Chapter 4: Rescue!

Lucian stood in the middle of a forest glistened by the moonlight. Rain poured from the heavens soaking him to the bone. He had finally escaped the depths of the tomb he and his friends had been summoned to.

The memories of what happened there were something he would never forget. Looking into the distance, Lucian tried to gain his bearings, trying to get an idea of where he was.

Lucian found he was surrounded by forest on all sides. It was pitch black the only light available was that offered by the moon. Yet Lucian could still see, as if clear as day.

He had no idea where he was and no idea where to start. Closing his eyes, he decided to focus and simply listen to his surroundings. His new abilities and enhanced senses meant he could do things he had never dreamt of before.

His ears were picking up every sound within a mile, and it was incredible. Finally, he opened his eyes as he caught the sound of running water, deciding that's where he should start.

Lucian walked through the dense forest using his night vision to avoid anything he knew to stay away from easily. following his ears, he finally came across a running stream of water, and he knelt down so he could drink.

His body was exhausted and his throat dry. Using his hands, he scooped as much water as he could, taking mouth full after mouth full to satisfy his thirst.

As the water settled, Lucian once again looked at his reflection, taking in his new appearance. It was still a shock, and he knew it would take some getting used to.

Lucian fell back onto the stone bank, letting his head hit the ground. The pain didn't bother him, and he looked up into the night sky, taking in the stars above.

They were different from the ones he knew back on earth, but they were beautiful beyond anything he had ever seen as his enhanced vision allowed him to see deep into the darkness.

His eyes were getting heavy now, and he was starting to lose the battle against his exhaustion. Before finally, his eyes closed, and his body gave way to sleep.

Satan remained trapped inside his body, inside his own complex inner world. One he had created and trapped himself inside of unknowingly.

"Sleep well, little hero... You will need it." The demon said as he settled in for the night.

The next morning arrived, and the heat of the sun kissed Lucian's face as he slept. The birds were chirping away happily, and the forest seemed peaceful.

"Aaarrgggghhhh! Somebody help!!!!"

The scream shocked Lucian awake, and he was on his feet in a second.

"What the? Who? Where?" He said as he turned his head, trying to find the source of the scream.

His enhanced hearing had picked it up from afar, and all he could do was wait for.

"Arrgghhh!!!"

"That way!" Lucian shouted as he exploded into a sprint, his foot cracking the stone from the force of his takeoff.

Lucian raced through the thick forest as he headed towards the screams. He could tell by the sound that it was a girl, so he decided to run even faster.

His speed was increasable, and he was moving too fast to control his movements, which became evident when he crashed into a tree with his shoulder ripping part of the trunk off and knocking the thing over.

The tree hadn't even slowed him down as he continued to sprint at full speed until finally, he came to a small clearing in the forest.

Lucian burst out of the bushes and landed hard onto the ground, where he could see three goblins dragging away a young girl.

The goblins were small and green with bald heads and pointy ears. Just how they had looked in the game.

"Let her go!" Lucian shouted as he suddenly broke into another sprint heading right for them.

The goblins noticed his presence and dropped the girl quickly, trying to draw their weapons in panic.

Lucian was too fast, though, and slammed his fist into the first goblins face so hard that it sent the small monster flying through the air before it crashed against a tree and splattered against the unforgiving wood.

The other two looked horrified, yet they still dived in for an attack with their small stone daggers.

One jumped high, trying to stab down at Lucian's head with a powerful strike, while the other went low, attacking his legs.

Lucian grabbed the first one's arms and twisted the creature around, slamming it into the floor with his superhuman strength.

The other stuck its blade into Lucian's leg, driving it in as deep as it could. Giving out a large yell, Lucian turned around and knocked the goblin flying with a swing of his arm.

It landed on its back hard but scrambled up as it tried to make its escape.

"I don't think so!" Lucian shouted as he pulled the stone dagger from his leg and threw it as hard as he could.

To his surprise, the blade hit home, striking the goblin in the center of its back, dropping it to the floor dead. Lucian looked down at his leg and watched the wound as it closed up.

He turned to face the young girl who was still led on the floor, trying to cover her body up with the torn clothing she still had on. It looked like he had arrived just in time before the goblins had been able to have their way with her.

"Are you ok?" Lucian said as he knelt down and offered her his hand.

