A village in flames

"What did you say?" Lady Amlerythe asked in shock.

"How could they just leave her alone against those vermin!" an enraged Greisla said.

The Matriarch paused to gather her thoughts.

She bit her lip in frustration.

"Greisla, settle down. Farhan decided that of her own accord, let us not trample on her bravery and resolve" she said.

Greisla took a deep breath.

"You are correct. Forgive me Lady Amlerythe" she said.

"We will get her back, I swear to you" Lady Amlerythe said.

Greisla nodded with uncertainty.

Lady Amlerythe placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Let us do what we can for the rest of the villagers, and protect our village" she said, then smiled.

"Do not forget, we are not alone in this fight. There is someone who at this point, has killed more goblins than all of us combined" she said proudly.

Greisla's eyes widened, an ember of renewed hope flickering within them.

"Let us leave her rescue to him" Lady Amlerythe said with confidence.

"Yes!" Greisla said resolutely.

-RUMBLE

-THUD

The ground trembled incessantly.

The sound of distant yet loud impacts accompanied the quakes.

"L-Lady Amlerythe!" Greisla said in a panic.

"Yes, I received confirmation. They are destroying the trees to create more room for their army" she said in a cold tone.

On the outskirts of the Nasu village, the young man dressed in black attire finished organising his troops.

One hundred and fifty goblin champions stood menacingly at the front of the village.

The goblin riders and their large grey wolves, totalling two hundred in number, lined up behind the champions.

The final group, comprised of fifty goblin shamans, brought up the rear.

"I'm disappointed that they did not come out to greet us" the young man said.

"What do you think? That's too disrespectful right?" he asked, glancing at a bound woman kneeling beside him.

The Elf glared at him menacingly.

"Oh, what a scary look" he said.

She desperately wished that she could warn her family about the plans that this vile man had brazenly confessed to her, but she couldn't speak due to the leather strap covering her mouth.

A lecherous smile appeared on his face the next moment.

He licked his lips.

He stroked her face with the back of his hand.

"Don't worry, together, we will show them the error of their ways" he said as he moved his hand down her neck.

Farhan continued glaring at him in defiance.

She knew that he wanted to see weakness.

He wanted to see her cry, to beg and plead.

She resolved herself for the inevitable, but she was a Gota! A proud warrior of the Nasu village.

She would fight until her last breath, she would not show any weakness to this vile piece of filth.

His hand moved to her chest.

"Your resolve is admirable, but how long will you last?... How many of your people will have to die before you break?" he whispered in her ear.

"Let's enjoy the show together" he said.

He waved his hand which prompted the goblin shamans to raise their staffs.

Vibrant flames coalesced at the tip of the shamans' staffs, forming large balls of fire.

The fireballs were set loose upon the village without reservation.

-BOOM! -BOOM!

The fireballs exploded on impact, sending ripples across the dome.

"A barrier huh? Hahahaha! This is amusing!" the young man said as he continued squeezing his hands.

"Let's see how long it will last. Keep firing!" he roared.

-BOOM! -BOOM!

At the centre of the village.

"They're here!" Lady Amlerythe shouted.

-BOOM! -BOOM!

The Gota, along with a few villagers who specialised in long range spells, gathered around the Matriarch.

"Remember, you are not permitted to leave the barrier, no exceptions. If they manage to get hold of you, it will be over" she said firmly.

The Elves looked troubled by her words, but nodded resolutely.

Lady Amlerythe understood their concerns and attempted to put their minds at ease.

"Farhan is a great warrior, she will survive this battle. Do not trample on her resolve" she said.

"We too have to show our resolve. They may use her as a way to lower our defences, however, we will not falter" she said with determination.

"Remember, we are not alone in this fight. We simply have to persevere until the Soluume returns. He will find a way to end this war once and for all" she said with confidence.

She grinned.

"The invaders appear to be unaware of his presence, nor the incredible feat that he accomplished at their settlement" she said.

The Gota's eyes widened in a similar manner as Greisla's did when Lady Amlerythe informed her.

