Meanwhile, Jusis started running to escape, tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry, father..." He looked back and saw only hellfire and destruction. He kept running and running until he finally reached the group of fleeing villagers.
"Where's the Chief?" a villager asked Jusis.
Jusis could only cry again. "I'm sorry..."
The villagers were downcast, but one of them tapped Jusis on the shoulder. "Let's go and ask for reinforcements."
Jusis nodded, and they began their desperate flight. Through the dark forest night, illuminated only by the occasional flicker of torches and the pale glow of the moon, they ran as fast as they could, hearts pounding with panic and fear.
The villagers looked haggard and terrified, their faces pale and streaked with dirt and tears. Mothers clutched their children tightly, trying to soothe their cries. Elderly villagers, with years of wisdom etched into their faces, struggled to keep pace, leaning heavily on walking sticks. Young men and women, some armed with makeshift weapons, kept a vigilant watch, their eyes darting to every shadow, every rustle in the trees.
The air was thick with the sounds of hurried footsteps, labored breathing, and the occasional sob. The forest seemed to close in around them, the trees whispering ominously in the wind. The flickering torchlight cast eerie, dancing shadows, making the fleeing villagers appear as ghostly apparitions in the night.
As they ran, the villagers noticed a humanlike figure ahead. With only the faint moonlight, they could barely make out its shape. Hope surged through them, thinking it might be reinforcements from Manilia. Spurred on by this hope, they quickened their pace, waving frantically.
But what awaited them was not help, but a nightmare—a monster lurking with bloodlust. As they drew closer, the light from their torches revealed the creature's identity.
The creature was not as tall as a human. It was green with long, pointed ears. Its fangs protruded, drool dripping from its mouth as it wore a creepy, malevolent smile.
Seeing it, the villagers stopped dead in their tracks, petrified. But the horror didn't end there—they realized they were fully surrounded by these creatures.
"AAAAAA!!! Goblins!!" a villager cried out in terror.
In an instant, the goblins leaped forward, and chaos erupted. The villagers in the front were immediately overrun. It happened so quickly that the villagers could only stand in horror as the nightmare unfolded.
A goblin cleaved one villager's head in half, blood and brains splattering. Another struck a villager in the abdomen, its claws tearing through flesh and spilling intestines and organs onto the ground. The villager's scream was abruptly cut off as a goblin sank its teeth into his throat, ripping out chunks of flesh and sinew.
. They came from all directions, attacking every villager. It is pure, bloody chaos. No one is safe. The elderly and children screamed in agony, their cries mingling with the sinister cackles of the goblins.
One goblin grabbed an elderly woman, its claws digging into her flesh as it dragged her to the ground. Her frail body was no match for the creature's savage strength. It tore into her, ripping chunks of flesh and muscle from her bones, its maw dripping with blood.
A child, no more than five years old, was yanked from his mother's grasp by a particularly vicious goblin. The mother screamed, reaching out for her child, but it was too late. The goblin bit down on the child's arm, snapping bone and tearing flesh. The child's screams echoed in the night, mingling with the cries of the dying and the roar of the flames.
In the midst of the chaos, a young man tried to fight back, wielding a makeshift club. He swung it wildly, managing to knock one goblin aside, but another leaped onto his back, clawing and biting. He fell to the ground, the goblins swarming over him, tearing him apart piece by piece.
A woman, cradling her infant, tried to shield her baby from the onslaught. A goblin lunged at her, its claws raking across her face. She fell to the ground, her grip on her child loosening as she was overwhelmed by the savage creature. The infant wailed, its cries soon silenced as the goblins descended upon it.
Jusis stood there, shaking, paralyzed with fear as he watched the massacre. He was frozen, unable to move or fight. One of the villagers, being devoured alive, managed to shout, "Everyone! Run! Run for Manilia!"
Jusis saw the unbearable pain in the man's eyes but still couldn't bring himself to fight. He held his sword but couldn't move. The man looked at Jusis and, with his dying breath, urged, "JUST... ru... n..."
The surviving villagers tried to flee the chaos, but the screams and sounds of tearing flesh echoed in Jusis's mind. He stumbled, his legs barely able to carry him as he joined the desperate flight towards Manilia
But suddenly, a goblin pounced on Jusis's back, pinning him to the ground.
