Under the Twin Moons: A New Beginning      

Rain looked over at the twin moons and basked in their light, closing his eyes for a moment to catch his breath. He should have felt elated that they had won, but for some reason, he was more worried than relieved.

They were only Hobgoblins, yet they had managed to destroy their shelter. Without Chi, he knew they might have lost this fight.

The thought gnawed at Rain.

What if stronger enemies came next?

What then?

They were lucky that they had prepared somehow and no one had gotten killed. But what about the future?

Rain couldn't rely on traps forever. He needed something more stable — something concrete like a security of a house, a village or a town.

The group regrouped, tending to their wounds and preparing for whatever came next.

~Chi!~

Rain was rattled out of his trance and looked over at Chi, then at the giant.

"Oh right . . . we still have that to take care of. I wonder why it doesn't move anymore? Do you think its dead already?"

~Chi!~

"Oh, you mean the Shaman was controlling it?" Rain crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, studying the giant. "Can you remove its armor, Chi?"

Chi chirped eagerly. 'Leave it to me!'

Without another word, Chi drew her arrow and let it loose.

"Ah!" Rain was surprised, and before he could form words, the arrow was already flying towards the giant's head.

He had meant to remove the helmet, not kill it! Rain lamented.

Contrary to Rain's expectations, the arrow didn't pierce beyond the helmet; the force was just enough to crack it, and it broke into pieces, revealing the face of the giant within.

"Oh!" Rain's eyes widened.

The giant had a bald head, dark grey skin with white claw markings on its cheeks, and dark sclera around all-white pupils. It had no irises and almost appeared human if not for those features and its immense size.

The giant turned out to be a Goliath!

Right now, it seemed to be unconscious with its eyes open.

"Do you think he's okay?" Rain asked.

Chi frowned and chirp strongly.

"Kill it?" Rain pressed his lips tight. "I know what you mean; it might be dangerous to keep it alive, but . . ."

Rain scratched his head. Killing an opponent while it was unconscious just felt . . . wrong.

Rain was thinking of just tying it up and hear what it had to say when it woke up. Maybe it was just under the Shaman's magic and didn't really know what it was doing.

"Let's just tie it up and see what it has to say after. If it's aggressive, and turned out to be dangerous . . . then we'll kill it."

Chi agreed, nodding firmly. 'As expected of my Lord. He still wanted to torture the giant! He didn't want to kill it quickly. Serves it right for destroying our home!'

With a bit of rope and effort, they securely bound the Goliath, ensuring it couldn't break free if it woke up in a hostile mood.

As they worked, Rain couldn't help but wonder about the future. They needed a better plan, more resources, and a safe and secure haven to call home. This battle had shown him the vulnerabilities they needed to address.

"Alright, everyone," Rain said once the Goliath was securely tied. "We need to regroup and think about our next steps. We've won this battle, but we need to prepare for what's coming next. Our shelter got destroyed, so I'm thinking of heading to the port town in the south to ask for help in constructing a new home."

His team nodded, excited at the prospect of adventuring together.

Rain took a deep breath. He could have minimized the destruction if only he had instructed Chi to take note of the ranks and classes of the Hobgoblins. If he had known about the Shaman and the giant beforehand, he might have been better prepared.

But at that moment, it had been just Chi against a horde of Hobgoblins. She wasn't a spy, and he couldn't risk endangering her further by lingering for long in the Hobgoblins stronghold, alone.

Next time, if he had spy troops, Rain would order them to thoroughly check his opponents. Knowing thy enemy could really save a lot of lives.

Right now, Rain allowed himself to bask in their victory, relieved that no one was seriously injured.

Rain and the others sat under the open night sky. They rested for a moment and took a breather. When Hana opened her eyes, the sight of Rain and his troops gazing at the twin moons and starry sky filled her view. The small smiles on their dirty faces and worn-out armor suggested they had won a battle.

Hana shot to a sitting position and looked around. There was blood and Hobgoblin remains scattered all around, and the once giant boulders leaning together were now destroyed, reduced to piles of shattered rocks.

"W-what happened?"

"Oh, you're awake," Rain said.

Chi instantly turned hostile and hissed at Hana.

"It's not her fault, Chi. Let's just be thankful that we're alive."

"Did . . . did the Hobgoblins attack?" Hana shuddered.

Rain explained the whole situation to her, and Hana could only prostrate in apology.

"I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to lead them here. I thought there was no one living in the barren wasteland except some beasts. I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Rain said, thinking that Hana was a good person based on her desperate face and pleading voice. She was really sorry and remorseful. "It's not your fault. No one wanted for this to happen."

"Still, I can't possibly ignore this favor. You've saved my life twice now, while all I did was endanger you and sleep through the battle. If there's anything I can do to repay you, just tell me. I will do it, no matter what."

Rain opened his mouth but then realized that Hana came from the port town. "Then . . . can you lead us to the port town? We're looking for dwarves or any creatures that know how to construct a house."

Hana was stunned for a moment and uttered in a low voice, "A house . . . ? Are you perhaps . . . a player?"

"Yep." Rain's enthusiasm disappeared when Hana's face turned serious. "Uh . . . is something wrong?"

Hana took a deep breath. "I don't have any problem with players, especially the one who saved my life, but . . . there might be others in the town who don't like players."

Rain knew that fact, but still . . . "I know, but we still need to construct our home. As you can see, we don't have any place to call our own now. Our shelter just got destroyed." He tried to laugh it off. 

Hana nodded, a determined look in her eyes. "I'll guide you there, and help you find someone to rebuild your home. It's the least I can do to repay your kindness."

Rain felt a surge of hope. "That's great. Let's head there as soon as possible. Thank you, Hana."

With a new goal in sight, Rain and his group prepared to set off for the port town. 

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|| A/N ||

Thank you for reading!

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