Sirus stood amidst the carnage, laughing madly.
"What! Is that all you've got? I've got punches and kicks to spare! Come at me with everything! HAHAHAHA!"
Just as he moved to step forward, heavy footsteps echoed from the cave ahead—the one the goblins had poured from. He turned, eyes narrowing as a larger figure stepped into view.
It was a goblin—around a meter tall, black round eyes like the others, but with jutting fangs and tufts of hair on its otherwise bald scalp. Unlike the others, it wore slightly better clothes and hefted a large axe over its shoulder.
"Oh? So you're next?" Sirus grinned, slipping back into his kickboxing stance, bouncing lightly. "Let's hope you last longer than one punch."
The goblin raised a thick finger and pointed at him. "You... daemon. Why you come?"
Sirus tilted his head, intrigued. It can speak? Curious.
"How are you speaking the daemon tongue? Your little buddies muttered a few words too. Hmm... maybe it's not strictly a demon language after all?"
But before Sirus could dig deeper, the goblin growled and lowered its hand. "You daemon!" he bellowed, then roared, charging forward as the cave trembled.
"Tch. So we're doing this the hard way." Sirus's grin turned razor-sharp. He vanished.
The goblin didn't even see it—just impact, a thunderous crash as he was sent flying into the wall, bones breaking with sickening cracks.
"ARGHHH!" Big Glob cried out, dazed, staggering as he tried to understand what just happened. 'How... how did he move so fast?!'
Another careless swing of his axe—Sirus ducked under it and drove a brutal punch into the goblin's stomach, sending him slamming into stone again. The creature collapsed, blood dripping from his mouth and forehead as he stood, wobbling.
That bull-deer thing… ever since I ate it… something changed, Sirus mused, noting the subtle bulge in his muscles.
Big Glob roared and raised his axe for a powerful vertical swing—only to hit empty air.
"FOOLS! ATTACK THE DAEMON!" he bellowed, and the other goblins surged forward.
"Kill! Kill daemon!"
"ARGHH!"
"Monster!"
"Disgusting little buggers…" Sirus cracked his neck. "Let me show you a real master of martial arts."
He shot forward, a blur. Big Glob barely tracked him, placing his axe at the ready. He could see—just barely—that Sirus was coming straight at him.
But in an instant, Sirus vanished from sight.
The goblin's axe cleaved only air and embedded in stone. A chill ran up his spine.
"Too slow… hihi."
The voice came from behind.
With a deadly twist, Sirus launched a crushing kick straight into Big Glob's skull.
[CRACK!]
The goblin's head shattered against the wall, brain matter smearing stone. His body slumped, lifeless.
"I've always wanted to try that move," Sirus muttered, eyes glowing with crimson malice.
The other goblins froze—then screamed.
"Big Glob dead!"
"MONSTER!"
"ARRRGHHH!"
Sirus turned to the fleeing goblins, a wicked smile on his face. "You think those stubby legs can escape me?"
He picked up a twitching goblin corpse by the leg and hurled it at the runners.
[Swoosh]
[Bang]
"ARGHH!"
Two fell, their faces smashed into the dirt. Blood filled the air like perfume—thick and nauseating.
Sirus ran after the rest, catching up within seconds. He stood at the cave's exit, blocking it. The goblins dropped to their knees, some groveling in terror.
"You're not even worth killing if you don't fight back," he growled.
Still, none moved. None dared.
"I could let you live," he said, stepping forward, "but where I come from, things like you always come back for revenge."
His smile turned cold.
"So… let's end it."
One by one, he crushed their legs to prevent escape. Screams echoed into the forest.
He grabbed their heads and slammed them into the rocky floor. Brains splattered. Blood ran like rivers.
After the last one fell silent, Sirus slumped against the wall and sighed.
"My body's still adjusting… These weaklings barely amused me. Should've kept that one alive, maybe wrung out some answers—but then, he didn't seem the talkative type."
Blood dripped from his claws. He stared at them, tired.
Ten minutes passed before he stood. "I don't sweat or tire easily, but I'm still drained. Let's see if there's anything deeper in here…"
He walked past the corpses, picking up two rusty daggers from fallen goblins—tossing aside his bone spear and broken blade.
The large goblin had nothing of value. Disappointing.
Further in, he turned a corner and froze.
A cluster of goblin women and children huddled together, trembling. He ignored them and scanned the room.
Animal skins used as bedding, piles of bones, crude weapons. But what stood out—the female goblins had hair.
Curious, he walked up to one and lifted her by the wrist. She screamed, trembling violently.
"You look just like the rest. I wonder… Do you have human women trapped around here too?
[Drip-drip]
He looked down. The goblin woman had wet herself in fear.
"Disgusting." He dropped her.
A final glance told him there were no more tunnels. He tore a sleeping pelt from the floor and slung it over his shoulder.
He didn't bother killing the rest.
Outside, dusk had fallen.
"I was in there longer than I thought," he muttered. "Well, at least I've got a real dagger now. Better than that bone junk. And no more sleeping in the dirt."
He headed toward the river, washing the blood from his limbs. Then, setting off again, eyes scanning the horizon.
"Clothes... a brush too, if I can find one." He sighed. "That would be nice."