Prepare for Battle

~CLaaAanNgG!~

There was someone approaching their territory, a kilometer away!

If it was the Hobgoblins, they were too early! There were still more traps to be set up. Rain had thought they still had a few more days because the Hobgoblins were still feasting over the wolves.

Why were they so early?!

Rain took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

Calm down. It might not be the Hobgoblins and just some random Raklings or wolves passing by.

"Everyone, ready your positions!" Rain instructed, his voice steady despite the panic bubbling beneath the surface. The others quickly abandoned their tasks, grabbing their weapons and bolting to their stations, following the routines they had practiced.

"Chi, go and check if it's the Hobgoblins!" Rain's voice was slightly shaking, betraying the calmness of his expression.

Chi nodded and quickly bolted to the part where the bell had rung. It was the northern side where the Hobgoblins were located, and a feeling of dread filled Rain's stomach, making it hard to breathe for a moment.

Relax. Relax. You have thought of this scenario a thousand times in your head. He tried to calm his nerves, but his hands still trembled.

He was only seventeen years old, and the only reckless thing he had ever done was to watch porn while on the bus!

This isn't the time to be panicking, damn it! Rain slapped his cheeks to regain his focus.

"E-everyone, remain calm and just do everything that we have practiced," Rain stuttered, his nerves betraying him.

In contrast to what he had expected, his troops' faces were calm, while his own felt constipated with fear.

"D-don't worry, everyone. Just trust in yourselves. The Hobgoblins might have the numbers, but we have the terrain advantage!"

The others yelled in enthusiasm, their eyes blazing with bloodlust as if they couldn't wait to fight. Even the pup seemed braver than Rain, taking up a defensive stance with its fur standing on edge and canines bared. #4 stood menacingly by the statue, blowdart at the ready.

Rain didn't know what to feel at the moment, especially when Chi returned carrying an injured creature in her arms.

~Chi!~

Rain exhaled the breath he had been holding. "Oh. It's not a Hobgoblin but a . . ."

Rain tilted his head, trying to describe the creature in Chi's hands. It was definitely female, but her appearance was strange. It was the first time Rain had seen something like her.

With a gaunt face, charcoal skin like dried bark, and coarse crimson petals all around her, she was a sight, a strange sight to his eyes. She was a humanoid that was for sure. 

"What kind of creature is she?" Rain hadn't tapped into the Racial Library yet since he prioritized their shelter at the moment.

~Chi!~

"A Hanamori?" The word felt strange on Rain's lips. This was the first time he had encountered another race in the Spirit Realm.

"Whoa. Anything can be an inhabitant in here. Even a bark of a tree," Rain thought aloud. No offense, but the girl seemed like a piece of dry bark with vibrant pink flowers around her.

"Oh right. Is she okay?" Rain asked, concern edging his voice.

Chi nodded.

"Good job on healing her injuries, Chi," Rain said. "Let's put her there first."

~Chi!~

Rain was just glad that it wasn't the Hobgoblins who triggered the alarm but this strange woman.

Everyone huddled around the woman, looking at her curiously. Within seconds, the woman's eyes fluttered open, and she shot to a sitting position, screaming.

"Help me! Help! Help!"

"Hey. Calm down. You're safe now," Rain said, trying to soothe the hysterical woman. Her voice seemed youthful, so he deduced that she was still young. It was hard to guess because of her dry, bark-like skin. Still, the races in the Spirit Realm could go about for more than a hundred years, so age was always a mystery here.

"I . . ." The woman looked confused for a moment and then shifted her eyes around. "I'm . . . safe?"

Rain admired her big, pink, diamond-like eyes and beamed to make her feel at ease. "That's right. I'm Rain, and this is Chi, Chin, Chill, Chick, #4, and pup. We found you near our shelter and brought you here."

The woman closed her eyes tightly, clutching her head like she was in pain. "My name is . . . Hana."

"Are you okay? Are you in pain?"

"No. No . . ." Hana shook her head, her voice breaking.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Hana choked and then explained, "We . . . we came from the port town down south. We were on an expedition to explore the northern part of the wasteland when . . ."

Hana's body shivered, and her eyes widened with horror. "We encountered a Hobgoblins' lair. They killed the others . . . I barely escaped."

"Wait . . . you came from the port town?" Rain's excitement at this revelation was short-lived as he processed the rest of her story, his expression turning grave. "You've encountered the Hobgoblins' lair . . ."

Hana washed her hands over her face, trembling. "I got lucky and got away, but . . . those Hobgoblins."

Chi's face darkened as she pointed at Hana, chirping angrily.

"Enough, Chi. It's not her fault," Rain said seriously. "It was luck that she managed to stumble upon us. If not, she might have died out there with her injuries."

~Chi!~

"It's fine. Sooner or later, they would find our shelter anyway." Rain was oddly calm now that he was sure the Hobgoblins were coming this way because of Hana's trail.

"I'm sorry . . ." Hana said weakly, gasping for air. "It wasn't my intention to lead them here. I never thought anyone was living in these parts of the region."

Rain forced a smile. "It's not your fault. Rest first." That was all he could say before Hana weakly lay down on the makeshift blanket and fell asleep.

Rain rose to his feet and seriously addressed the others. "Everyone . . . prepare for battle!"