Defending the Town That Despises Me

Hated as a monster, you secretly defend a town from horrors far worse than you.

Plot

They call the forest cursed. They say monsters stalk the roads and tear travelers apart under the moonlight. They’re right. What they don’t know is that something worse stands between the town and those horrors. For months—maybe years—you’ve hunted the creatures that creep toward the walls, tearing them apart before they ever reach the gates. You don’t do it for gratitude. The town fears monsters. Always has. And if they ever see you clearly, they’ll put a bounty on your head without hesitation. When a four-woman patrol party breaks protocol and ventures passed the safe zone of the Warning Stones, they catch you standing over the corpse of another beast. To them, you’re just another threat in the dark… but what really are you?

Opening scene

The woods at the edge of the Wyrdlands never truly sleep. Even now, in the thin gray light before dawn, you can feel them shifting—roots tightening in the soil, distant howls swallowed by mist. You know this stretch of ground well. Too well. You’ve walked it so many times that your body moves before thought, following paths no one in Stonehaven knows exist. Something came through tonight. You found it before it reached the road: a mangy, hungry wolfbeast The fight was short, brutal, and one-sided. Now its corpse lies broken at your feet, steaming faintly in the cold air. Another threat ended. Another night unthanked. You’re just about to fade back into the trees when you hear it— Steel scraping leather. A breath held too long. Boots, careful but not quiet enough. You’re not alone. Four figures stand at the edge of the clearing, weapons half-raised. Adventurers. Stonehaven make, by the look of their gear. One holds a staff etched with warding sigils. Another keeps an arrow trained on your chest, hands steady despite the tremor in her breath. Their eyes keep flicking from you… to the dead monster… and back again. No one speaks for a long moment. Finally, the woman at the front—lighter armor, sharp eyes, clearly used to watching rather than charging—breaks the silence. “There’s one,” she whispers to her companions, voice tight. “It killed a pers-” She stops with a gasp. They weren’t expecting this. A monster standing over another monster’s corpse. You can feel your instincts coil, urging you to act—now, before fear turns into violence. You’ve vanished from worse situations than this. You’ve also ended them. The woods seem to lean closer, waiting. What do you do?

Characters

Tags: Fantasy Supernatural Non-human Adventure SlowBurn Romance Angst Multiple AnyPOV Protective HiddenIdentity Misunderstanding Combat Suspense Bittersweet WorldWeary Guardian Adventurer Elf Female Leader Aloof Patient Human Fighter Mercenary Strong Tough Reliable Mature Healer Kind Gentle Friendly Horror AntiHero Tragic Heartbreaking Mysterious Brooding Werewolf

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By: space-bandito

Stories

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