My hazy mind registered shadows around me. Those things were the ones or rather their laughter woke me.

Four shadows were nearby and all of them had wooden clubs. I was yet again surrounded by purple things… a.k.a. goblins. Not again! My hands trembled and my palms became sweaty. I could taste my mouth, and it was salty.

Well, it’s not like I’ve got a choice. I drew my sword and prepared for battle. Seeing the little purple monsters didn’t scare me anymore (I would like to believe that despite my body quivering). There were only four of them. But a troublesome one was also present, a hobgoblin. It seemed smaller than the last one though.

It was a fatal mistake to take a nap in the middle of their hunting grounds, but I couldn’t help it. Well, I suppose I’m to blame for this. I didn’t have any complaints. I knew this would happen out here sooner or later anyway. Besides, was complaining really going to get me anywhere?

Think calmly Daarc. Don’t do anything rash.

Instead of charging aimlessly, I waited for them to strike. I was injured and outmatched, but I didn’t back down. I knew I won’t be able to outrun them, so I had to stand my ground.

The goblins were confused as though why was being so calm. Maybe they were just used to seeing panicked humans? That’s right, be confused and come at me.

The hobgoblin roared and the little ones all made noises before running towards me. Just what I wanted.

Before the goblins could strike though, some arrows came flying from the opposite direction and wounded one goblin instantly. I was glad beyond reason. Last time I was on the verge of death when this happened, but this time someone really wanted to save me.

Now’s my chance! Meanwhile, I took the chance and sliced the goblins in front of me, who got distracted by the arrows. A slash to the throat, to the chest, and finally a total chest pierce! I immediately recovered my blade and prepare for the real deal: the hobgoblin. Three goblins fell on the ground, forever immobile.

With all the small ones dead, the hobgoblin went mad, swinging its club recklessly. Instead of attacking me, it looked for the bowman and immediately went towards him. Perhaps these monsters had at least some intelligence. Enough to determine that I was less of a threat.

The marksman was at a distance and on top of a meager hill. I didn’t waste time and went after it. The big one was fast and I was wounded. But I couldn’t just let my benefactor face needless trouble and so I pushed myself. I caught up to the hobgoblin, just barely.

Before the goblin could pull anything I thrust my sword inside its chest through the heart. Chivalry was not my strong suit, so backstabbing didn’t ruin my honor. Did I have honor, to begin with?

The goblin didn’t die. It roared and turned around to face me. Just how much tenacity did these damn things have? I was about to be minced again or so I thought. But before it could, a single arrow pierced through its eye socket and it fell. Oh! A headshot! That was my honest reaction- at least before it fell on top of me.

I groaned. I was already out of breath, but this hurt more than I thought. It really stung too.

Instantly the goblin died gushing bright pink blood all over: me that is. The bowman in front of me was tall and slender. However, he was not a he, and definitely not human. It was a woman.

“For a human, you are quite gifted and skilled,” said the person in front. I couldn’t see her face as it was covered by a tight garment which was beneath her clothes that covered her entire body. In fact I couldn’t see much at all, as my eyes were dipped with the damn thing’s blood.

She pulled the damn thing off me. She was strong. “Oh sorry about that. Here’s some water, wash your eyes thoroughly or they might get cursed.”

“Ri-right…!” I didn’t need to be told twice. Well that’s basic infection prevention theory anyway… Even so this world had some scary curses. I certainly didn’t want to risk it. I rubbed water on my wounds and eyes like crazy. I had better things to do besides getting infected. “You’re not too bad yourself. Thank you for the help,” I said. I was just being honest.

Perhaps my words offended her. She looked a little shocked. Did she expect me to kiss her boots or sing praises without stopping? She took a step back. “You can understand me! I wasn’t expecting you to reply. It’s been several moons since I last heard a human talk in my language,” She exclaimed.

Don’t act so surprised! You’re the one who started to talk! It wasn’t that surprising. If I could understand a statue, then understanding living beings shouldn’t have been surprising. I didn’t take pride in it though, since I didn’t earn this gift. “Yes, I can understand you. I am Daarc. Nice to, meet you.” Nothing stopped me from introducing myself. After all, she was my savior.

“I am Lianne. It is a pleasure to meet you. As you can see I am an elf.” Well, I could tell she wasn’t human, due to her towering over me and white skin, but I didn’t conclude her to be an elf. Why? Cause I never met any elves, duh!

Although I couldn’t see her face, she was quite beautiful and even a guy like me could tell. Half of her face was covered but I could see the outline.

The woman in front of me, was an elf- although self-proclaimed. She was well mannered. I wasn’t expecting her ears to be so short, however; they were definitely larger than mine. Weren’t elven ears supposed to be larger? Perhaps large ears were only seen in fairytales. I still didn’t know much about my own world, let alone the stuff from another.

Her emerald pink eyes stared at me. I could only imagine her face to be quite beautiful, but she didn’t permit me to gaze upon her face, and it was covered all the way. I wasn’t going to beg her to see her face either. I wasn’t some kind of pervert after all.. But one thing was for certain, I had to thank her for saving me.