Thud! His body slammed into the dirt. He flipped over, his eyes widening in terror as he stared up at the creature. He was paralyzed, unable to move.
"Is… is this my end?" he thought, his mind racing. The cries of the villagers filled his ears. "I was supposed to protect them… I was entrusted to protect them... and yet here I am, lower than pathetic, unable to do anything, unable to fight or even move."
"I'm such a failure. My father entrusted me to protect them! He fought for them, but why can't I do the same? I'm so scared. I'm the worst." Jusis's trembling hands reached for his sword, but it lay just out of reach. He dropped his hand, despair washing over him. "There's nothing I can do now. I don't deserve to live after this. My father would never forgive me. I should've done something."
Through the moonlight, he saw the silhouette of the goblin, its sinister smile and bloodlust illuminated in the pale glow. Jusis felt tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry, Father. I'm scared… somebody…"
In his last moment, before the goblin struck him with its club, Jusis cried out in desperation, "HELP ME!!!"
Then, at that moment, a sudden, deafening sound pierced through the already chaotic forest, cutting through the screams and cries. It was like thunder, but sharper and more intense, a cracking roar that echoed off the trees and reverberated through the air.
In an instant, the goblin pinning Jusis froze mid-movement. Greenish blood oozed from its forehead, and it collapsed beside him.
Jusis couldn't believe what had happened. For a moment, he had seen a bright flash, now gone as quickly as it appeared. He turned to look in the direction it came from and, in the dim light, saw a figure kneeling on the horizon.
The figure produced another flash of light, then another, in rapid succession. Jusis didn't know if it was some kind of illumination magic, but it was enough to gain the attention of the other surviving villagers. He couldn't tell if the figure was friend or foe, human or another devil creature.
His worries were immediately eased when he heard a shout. "HERE! HURRY!" It was the voice of a man. Jusis summoned his strength and stood up. "Everyone! Let's run!" As he shouted, another loud bang echoed through the forest, and another goblin pinning a villager fell to the ground.
"It must be a mage from another village!" Jusis thought. The villagers, despite their fear, started to run toward the man, desperate for safety. Jusis was also scared, but every time he heard that whizzing sound, another goblin fell.
One by one, shot after shot, the goblins were eliminated. The villagers reached their savior, many collapsing near the man out of exhaustion and adrenaline. Jusis, panting heavily, found himself at the front, on his knees.
Jusis raised his head to see their rescuer, a man who seemed to be in his twenties. The man had a scar running across one eye, his expression stern and perplexed. To Jusis, the man's attire was beyond strange—unlike anything he had ever seen. His clothing was dark and fitted, made of a material that seemed both sturdy and flexible. The outfit was a greenish color, blending seamlessly with the shadows of the forest. There were no visible pieces of armor except for its helmet with something attached to it. Nothing resembling the attire of mages or warriors he knew. The man carried various pouches and strange items attached to his belt, and across his chest hung a device
The man spoke with concise urgency. "Where are you from and what happened?" he asked.
Jusis, though his voice was shaky, managed to explain their dire situation and pleaded for help for the remaining survivors in their town. The mysterious man listened intently, then handed Jusis an out-of-this-world item.
Jusis examined the strange object, unlike any weapon he had ever seen. It was made of a material he couldn't identify, dark and cold to the touch. It had a sleek, angular design that had a perfect grip on his hand. It has a rectangular top and his finger can pull a trigger, just like a crossbow.
The man demonstrated how to use it, showing Jusis how to aim and pull the trigger. The weapon was terrifyingly powerful, capable of unleashing a force akin to thunder magic. It worked like a crossbow but without visible bowstrings or arrows. Even more astonishing, it didn't need to be reloaded after each shot.
"Use this to protect the villagers," the man instructed.
Jusis nodded, the weight of the responsibility settling on his shoulders. He had failed to protect his people once, but now, with this mystical weapon, he had another chance. As the man departed towards the village Jusis stood, gripping the Glock 18 tightly. Before they departed, he promised to that man that he would return his 'magical crossbow' to him on Manilia.
Would he finally be able to protect the villagers with this unknown, powerful weapon?