Reborn As a Goat: Journey to the peak-Chapter 26: Dog attack

At that moment, the tavern door creaked open, and a man in his early thirties with a rugged, muscular build entered the room and scanned the anxious crowd with his gray eyes.

"The boy’s going to live," The man announced, his voice cutting through the tension—steady, low, and certain. "Nothing to worry about."

A grizzled old man murmured, "Mr Drex D-Did the doctor come back?"

"No," Drex replied, "And I don’t know when he will. But this will do." Saying this, He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a vial—a small glass bottle glowing with bright red liquid.

"This is a healing potion," said Drex, holding the vial up so everyone could see. "As long as he’s breathing, it will bring him back. Completely."

Hearing this, a murmur began. One woman silently crossed her fingers. Another man dropped to his knees, whispering a prayer he hadn’t believed in for years.

Drex turned and strode toward the boy’s house. At first, some villagers hesitated; then, as if pulled into his orbit, the others followed, hope and fear mingling in the silence that trailed behind him. Soon, all of them reached the house where the boy who had been attacked by the goats was.

Upon arrival, Drex opened the boy’s mouth with one hand and poured a liquid into it with the other. The boy twitched for a few seconds before his body went limp. Seeing this, everyone gasped. Silence descended as they all waited to see what would happen next.

As restlessness grew, the boy suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. No one spoke for a few moments until a cry broke the silence: "My child!"

Drex glanced at the people and said, "That broken head won’t be fixed, so make sure he doesn’t get hurt there." After saying this, he turned and left the room.

He then walked toward Barnaby’s destroyed palace. As he approached, he noticed Barnaby sitting on a chair, eating the food prepared for Dravan, who was currently scouring around the broken palace.

However, there was something different about Barnaby. He didn’t look the same as when Drex had last met him. Now, he exuded confidence with a commanding aura. Bending down, Barnaby grabbed a piece of chicken leg from the rubble piles, swung it twice, wiped the dirt with his cloth, and took a big bite.

"Umm, this is good," Barnaby said.

"Sir, that boy is healed." Drex paused for a second before continuing. "I confirmed it myself; it was indeed some goat."

"Can you track them?"

"There were four. I can’t track three, but one is possible."

"Track the goat. This might be our breakthrough. Also, release the dogs."

"I am already on it, sir."

—-----------------

Inside the farm.

Bram and Toro walk side by side in the fragrant haze of twilight. The distant sound of a dog barking lingered in the air—a warning neither could ignore, but both pretended not to hear.

Bram threw a sidelong glance at Toro, his tone gruff and edged. "Toro, why do you have to be so broody all the time?" He kicked at a loose pebble, tail flicking with restless frustration. "We could’ve helped the outsider, you know. Or at least warned him. That kid saved our ass, and you just let him go like that!"

Toro’s eyes danced, a sly surge of amusement shadowing his features—no anger, just that quiet, dangerous energy that set him apart from the other goats. His smile was thin, almost secretive. "Didn’t I say thank you?" he drawled, as if the words themselves settled any debt. "Besides, we might take this to the council and walk away with a few rewards for our trouble. Wouldn’t that be nice?" Laughter broke free, low and slippery, echoing in the night.

Bram snorted. "Don’t be a pussy," Bram muttered, voice scoffing but carrying a strange kind of loyalty beneath its blunt edge.

But Toro didn’t bristle; he just kept smiling, that storm always behind his eyes but never quite breaking. "Trust me, Bram—I’m not that heartless." His voice softened, tension winding through the words. "We’re not going against the angels, though. Yeah, maybe we could win—maybe—but that doesn’t mean we should. Sometimes backing off is the only smart play. As for the outsider. He’ll figure it out."

Bram grunted, unconvinced but not willing to press further. Together, they watched the night settle, silent as old wounds.

—-------------

On the other side of the farm, Lin and Bojo lay hidden in a small swamp, their bodies completely covered in thick, cold mud. They remained silent. The dog was indeed after them. The moment they noticed the dog pursuing them, they didn’t waste a second searching for a safe place. But was there really a safe place from a dog?

Dogs have a very strong sense of smell. No matter how far they ran, the dog would always find their whereabouts. In the end, they had seen this swamp and didn’t hesitate to hide here. The reason was simple: since they were covered in the mud, the dog might lose their scent. Without a scent to follow, the dog might just go away.

As Lin and Bojo continued to hide in the mud, the dog’s fierce barks echoed through the surroundings. They stayed perfectly still, eyes fixed on a figure nearly twice their size standing at the edge of the swamp.

Damn, that’s a big ass dog.

Neither Lin nor Bojo dared to breathe. The figure moved silently, soon vanishing from their sight.

Bojo, on the other hand, started asking if they could leave the swamp now.

"Not yet, wait— it might not have left," Lin replied. However, he wanted to leave too. Since the dog had lost their scent here, there was a high chance it would linger and search longer. So for now, he can’t risk exposing their location

Just as he thought, the dog came back, looked at the swamp confusedly, then barked once before leaving. Bojo, a goat who hated water, couldn’t stay any longer and asked Lin if they could leave now. In the end, Lin had to agree.

As they emerged from the swamp, the silence was shattered with a guttural bark cutting through the stillness. From the shadows surged a massive dog, muscles rippling beneath a coat as dark as the night itself.