She looked young, only about sixteen years old. She was a pretty thing with long brown hair and green eyes.

She took his hand slowly, and Lucian helped her to her feet. He noticed that she was still trying to cover part of her chest where the goblins had ripped her dress. Unfortunately, he had little to offer her to cover it up as his own clothing had also been torn to shreds.

"Your safe now. I won't let anything else hurt you." Lucian said, smiling at her.

She looked deep into his blood-red eyes and then looked away.

"Thank you..." She said softly.

Lucian could tell she was shy, and he tried not to do anything that would scare her.

"Can you tell me where you are from? Maybe I can get you home?" He said, knowing it wasn't safe for her out here alone.

The girl looked up at him again and used her free hand to point.

"My village is that way," She said softly.

Lucian looked in the direction she was pointing, but he couldn't see anything through the forest. Suddenly an idea popped into his head, and he took a couple of steps back from the girl.

"Just give me a minute." He said as he squat down, trying to focus his strength on his legs.

Suddenly he pushed off as hard as he could, launching high into the air like a missile. Now that he was so high in the air, he could see over the trees and make out a village's shape in the distance.

His moment in the sky, however, had come to an end, and he fell back to the ground, landing with a solid thump as he dinted the ground.

The girl was shocked, and she fell back onto the ground as he landed.

Lucian realized and went to help her up again.

"Sorry about that. I just wanted to get a better look." He said, smiling to show he meant no harm.

This time the girl wouldn't take his hand, and she looked more afraid of him.

"My name is Lucian. Will you tell me yours?" he asked, trying to gain her trust.

The girl slowly looked into his eyes again before looking away.

"My name is Elana." She said quietly.

Lucian smiled again and offered her his hand.

"Take my hand, Elana. I promise I will get you home safely."

Elana took his hand, and he pulled her up onto her feet gently.

"Now, let's get you home."

Lucian helped Elana through the forest, keeping his senses on high alert in case of an attack. Luckily nothing came, and the walk was made pleasant by its absence.

Lucian had decided to ask her a few questions about her village to try and find out where in Astaria he was. She had remained quiet for most of the trip, but he had managed to find out she was a blacksmith's daughter.

He decided not to press her anymore and simply walked by her side, quiet.

Speaking of quiet, Lucian had yet to hear from the demon within him. Not that he was bothered. If anything, he welcomed the peace.

Finally, the two of them came to the end of the forest. The village was in view not one hundred meters away. Elana stopped in her tracks as if she would never see her home again, a small tear running down her cheek.

Lucian felt for her and put his large hand on her shoulder.

"What did I tell you. Home safe." He said, giving her a grin.

She looked at him and nodded as a small smile formed on her delicate lips.

"Now, let's get you to your father." He said, allowing her to lead the way.

Elana took another step and another and another before she broke into a run heading for her home.

Lucian stayed behind her and let her lead the way. The village was only small, and the blacksmith's house wasn't hard to spot. Of course, it was the large house with a giant furnace outside, a large sign hanging over the door saying Everkeep forge.

"Daddy!" Elana shouted as she got closer to home.

A large shirtless man sat hammering away as he heard her cry. Instantly he put down his hammer and turned to see his daughter running towards him.

"Elana?" He said in surprise before he noticed her torn clothing.

"Elana!" he shouted as he ran towards her, catching her in his arms as she began to cry into his chest.

"Elana, what happened, child!" He shouted, enraged that someone would try to hurt his beloved daughter.

The large blacksmith raised his head as he noticed Lucian standing close to them and suddenly dropped his daughter to the side.

"Was it you! were you the one who hurt my Elana!" He shouted as he raised his fist, ready to punch Lucian in the face.

Elana suddenly moved in front of him as she screamed for him to stop, getting his attention.

"Daddy, please no! He is the one who saved me!" She shouted through tears.

Her father calmed down and suddenly fell to his knees in front of Lucian.

"Please, good sir. Forgive me. However, can I repay you for saving my only daughter!" He said, begging Lucains forgiveness.

Lucian rubbed the back of his head as he waved his hand.

"Really, it is not necessary. Please, anyone would have done the same."

The large blacksmith stood to his feet and took Lucian's hand in his as he shook it firmly.

"At the very least, allow me to give you some fresh clothing and food. It is the least I can do. You look like you have been through a lot."

Lucian nodded his head and gave a small smile.

