Monsters are Coming!

Standing in front of the Vogts' house, I could feel the palpable panic that had descended upon the village.

Shouts and screams echoed through the streets as people ran around in utter chaos. But it wasn't long before the Vogt, with his years of experience and natural leadership, broke out of his stupor and began shouting commands, trying to restore order amidst the turmoil.

I quickly made my way back home to check on my family. As I approached, I saw them all gathered in our garden, engaged in a heated discussion.

"Rolf! You must protect everyone. I need to go. All the men must report to the Vogt. We need to stall for time before help arrives," my father commanded urgently.

Rolf tried to sound brave despite his trembling legs: "Yes, father, I'll make sure everyone is safe!"

I managed to grab my improvised gun and a handful of pebbles from the garden before my mother ushered me inside the house.

We huddled together, waiting anxiously for what was to come. The waiting was excruciating, and a deadly silence descended upon the village.

Everyone had barricaded themselves inside their homes, except for the men, who were busy building makeshift defenses. Several hours passed by without anything happening, and the sun started setting over the hills.

Night came, and with it, the uncertainty and worries were only multiplied by the darkness.

I stood by the window, my heart racing with anticipation and my fingers clutching tightly onto my pebbles. I was not particularly worried about the monsters, as I had faced one before in the Forest, and if the monsters weren't much stronger, I was confident I could protect myself and my family.

But my thoughts lingered on my father, who was not with us and had put himself in harm's way to keep everyone safe.

As I watched the village from my window, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen with the rest of the villagers, and the potential consequences of the monsters' rampage.

With the end of summer nearing and the harvest approaching, the fields were brimming with ripe crops. If the monsters were to destroy them, the village would face starvation in the coming winter. Once again, I was reminded of the harsh world in which we lived.

The darkness was illuminated by an orange hue in the distance, with the village militia lighting pyres at the outskirts of the village to try and scare the monsters away. For a moment, the quiet returned, but it was just the calm before the storm.

Suddenly, frightening roars and howls shattered the silence.

The monsters were here!

The howls were immediately followed by the shouting of men and the sound of shattering wood. The fighting had begun.

The light from the fires grew brighter, and I watched as some of the houses caught fire as the fighting went on. The villagers were no match for the monsters, who seemed to have endless stamina in their rampage and were impervious to their attacks.

The only thing that seemed to slow them down was the fire and the villagers' sheer will to defend their home. The battle raged on for hours, and the outcome was far from certain.

But before dawn, when the horizon started turning slightly blue, a horn pierced the air, and the distant sound of hoofbeats accompanied it.

The soldiers had come!

Weak shouts of joy and relief sounded from the exhausted defenders.

As the sound of neighing horses and steel hitting steel filled the air, the roars of the monsters intensified. But for the first time, there were mixed roars of pain within them. The soldiers had brought hope and a chance to turn the tide of the battle.

I could see them now, their armor glinting in the light of the fires, their swords flashing in the darkness as they charged into battle. The monsters seemed to falter under the onslaught, their once-unstoppable rampage now disrupted by the soldiers' fierce attacks.

Suddenly the night was pierced by a bright flash of lightning, followed instantly by a deafening sound of thunder, and the following huge explosions shook our humble home.

They brought a real mage with them!

I would have loved nothing more than to sneak out of the house and go look, but I couldn't leave my family alone until it was over. I have zero confidence that Rolf would be able to put up any form of resistance to the monsters, despite his trying to put up a brave front.

My mother was huddled in bed with my sister, Helga, who was quietly sobbing. Tears were rolling down her beautiful face, and my heart ached for her. No one had managed to sleep during the night, and I knew that it would take some time for us to recover from this.

I'd like to tell them that they have nothing to worry about with me here, but I knew that they would never believe me. So I couldn't do anything more than stay vigilant and wait until it was over.

The unmistakable metallic stench of blood and the smell of burning flesh drifted through the air, mingling with the smoke from the fires. It was a smell that would haunt me for days to come.

As the first rays of the morning sun broke through over the horizon, the battle was over. The roars of the monsters were no more, and heavy silence replaced them. The villagers slowly emerged from their homes, looking at the aftermath of the battle with a mix of fear and relief.

I ventured out of my home, scanning the crowd for any sign of my father. I finally found him in the village square, lying on the ground, unmoving. My heart sank, and I froze in my tracks.

But then I quickly ran up to him and checked if he was breathing. He was, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Although I still considered my parents back on earth to be my real parents, I never loved him as much as I would have if I didn't have the memories of my previous life. But I still respected and cared about him deeply.

As I knelt by his side, someone placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see the Vogt, who was looking tired and covered in cuts and bruises.

"Darian, your father will live," he said, his voice tired but reassuring. "He fought bravely, and he is the only reason we managed to hold out all the way until help arrived."

I nodded, grateful for the news. "Thank you for taking care of him."

"It is I who should be thanking you," the Vogt said. "If you hadn't warned me in time, a lot of lives would have been lost."

I used this opportunity to ask for more information. "What is the status of the village?" I asked.

"We lost a few men and have a lot of injuries, but most of them will live," he replied.

"Several houses burned down, and we lost some of our harvests, but the soldiers from the garrison were kind enough to leave the monster corpses for us as compensation, so I'll make sure nobody starves during the winter."

I nodded. "I'm glad that I could be of help," I said to him and then went back home to tell my mother the happy news that father had survived the night.

The village had survived, but not without paying a heavy price. I couldn't help but feel that this was just a taste of the harsh and unforgiving world we lived in, and I was left wondering what other trials I have to face in the future.