Hobgoblins.

Lucian had told himself that there would be no more things in this world that would surprise him, but he was wrong.

The creatures were humanlike in stature, but their skin was green, eyes bulging, and mini horns sprouting from the corners of their heads. Some were darker green, and others lighter. Different clans of hobgoblins had different colors to differentiate themselves. The colors did not indicate strength or speed. Only the cultures. The ones Lucian would have to subdue or kill, was a bright green colored one. They were known for being particularly aggressive towards humans, and have killed many travelers before.

The route to get to them was not a pleasant one. Aric had some connections inside the dungeon keepers ministry. They were not particularly fond of letting an unnamed person and with no guild affiliation inside, even if it was with Aric. Some extra coins swayed their minds nevertheless. Inside the extravagant gates to the “forest of beasts,” plentiful vegetation greeted Lucian, Aric, and Mortis, who sneaked out once again from his shift at the inn. The forest was safeguarded from people because of its dangerous beasts that lurk inside. People still try to sneak in or bribe their way through in the hopes of a treasure or many locked inside somewhere. Aric said that these rumors were idiotic, and were made by scavengers who lured men in with these stories and robbed them after they died.

What a pity, Lucian thought. If anything, he learned that the cruelest monsters were men.

It did not take too long, following Aric’s path to find these hideous things. Lucian’s first view of something that seemed completely out of the reality he knew was this creature.

They were huddled up, fighting amongst themselves.

Aric nudged Lucian and Mortis to follow him. He began to walk slowly out of their bush covering, and directly towards the hobgoblins.

“Is he crazy?!” Mortis whispered as best as he could.

Lucian followed slowly behind, pushing away Mortis’s hands that tried to hold him back.

The hobgoblins stopped fighting and formed a tight group when they saw Aric approaching. In their muscular hands, they held small chipped daggers.

The hobgoblin leader, as Lucian presumed due to his size, and a red bandana on his head, snarled something in its guttural language, and the other hobgoblins echoed the sentiment. Aric glanced back at Lucian and Mortis, a look of exasperation on his face.

Aric took out a sword, not a wooden one, but a real one. It was medium-sized and thick. He pointed to it and to his neck, making a dead gesture with his fingers.

All of them started jumping up and down, except the leader, who tried to calm them down. He spoke, to Aric’s frustration.

It was clear that he did not understand them.

Weird. I can understand them.

Lucian understood that this language was different, but it sounded natural to him as if he knew it already. Perhaps it was a part of the system’s ‘gift’ to him; to understand it.

"They say they don't want trouble," Lucian relayed.

Surprised that Lucian understood, Aric smirked at the hobgoblins. “So even they can understand the differences in power.”

“Can you speak their tongue and translate for me?” he asked Lucian.

Lucian nodded.

“Tell them that I will not kill them. Tell them that it is you who will fight them until either you give up or they do,” he said.

Lucian translated and told the hobgoblins who were just as shocked as Aric that a human could speak and understand them.

“Yer Crazy. We nots want to fight anyone. We is peaceful, and kind to humans. Let us leave,” the red bandana hobgoblin replied.

Aric laughed when Lucian told him what they said.

“Tell them they either fight you and I spare them, or they don’t and they die.”

Lucian felt his aura change when he said he would spare them. No doubt that this man was someone mysterious, but the feeling of a drunkard and someone aloof was completely washed over by this assertive presence.

When he told the hobgoblins this, they hissed and grew restless, daggers ready to be used.

The leader stepped forward and signaled for the rest to step back and watch. He pointed to Lucian to come to him and engage. Aric guffawed and pushed him forward. Lucian was only allowed to use the wooden sword.

“You not use sword?” he said. “You think me weak?”

The hobgoblin was offended that Lucian used only the wooden sword. He pounded his chest menacingly and charged at him.

The hobgoblin leader's eyes gleamed with pride as he raised his chipped dagger. Lucian felt the weight of the moment, but there was no time for hesitation. He had to prove himself not just to Aric, but to these creatures and to himself.

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The hobgoblin’s movements were surprisingly agile for his bulky frame. Lucian sidestepped, bringing his wooden sword down in an arc, aiming for the hobgoblin's arm. The leader deflected the blow with his dagger, the wooden sword clattering against the metal with a sharp crack. The hobgoblin countered with a quick slash, but Lucian parried it just in time, his reflexes sharpened by the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Lucian pressed the attack, striking with a series of rapid blows. The hobgoblin leader blocked and dodged, his eyes narrowing in concentration. Lucian could feel the eyes of the other hobgoblins and Aric on him, the pressure mounting with each passing second. He knew he couldn't afford a single mistake.

The leader feinted left and then struck right, aiming for Lucian's exposed side. Lucian twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the blade, and swung his wooden sword in a wide arc. The hobgoblin ducked, the wooden blade whistling over his head, and sprang up with a powerful thrust. Lucian managed to deflect the dagger with the flat of his sword, but the force of the blow sent him staggering back.

They circled each other, both breathing heavily. The hobgoblin leader's eyes were filled with a mix of respect and fierce determination. Lucian could see that this was more than just a fight; it was a test of will and skill. He needed to end it quickly.

