So, I'm a witch, so what?

{繁栄 - Hitoshi Fujima}

Ah, the air was clean, and the sky was blue as it always is. This freshness and the nature of this world were extraordinary, and once I got used to the language barrier with the goblins, I began to enjoy this life. There was nothing special to this simple life, but that was what made it enjoyable.

I could help my mother with tasks and improve my newfound skill in making knives out of sharp stones. Everyone in the goblin village still uses Stone Age gear to hunt for prey, but I have bigger ambitions that might come true with enough time thanks to my unique skill, "Living forge."

"Pan!" My father's voice called out for me while I was in the middle of a new forge job, so it took me a while to respond. I put my tools down and went to see what my father wanted, and I was suddenly greeted with a long spear.

"Today, hunting, we go! Chief says fine, you come with us." He still didn't speak correctly, but he was my father. Now, love him or hate him. He feeds me and truly loves me. At least he had that going for him.

"Great! I'll be of service! I promise not to let anyone down!" My father proudly pads my head and walks me over to the pack of goblins waiting for us. I knew basically everyone there, all with three-letter names, every single one of them.

The hunting session doesn't take much skill, or even time, for that matter, as I get introduced to the most basic primitive types of traps I had seen on a video or two. The traps consisted of simple trip wires that triggered a swinging wooden trap across the field and into the beast's head.

We were on the hunt for "Wild Boar," which was the name everyone had mentioned, so I had to be careful. If boars were magical aside from being violent, it would be a harsher task than expected. Not to brag, but I'd kind of been a hunter in my younger years before I died, so I had some experience, even if not of this kind.

{Boar noises} {Rustle-Rustle} {Boar noises suddenly stop at once}

The sounds of the forest going quiet with the movement of the boar were strange, and the Elder said so as well. The noises coming from nature were not the usual ones but the noises you get when a predator lurks nearby. The forest went dead silent, and even the nearby boar went silent.

{Whispering}

"Retreat, danger ahead." "Retreat, danger ahead," The chain of communications repeated the same message all the way back where I was, and so I began to slowly retreat until a roar made me turn around. The screams of the Elder and those in the front made me panic and freeze.

"AHHHHHH!!! RUN!!!!"

Everyone began to scream and run away at once when a gigantic tiger-like creature appeared before us, just ripping the poor boar we were hunting like it was made out of marshmallow. I froze and watched how the creature tore everyone apart, at least in the front row.

{Loud Roar}

The creature's roar was loud and intense, making for a good, stunning weapon. I froze even further as everyone ran past me. It took me too long to realize I was the beast's next victim until it had me at arm's reach. I only reacted until it hit me on the side of my body, launching me away against a tree with so much force I felt my ribs break.

"AHHHHHGGG!"

A scream of terror left my body as I crashed against the tree. Luckily for me, the creature didn't seem fixated on me, so it left me to die there, choosing instead to hunt some of the others in my crew down. I wouldn't even call that luck. It was more like a miracle. I could've ended my run then and there, but the creature spared me.

Unlike some of my other friends, the creature simply threw me away like a small toy that wasn't worth playing with. Now, my issue was to return to the village. How would I do that? I couldn't walk or move, and my body was in shock after the crash. I was useless, just bleeding out.

Was there a god I could pray for help? This looked like one of those movie moments where a character prays for help, and an angel drops down from heaven to save the day, but this was real life, not a fantasy world. It was real life. I couldn't count on anyone's help but my own.

"HP Appraisal"

[You have 15 out of 500 HP left]

Well, that summed up my situation. I was about to die with that much HP left, but I counted I could make it past another day. All thanks to the hunger mechanic, which takes away some HP percentage when you've got the "starving" effect.

What could I do? The village was not nearby, and the creature was probably running toward it, which meant everyone would most likely die. Could I count on adventurers to randomly find me and help? Of course not! Humans would kill me in an instant. I'm a monster now.

Unless I play a good card, I'll be killed if I ask humans for help. Maybe they will help me if I show myself to be humble and reasonable, right? The main reason people dislike goblins is the brute-like nature of a goblin, but I'm no ordinary goblin. I'm part human; I don't want to be seen as a goblin.

Without any good plan, I simply used low-level magic to somewhat heal my wounds with healing magic. I learned from my mother. At least it was enough to let me walk and stop the bleeding, but the affected areas still hurt so badly. The sun was up high, so I chose to walk in the opposite direction of the village.

I had to get as far away from the creature as possible. I would die if that tiger found me and just breathed near me. I walked and walked for several hours, which felt like days, thanks to the horrible pain coming from my abdomen. My ears were lying low since my morale was devasted, but I kept going, eventually spotting an exit to the forest.

On my way out, I could see some lower-level enemies and whatnot, but they didn't pay me much attention, probably because I looked so weak and beat up that I wouldn't pose much of a threat.

I walked some more and finally exited the thick forest into what I assumed was a plane field. There were big crops of fruit I had never seen before just growing in the fields, and some of it looked tasty, yet I didn't want to steal. Especially if anyone was watching.

Yet the juicy red fruits that looked like fake tomatoes called my appetite so much I couldn't suppress the urge to take one and bite down, triggering some sort of alarm in the field. A scarecrow began screaming like its life depended on it, and I tried to run away only to find myself on the ground since I couldn't.

I pushed forward back into the forest, trying to crawl away until I felt a foot on my back. The foot felt incredibly heavy, and the sound of a blade scared me even more. Was that it? Was my run over? Over by a stupid impulse? I guess yeah, that was it, was it not?

"You dang goblins always stealing my goddamn crops! I will show you how not to steal from an old timer!"

"Papa, stop! Look!" A little girl screamed at her "Grandpa." Coincidentally, saving my life as the blade stopped just mere inches from my neck. A rush of adrenaline running through my body enhanced every sense within me, but it wasn't enough to move.

"Alice, go back home right now! I told you this was dangerous! This damn thing wouldn't doubt in raping and murdering you!"

"But papa! It's bleeding and crying already. Don't you have a heart?"

The old man pressing his foot against my back took a better look at me and my poor condition, and only then did he notice how beat up I actually was. My fear of dying was so great I didn't even realize it when I began to weep; I guess that was the natural response.

"Please don't kill me. I'm not an evil goblin." The man carefully lifted his foot from my back, letting me stand up while holding his daughter back.

"Get away from here, and you'll live! NOW LEAVE BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!"

"Papa!"

"Stay back, Alice! He's a dangerous monster! Don't be fooled! There's no such thing as a "Good goblin." They're all despicable!"

I don't test my luck any further and simply try my best to stand up and walk away back into the forest. The night was about to fall, and I didn't know what else to do. I was almost out of options with so little HP and Stamina left. Even if I had been spared, I was still hurt and hungry.

I left the farm and went somewhere near the forest, hiding behind some trees, waiting to die as night fell on me. I began to tremble in the cold as the night started to set since it was still wintertime. I was hurt because I didn't have suitable clothes for the cold. Indeed, this would be my end, but when I thought I was out of luck, I heard steps approaching me.

Another strike of luck, or perhaps a god, was watching over me; an angel was sent by God to send a helping hand. The footsteps finally revealed the one approaching me, the little girl from earlier who was carrying a small basket full of bread and some of those red fruits.

The girl carried a small lantern and basket, which she simply left near me without saying a thing. I couldn't even say "thank you" since I was still freezing cold.

Yet, as if the girl hadn't done enough, she returned and broke my heart when she removed her jacket to put it over my freezing body. I would protect this child with my life if it came down to it. I promise I won't ever forget this little lady. My trembling body began to drop cold tears as the girl left.