"That sounds nice." His words hiding the painful truth of what he had actually been through.

The blacksmith welcomed him into his home and took him right to the bathhouse.

"Please feel free to wash and get clean, my friend. I will have my wife prepare some food and fresh clothing for you. It is the least I can do for saving my daughter." The large man said, treating Lucian like royalty.

Lucian had to admit it was the nicest he had been treated since arriving in this world. He lowered his large body into the hot water and let its warmth wash over his muscles, soaking in pure relaxation.

He spent a good half an hour as he let his body rest and relax in the hot water, scrubbing the grime and dirt from his hair and body.

He looked at his reflection again in the bucket he was using to rinse himself off, taking in his red eyes and white hair. It was still a surprise every time he saw his it as if he was looking at a stranger.

Once he had finished in the bath and dried off, he found some fresh clothing that had been left for him on the side. He pulled the white short sleeve tunic over his head. Although a little tight, it fit well. Next, he pulled on a pair of brown pants and a pair of black work boots. They seemed warn, but as luck would have it, a perfect fit.

Lucian felt like a new man and walked out of the small bathhouse back toward the main house. The black smith's house was split into three sections. An outside work area where the forge was. A separate bathhouse like an extension of the main house. Then the main house and the blacksmith's shop where his wears were displayed for sale.

Lucian walked over to the main house, and before he could knock, the door opened.

"Well, look at you! Like a new man!" The blacksmith greeted.

Lucian smiled. "Thank you for your kindness."

"Please, it's the least I could do. Now come inside. We have plenty of food prepared!" He said, pretty much pushing Lucian inside.

Once inside, Lucian was greeted by Elana and her mother. Her mother was just like an older version of Elana and a real beauty.

"Welcome sir, it is a pleaser to meet you. I can't thank you enough for saving our little Elana." The woman said as she pulled a chair out for Lucian to sit down.

He took his seat.

"The pleasure is all mine. I mean, I couldn't just leave her to those goblins." He said.

Lucian noticed their faces when he mentioned the goblins, and the three of them sat down with a grim expression.

The blacksmith finally spoke after a moment of heavy silence.

"Well, you see, Lucian. Not long ago, a small band of goblins moved into the forest near town. Ever since, they have been attacking the village, stealing livestock and our girls..."

Lucian had to admit it sounded just like a story from the game. But he already knew that this was no game.

"Our village is only small, and we don't have many that can fight. I would, but I." He was cut off by his wife, who slammed her cup on the table.

"Enough of this. Your fighting days are over, Eric. You know you are in no shape to stop those monsters." She said, clearly upset.

The blacksmith sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"I know, dear..." He said as he looked at Lucian.

"The truth is, is that we are helpless to stop them alone. We even put an ad together for the adventures guild, but so far, no one has come."

Lucian felt terrible for them. He could tell how helpless they felt, and he knew the feeling all too well.

"Anyway, Lucian." The blacksmith's wife said, changing the subject.

"Why don't you tell us a little about yourself? You looked worse for wear when you got to us. Elana tells me you killed three goblins by yourself. Are you some sort of adventurer?"

Lucian rubbed the back of his head, giving an edgy look.

"Well, you see." He started.

"That's enough, Helen. Clearly, the lad doesn't want to talk about it. Let's eat and be thankful he was there when he was."

They all nodded and raised their cups.

"To Lucian. Who without my daughter would not be with us this day." The blacksmith said, getting cheers from his wife and daughter.

After some well-needed food and drink, Lucian was shown to the guest room to stay for the night.

Although once the blacksmith and his wife had found out, he had no money, they said he could stay as long as he liked, as long as he helped around the house and forge to earn his keep.

Lucian was glad to see that this world had some kindness to offer rather than just pain and sorrow. Lucian led on the straw mattress with his hands behind his head as he let his mind run wild.

It was dark outside now, and the only score of light was the small candle that glimmered in his room. Not that it mattered with his enhanced vision.

He knew he was overtired, and his mind was still racing with everything that had happened so far. The memory of his friends never drifting far from his thoughts.

"AAARRGGHHHH!!!!"

The scream suddenly broke Lucian out of his daydream and snapped him up into a ready and alert stance.

"What in the hell? He said as he ran over to the wooden window and pushed it opened to see what was going on.

"Fire!" He shouted as he took in the blaze coming from not far away.