The deeper I went…
The quieter it became.
Not natural silence.
Not peace.
Absence.
As if even the forest itself avoided this place.
The signs were unmistakable now.
Tracks layered over tracks.
Bones… small, scattered, stripped clean.
The smell.
Faint at first.
Then stronger.
Rot.
Filth.
A nest.
I slowed my pace.
Each step placed with intent.
Controlled.
Measured.
The sword in my hand felt… different now.
Not unfamiliar.
But no longer enough.
A sound echoed ahead.
Low.
Rough.
Not the erratic noise of goblins.
Something else.
I stopped.
Listened.
Again.
Then…
A scream.
High-pitched.
Short.
Cut off abruptly.
My gaze sharpened.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Recognition.
Something was killing them.
I moved forward.
Faster now.
No longer cautious.
Direct.
The clearing came into view.
And with it…
The nest.
Crude structures of wood and filth, half formed shelters scattered without order. Fires burned low, smoke thick in the air.
Bodies.
Goblins.
Some… not whole.
And at the center…
It stood.
Larger.
Broader.
Its frame was wrong.
Not just a goblin.
Not fully.
Its skin was darker, thicker.
Muscles stretched unnaturally beneath it.
Its breathing was heavy.
Controlled.
A hobgoblin.
Its hand gripped a goblin by the neck.
Effortless.
The smaller creature struggled briefly…
Then…
A sharp crack.
Silence,
The body dropped.
Lifeless.
Discarded.
My grip on the sword tightened.
The hobgoblin turned.
Slowly.
Its eyes locked onto me.
For a moment…
Neither of us moved.
Then…
It smiled.
A low growl escaped its throat.
Not mindless.
Not wild.
Aware.
"...So you're hungry?" I muttered.
The corpses.
The silence.
The disruption.
It stepped forward.
Heavy.
Each movement deliberate.
Not rushing.
Not reckless.
Different.
Good.
I adjusted my stance.
Lower.
More grounded.
This…
This was closer to a real fight.
It moved first.
Fast.
Far faster than his size suggested.
The distance between us vanished instantly.
Its arm swung…
Not crude.
Not wild.
Controlled force.
I raised my blade…
Impact.
The force traveled through stell into my bones.
My arm trembled.
Feet shifting back…
One step.
Two.
Too strong.
It didn;t stop.
Another strike came…
Lower.
Faster.
I twisted…
Barely avoiding it.
The ground where I stood split slightly under the impact.
Not something I could block repeatedly.
I stepped in.
Closing distance.
The blade moved…
Precise.
Targeted.
It struck…
Its side.
And stopped.
Not fully.
But enough.
The skin…
Too thick.
The hobgoblin reacted instantly.
Its arm moved…
I pulled back…
Too late.
The blow caught my shoulder.
Pain shot through my body.
Sharp.
Heavy.
I staggered…
But didn't fall.
Good.
I reset.
Breathing deeper now.
Slower.
Controlled.
It watched me.
Not attacking.
Studying.
Learning.
"...You're not like the others."
The words slipped out without though.
It didn't understand.
But it didn't need to.
It moved again/
This time…
I didn't meet ot head-on.
I shifted.
Stepped around.
Redirected.
Its strength…
Used against it.
The blade struck again…
Neck.
Joint.
Openings.
This time…
It cut.
Not deep.
But enough.
A low growl followed.
Anger.
Good.
Anger made things simpler.
It charged.
Faster.
Heavier.
Less controlled.
I moved…
Cut…
Step…
Strike…
The rhythm formed.
Not clean.
Not perfect.
But working.
Until…
A mistake.
My footing…
Sightly off.
Just enough.
Its arm came down.
I raised the sword…
Impact.
A sound followed.
Sharp.
Unfamiliar,
Crack.
For a moment…
Everything stilled.
Then…
The weight in my hand changed.
Too light.
I looked down.
The blade…
Broken.
Half of it remained in my grip.
The rest…
Gone.
The hobgoblin stared.
Then…
It laughed.
A low, guttural sound.
It stepped forward.
Slow.
Certain.
And for the first time…
The gap between us felt real.
"...So this where it breaks."
Not the blade.
Me.
My grip tightened around what remained.
My breathing steadied.
Then…
I stepped forward.
Not back.
Never back.
The broken blade lowered slightly.
My stance shifted.
Different.
"...Then I'll just have to finish it like this."
And before it could move again…
I closed the distance.