The smell of blood and metal still lingered in the air when the five goblins crossed the stone arch and entered the hall. Their bare feet struck the rocky floor with force as they screamed and howled like enraged beasts.
Some spat crude words and promises of pain in the guttural goblin tongue, while others unleashed unintelligible sounds, brimming with a thirst for violence.
— RAAAA! YOU DIE, HUMAN! — roared the biggest one, raising a crude club studded with rusty nails.
— RIP OUT EYES! EAT ENTRAILS! — answered another, foaming with excitement.
But all that energy, all that chaos, died in an instant.
The hall was… empty.
No enemy in sight. No sound beyond the goblins' own heavy breathing. They advanced cautiously, eyes narrowed, muscles tensed. One sniffed the air loudly, trying to catch the scent of human flesh.
But what he felt was… confusion.
The entire place was saturated with the strong metallic stench of blood. Stained cloths were scattered across the floor, old bandages drenched in red, left behind like silent bait.
— Hrrr… strange… — one of the goblins growled, wrinkling his nose.— Smells like… everything! — grumbled another, shaking his head, disoriented.
Then a goblin with torn ears suddenly froze, eyes widening. He raised a finger and pointed urgently toward the center of the room.
— There…!
It was there. A generous portion of jerky, laid bare upon a smooth stone, surrounded by an almost divine aura. Dry, salty, and dark. To a starving goblin, it was art. A blessing from the gods. A heavenly vision.
In their simple minds, the piece of meat even seemed to whisper with a sweet, welcoming voice:
''Eat me…''
The silence shattered in an instant.
— MIIIIINE! — screamed one of the goblins, drool dripping from his chin.
— OUTTA MY WAY, WRETCH! — snarled another, shoving a companion violently aside.
All five hurled themselves at the meat like ravenous demons, howling and slobbering.— GRRRAAAAAH!— KILL! EAT! KILL!
Claws, teeth, and elbows clashed in a frenzy of savagery.THUMP! — a goblin fell after an elbow to the jaw.CRASH! — another slipped and hit the floor with a dull thud.SNAP! — a finger was bitten.SLAP! THUD! SMACK! — shoves, slaps, punches.
The once-silent hall was now filled with a pandemonium of grunts and blows, a true battlefield fueled by hunger.
— ARRRRGH! YOU BITE MY FINGER, DAMN IT!— MORE MEAT! MORE!— GIMME! I SAW IT FIRST!
In the midst of the brawl, the scrawniest goblin was seized by the shoulder.— NO! NOOO! — he cried out in panic.
WHAM! — he was hurled brutally against a wall, colliding with a hollow crack.UNGH! — the groan was short and pained, followed by the sound of his body sliding down.
The others didn't care. They were too busy tearing into the jerky with their teeth, each piece vanishing with CHOMP! CHOMP!
In seconds, it was over. Only strands of fat remained on the ground, and the strong scent of saliva and sweat.
And then… silence returned.
SLURP… One goblin licked his fingers, satisfied.LICK. LICK. Another ran his tongue across sharp teeth.
They breathed with contentment, bellies slightly swollen, eyes half-lidded with gluttony. And precisely because they were lost in the pleasure of food—
None of them noticed the shadow moving silently behind them.
CRAACK!
The sound split the air like dry thunder.
Before any of them understood, a blade flashed like lightning across the tallest goblin's neck. A precise, no warning, no mercy.
THUMP.
The body fell to its knees. Eyes wide. Mouth agape. No sound came.
THUD!
He collapsed to the ground like a sack of bones, the impact echoing through the hall like a funeral bell.
— …HUH? — murmured a goblin, the sound leaving as a rough grunt.— What… was that?! — babbled another, eyes bulging.— ENEMY! IT'S THE ELF! THE ELF! — roared the third, retreating with clenched teeth.
Fear exploded like a grenade of panic within the group.
Out of nowhere, he was there. Emerging from the shadows. Silent. Lethal.
Luki.
His eyes were blades. His sword still dripped blood. The goblins could barely breathe.
But he didn't stop.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! — His feet hammered the stone floor as he dashed like a living arrow toward the goblin who'd been thrown during the fight. The weakest. The most vulnerable.
— NO! NOOOO! — screeched the creature, trying to crawl away.
Too late.
SLASH! A horizontal cut across the abdomen.CRACK! The collarbone shattered beneath the second blow.THUK! The blade sank between the ribs with a wet, drowning sound.
— GHRK—! — the goblin convulsed, spitting blood.
His eyes went dark before his body even hit the ground. A crimson stain spread across the floor.
Two dead.
The hall, just moments ago filled with bestial howls and chewing, was now pure terror. Three goblins still alive. But now they knew. They were trapped… with something hunting them.
...
[POV: Luki]
I drew in a deep breath, picturing the air traveling down my lungs, swirling in the center of my chest before leaving slowly. I tried to visualize the coolness spreading through my body like a mint candy dissolving in my mouth. I focused only on breathing, pushing every other thought away. It was a meditation technique I once saw in a YouTube video. Never thought I'd use it in a moment like this.
It wasn't just nerves. It was the awareness that this was the most critical point of my plan, any noise could ruin everything. I needed to disappear, not just from their eyes, but from their senses. Every muscle still, every breath controlled. If I drew attention now, it would be over.
