She stared at the unconscious Goblin beside her. She knew how to treat small cuts and scrapes, but she didn't know what to do with the large wounds on his body. But the more she stared at it, the more she noticed how quickly his wounds closed. The edges of his wounds had already clotted, and he had stopped bleeding just a few minutes ago. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel worried.

His chest rose and fell softly. Sometimes, his face would twitch slightly in pain as his wounds closed. Still, his wounds would probably be gone in the morning at this rate. Yet worry gnawed at her from the back of her mind. Should she clean up his wounds? Should she cover him up with something? Maybe she should give him some water in case he is thirsty. She let out a sigh and she sat close beside the Goblin. The night is cold, and she didn't know how to start a fire on her own.

Her eyes fell upon the Goblin's hair. It was a reddish-brown color that looked dark brown or at certain angles. The Goblins around her tribe were usually bald, so it was strange seeing a Goblin with a thick mane of hair. She was about to touch and pat the soft-looking head of the Goblin when the Goblin suddenly jolted up from his deep sleep. It startled her, and she found herself on her back while the Goblin looked around frantically. His eyes were wide, yet they weren't those of someone who looked for danger. No, he had that look of someone who was torn away from someone important.

After a moment of confusion and unintelligible shouts of Goblin Speak, the Goblin calmed down and shook his head. He touched the now closed wounds on his body and winced at the pain. She was about to sneak away and pretend that she was doing something else when the Goblin's crimson eyes snapped towards her. It was a terrifying sight, and the sight of the Goblin as he slowly turned towards her made it worse. For a moment, she wanted to claw at him and run away.

"Demon... Is it dead?"

For a moment, she stared at the Goblin as her chest struggled to deafen the audible thumps of her heartbeat.

"Y-Yes..."

"Hm. How long was I...Sleep? Sleeping? How long was I sleeping?"

The Goblin scratched the edges of his wound while he looked around the dungeon.

"I'm not sure, but I don't-"

"You alright?"

She bit her tongue in surprise. He moved quickly for someone who took quite a hit from a Demon.

The Goblin sniffed at her and placed a hand on her head. She didn't move in fear of what the Goblin might do, so she sat in silence as the Goblin moved her head around. She didn't know what he was doing, but he probably didn't mean any harm. Still, his sharp claws were pretty scary to look at as he stretched out her cheeks. After a moment, the Goblin nodded and pointed at her chest. She blinked at him. After a moment of silence, she slowly crawled backwards away from the Goblin.

"No! I-Is strange- Stop crawling! Strange mark! Is it still there?!"

"M-Mark? Ah! The mark..."

She looked down and saw only scars and cuts along her entire body.

"I-I think... I think it's gone. I think..."

"Hmm. Strange circle, weird runes, and demon words. Magical circle, most likely."

The Goblin sighed as he looked around the cave.

She looked around with him, although she didn't know what they were looking for. Then, the Goblin sighed and took off the cloak around his shoulders. She looked up at him as he wrapped it around her. The Goblin looked at the thick, leather cloak for a second, then adjusted it to prevent it from slipping. It was a little bit too big for her, but at least she was no longer cold and exposed. She wrapped the cloak tightly as the Goblin fiddled with the tears and holes in his shirt.

"Demon is strong. I know nothing about Demon Magic. So..."

The Goblin glanced at her. She covered her chest instinctively, but the Goblin simply snorted at her.

"Need to learn more about it."

"D-Demon... Magic?"

The Goblin nodded in reply.

"Are there others? People with strange marks?"

The Goblin asked without looking at her.

"There are others. They're somewhere within the city, b-but I'm not sure where."

"... I see. And the marks? Do they all have them?"

The Goblin picked up his dagger and turned around to face her. She stared at him for a moment, at his crimson eyes that burned with disdain. She nodded softly, her eyes glued on the dagger the Goblin held.

He let out a soft grunt as he sheathed his dagger. She didn't know what he was doing, but she heard him say something under his breath. Moments later, she found herself alone with Miu in the lonely dungeon. The Goblin's visage melted into the shadows of the dungeon, and she felt a strange chill as the feeling of being alone slowly crept in. The howls of the wind bounced off of the empty dungeon, and Semirra shivered as the coldness of the night slowly nipped at her exposed feet.

"Fire... I need a fire."

She clutched the two stones tightly. With a loud yell, she threw the rocks out into the clearing as she panted audibly. Miu heard all of this but continued to pretend to be asleep as not to attract the seething anger of the frustrated Beastman. Just beyond her feet is a small pile of dry grass and scattered small stones that failed to produce sparks. Miu knew little about starting a fire, but even she knew that those soft stones wouldn't produce the sparks needed to start a fire. Still, she watched the Beastman as her frustrated shouts and tantrums amused her.

