I woke up on top of dirt as my memories were a bit fuzzy. The last thing I remember was getting out of the shower but then…

The redhead remembered the tall silhouette with a nasty smell lingering around him. Then she was knocked out cold. As her mind cleared, she noticed the things around her.

Where am I? Who are these people?

They were others beside her some fainted while some had fear in their eyes. Seconds later, she realized she was stark naked with nothing on her. Her hands covered both her chest and crotch. The reddish blush on her cheeks was hard not to notice.

“Hey, I…” embarrassed with her situation, she tried to ask for help.

“Shush,” the lady dressed in her pajama robes silenced Bryce. The lady’s eyes were darting around fearing for what was outside the fence. Bryce turned flustered. She still didn’t understand the situation.

But an unbearable stench wafted in the air. Bryce frowned and when she saw the hideous looking humanoid, her whole body froze. She was slack-jawed seeing it first hand. She was about to scream as one of the hobgoblins stared at her.

At that moment, a hand closed her mouth. A dirty hand as Bryce could taste the dirt in her mouth. Bryce was trembling, her eyes glanced to the side and saw a little girl with her index finger on her lips. She was signaling to Bryce to keep it quiet. Bryce nodded. The hobgoblin smirked and left. The sight of that face was enough to scare the wits of any living person.

“What is that?” her voice trembling.

“It’s the monster under the bed,” whispered the girl.

“The one that kidnaps me has a beard,” she whispered as she giggled in the end.

Bryce stared at this girl. Both in amazement and confusion. For a girl, she was rather fine for getting kidnapped. Bryce sat there as she contemplated her life. Today was a bad day. The heavy workload at the hospital, rude patients, and just before getting out of work she was harassed by a pervert. Not to mention, she was scared by a ghost. But at least her luck wasn’t that bad, as the ghost rescued her. Yet her problem didn’t end as even at home, bad things happened. Kidnapped by an ugly humanoid that goes beyond the norm. The thought of those monsters in New York came to mind.

Are they from New York?

Her trail of thought was cut short as the fence opened. The moment the hobgoblin set foot inside, people started screaming. Bryce frightened at the point of screaming yet the girl by her side gripped her hand as she signaled at her to stay silent.

What is it doing?

The hobgoblin grabbed someone by the ankle. But a man saw it was a chance to flee. Bryce chewed her lower lips while staring at the fleeing man. She hoped she was courageous like him. But then a flash of bright light emerged from within the darkness of the night. A big ball of flame appeared out of thin air and flew towards the fleeing man. Bryce's eyes bulged open with her mouth hanging seeing the man being burned alive. Her mind turned numb and sat on the ground in a daze. She didn’t even bother covering herself up.

My life is going to end here.

She had given up. What kind of logic was that for a fireball to appeared out of nowhere. It defied any sort of logic that she learned in school. She sat on the ground staring at the forest floor in a daze.

Time passed by.

She heard a commotion outside the fence. Bryce noticed these creatures could communicate with one another. The realization of them communicating like humans scared her. A new species of humanoid that may replace them the ruling species on earth.

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An invasion from these creatures?

Although she thought her fate was already sealed yet the thought of being invaded scared her. But out of nowhere, one of the hobgoblins was dead with an arrow in its head. A surprise was clear on her countenance yet a sudden tint of hope was blooming in her heart.

Did the police found us? Is it the military?

The thought of dying left her mind. She was hoping to see either two of those combat forces to raid the entire camp but nothing. Nothing happened. She waited and waited, thinking that they might be planning for a better plan to assault these creatures. But it only led to more heartbreak. Seconds seem like hours, minutes seem like days. The torture of waiting only made her hope slipped away slowly.

A commotion started to break out within these creatures. Bryce noticed the leader of these creatures as she identified it through the different tones in color as well as its commanding tone. It drove these hobgoblins out from the camp. The almost vanish flame of hope burned once more.

They really are out there. 

Both her hands clasped together.

Please, save us.

Bryce prayed in earnest hoping for whatever out there to save her. Time flew and the situation only turned worse for the hobgoblins.

What is going on here?

The fence opened once more and one of the humans was getting dragged. Bryce held her breath as she saw the woman who was clawing the ground, screaming for help. They made eye contact out of coincidence, the woman mouthed her words.

Save me.

