The Next Day
Finally, something normal for once. Sirus crouched on a thick branch, staring down at his prey: a deer sleeping peacefully beneath the dense canopy. Or so it seemed. He pulled back his bone-crafted weapon—a spear forged from a sharpened femur. Crude, but functional.
His aim wasn't perfect. So he went for the body.
[Swoosh]
[Putchi]
[Erkkhhhkk!]—Whatever noise a deer makes.
"Yes!" he shouted, landing in front of the creature with a grin. But as he got closer, his eyes narrowed.
"…What the fuck? Two heads?" His nose wrinkled. "Of course. Why would anything in the Monster Forest not be freakish?"
He drew his knife and, without much ceremony, hacked off both heads, letting the blood drain out onto the mossy floor. As he dragged the carcass back toward the river, he grumbled over his shoulder.
"What am I even supposed to do with two heads? Just the body should fill me up… probably."
"Speaking of deer… which one was Elkheim again? This one? Or that other deer? Tch. Should've paid attention to the taste. What a waste."
He crouched, tossing the spear beside a stone. The deer was hefty. Gutting it wouldn't be clean work.
"…Never skinned one before. The closest I've come is gutting a chicken."
He scratched the back of his head, blade in hand. "Let's see… head off, knees cut, then peel it like a banana. That's how it goes, right? Except this one has two heads…"
It took him a few tries, but with determined tugs and a fair amount of cursing, the hide came free. He gutted the beast and prepped a fire. Nothing too weird inside—aside from two hearts.
…
Half an hour later, Sirus lay under a tree root, stomach full.
"Tastes kinda like that thing that almost killed me. But not bad."
He yawned and sat up.
"Better sleep near the Great Tree. Just in case anything comes sniffing around."
The Next Morning
After washing up and stretching, he checked his gear.
"Bone spear, check. Bone knife, check… that's pretty much it."
He crossed the river and headed for the human village again, thinking of little more than getting some decent clothes.
Several Days Later
Hunting had been uneventful. More rabbit-like creatures. More double-headed deer. He left their hides at the village. No use carrying extra weight.
"My body's back to normal now. Eating properly, drinking clean water. But honestly?" He sighed. "This Monster Forest is a damn letdown."
He followed the river for three more days. No danger. No thrill.
"This is stupid," he laughed. "But whatever—I need something fun."
He veered away from the river and deeper into the forest. For over an hour, he walked.
Then—growls. Roars. Echoes of movement in the shadows.
Sirus grinned.
"There we go."
He pressed on for another twenty minutes before spotting it—a cave mouth, draped in thick webs.
"A cave, huh? Better odds than stumbling around blindly."
He stepped through the webbed curtain, casually twirling his knife.
[Hihihihiih-HAA!]
[ROAR!]
A chorus of madness echoed from within. Sirus tensed—then smiled.
"Finally. Real action."
He crept forward. Golden eyes blinked in the dark, and then the creatures emerged—small, green, humanoid, armed with rusted blades and reeking of filth.
Goblins. At least twenty.
"Intruder!"
"Go tell Big Gob!"
"What he want?"
"Deer?"
"…Huh?"
They encircled him. Murmuring. Confused. One even tilted its head.
"D-Demon!"
"W-what Demon doing here!?"
"KILL IT!"
Sirus's grin widened as the horde surged forward.
"Finally. Something fun."
He hurled his spear. It skewered two goblins, pinning them to the stone.
Getting better with that.
He dropped his knife and slipped into his stance.
The first wave came fast. He dropped low, planted his hand, and swept his leg wide. Crack. Crack. Crack. Goblin bones shattered like dry twigs.
More leapt.
He spun, coiled, and launched a kick that crashed into four goblins mid-air. Their bodies smashed against the cave wall with a chorus of cracks and blood splatters.
The rest halted. Trembling. Silent.
"What's wrong?" Sirus shouted, eyes glowing with thrill. "Is that it?! I just got warmed up!"
The goblins quaked.
"D-Demon crazy…"
"W-where Big Gob!?"