Of course, Semirra noticed this earlier but she said nothing of it. She looked at the distant treeline and at the twigs underneath that may help her start a fire. A chill wind blew and Semirra clutched her cloak tightly. Scary. The woods are too scary and she swore that some of the owls are staring at her. She let out a scream as she kicked the pile of leaves. No fire, no water, and no food! She was hungry, but she didn't want to hunt in the dark. There were too many things that could go wrong in the dark.

"Miu..."

"Hrr... I know you're awake!"

The Slime jiggled as she stomped towards the little, blue blob of water.

"Do you know how to start a fire?"

"Miu."

"I thought so..."

She sat down beside the Slime and sighed. The stones flew through the air and Semirra gave up on the thought of sleeping beside a warm fire.

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In the distance, she could see the bright flames of Arenhein. Although it wasn't as bright as before, the flames were still bright enough to be seen even from the top of the mountains. She wondered if the Goblin really was serious about going there. Her feline eyes stared and watched from a distance as the tall tower near the center of the city rained magic that scorched the very air itself. Magic. What a wonderful thing to have, to use. A heavy sigh left her lips while she looked at her hands in disappointment.

She was a Beastman. They were strong, yes, but they're Beastmen. The only magic their race could wield is the one bestowed to their Shamans by their gods. She clutched her hands tightly as she got up on her feet. Shamans are rare and valued among the Beastmen, but their magic isn't powerful. A thundering boom rang out from the city. It came not from the tower, but somewhere near the castle. Semirra growled. Something thick and suffocating rode the pillar of smoke. She could feel the hairs on her tail stand as she heard the distant sound of an ungodly howl.

"Demons..."

She looked down at Miu, who tried to sneak away into the night.

"Are you hungry, Miu?"

----------------------------------------

He hid behind a nearby tree as the people slowly partly deserted the village. Villages along the valley evacuated south along the river as they fled from the burning city. He watched silently while he hid in the shadows as a family rummaged through their home. One of them, a man with a thick moustache and dirty-brown hair, attached a wagon unto the brown horse in front of the house. With a panicked and rushed voice, he called for his family to hurry up as he tightened the saddle on top of his horse. Moments later three children, one girl of marriageable age and two boys, left the house followed by their mother. They brought with them whatever valuables they could find, as well as some food for the journey.

With a simple [Shadow Step], he found himself behind the house as the sound of wheels and hooves as they moved away reached his ears. He waited for a few more minutes before he broke through the window with the help of a rock. He easily entered through the window, and he immediately went for the upturned rooms. Like a thief in the night, he rummaged through the cabinets of the family. Finally, he found a shirt he deemed comfortable enough to move properly. He grabbed not just the shirt, but also the wool scarf that lay on the floor. He was about to leave when he found a cloak on the table, seemingly forgotten by their family in their hastiness.

He had no mirror, but he knew that both the cloak and the scarf hid his face well. He took off his scarf for a moment as he took a bite out of the loaf of bread he found in a basket. He pondered whether he should cook some of the eggs as well when he heard a rustle outside. He quickly wrapped the scarf around his face as he dove behind the table. He heard the sound of something sniffing the air as a shape climbed through the same window he entered from. For a moment, his hand hovered over his dagger. And as his crimson eyes narrowed on the shape of his fellow intruder, the figure's head snapped towards him.

"Semirra?!"

"Oh! We found him! I knew that scent was familiar!"

The girl ran up to him, her face and hair covered in sweat. Miu happily lapped up the salty liquid, but the girl didn't seem to mind.

She was a mess. A complete mess. She had scratches all over her face and bits of twigs and leaves all over her hair. It was like he was staring at a wild animal. Didn't he tell her to wait for him at the dungeon? His eyes shifted towards the Slime that clung tightly around her ankle. She was supposed to keep her safe in the dungeon. He grumbled like he always did, then he picked off some of the leaves on Semirra's head. Once he was done and Semirra's thoroughly annoyed at him, he rubbed off some of the dirt and mud on her face with his new cloak. She hissed at him, but did nothing to resist him as he rubbed away the last of the grime on her face.

The Goblin's nose scrunched up at the thick and musky smell of sweat. The girl squeezed in incomprehensible words between deep pants as her flushed and damp skin dripped sweat onto the floor. The Goblin sighed and walked past her. The girl tilted her head at him as he rummaged through the clothes of the family. He wasn't sure how girls dressed, so he grabbed a simple dress and a pair of pants that were two sizes too big for her. He cut the pants two inches above the knees to make it easier to run in, and he grabbed what looked like soft-looking shorts that could serve as her undergarments.

