Red Monster

Chapter 86: Captured

*** Darla ***

Darla was anxious because of what Red reminded her of this morning. She was told to stay as late as possible in the main kitchen. She understood why he asked so because this place was always crowded with goblins and hobgoblins.

At some point, the goblin recognized her capability to make better food. They were less frivolous toward her; no one tried to touch her. She understood that the majority of it might be Red’s influence, but she believed her cooking was part of the reason.

But that was limited to the goblin that stayed in the village after the attack. The group that always followed the Chief was different. She was afraid that Red had warned about the group that had just returned.

She could see hobgoblins that stayed in the main kitchen from morning to evening. Some left and then returned later, and she kept taking notes on each of them.

Her mind was filled with fear, and she was paranoid. She kept observing the goblins and hobgoblins, even though she could not really differentiate them at all.

The sun went down, and the outside was totally dark. The torch was the only source of lighting outside. Her work finished a long time ago, but she remained in the main kitchen, waiting for Red’s return.

It was about time for him to return now, but he was not here to pick her up. He asked her to wait here, thinking he might pick her up. It was getting late, and a wave of hobs and goblins started leaving the kitchen. Time passed, another forty minutes, and Red was nowhere to be seen.

Another thing she was concerned about was the fact that she hadn’t cooked anything for Red. He was away fighting the kobolds. That was the only thing she knew about what he was doing outside. She didn’t know the details of the battle, whether the goblin was losing or winning.

Her finger started tapping the counter in the kitchen, biting her lower lip. She was getting more anxious. She was already worried that the hobs might jump on her. Now she was worried that something had happened to Red. This might not be the first time he returned this late. But she was still worried.

Red was like her guardian in this goblin village. She didn’t dare to imagine what would happen to her if Red were gone. On top of that, she started to grow a feeling toward Red. If the people in her old village heard him, they might think she was insane, crazy.

However, Red was quite adorably naive, different from other monsters. Red had a feeling, and he cared for her. He didn’t jump at her like the other goblins. He gave her cores, more importantly, skills. The other goblins would not give her such a thing.

Even when they had an intimate moment, he was careful not to hurt her. When she said hurt, he would slow down or even stop. He was considerate of a monster, and she could feel that he cherished her.

That was why she slowly accepted him and put more trust in Red. She always wanted Red to try more and more delicious food.

Darla likes the way she lives now. Even though she was still living among monsters, her situation was much better than it was a few months ago. It was not that bad with Red around her.

’No. He is strong. He will return, and I just need to make delicious food for him when he returns.’

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She stood up, looking over the hall. Most hobs were inside now, and maybe this was the time for her to return when they ate dinner.

’9... 10... 11...’

There were eleven hobgoblins inside, and it might be all the hobs in the village right now were in here. She didn’t immediately leave, pretending to check the pot. Her eyes kept looking toward the hall, trying to see if particular hobs were watching her.

There was nothing suspicious as of now, and that was when she made the decision. She slowly made her way to the back door and left. There were not many torches in the back of the kitchen. The only two torches were right behind her, next to the door.

However, she was familiar with this place more than anyone. She transformed this place into a garden, so she knew the way by the back of her head. She started to walk, making her way back to her home.

Just ten steps out of the kitchen, she heard a rustling movement. It was the sound of twigs and dried leaves getting stepped on. Her head snapped toward the direction. It came from the back of the village, toward the tall wall where the goblins kept the kidnapped human, and the storage for unidentified items, where she found cheese, salt, pepper, and chili.

The wall and the village were separated by an unused area that was filled with unknown trees. There were no torches there, and it was extremely dark. She could not really see anything, could not even see the tree.

Her heart jumped, beating so fast just like war drums. Beads of cold sweat filled her forehead, the back of her neck, and her back. She was about to make a run until something grabbed her from behind.

She was about to scream, but a wide hand covered her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock, filled with fear and uncertainty. She tried to look back, but the grip of her body and her mouth were too strong; she could not even budge. Something bigger than her caught her.

That was when she heard something, the goblin language that sounded like a weird scream to her. That was when she realized that a hobgoblin had caught her. The only thing that was bigger than her was the hobgoblin and Red.

Red hadn’t returned yet; that meant it was a hobgoblin that caught her. She tried to scream, but her voice was muffled. Her hands and feet were kicking out, trying to break free, but it was pointless as the hobgoblin carried her toward the back of the village.

That was when she saw one hobgoblin and five goblins emerge from the dark. They were walking toward her while releasing an ugly cackle, revealing their sharp teeth.

She struggled harder, screaming harder, trying to get the attention of the goblin inside the kitchen. She heard the hobgoblin holding her say something. A goblin rushed over and punched her in the gut. That one punch stopped her struggle.

She choked, spitting out saliva out of her mouth. Tears gathered in her eyes. It hurt so much. She didn’t give up, she struggled again, trying to scream, trying to kick the small, disgusting creature in front of her.

Her struggle earned her another punch on the stomach. Her eyes went all white for a moment, her body went limp for a moment, and her eyes teared up. Then it was followed by another punch. Her head was dizzy, her body weakened as they carried her into the dark area.

Darla ceased struggling, and tears kept flowing from her eyes as she sobbed. Her life just got better; she thought there was hope in this bleak place. Yet the fate was cruel to her.

She already knew what would happen to her, and she had already made up her mind on what she would do if she survived this ordeal.

Then she realized that the hobgoblin carried her outside the village. They went over the fence and went outside the village. That was when she realized that they didn’t just want her body, but they would kill her after.

’I guess that’s for the better... I don’t think I will have the face to meet Red after this...’

Darla gave up, closed her eyes.

The hob walked for a while after leaving the village, around a ten-minute walk. That was quite far from the village. She was convinced that they would kill her after this.

That was when she heard a noise, and didn’t know what it was. It was like the sound of something that moved so fast in the air.

Schk!

Then another noise followed, and warm liquid poured onto her hair, down to her face. At the same time, the hobgoblin fell forward, falling on her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she wanted to see what happened, but the hobgoblin’s body was too heavy.

She finally managed to break free from the weight on her and saw what happened. Thanks to the moonlight that allowed her to see her surroundings.

The second hobgoblin was on the ground, its both knees took a hit. Two goblins were dead with an arrow in the head each, and the three remaining goblins were on the ground with arrows in their legs.

Then she saw a tall figure emerging from the darkness, and her eyes widened in surprise. It was Red; he came to save her.