- Strategy

"Come on, move it." Said Juz the goblin, dragging the prisoner along with himself as they made their way through the vast forest. It has been days since the incident, yet the image is still there, buried deep into the memory as if lice onto the hair.

Human deities. He thought, convinced what he saw was real, wicked tales reincarnated.

The human prisoner looked towards his capture. Juz was his name, a small goblin under the command of that horror.

"Can I have water?" The man asked, blisters on the sole of his feet, his legs wobble as the rope on his hands scraped his skin away.

They must have walked hundreds of miles at this point, he thought. Only on occasions stopping for essentials like food, water and sleep. With every moment passing, he implored for another soul to be met on the path, a traveller perhaps or an adventurer, still it seems his human gods turned their heads in renounce.

"Shut it."

"Please, I can't stand this heat." He begged as he looked up to the sky, his eyes squinting in response to the bright sun. Leaves from the branches providing some shadow, though not as much as he had hoped for.

"..."

"I am about to pass out."

"Weak humans..." Juz muttered under his breath before coming to a stop on a dry pile of mud. He turned around and looked towards the man, the height difference forcing him to look up at his face.

"Fine, we can rest here for a couple of minutes."

Upon hearing those words the man plopped himself onto the ground, slowly crawling under a nearby tree, shielding himself from the scorching sun, his hands still tied in a tight knot.

He looked at Juz that sat opposite under a different tree, the rope spanning across the path.

If it wasn't for these ropes and the fact I haven't eaten in three days, I would have already escaped. He thought.

A half-truth he told himself.

He is indeed weak, slightly malnourished even. Fear, however, is a mental barrier that is far greater than a physical one. Fear of that monster. The one they call Lord Ulbert.

He tried to chuckle, too weak, giving up hope on making it out alive, and his mind drifted off into sleep.

.

.

.

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Anna woke up in the soft sheets of the Inn's bed.

The dazzling sun spilt its rays into the room through the open windowpanes, and the sounds of the busy city blended and mixed with the wonderful chirping of the local birds.

She almost forgot who she was, her face buried in the delicate pillow covered in the pleasant scent. With her body still under the covers, she stretched her legs and arms and with a loud yawn, her eyes opened to the empty wooden ceiling.

What a wonderful morning, she thought with a smile.

"..."

It came as if lightning through her. Where she was, who she is and what happened in the past few days.

She quickly raised herself. The bedsheets covering the top half of her bare body fell onto her lap as she looked around the room with speed and haste.

Barely, Anna noticed the monstrous figure unconcernedly and wordlessly sitting on a chair in the shadowy corner of the room, a small book in its razer sharp yet surprisingly delicate claws.

Ulbert flipped a page of the book, a simple motion, but even still, Anna's heart hammered as if it wanted to escape the confinements of her rib cage.

Uneasy, she slowly pulled her covers over her bare chest, her gaze not moving an inch away from Ulbert.

The book slammed shut, and his yellow eyes pierced through the darkness right at her. Her body shivered ever so slightly while her hand gripped the duvet in a tight fist.

She wasn't afraid, or that is what she thinks.

She knows that he will not lay a claw on her, that he possesses no danger to her well-being, her body, however, feels the diabolical and horrifying aura that engulfs him.

"Good morning my dear," Ulber spoke with a surprisingly soft growl, his cutting teeth revealing themselves from the shadows.

"M-Morning Lord Ulber," Anna replied with a gulp.

Ulber stood up from the creaking chair. A chair that is obviously too small for him yet somehow still intact.

His hooves pressed against the wooden floorboards and his body revealed itself from the darkness, a tall monstrous figure that in a blink of an eye took a human form.

Although I prefer my original appearance, it seems Anna is still not used to it. Thought Ulbert as he looked at his new human clothes.

"How was your sleep? Comfortable, I hope." Ulbert smiled as he looked at Anna, Andras's charming features making her feel at ease.

Anna looked into her lord's eyes. Although it was the appearance of someone else, someone she knew who no longer lives, she could see Ulbert beneath all of the masquerades.

Perhaps that is just her imagination, perhaps not.

"It was Lord Ulbert," She said as she pulled up her covers even more.

"Good, I am glad," He replied, a moment later approaching the open window and looking out to the city of E-Rantel.

"We are going to start accepting requests from the Adventurer's guild Anna, it will be easier for us to fit in if we reach E or even a D class." Said Ulbert as Anna began putting on her clothes.

"But aren't we searching for that woman Lord Ulbert?"

"While you were resting I have dispatched a few of my trusted summons to search for her, I will know once we have found her."

I need to learn more about this world, and although I would prefer not to be part of this mindless lice, I see it as the only safe way to do so.

"Meanwhile, we shall stay among these humans."

Anna, all dressed up now, walked and stood next to Ulbert.

"If that is what my lord desires I shall follow."

Ulbert replied with a simple smile.

"Good."