Fang was on his normal routine of hunting and making sure no enemy infringed on his master's territory. His mind was also preoccupied with what “hygiene” was. His master never spoke of such things or required that he bathe or wear clothes.

  ‘Master is acting very differently; she even gave us a name.’

  He was thankful for the gift she had given him. Maybe it was because of how loyal he was, even after the others left. It was only him and Scales that remained after that horrible day. The sounds of leaves and broken branches suddenly caught his attention as he went to investigate. Suddenly, goblins jumped on him and started attacking relentlessly.

  They bit and stabbed him as he tried to shake off the attackers, but there were too many. All he could do was scream as death slowly crept closer, but he did not give up. Valiantly, he summoned all his strength and started to deal with the goblins, throwing them away, but they simply came back. Exhausted, he colpsed on the ground. That was when a miracle occurred in his life; white as an angel, his master arrived.

  “You alright, Fang?”

  “I am fine, Master. Sorry for being cking.”

  Fang answered, holding back the pain, as Scales approached him to check on his wounds.

  “He will need rest, Master, but he is fine.”

  “Well, I am gd.”

  The goblins slowly retreated with the appearance of Adeline and Scales; they understood that the odds were not in their favor.

  “So, these are goblins. They look very weak, though. Let me try to fight them.”

  Adeline, with a wide smile, approached them. The goblins slowly stepped back as they stared at each other, waiting for someone to make the move. A low, horn-like sound could be heard as the goblins suddenly got braver and inched forward.

  “Master, you need to run; more of them are coming.”

  Adeline frowned at the thought of retreat. She never backed away from a fight; it was either her opponent fell or she fell. She looked back at Scales and the wounded Fang, thinking of a way to overcome this ordeal. More and more goblins slowly poured out from the surrounding area in droves.

  “Scales, take Fang back to the cave; I will hold them off.”

  “Master, I would rather die than leave you!”

  “I agree with Fang; there is no world where we leave you behind.”

  Scales and Fang protested strongly. If she was back on Earth, most of them would have already run away. It gave her a sense of comfort knowing she could rely on these two, but Fang was still wounded and incapable of fighting. That was when an idea fshed in her mind.

  “Then get up, Fang. Stand and fight next to your master.”

  Fang felt a surge of new power, a second wind, as he slowly got up. The wounds covering his body slowly started to heal as he let out a battle cry. Adeline felt blood rush through her body. Scales followed suit as the small snake suddenly turned into a hulking serpent with rge fangs, letting out a hiss.

  “Yes, let’s take care of these small fries, then return home for some meat.”

  “Yes, Master!”

  They both answered in unison as they unched their attack. The small goblins climbed onto Scales, but she effortlessly crushed them as she rolled and pinned them against trees. Fang fared better; he swatted them before they could even get a chance to climb onto him. Adeline remained in the back as she observed the fight. Another group of goblins appeared, but there was an odd one among them. It wore various beads and neckces and had a staff with carvings. Instinctively, Adeline knew that was her target; after all, she always aimed for the leader; once they fell, everything followed suit.

  She charged through, kicking and punching some of the goblins on her way. Like a predator, her eyes were set on the goblin shaman. Once she was close enough, a bright blue light was shot towards her, but she was able to dodge by jumping out of the way. The blue light completely destroyed the nearby trees and killed the goblins in its path. She turned to the shaman, who was trying to conjure what seemed like another spell. Seeing the opportunity, she pressed on. With all her might, she punched the goblin, hoping to end it in one blow, but her fist nded on an invisible barrier. A small boom could be heard as the goblin shaman unched a counter-offensive by unleashing the same blue light. She quickly maneuvered her body as she dodged the attack at point-bnk range.

  ‘I was never able to do this. Now I am interested in what I can do.’

  Adeline released another powerful punch; her fist collided with the barrier once more, but she did not stop there. She unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, treating her opponent like a small punching bag. She started to feel pain as her fists turned bloody, but this only made her attack more fiercely. The grotesque sounds of flesh and bone cshing with the barrier were enough to halt the entire battle as they all stared at Adeline. Fang and Scales looked on with slight horror, as this was the first time they saw their master fight in such a way, too gruesome for even monsters. The barrier started to crack and soon gave way as her fist punched through the goblin's skull, killing it in one blow, leaving a disfigured corpse.

  “That was very fun. Is there more?”

  Adeline’s fists, face, and clothes were covered in a mixture of her own blood and the green goblin blood. Her beautiful porcein hands dripped blood and pieces of flesh as she looked towards the remaining goblins. They all turned and started to run away, but Adeline gave chase as a one-sided battle began. Flesh and bodily organs flew across the forest as she dismantled her enemies in a brutal fashion; a wide smile was on her face, thoroughly enjoying the thrill. Fang and Scales did not dare join as they simply watched on. Once she was done, her entire body was drenched with blood and entrails. She stared to the sky, releasing an ominous ugh, announcing the arrival of Adeline.

  “That was very fun. Did you two also have fun?”

  “Yes, Master, it was indeed very fun; it was an honor watching you fight.”

  “Your movements were truly mesmerizing; we can never compare to you, Master.”

  They were quick to praise Adeline, who simply ughed and started to clean herself.

  “Scales, can you find me those magic cores and bring them back to the cave?”

  “Yes, Master, me and Fang will make sure we secure all of them.”

  “Also, bring some food; I am hungry.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  Adeline disappeared into the forest as she headed back for another bath.

  “Master is very scary; let’s not ever upset her.”

  “Yes, I agree.”

  They diligently worked as they secured the magic cores and hunted several deer to bring back for dinner.