With a sudden burst of speed, Lucian closed the distance between them, aiming a strike at the hobgoblin's wrist. The leader tried to parry, but Lucian's wooden sword struck true, knocking the dagger from his hand. The hobgoblin snarled and lunged at Lucian with his bare hands, trying to grapple him to the ground.

Lucian sidestepped and swung his sword in a powerful overhead strike. The hobgoblin raised his arms to block, but the force of the blow knocked him to his knees. Lucian wasted no time, pressing his advantage. He brought his wooden sword down again and again, forcing the hobgoblin to the ground.

"Yield!" Lucian shouted, his voice echoing through the forest.

The hobgoblin leader, panting heavily and bleeding from several cuts, looked up at Lucian with a grudging respect. He dug his hands into the ground, and stared down, almost as if he accepted defeat. With no sign or tell, he sprouted towards Lucian. He saw it coming and dodged the lunge, but the leader looked different now. His body was no longer the green color it was before, but rather a red.

“Careful, that's an evolved one!” Aric shouted.

Shit, what the hell is that!

The body was not only red, but noticeably taller, and leaner. It jumped towards Lucian again, and barely missed, scraping his chest.

“I reckon that fella might try and kill you, Lucian! Do keep me entertained,” Aric yelled again.

Lucian tightened his grip on the wooden sword, his mind racing. He had to be smarter, quicker. The hobgoblin was now faster and stronger, but Lucian had to find a way to outthink it. The creature snarled, its eyes blazing with a predatory glint.

It attacked again, this time with a flurry of swipes and slashes. The usage of the daggers was not on the evolved hobgoblin’s mind. Lucian ducked and weaved, using every ounce of his training to avoid it. He struck back when he could, aiming for vulnerable spots, but the hobgoblin’s red form seemed almost impervious to pain.

In a brief moment of pause, Lucian glanced at Aric, who was watching intently, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Mortis stood nearby, eyes wide with fear and fascination.

“Focus, Lucian!” he muttered to himself, shaking off the distraction. He needed to find a weakness, some way to turn the tide.

The hobgoblin charged again, this time leaping into the air with a terrifying roar. Lucian saw his chance. He rolled to the side, letting the creature’s momentum carry it past him. As the hobgoblin landed and spun around, Lucian was already moving.

He performed the choreographed sword dance Aric had shown him, and that he had practiced many times before. Like second nature, he completed the set steps, which completely incapacitated the hobgoblin. It was on the floor, the red fading out from the skin, and returning to the old green color. Evidently, the juice it had was gone.

“Yield!” Lucian shouted once more.

Lucian stepped back, breathing heavily. The adrenaline was still pumping through his veins, but he felt a sense of relief wash over him. He had faced the unknown and emerged victorious.

Aric approached, clapping slowly, a wide grin on his face. “Well done, Lucian. You’ve not only proven your strength but your adaptability as well. That was quite the show. You used the move at the perfect time, not too prematurely.”

Lucian nodded, still catching his breath. He turned to the hobgoblin leader and spoke in their language. “You fought well.”

The leader, still kneeling, gave a slow, acknowledging nod. “You strong, human. We remember this day.”

The other hobgoblins picked him up, eyeing Aric and Lucian while they slowly walked back to retreat into the forest. Aric had promised them he would spare them if they obliged his request, which they did.

Three seconds. That was all it took for it to happen. Three seconds.

The hobgoblin's body parts lay scattered on the forest floor. The leader’s head was held by Aric. In that short period, he blitzed forward with his sword and slaughtered them all like animals. There was not much to see because it happened in such a blur, but it was cruel, to say the least.

“Why …” Lucian said. “You said you would spare—”

“I was lying.” Aric sheathed his sword after wiping away the blood with a cloth. “They’re hobgoblins. They would not hesitate to kill you, or anyone else if they could.”

Mortis agreed with him. He said that they were deceitful creatures and killed more humans in the last month than they had all year. Especially the group with the red bandanas.

Aric told Lucian to cheer up and think about what he could have done better.

It seemed strange to Lucian, this whole lesson here. The “forest of the beasts” was a place in between two cities, where there were alternative travel ways for people to use. Men came down here, into a forest filled with creatures like hobgoblins, and others that Mortis told him of, and were surprised when their companions were killed. You cannot go into the lion’s den and expect it to leave you unscathed. If any died, it was their fault, be it through being foolish enough to be deceived by legends, rumors, or even pride. To Lucian, he was hunted and also the hunter. That was a reality you had to accept when you foot in any hostile area. You must be prepared to be either. He did not agree with Aric’s reason for killing them, but it was his will, and he doubted that he could have stopped him.

When the trio made it out the forest, and into the main square of Kinghaven, Aric led them to a very elegantly formed building that had arrows on its door. It was the bounty collector’s office.

According to the woman who sat at the counter, there was a bounty of considerable size for the head of a hobgoblin bearing a red bandana. She thanked Lucian greatly for slaying it, and some onlookers whispered amongst themselves.

Aric declared to the woman when they first arrived that Lucian slew the monster. It was of course a lie, but he insisted later that he only finished him off, and that Lucian had been the one to defeat him so he deserved the credit. The credit was the only thing Lucian got because Aric took the bounty coins.

Two more days left until the preliminary rounds. Aric said that these last two days would be quite different from what they did today.