The young girl hid beneath the floorboards, scared and alone. The monsters had come at night, horrible vile things. Must've been planning the attack for weeks.

Her father heard a sound outside, one of the chickens being attacked. He'd gone into the dark carrying a lantern to investigate.

He didn't return.

The girl watched her mother desperately throwing furniture at the door in a futile attempt to barricade. Tiny goblin hands reached through the cracks, and the thumping of a bugbear could be heard against the walls. Distantly she heard the yelling of a troll, somewhere else in the tiny village. She assumed that was their leader, probably off somewhere slaughtering a neighbor, who knew.

Finally the barricade gave way, the girl pulled the floorboard over herself and hid as she heard the sounds of her mother's screams. Blood dripped through a tiny crack in the floor, and the screams died away.

"A.. su.. na…" she heard her voice whisper, and then silence.

Then dragging. The body was taken away.

The troll in the distance rumbled again, and let out a yell. The goblins and bugbears perked up, and Asuna heard them shambling about. A few moments later they began to hoop and holler, they were fighting someone.

A crash came from above and she felt a light thump as the body of a goblin burst through the wall.

Soon their cries diminished one by one, until none remained.

Footsteps.

"Is anybody alive? I'm here to help!"

Asuna cautiously peaked through the floorboard. There was a man, old wrinkled and hunched over.

Did he do this? This frail old man?

"Oh, a kid." The man shook his head. "Close your eyes kiddo, you don't want to see this." He said in a whistly voice.

She pushed up the board and closed her eyes. The man picked her up and hoisted her to his back, "I'll get you to the village square, it's over now and the grownups will keep you safe."

She kept her eyes shut and clung to him, her face pressed softly to his back. She opened her eyes just a peak, and saw a red salamander adorning his clothes. She shut her eyes again and rested as they made their way through the tall grass to the village.

Back - Next

Index