Prisoners

The air carried a metallic tang—or perhaps it was just a plain breeze..

Metals clattered in the distance. Duelling at this hour, some troublemakers won't allow Leon to have a peaceful dream.

He furrowed his brows as he stirred awake. The warmth on the ground seeped through his exposed skin. Then—

CLANK! The sound of a gate unlocking echoed in his ears. Before he could rise, someone with a rancid body scent brushed past him.

What was going on?

He squeezed his eyes shut to clear his vision. The gate clanked again, closing...

"Don't—please! Not me! I... I can't die yet!"

Leon shot his glance forward. His jaw dropped. His eyes dropped to the sight of short metallic railings enclosing him. Most importantly, a familiar creature was dragging a bawling guy over the pebbles-filled floor...

'An hobgoblin?'

Leon gasped as his eyes shifted beyond the creature. More of the short-eared behemoths circled a campfire, laughing and drinking fermented brews. To Leon, this was a hideout that—

"Screw this! Why was I near the looting area?! I always have bad luck!" a feminine voice cursed, prompting Leon to glance leftward. In the dim light, a lady knelt. Fresh wounds spread across her face, and she had tattered parts of her dress.

Leon asked her, "Do you mean the hobgoblins invaded an area...?"

"If not, then why else do you think they caged us here?" the lady yelled. "Good for you, sleepyhead, for not having faced any of their harsh treatment! I can't blame you..."

Leon looked back at the creatures. One handed the recent guy a sword with excitement. And another took a fighting stance before him. Clearly, they were entertaining themselves with a life-or-death tournament. In this kind of situation, the human involved mustn't stop fighting until one from the other race kills him.

'That's strange. Their race is nearly extinct, so sightings of them are rare. They don't even go around hunting other monsters, not to mention humans,' Leon mused.

A snarky voice swelled from the right. "Oh please, if this doesn't put a grin on your face, nothing will!"

Leon saw the speaker, a guy smiling despite what was on the ground. Getting trapped by D-rank hobgoblins accounted for his weakness. But his attitude made him seem different. Like someone who had faced abduction many times.

The guy spread his arms as he said, "Well, think about it. If we stood any closer to the Oracle's Tomb than we were, then the fiend that destroyed the temple would have killed us. It's actually thanks to the hobgoblins that we have the chance to talk now and get some crude scent in our noses."

Leon raised his brows. 'Oh, right. Her curse.'

Now, it made sense. The cataclysmic fiend's energy radiation would have drawn the creatures. As expected of the intelligent race, they would have waited up till the monster vanishes before scavenging for treasures, edible materials... and of course, unfortunate fellows like them.

Leon raised his brows.

Judging by his unharmed state despite the fiend's arrival, he knew Scarlet had hidden him well after knocking him out. But it was so laughable how shameless she became after getting the relic. She vanished; White Cloak ended up being right about her.

Leon sighed.

He asked the guy, "How many people have the creatures taken from the cell?"

"Uhmm... like ten?"

"That's a hassle. They really are taking so much, which means one of us is next in line anytime soon. We should hurry and get out of here."

The lady leaned in, eyes alight with urgency. "What should I do? I can help with conjuring some fire because I am a Caster. Can we please get out of here real quick? I can't die just yet, so I am ready to do as you say, Mister..."

"... Leon Vale," he replied, turning swiftly to face the guy. "What about you? What can you do?"

The guy kept on smiling. Shortly, he said, "No need to know. You will end up laughing as well after all."

"Just answer already! You heard what he said - we have no time to waste here!" the lady yelled.

"Someone sounds scared," the guy teased with a laugh. Later, he answered, "Okay, okay... I am just an ordinary human. Alright? I don't have superpowers like you guys. Are we good now?"

The lady mouthed amidst parted lips, "Pardon?"

Leon thought that was strange. Who could have imagined there were still ordinary humans in this magical era?

Anyways, he shot a glance at the guy's bulky arms. He gestured at the gate's railings. "How strong are you? Capable of wrenching the bars apart?"

"What now? Where's that coming from?"

"Well, I guess your arms spoke to me. Now, can you?"

The guy shuffled closer to the gate. He said, not too sure, "Hmm... I can give it a try. But we would land in bigger trouble if I draw the creatures' attention. Can you withstand spears and such pointed at your throats?"

The lady looked at Leon. "That's right, Mister Vale. How do you intend to fight them? From what I recall, they're over thirty in number. And most importantly, each is stronger than we are. Are we pushing our luck here, or can you really handle them?"

It had been over three days since he last used paradox stability. So, the cooldown would now be over. Leon's concern now was whether the time to stay in a paradox form would be enough to kill all the hobgoblins.

Or worse, he might pass out before killing them all, like last time. Thus, these guys should be deducting the numbers as well.

"Can you guys kill one or two?" he asked them.

The lady nodded. "I am not good for a starter, but I can land a finishing blow. That's like... if the monster's weak point gets exposed, I can cast some flames to burn it down."

They then looked at the guy.

He chuckled, drawing back. "Why are you looking at me? I told you I can't..."

But their intense gaze made him give up.

"... Okay, I will try. But first, I need to know their weak points, so I will give a starting damage for her to take advantage of. I just can't promise more than three kills. What's their weakness?"

Leon looked forward; the earlier guy was already lying dead on the floor. He saw one of the creatures sitting on a skull-surrounded seat. That was definitely their warchief.

"Hobgoblins' attacks become flawed when ambushed. So, you will both need to take cover and ambush them one after the other. That's if you can keep going. If not, play it safe. Attack the knees or forearms to break their defenses. I will take the chief first..."

The lady asked right away, "Isn't that the leader? That will be too risky, Mister Vale..."

"Let's do it this way. We can all take the lesser creatures together, then focus on the chief later," the guy proposed.

Leon nodded. "The chief won't sit by as we do that. The best way is to secure both ends. And the reason I am going for him is... if he dies, there's a high possibility of the others fleeing. Because they follow a chain of command—they surrender when the leader dies."

The lady nodded slowly, thinking that's really thoughtful. "Let's do it then. Thanks for sharing all this with us, Mister Vale! Without you, we won't be making this decision anytime soon."

Before Leon could reply, the guy responded, "You're welcome," and he drew closer to the gate. The lady moved to his side, keeping watch on the creatures.

Kneeling behind them, Leon thought about what the lady had said. He smirked in a way he had never done before.

'What do you mean 'help'? I learn about D-rank boss attacks by fighting the chief. This helps me get ready to become an Operative. And killing the rest helps me master my paradox ability more. Help? Oh no... I would be the most foolish man to attempt such things anymore.'