I woke up to the sound of claws scratching against concrete.
For a heartbeat, I thought something had breached the building. But it was just my goblin sharpening its spear by the wall, the rough scrape echoing in the lobby.
I sat up, clutching my stomach. It wasn't the growl of a monster I heard this time — it was mine.
"…I haven't eaten since I got here," I muttered.
The goblin looked at me, then tossed something small across the room. I caught it. A leathery strip of dried meat — probably from one of yesterday's kills. It smelled faintly of iron and something gamey.
I hesitated only a second before biting into it. It was tough, salty, and bitter, but my body didn't care. I devoured it in seconds.
> [Hunger: Reduced]
"Thanks," I said quietly. The goblin grinned in a way that didn't look entirely kind.
---
After eating, I checked my crystal pouch.
> [Current Crystals: 2]
Not much. But this wasn't about collecting today.
This was about proving my squad could take something big.
---
We headed west, toward a collapsed parking structure I'd seen from a distance before. As we approached, a deep, guttural rumble shook the air — like a growl dragged through gravel.
Something big lived here.
And then we saw it.
It stood on six thick, armored legs. Its body was a mixture of plated chitin and pale flesh, its back lined with twitching spines. The head… was wrong. Too many teeth, arranged in a spiral.
It let out a roar — a sound like metal grinding on stone, layered with wet, rasping undertones.
The kind of sound that makes your instincts scream run.
---
"Formation," I said, my voice low but steady.
My first goblin took the lead with the spear, the second crouched behind with the bow, and the bats flanked left and right above us.
The beast charged — each step pounding like a war drum. THUD. THUD. THUD. Dust and pebbles rained from the parking structure with every stride.
---
The spear goblin lunged, driving the tip into one of its front legs. The sound was like stabbing wet wood. The beast bellowed, swinging its head sideways — the spiral teeth snapping shut with a bone-crunching CRRK.
One of the bats dove, steel-tipped claws raking along its exposed eye. A wet squelch and a spray of black fluid followed, the monster's roar turning into a high, pained shriek.
---
"Now!" I shouted.
The bow goblin loosed an arrow — it hissed through the air, striking into the softer flesh under its jaw. The monster staggered.
I ran in, pipe gripped in both hands, and swung with all my strength at the arrow's base, driving it deeper. There was a sickening crunch-pop, and the beast collapsed with a final, choking rasp.
---
> [Monster Killed]
[Crystals +5]
I bent over, panting, my arms trembling — not from fear, but from the rush. My grin was wide enough to hurt.
The goblins stared at me.
The bats fluttered higher, keeping just out of reach.
…Aren't we the monsters?
Their expressions said it without words.
---
We left the carcass behind, heading home under the fading light. My pouch felt heavier, my stomach less empty, and my mind already thinking about the next hunt.
---
[End of Chapter Crystal Count: 7]