"I don't know what drove them," the goblin said desperately. "All I know is they attacked at night. Killed five of us before we even knew they were there. We tried to barricade ourselves in our caves, but they're smart, these wolves. They wait outside, attack anyone who tries to leave for food or water. We're trapped."

His eyes filled with tears. "Our elder, he told me to run. To find help. Said he'd heard rumors of a goblin chieftain to the south who protected his people. He sent me to find you, to beg for your help. Please. They're my family. My friends. I can't go back without help, they'll all die."

Satou looked at the goblin's injuries. The desperate hope in his eyes. Then he looked at his companions.

"How many Dire Wolves?" Satou asked.

"I counted at least twenty before I escaped," the goblin replied. "Maybe more. They're working together, like a military unit. I've never seen Dire Wolves act like that."

Twenty Dire Wolves. Each one roughly the size of a bear, with intelligence above normal animals. Against thirty untrained goblins who'd never fought anything more dangerous than small forest creatures.

It would be a massacre if it wasn't one already.

"We'll help," Satou decided.

"Satou," Lyra said cautiously, "we don't know this goblin. We don't know his settlement. This could be a trap."

"A trap that involves a goblin nearly dying to reach us?" Satou countered. "Look at his injuries, Lyra. He's genuine."

"I swear on my life," the goblin said desperately. "I swear on the lives of my family. This isn't a trap. My people are dying. Please."

"I believe him," Jessica said quietly. "I've been using my healing magic on him. I can sense intentions sometimes, especially when someone is this vulnerable. He's telling the truth."

Kelvin stepped forward. "Then we should go. Now. Before those wolves kill everyone."

"Agreed," Satou said. He turned to the injured goblin. "What's your name?"

"Zik," the goblin replied.

"Alright, Zik. Rest here and let Jessica finish healing you. I need you healthy enough to guide us to your village. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" Zik's face lit up with hope. "Yes, I can guide you. Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Jessica, how long before he's stable enough to travel?"

Jessica assessed her patient with a professional eye that would have been impressive even from an experienced healer, let alone someone who'd only had her powers for a few weeks.

"Another hour of intensive healing should do it," she said. "I'll need to replenish some mana, but I can have him ready to move soon."

"Good. Kelvin, Lyra, gather a strike team. I want our best fighters, people who can handle themselves against Dire Wolves. Grimnir, Urgak, Ragar, Finn, Mira. Five of our strongest. That plus you, me, and Jessica should be enough."

"I'm coming too," Cassius said.

"You don't have to," Satou replied. "This isn't your fight."

"Lord Loki assigned me to protect this settlement and its leader," the vampire replied. "If you're walking into a fight with twenty Dire Wolves, my place is at your side. Besides, I'm rather effective against beast-type monsters. Vampiric abilities tend to unsettle them."

Satou nodded gratefully. "Alright. Kelvin, add Cassius to the count. That gives us nine capable fighters against twenty wolves. Not great odds, but workable."

"Actually," Kelvin said, his expression determined, "I'd like to request something. Let me handle this fight. Or at least most of it."

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"Kelvin, what are you talking about?" Jessica asked, concern clear in her voice.

"I've been training intensively for weeks," Kelvin said. "Learning from Urgak, practicing every day, pushing myself to get stronger. But I haven't had a chance to test myself in real combat. To see if all that training actually meant something."

He looked directly at Satou. "You said I needed to back up my courage with strength. Well, I want to prove I've done that. Twenty Dire Wolves against me. If I can't handle it, then all of you are right there to step in. But I need to know if I've actually grown or if I'm still just the weak goblin who got impaled by Vegeta."

Satou studied Kelvin carefully. The young Hobgoblin's eyes were serious, determined. There was no false bravado here, just genuine need to prove himself.

"This isn't a game," Satou said. "Dire Wolves are extremely dangerous. If you hesitate, if you make a mistake, they'll kill you. And this time, I might not be able to save you."

"I know," Kelvin replied. "But I also know that I can't spend my whole life being protected. Eventually, I need to be the one doing the protecting. This is my chance to show I'm capable of that."

Satou looked at the others. Jessica looked worried but didn't protest, she knew her brother well enough to know when his mind was made up. Lyra seemed thoughtful, weighing the risks. Cassius looked interested, as if curious to see what Kelvin was capable of.

"Alright," Satou decided. "You can take the lead on this fight. But with conditions. First, we're all coming with you as backup. If things go wrong, we intervene immediately. Second, you follow my tactical advice. I'll position our forces to support you without interfering unless absolutely necessary. Third, the moment I say retreat, you retreat. No arguments, no hesitation. Understood?"

"Understood," Kelvin said, his face lighting up with determination and gratitude.

"Then get your gear. We leave as soon as Jessica finishes with Zik."\

—--------

An hour later, the small rescue party stood at the settlement gates. Satou had made the difficult decision to keep the group minimal with just himself, Kelvin, and Cassius, with Zik to guide them.

"Are you sure about this?" Urgak asked, his single eye showing concern. "Twenty Dire Wolves is no small threat. You should take more warriors."

"A larger group would be slower and more conspicuous," Satou replied. "Three fighters is enough, especially with Cassius's abilities.

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