Sir George:
AHHHHH!
A gut-wrenching shriek pierces the night air. I looked around, trying to pinpoint the location of the scream. The smoke from the fires was making it hard to see much. (Where am I? Who am I?) I thought as I examined my body. I was in my paladin's armor. I had worn the silver armor for years. So, I recognized it instantly. I was stupified. The last thing I remember was going to sleep as a nine-year-old girl. Now I was back in my old body.
"Sir Goerge, over here the demon general is over." A soldier shouted, getting my attention. The man wore the blue and gold armor of the Lorain Empire. After hearing the soldier's words, I quickly ran to action. I tried to stop myself but had no success. (That's right, I'm Sir Goerge, the puppet.) I thought as my body moved on its own.
I ran after the soldier weaving through the small village. As I moved, I saw soldiers of the Lora empire slaughter goblins. Mostly civilians. I watched helplessly as a goblin mother fought a group of soldiers—baby, in hand. The body of a goblin male lay face down on the ground, dead. The men surrounded her with all smiles; it didn't take a genius to figure out what they had in mind. I quickly turned from the scene. I couldn't bear to watch.
"Sir Paladin we found the shaman up ahead. She is sorrounded and heavly wounded. I captain is waiting for you before we close in on the foul creature." The soldier said, stopping at the center of the village. The place was a sea of blue and gold. Luckily I didn't have to push my way through the crowd. Once the men saw my silver armor, they parted ways. They all stared in awe as I made my way to the center of the opening.
I was greeted by the captain of this group of mercenaries. They were not the trained soldiers, although they wore the colors of the Empire. The king and other nobles had hired them. Their only real job in this invasion was clean-up. I was only there to find a runaway general.
"Sir, paladin. I was told you would be coming. We have cornered to the enemy in that hut over there." The captain said, pointing at the straw hut. It was larger than the others in the village but not by very much. In front of the home stood an old goblin in a brown robe. I could feel faint traces of mana coming from him, meaning the old demon was a mage. It would explain why the soldiers haven't rushed in yet—Unfotuently for the village leader. The minuscule amount of mana he had wouldn't be enough to stop me. (He must be the leader of this village.) I thought, already drawing my blade. I had a mission to kill the deserting demon leader. I was also instructed not to let anyone stop me.
"Please my lord paladin stop this mindless slaughter! My people have surrender." The village elder pleaded. My heart went out for the man. I, too, thought that destroying this whole village was over the top. That said, my body cares nothing about these people.
"Wait!" The older man screamed as I charged him—I commended the man. Even as I charged, he showed no signs of attack. Too bad I had no plans to stop my attack.
"Ice Wall!" I heard a feminine voice shout. Before I could reach my target, a crescent shape wall of ice sprouted from around the man. I had to channel more mana into my sword to stop an ice spike from running me through.
Crack!
The ice wall turned into tiny pieces under my long sword. The old goblin had vanished. I quickly trace the flow of mana, spotting my target. It was a goblin woman. She had the village leader in her arms. She had saved the man. (The general, I presume?) I thought as I examined the newcomer. She wore tattered clothes, and her long brown hair was a mess. I could see the gauze used to wrap her injuries through the holes in her garments.
"I am Soba, the goblin general. I'm the one you want! So, leave these people out of it." Soba announced, putting the village leader down. (Why does she have to look like a cute kid.) I thought. I knew Soba was probably much older than I was, but her short stature made her look younger than she was. Despite her childlike appearance, my body was still on high alert, looking for an opening.
"Please, mister, stop this." The elder cried as he fell to his knees. Tears stream down his face as he begs for his people's life. I wanted to run. I wanted to kill all the mercenaries and save these goblins. But instead, I just stood there waiting for Soba to make her next move.
"Save your breath elder. These silver beast care nothing for life." Soba said, pointing at me.
"Leave these people be. It Is me your after right silver one?" She then darted for the woods a few feet away from her. The men all shouted at the goblin, but none dared give chase. Soba was bright for running. If we stayed there, the older man would probably die. Although the soldiers were probably still going to kill him even if we did catch her. I readied my feet before pushing off the ground jumping after the female goblin.
"FireBall!" Soba shouted, sending watermelon-sized balls of fire my way. I dodged countless spheres of fire with ease. (She can use fire magic as well.) I thought as I continued my charge.
Boom Boom boom
The fireballs explode upon making contact with the ground. The force of the explosion made it hard to move. (So, your goal is to slow me down.) Realization struck me after I dodged yet another ball of fire. My body sped up with the use of more mana, and in seconds I was in front of her. To my surprise, the little goblin summoned a fireball directly between us. Instead of launching the sphere, she channeled more mana into it, causing it to grow.