As I focused, sounds began to stand out in the silence. Footsteps — many of them — coming fast, disordered, as if the owners were in a hurry or… afraid. But there wasn't a single heavy step among them. No deep dragging, no guttural breath. That gave me hope: maybe the hobgoblin had stayed behind. Why, I didn't know. But I wouldn't waste the advantage.
Voices echoed down the corridor, guttural and shrill, filled with aggression. For a brief moment, I caught a rhythm, almost like they were communicating with one another. Subtle, but real. Even so, I shoved it aside. This wasn't the time to ponder goblin evolution.
They stormed the hall, yelling, drooling, like unleashed beasts. And they passed right by me.
Goblins are hunters of the dark. They live in the mouth os abyss know as Dungeon, where the only light come from scatered fluorecent moss. Their eyesight is trash, but they compensate with hearing and, above all, smell. And that's why I had to be careful.
I used the last of the water in my backpack to wet the floor and create mud. Then I covered myself in it, from head to toe. But I knew that alone wouldn't be enough.
So I took all the blood-soaked bandages I'd kept from past ambushes and spread them across the hall. Every corner now reeked of "me", mixed with the iron of dried blood.
Even if they caught my scent, they wouldn't know where it came from. Like searching for a needle in a pile of identical needles.
In the end, it worked.And just to be safe, I held my breath.Now, it was just a matter of waiting for them to bite the bait.
And… they did!
When the first goblin pointed at the pile of jerky in the center and grunted, calling the others, I knew: the first phase of the plan was complete.
As I expected, those green pests lunged at the meat like starved animals. They devoured it like they hadn't eaten in days, which honestly, might have been true.
It didn't take long for the feast to turn into chaos. Goblins are driven by two instincts: food and violence. And with their bellies half-full and their hands still bloody, they did what they do best — fight.
It was a huge waste of my remaining food, I admit. But in the end… it was worth it. More than I expected, even.
During the scuffle, something curious happened: three of them, in a rare moment of "cooperation," grabbed the weakest goblin and hurled him against the wall with brutal force.
I swear I heard at least two bones snap.
My original plan was to wait until they lowered their guard and then strike. But with one already practically out of the fight… maybe I could take down two before they even reacted.
They devoured the meat like a shredder and soon began to relax. I could have attacked while they were still eating, but… something told me waiting was better.
And I was right.
As soon as I saw them licking their fingers and lowering their guard, I moved.
I slid silently out of my hiding spot, positioned myself behind the biggest one, the strongest-looking, and gripped the sword with both hands.
VUSH!
My body exploded into motion. Muscles that had been tense contracted all at once, propelling me like an arrow. In less than half a second, I was already behind him.
I saw his ears twitch as he picked up my approach. Too late.
I planted my feet, twisted my waist, and with all the strength I could muster, I brought the blade down at the exact point: the back of the neck, at the base of the skull.
CRAACK!
A dry snap echoed in the air. Bones breaking. Then a spray of blood splashed, some landing warm against my cheek.
I don't have the strength to decapitate a goblin in a single blow, not even now with adrenaline and focus pumping. The cut barely made it halfway through the neck.
But it didn't matter.
In that region, even a shallow strike is fatal. And mine was far from shallow.
THUD!
The goblin collapsed like a sack of bones and flesh, crashing down without a sound. Only then did the other three realize what had happened.
They recoiled with a leap, grunting in shock, eyes wide. Fear. I saw it on their faces, a feeling only these new goblins seemed to have. And precisely because of that, they didn't know how to handle it.
That was the second opening I was waiting for.
I didn't think twice, I spun on my heels and sprinted toward the goblin who had been hurled against the wall. He was still on the ground, trying to crawl back into the fight. Weak, injured, defenseless.
He tried to raise his arms in a pathetic defense.
It didn't help.
Three strikes. One slash across the chest, another at the collarbone, the last sinking between the ribs. Blood gushed like a fountain. He fell without even screaming.
— Fuuu~ — I exhaled, only then realizing I'd been holding my breath the whole time.
A wave of relief surged through me. Five became three. Still dangerous, but now… possible.
Of course, I didn't lower my guard. Not for a second.
That's why I wasn't surprised when…
BAM!
Suddenly, something crashed into my back, small, heavy, feral. Claws gripped my torso and waist for support. And then…
— GRRRAAAHH!
Teeth sank into my left shoulder. I felt the impact, the constant pressure, a faint tingling… but no pain.
The armor had saved me. From now on, I'd never underestimate leather armor or anyone who wore it.
While the goblin kept trying to chew through the armor to death, I didn't panic. I dropped the sword to the ground and brought my hands to his head.
My fingers locked onto his wrinkled temples, and mercilessly I…
Drove both thumbs into his eyes.
— KREEEEEEEEEHHHH!!!
The scream was piercing, shrill, deafening. Especially right next to my ear.
The goblin writhed like a fish out of water, releasing my shoulder and thrashing desperately. But it was too late.
I held firm, ignoring the mucus and hot blood dripping down my hands, and began spinning with him locked in my grip.
But I didn't throw him right away.
I spun once, twice, building momentum. Then, with a muffled shout, I hurled the bastard with all my strength at the other two.
They didn't even try to catch him. They just dove aside to avoid the collision.
THUMP!
The goblin flew like a clumsy projectile, slammed against the wall, and then face-planted on the floor. Didn't seem badly hurt by the impact, but he'd be out of the fight for a while.
Only, the other two were already moving. Charging straight at me, eyes blazing with fury.
And I was already running for my life.