He shoved the clothes into her hands and he sat on a chair with his back turned towards her. If he were any other Goblin, her mere scent would've sent him into a crazed frenzy. As she put on the clothes he gave her, he couldn't help but imagine what would've happened to her. Her powerful arms would've surely been feasted upon, and she would've surely been used as a plaything. A tool to bolster the numbers of the clan until their final days, wherein they would surely be used as sustenance. Drip. He looked down found himself drooling at the thought. He snapped out of his thoughts and wiped away the saliva with the back of his hand.

Disgusting. He found it disgusting that he still had the urges of Goblins. Yet unlike his foul brethren, he had the strength to resist those urges. He turned towards Semirra, her clothes ill-fitting but breathable and unrestricted in movement. He nodded to himself as he looked for his companion. Miu purred at him from beneath Semirra's clothes, the two gems that served as its eyes glowed brightly to greet him. There was a well just outside of the house, and he too wished to refill his canteen to quench his thirst. Perhaps satisfying his thirst would quench his desires.

The three of them exited out of the front door. The Goblin hid his face well, for when a family passed them by, they took little notice of him and simply gave him weird looks. A few more families walked or rode past them and each of them paid him no heed or tipped their hats to him as he gave them curt nods. Miu hid herself beneath Semirra's sweaty cloak while the two of them watched him pull up the heavy bucket of water. Immediately, he began to fill his canteen with water. Once he was done, he let Miu and Semirra drink to their heart's content as he looked out for any person that approached.

A small family, one an elderly couple and two young girls, approached them just as they were about to take their leave. The bucket was empty, and the old man told his family to wait for a moment as he drew up water from the well. His feeble hands clutched at the rope weakly. With a soft groan, he lowered the bucket into the well and he clutched the rope tightly as the water splashed below. He hauled the bucket up with each grunt but after the fifth, his hands gave out and the bucket began to plummet down the well. The water sloshed around the bucket, but there was no loud splash.

"Careful."

The Goblin hauled the bucket up while Semirra helped up the old man. He tied the rope to the beam and sat down the bucket along the rim of the well.

"T-Thank you, young man. Dear, take the children and drink some water."

The old man's family gave him curt nods and bows as they filled their containers with water. One of the girls quenched her thirst immediately as she scooped water from the bucket with her hands.

"Going to the city?"

"... Yes. City, I help."

The old man nodded as he let out a soft "Aah" while he fiddled with the canteen on his side.

"An adventurer then. May the Gods bless you, young man. Ah, Sammy! Do not drink too much."

One of the blonde girls pulled away from the bucket and stared at both her grandfather and the Goblin. One look at him and she immediately hid behind her grandmother.

"Is your children?"

"Hmm? Oh, no. Grandchildren. Their parents are sadly... not with us anymore."

The old man had a sad smile on his face as his wife filled all of their containers with water.

"H-Here, something for the way. It's not much, but-"

"No money. Just answers. How many Demons are in city?"

"D-Demons? From what I heard, a dozen or so are roaming Arenhein's street. We didn't really see much since we do not live within the city itself."

The old man shuddered and looked back at Arenhein.

"But the screams. We heard them, and they were terrible."

"I see... Where are these screams?"

"Where? Uh... East, I think. The market district was the first place that was attacked. We started evacuating when explosions started to shake the entire city itself."

"Hmm. Market... Thank you. Erm, good evening and goodbye? Ah, just goodbye... and good luck."

"Ah, y-yes. Good luck to you as well. Gods protect you, sir."

The Goblin gave a curt nod to the old man and his family. The old man scratched his head as they watched the Goblin walk away, towards the great city that burnt behind them.

"H-Hey kid! G-Goodluck... good luck."

The Goblin could feel the strange stares of the old man behind him. But before he could leave them behind to march towards the city, he felt a tug on his cloak.

He looked down and found one of the little girls. She held out a hand, filled with small biscuits wrapped with a damp cloth soaked with what smelt like goat's milk. She had a terrified look in her eyes as he reached out for the treat she offered. She was young. Younger than even Semirra, yet he wondered what sort of bravery she possessed to approach a Goblin like him. He didn't give her a nod as he took her offering, he gave her a pat on the head. His smile was obscured by his disguise, yet he smiled nonetheless.

"Good luck, sir adventurer... P-Please save the city."

"... Okay."

The girl ran back to the old woman, and hid behind her. The old man waved at him while the three of them walked away and towards Arenhein.

Adventurer, he thought. He wasn't an adventurer, but being called one felt good. Still, he hurried away from them as he stared at the pyre that was Arenhein. He could feel the tug of something malevolent emanating from within its walls. Magic of 3rd Tier and above rained down onto the city, the screams of something unholy followed shortly after. Even from a distance, he could smell the unmistakable odor of burnt flesh, ash, and death.

This was Arenhein, he thought. The City on the Aren, the gateway to the north and the fortress city that never fell. Yet on this night, the city's walls were breached not just by Demons, but by a Goblin as he boldly entered through its front gates.