Although they didn't know the specifics, they understood that the Elder Tree had conveyed the result of the Soluume's assault to the Matriarch.

"Let us believe in him, as the one chosen by our Great Elder Tree" she said.

-BOOM! -BOOM!

-BOOM! -BOOM!

Four more explosions hit the transparent dome, causing the barrier to shake.

Lady Amlerythe ignored the noise and continued.

"Remember the plan. I will remain here to maintain the barrier, while the rest of you will attack from range using arrows and magic" she said.

Everyone nodded firmly.

"Good. Now go, prepare for battle!" she shouted.

"Yes!"

The scene changed to that of a burning hellscape.

All of the homes belonging to the Gota, as well as the previously lush gardens and granary were engulfed in a sea of flames.

Lady Amlerythe's barrier shrunk significantly, now only covering the remaining fifty percent of the village.

Lady Amlerythe breathed heavily, but remained fully focused on maintaining the barrier.

The Gota surrounded her with their bows drawn.

The young man walked forward, stepping over the burnt corpses of goblin riders and wolves.

Farther behind him, a number of shamans had the tails of arrows sticking out of their eyes sockets.

Despite the losses on his side, the young man walked confidently, with a broad smile on his face.

He placed his palm on the barrier.

The barrier vibrated and pushed his hand away with a repulsive force.

He smirked.

It became apparent that when they condensed the barrier, they also changed its properties.

"You have done well to survive this long, I applaud you" he said while clapping his hands together.

"You are strong women, I have no doubt that you will create incredibly powerful offspring for me" he said.

"After all, you have to take responsibility for killing my children, right?" he said with a lecherous smile.

The crackling of burning wood echoed in the silence.

"Resisting is pointless, you cannot win. Do you think that these are all of my forces? There are over one thousand more goblins on their way here, you have no chance" he said.

"Matriarch, for the sake of your people, surrend–"

"Hahahahaha!" hearty, uncontrollable laughter interrupted him.

His expression changed instantly.

"Who the fuck is laughing? What gives you the right to laugh at me?" he roared in anger.

The Gota glanced at Lady Amlerythe who wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Over one thousand you say? That's good, no, great news" she said.

The Gota were puzzled at first, but then realised the implications of her words.

They gripped their weapons and faced the front with renewed confidence.

Lady Amlerythe placed her hands on the shoulders of the Gota, signalling them to open a path.

She walked towards the front, where she was visible to him.

"So you finally decided to show yourself" the young man said, licking his lips as he stared at her body.

"Was it you bitch? The one who laughed at me?" he asked coldly.

Lady Amlerythe smirked.

"Regardless of what may happen to us in the next few moments, know this you vile piece of filth. Before this night is over, you, along with all of your equally vile brethren will become extinct" she declared with confidence.

"I've seen enough! That piece of shit is going to die painfully, I'll make sure of it!"

I squeezed my fists, fighting the urge to throw a hard straight punch.

'He has the features of an East Asian man from Earth, so he's an otherworlder?... Sheahran said that it's common in this world. What the fuck is he doing with the goblins? He's commanding them too, is he a monster tamer or something?'

'It doesn't matter who, or what the fuck that bastard is, he has to suffer horribly for his crimes.'

"You showed this to me for a reason right? I can tell that you are as angry as I am. Did you want to increase the resonance effect of the fragment?"

Without the need for words, I instinctively knew, or rather, felt what the Elder Tree wanted to convey.

"I see, it's good that we're on the same page. So, what did you want to give me? What is this great equaliser?"

-Thud

A round purple fruit fell to the ground beside me.

I picked it up with both hands and examined it.

It resembled an apple, but only much larger...and purple

<Observe >

[Fruit of the Elder Tree: Increases all stats by 200% for 15 minutes (Reduced to 75% for 5 minutes)]

[Increases Magic and Stamina recovery by 150% for 15 minutes (Reduced to 50% for 5 minutes)]

[Fruit's effects will be doubled by the Blessing of the Elder Tree]

[Fruit's total effects will be tripled due to the resonance level of the fragment of the Elder Tree]

-Crunch