5 Confined

At the far end corner of the darkened woodlands, is what people have called it. There stood a man covered in silver and enormous armour. Behind him is a platoon comprising twenty brave soldiers, all mounted with their steeds. Each of them brought their favoured weapon, honed to its apex condition.

"Your orders, sire." The serviceman said with dignity and confidence as he handed over a document portraying the layout of the land.

Gleamed with satisfaction, the captain of the unit smiled with ease. He waved his hand far and wide, drawing a magic circle of some sort in mid-air.

"Concealment!" A thunderous voice clouded the whole scenery, but nobody heard what he had said.

After spouting the name of the arcana, a glitter of white light showered the entire crowd, enveloping their plates and bodies with the magic luminance. Soon, they were all covered with magic, hiding their presence for hours. Many deemed the arcane as a high tier of magic that only a handful of creatures could use.

"We fight at dawn!" Added by the man leading the troops. His words increased the morale of the army, hunting and craving for war.

"Any goblins you see, perish them with all your might! Every monster you witness, do not let them live! For they shall taste our vengeance, these dreadful beasts!"

He reached out for the crumbling image of his family-his wife and his daughter. They were all mercilessly slain by the uncouth monsters of the forest.

"I will never forgive you." He added while gritting his teeth in anger.

_______________________________________________________

I saw something else during our trip and heard something new yet horrid.

"Humans," I repeated. "Dead human bodies."

My voice cackles for every breath I take, and I wanted to puke because of it. I knew that my brain should know better the similarities of both this world and the previous one. But I could not just sit idle and watch that scene from afar.

What I had discerned were two adult females getting raped by the disgusting creatures known as the hobgoblins. Without giving a damn about the world, they thrust their genitals inside the petite women as they hear them screaming, even begging for them to stop. Beside them are countless corpses of females mixed with every age alike, as I could not recognise their faces anymore.

The frigid atmosphere did not affect izz and Grer as they focused on the task in front of them. I, once a human, had wished to unsee the fray.

Fortunately, my eyes wandered around and perceived more trapped individuals in a corner. They did not choose to scream for help but stared motionless toward my direction. At first, I thought we were one of them that will make their life miserable. However, a sigh of relief escapes their lungs as they watch us walk back to the entrance and leave them behind.

"What are we going to do?" Izz said while gazing back and forth from the direction we came from.

The roaring sounds of clashing metals and battle cries reverberate through the unbroken forest. We can picture the cave blocking and impaled by the launched arrows from a distance.

"We need to save them," I suggested, gazing straight into their eyes. "They are still humans there! And even our friend is still inside there."

The two of them ponder my sentence, insecure about going back to the dangerous place. I, who have resolved to change my ways, want to rescue those two people.

"We can't, and we don't have to!" Grer grips my shoulders, shaking me to revert to my senses. However, no matter how much force he can exert, I cannot turn my ideals down.

"Please lend me your strength," I carefully kneel on my knees, begging for him to come to my side.

Izz, who watched my plea beside us, gave in for my request and tugs the end cloth of Grer.

"Brother needs our help." She utters. "We are together."

After some time, finally, Grer releases me from his latch. He then swivelled around and directed his point of view to the battlefield.

"Hopeless little bruvver." Grer grunts and signals us to follow his lead.

_______________________________________________________________________

"Where do you think they are?" Grer asks while listening closely to the sound waves coming in the tunnel. Among the rest of the individuals I know, he has the keenest senses and can track down enemies from miles away. As a future assassin himself, I am thankful enough he is not my enemy.

Whoever comes in our way will meet the hardened duke. With the power that can destroy the hardest stone that we can find in the environment, both the flesh of the hobgoblins and humans will immediately perish. This is the power of Izz.

As we move closer to the tunnel, we abruptly see six hobgoblins battling against fifteen human soldiers. From afar, we can tell that the humans came well-prepared, equipment-wise.

Four of the titan sprites are missing in action, and it is still unsure that humans are only fifteen in numbers.

"Are they scrimmaging at a place that we do not know?" I murmur to myself and contemplate the occurrence before us.

The three of us paid no attention to the affray as we dwindled at the foremost section of the cave where I last saw the two ladies. But as we move further down the road, a concealed trap on one of the tile activates, creating sudden disarray in our formation.

"On your left!" I alerted Grer and Izz to dodge the incoming spike launched from the right wall.

Thankfully, the trap only works once activated, making the previous summons rendered useless. With that said, we continue to stride forth and arrive at the metal pillars for the chamber.

I lean my head and take a peek inside, checking for their remnants. Fortunately, a bulky shadow appears out of nowhere, telling us that somebody is hiding.

"Is somebody there?" I ask for the location of these imprisoned humans while reaching for the pointed stick we had prepared. I do not want to engage into combat and fight any of those beasts, thinking that we will get ourselves killed without putting up a fight.

"Who is it?" A shrill feminine voice responds to my query while gradually creeping her way to our line of sight.

After a few seconds, their figures eventually appear, wearing an extravagant dress, but tattered and cut at the ends. Their clothes alone describe themselves as prominent people akin to nobles and princesses back in the fifteenth century. The two of the confined females share the same feature as the other, making an implication that they are both mother and child.

"We are good guys!" I stretch out my arms, hoping that my point has reached them.

But instead of them feeling comfortable and friendly with my invitation, the pair of women seemed more scared than their usual faces. They hastily back off and hid among the shadows, wary from the three of our figures.

Izz-who is also a girl herself, approaches the steel tubes and uncomplicatedly bend them similar to straws. The two ladies on the back could not help but wonder about their well-being and security.

"Please don't hurt us anymore," The aged mum pleaded as she crawls her way at our fore. "If you are going to kill us, please spare my daughter."

Her eyes shift back to the person in her rear, still shivering and attempting to move.

"Mother, what are you doing?!" The young girl embraces the wounded thigh of her parent and slowly bathes herself in her salty tears.

"We are not here to kill you," I announce our objectives, wishing that they can hear my goblin voice. "It's the opposite. We are here to save you."

A glimmer of hope sparkles inside their iris, hinting at their unfound joy for the situation. Their wails have finally stopped after hearing the end word of my sentence.

They can not believe the locution spouted by my lips, and our gestures to them.

"Mother," The daughter said with worried eyes as she studies my figure.

Her mother slowly reaches for her daughter's hand and tightly wraps it together with their tears.

"We need to trust them," She solemnly utters while gently nodding her head. "What more can we lose."

With a smile curling up on my face, I extend my reeking arm and offer them a helping hand.

"With pleasure, mademoiselle," I tried kidding around during this event, wanting to ease the eerie tension. Much to my surprise, the girl's face gradually softens and eventually crackles out a laugh.

"Who could have known that a goblin knows the royal etiquette." The young lady said while charmingly covering her mouth from what's left with her crumpled handkerchief.

I kept a pleasant expression; not stiff or overeager. Afterwards, I gently bent slightly forward to close the distance. Then, I conceal my left hand behind my back and extend and offer my right hand for Therese to reach.

This comportment is the only polite curtsy that I could remember.

"That posture," She asks with a trembling tone. "Whom did you learn that from?"

Caught in a panic, I averted her gaze and continued to bend, still like a statue, waiting for her to take my hand. Eventually, she rests her palm and accepts my gestures as I raise her together with her mum.

"I will answer your questions soon. Right now, we request you to cooperate with us so you can leave."