Boom!
My long sword sliced the raging flames causing an ear ringing explosion. The force blew both me and the goblin apart from each other. I landed on my feet, ready to charge again. Smoke clouded my vision. So, I couldn't see where Soba was. I focus my energy on my eye, allowing me to see traces of mana. I was surprised to see the goblin up and running so soon. I set off in pursuit, only to be hit by another shock. The moment I cleared the smoke, another fire spell surrounded me. Hundreds of tine fire arrows pointed at me.
Boom boom boom boom
Arrows rained down, causing tiny explosions around me. There were far too many to dodge, so I had to swat some away with my blade. Still, my mana-infused armor took the brunt of the attack. I emerged from the rain of fire, bruised but still in good condition. I looked to see where my opponent was, only to notice that the little Soba had stopped. Before I could capitalize on my opposition, sudden pause, however, ice shot up from the ground around me. She was trapping me in place. The ice was now covering my body block Soba from view.
I had forgotten she was a dual-element mage. It was rare for a goblin to get one element. So, the fact that Soba welded two was a rare find indeed. ( No wonder she is a demon general.) I thought as I summoned mana, preparing to break out of my ice prison.
Squish!
Before I could escape, a frost spear broke the ice I was in. The spear pierced me straight through the gut. Blood poured out of my mouth and abdomen. The Ice around me started to fall, and I could see the face of the smiling Soba. I fell to my knees, holding the spear in my stomach.
"I did it! I actually did it. You silver ones are a tough bunch to kill. Whew!"
Soba exclaimed as she jumped for joy. I looked at the little goblin. Her joyous grin made my heart start to ache. (I'm so sorry!") I thought.
Crack!
I broke the ice spear and charged, becoming a blur. When I reappeared, I was behind Soba. My wound had healed almost instantly the minute I broke the spear. That didn't mean I didn't feel pain. Well, my mind felt the pain of being skewered like a meat stick. My body just ignored it and kept moving. The demon general had let her guard down after stabbing me.
Thunk.
A second after appearing behind the smiling Soba, her head left her body falling to the ground. The goblin died so fast that her hopeful smile remained on her face, even after death. I stared at the head for a long time. I didn't want to kill the woman or anyone for that matter. (Even with all my strength, I'm still powerless against the slave mark.) I thought, touching my shoulder where the brand was located.
The adrenaline from the battle had faded, and I focused more on my surrounding. The smell of smoke hit my nose as the screams from the burning village became more clearer. The wailing of dying goblins drowned out the sounds of the forest. I just stood there staring at the moon. Soba was my first kill since reaching demon lands. The invasion had only just begun. I would be heading back to the main army for even more bloodshed. I could already feel the pull of the slave mark. It Demanding to move to the next mission. After fighting the urge to move for only a second. The Slave brand overpowered me, and I was off again.
I grabbed Soba's head as proof of a complete mission and headed towards the village. The screaming had died down by now. Meaning there were probably no more goblins alive. Soba had run quite far away from the town in her escape attempt. So, it took me a minute to walk back.
"Princess! Princess!" I heard a deep voice scream behind me. I turned, already drawing my sword—Ready for a possible attack. I doubted any of the Empire's soldiers was behind me. So, that meant it must be a demon. I was ready for battle but found no opponent behind me. (I heard a voice clear as day.) I thought, searching the area. It was strange.
"Princess! Princess, wake Up!" The voice screamed again. The voice sounded like it was in front of me. I swung my blade striking nothing but air. Then the person spoke again and again. I could swear the speaker was close, but I couldn't see a thing—only grass and trees. I didn't know what trickery was going on. So, I just swung my blade every time I heard the voice. Hitting nothing but the air. I must have looked like a crazy person, swinging my sword at an invisible target.
"Princess Gora!" The voice shouted once more, stopping me in my tracks. ( That's right, I'm Gora now.) The thought hurt my head. I dopped my blade and grabbed my cranium. It felt like my skull was being pulled apart.
"This isnt ..me!" I shouted. I wasn't Sir Goerge, the puppet of the church. I was Gora Hydra, the demon princess! I closed my eyes and shrieked at the top of my lungs. I wanted out of this nightmare! In the struggle, I felt something touch my shoulder. I backpedaled out of instinct opening my eyes to see what touched me.
Soba: Is a goblin general in Gora's old world.