On a D-tier planet:
An elderly man woke from his sleep with a start. Drowsily, he went to the window looking out for any signs of danger. The full moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the vast wheat fields before him without the need for a light. His eyes carefully scanned the area but he could spot no movement. However, his feeling of uneasiness never left. Something was definitely wrong.
Careful to not unnecessarily wake anyone else up, he grabbed a lantern with an almost worn out candle in it. He struggled to light it, as anyone could see that he had possibly one or two more uses out of it before it was deemed unusable.
After striking the match for the third time, movement to his right puts him on edge as he drops the match, reaching for his weapon on his left side. He stops, as he recognizes the figure.
"What's wrong, grandfather?" His grandson asked.
His grandson was 15, almost an adult, yet still a child. He meant well, helping the vilaage wherever he could, but he showed his naivety. He wasn't ready for the world yet.
"Nothing, Simon. Go back to bed."
"But I saw something moving in the fields. I came to wake you up but you already were awake, so I'm, here to help." He shows his bat on his side along with an already lit lantern.
The grandfather goes to tell him to go back to bed once again, but a noise from outside stops him. While it was the crunching of someone stepping on a dead wheat plant, the area was quiet enough that it was heard by the surrounding quite clearly. Something, or someone, was definitely out there.
Drawing his blade, the grandfather takes the lantern from the boy. "Wait here." He commands.
"Let me help you. Let me be the one to see what's out there." The boy protests.
"It should be me. If I don't return in ten minutes, or if you hear something and I don't announce myself, wake everyone up and rush them into the attic. Do you understand?"
Hearing his grandfathers tone, he knew there was no room for further protesting or negotiation. His grandfather was serious.
"Understood." He says in a defeated tone.
Without wasting another moment, the grandfather leaves the house, carefully heading towards the disturbances. Right before he entered the fields, he pauses.
"My name is Edmond, a retired Knight. Reveal yourself and no one will get hurt."
The wheat rustles and Edmond braces himself, prepared for the worst. A dark figure comes out. It was a young woman, probably around the same age as his grandson, wearing a tattered, dirty, white tunic that could be recognized from the church. Her hands were bound and her mouth was gagged as she raised her hands together in surrender.
Instinctively, on seeing her poor state as a knight, he went to assist her. However, he paused as she was joined by others who were in the same state as her. Confused, he lowers his weapon as he tries to make out the situation.
Any thoughts and confusion that was once in his mind is instantly gone the moment that he feels cold steel against his neck. He had let his guard down and now he was paying the price for it. His thoughts now turned to his grandson, and his mother who were still in the house. He couldn't afford to die here and leave them.
Without hesitation, he drops his sword, kicking it away as he slowly raises his hands in surrender as well.
"Smart man." His captor says. He instantly recognized the voice to belong to a woman, but knew from his experiences to not underestimate her. Especially because she had gotten the drop on him already.
"Its how I gotten so far. The fact that blood isn't pouring down my throat can only mean that you want me alive, or want me to do something."
"Indeed. This house behind us. It's yours, yes?" She asks.
She can feel his body tense as he got defensive, revealing that it was his house before he could confirm or deny.
"It is." He admits.
"Good. I already knew that but was checking to see if you were the reliable sort or not. Would have to find someone else if you lied there. I can sense that there are two more people in the house. Counting those two and yourself, that would make thirty people in this village. Among them, you appear to be quite exceptional. Would you say that you have an influence in this village, that if you commanded them to do something, it would get done."
His mind shuddered, as he tried to not think about the devious requests she was going to make of him. "There is no one here who outright opposes me. However, that is because I treat them with respect and don't make outlandish requests of them. They're good people." He tells her.
"Now, now. No need to humble yourself. You have more authority than you realize. You're a knight, never mind being a retired one. Who would defy that? But fret not, for I have nothing too over the wall to request of you and if everyone cooperates, this will all be over by the day and will be nothing more than a passing memory."
His instincts told him not to trust her, but he hoped that everything would be as she said. Funny, he was just admonishing his grandson at being naive. Too bad he'd seen the horrors of what humans could do. He could only pray that not too many would die today.
"Now, I'll go ahead and tell you that you are vastly outnumbered. Put any ideas of resistance out of your mind. Your first task, is to gather your family and bring them back here. They won't be harmed, so long as you play your part and everyone else stays in line. Understood?"
Keeping back the hatred for the voice of the woman, through clenched teeth he manages to say, "Understood."
Instantly the knife lowers, and hes shocked at how easily she trusted him. He quickly turned, ready to show her not to underestimate him. But, the moment he laid eyes on her, he froze.
Being a knight, you were oftentimes the first one to respond to danger. Therefore, if you wanted to survive, you quickly learned how to assess a danger level. Knowing what you were fighting against helped determine whether to go all in or stall for reinforcements.
So, when Edmond turned around and looked at his opponent, he froze in fear. To call the owner of this voice a woman was a mistake. This was a monster.
Knowing the turmoil Edmond was going through at the moment, Achlys can't help but smile. "So are we going to be a good little dog and follow orders? Yip Yip Eddie."
Not saying a word, Edmond turned back and briskly walked towards his house. He was wrong. His judgement couldn't have been more off. With a monster like that, no one in his village was going to survive the day.