Slowly Bryce turned her head to the side, breaking their eye contact. She knew it was cruel of her to do so but she couldn’t help her. Then the most atrocious thing happened in front of her very eyes. A living breathing human was being chopped into pieces as her screams filled the air. Bryce looked away as both her hands pressed against her ears. It was too much for her. Those few seconds she saw would always be embedded inside her memories. Nightmarish memories that will haunt her sleep for the rest of her life. She closed her eyes hoping for all these nightmares to end, yet it did not.

Then an explosion made her snapped out of it. She saw for herself the copper skin hobgoblin throwing massive fireballs one after another. All around her, everything was burning. She couldn’t believe her eyes seeing the magnitude of this destruction. Soon, it stopped throwing fireballs.

Once again, she saw the sight of the copper skin hobgoblin infuriated by whatever out there. Then the fence opened once more, Bryce was terrified as she stayed close to the fence. Another victim was dragged out and again she tried to resist but failed. Bryce looked away and shut her ears. The slight screaming and the sound of metal clashing against a rock made her imagined the sight of a woman being butchered alive.

She shook her head trying to forget those memories. Her head turned around trying to get away as far as possible from these barbaric creatures. It was the only thing she could do besides escaping the fenced area. Then out of nowhere, a man entered her sight. He was alone yet he walked towards the tribal camp. As if he didn’t even fear the likes of these hideous creatures.

Who is he?

His appearance piqued her interest. As she focused her sight at him, she noticed something. The clothes on him were rather familiar in her eyes.

The hospital gown? He’s a patient?

She recognized what it was yet the rustic looking bow and the scimitar in his hands looks out of place. It didn’t fit at all with the hospital gown. The Copper Hobgoblin gave the order and the three hobgoblins rushed at the human. Fearing for his fate, Bryce wanted to shout. But her voice didn’t escape her throat, she restrained herself knowing that it might be her on the chopping block if the Copper Hobgoblin noticed her.

He’s going to die.

She already determined his fate. No way a human could ever contend with creatures like these with mere bows and swords. Glancing down to the ground, she didn’t want to see another meaningless death. But the loud scream of the hobgoblin caught her off guard. An agonizing horrible scream different from a human. She glanced at the source of the scream. What she saw made her eyes wide open. Her jaws dropped and her eyebrows raised. She couldn’t believe it. One of those tenacious hobgoblins was on the ground lifeless as an arrow was stuck on the head.

Did he kill it?

She was still in disbelief.

He really did kill it.

The second time, she tried to convince herself what she saw was the truth. Then she led her gaze fell upon the sight of the man. Two more hobgoblins charged at him brandishing their scimitars. Bryce was close to closing her eyes, afraid of what she was about to see. But contrary to what she expected, another shrill scream from a hobgoblin. It dropped on its knees as it screamed due to the forearm being cut down.

Oh my goodness.

Bryce was amazed. Her heart was beating faster as she witnessed these events unfolding before her eyes. Without her knowing, her hands were already clasped together as if praying for the victory for this man. She saw the man clashing scimitars against the hobgoblin. Neither was backing down. She was surprised. The hobgoblin was taller and bulkier than the man in a hospital gown but he was at ease.

A horizontal slash came and the man ducked while simultaneously slashing at the hobgoblin feet. Blood splattered across the ground as the hobgoblin fell on its knee. Her heart rate was rising as the battle between man and monster prolonged.

Kill it. Wait, did I just thought about that?

She even surprised herself. The notion of wanting someone else to die had never crossed her mind since she was a doctor of all people. But some certain situation has the knack to change people. Some for the worst while some for the good. The man kicked it right at the center of the torso as it fell on the ground with a thud. He was about to end the life of the hobgoblin.

“Kiii,” the hobgoblin with its missing right forearm came charging like a mad bull.

The man parried the reckless stab and countered with a slashed on its flank. It fell face down on the ground and Jason didn’t dawdle as he pierced its neck. Another died and then, there was one.

Yes! Just one more.

The naked red hair maiden cheered for the death of the creature. Her fist was clenched tightly raising a bit to the sky as if it was a ceremony of victory on behalf of that man. A dazzling man, unlike others. The surviving hobgoblin got up and threw itself at the man. Both clashed with their scimitars. Sparks flew as neither had the notion of giving way to the opponent. At the corner of her eyes, a bright light emerged. She turned her head and saw the massive fireball lifted off the sky. Bryce had a bad feeling seeing this. She turned towards the man and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Watch out.”