
The reaction was immediate enough that Grey knew he had touched upon something unpleasant, as Krag’s expression darkened and his fingers tightened around the creature’s leg while he muttered several words in the rough language Grey still couldn’t understand.
After several seconds, however, Krag managed to force out one word Grey recognized perfectly.
"Human."
Grey stopped so abruptly that Krag took another step before noticing, causing the Bloodhorn Boar to drag awkwardly between them. "Human?" he repeated, wanting to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood.
Krag nodded and touched the long scar across his shoulder again, leaving very little room for confusion about where the injury had come from.
The confirmation answered one of Grey’s questions about this world while immediately creating several more. He had suspected humans probably existed somewhere beyond the forest, considering everything else he had encountered since arriving, but suspicion was considerably different from having proof standing directly in front of him. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
More importantly, Krag had actually encountered them before, and judging from both the scar and the hostility that appeared on his face when he mentioned them, Grey doubted their meeting had involved a peaceful exchange of greetings.
They resumed dragging the Bloodhorn Boar while Grey considered what the discovery meant. If humans lived close enough for Krag to encounter them, then there were probably villages, towns, or perhaps even entire kingdoms somewhere beyond the forest, all containing things Grey desperately needed to learn about this world.
Humans meant proper weapons and clothing, organized settlements, knowledge about the surrounding lands, and perhaps even magic if this world followed the same rules as the countless fantasy stories Grey had read before dying.
Unfortunately, they also presented a fairly obvious problem that became difficult to ignore when Grey glanced down at his small green-gray hands.
He might possess the memories and intelligence of a human, but nobody looking at him would know that.
As far as they were concerned, he was a goblin.
Grey could already imagine how well the conversation would go if he walked into a human settlement and attempted to explain that he had actually been reincarnated. He doubted anyone would patiently listen to his story before deciding whether the strange armed goblin standing at their gates needed to be killed.
"That’s going to be a problem," Grey muttered while helping Krag pull the corpse over another large root.
Krag gave him a confused glance, prompting Grey to shake his head and continue walking. "Nothing. Just another thing I’ll apparently have to worry about later."
They continued through the forest for nearly twenty minutes before Grey began noticing subtle changes in their surroundings.
The first was a sharpened wooden stake positioned between two trees, followed several meters later by another one partially concealed beneath a collection of broad leaves.
Neither would have stopped a particularly powerful monster, but their placement was clearly deliberate, and once Grey knew what to look for, he began noticing more signs of preparation throughout the surrounding forest.
Thin vines had been stretched between certain trees at ankle height, small piles of stones sat beside otherwise invisible trails, and crude symbols had been carved into several trunks where anyone unfamiliar with their meaning would probably overlook them. Find the original chapter at novelping dot com.
Primitive as the defenses were, Grey found himself slightly impressed because they proved something important about the goblins Krag lived with.
They weren’t simply hiding somewhere in the forest and hoping stronger predators never discovered them; they were observing their surroundings, identifying dangers, marking routes, and gradually learning how to make their territory safer.
Krag suddenly stopped and released his side of the Bloodhorn Boar, causing Grey to immediately tighten his grip around his weapon as he searched the nearby trees.
His Predatory Instinct remained surprisingly calm, however, and before he could ask what was wrong, the sound of vegetation shifting came from somewhere ahead.
Grey focused on the area and soon noticed movement behind a large tree trunk, followed almost immediately by another shape emerging from the opposite side of the path.
Two small figures stepped from the vegetation with crude spears raised toward them, and Grey quickly recognized both creatures as goblins.
The first appeared younger than Krag, with dark green skin and a torn piece of animal hide wrapped around its waist, while the second was slightly taller and carried a wooden spear tipped with sharpened bone. Both looked prepared to attack until their attention moved from Grey toward the injured goblin standing beside him.
"Krag!"
The younger goblin immediately lowered its weapon and rushed toward them, although the sight of the enormous Bloodhorn Boar lying between Grey and Krag caused it to stop halfway.
Its yellow eyes widened as it examined the corpse, while the second goblin approached far more cautiously and continued watching Grey as though trying to decide whether he was responsible for Krag’s injuries.
Krag quickly began speaking to them in the same rough goblin language Grey had heard earlier, leaving him standing awkwardly beside the corpse without understanding a single word of the conversation.
The situation was almost insulting when he thought about it; apparently reincarnating as a goblin hadn’t included the basic courtesy of allowing him to understand what other goblins were saying.
The younger creature repeatedly looked between Grey and the Bloodhorn Boar while Krag continued his explanation, and the suspicion on the spear-wielding goblin’s face gradually changed into visible surprise.
When Krag eventually pointed directly toward Grey, both creatures turned and stared at him long enough that he felt obligated to acknowledge them somehow.
Grey raised one hand. "Hello."
Neither goblin responded, and the silence lasted long enough for Grey to slowly lower his hand again. "Good start."