Darkness didn't linger. She dragged the goblin's ear free with a swift slice of her dull blade, stuffed it into her pouch, and pressed on through the trees. Her breath was steady now, her body alive with tension.
Not far ahead, she caught sight of another goblin—this one squatting low, back turned, gnawing on the bone of some unfortunate animal. Alone. Vulnerable. Perfect.
Her hand tightened around another improvised branch she had picked up, thicker than the last. She stepped lightly, closing the gap until the forest floor betrayed her with the snap of a twig.
The goblin's head jerked up, ears twitching. It spun, teeth bared, screeching as it charged her with wild swings of its crude knife.
Darkness grinned. "Good. I like them reckless."
She didn't dodge. She met the charge, branch swinging down hard. The wood slammed into the goblin's forearm, the knife tumbling into the dirt. The creature roared and lunged at her throat, biting at her pauldron. She gasped, more thrilled than afraid, and slammed her knee into its gut.
The goblin wheezed, doubling over, but clawed at her thighs. She brought the branch across its skull with a wet crack, and the creature collapsed face-first into the mud.
She stood above it, chest heaving, sweat running beneath her armor. The thrill tingled in every muscle, every nerve. With a practiced motion, she lopped off its ear, slid it into her pouch, and whispered to herself:
"Two down."
Her eyes flicked deeper into the woods—shadows moving, rustling. She could already sense the presence of more. Her pulse quickened again, like a drumbeat echoing through her chest.
The hunt wasn't over. Not yet.
Darkness crouched low, watching the brush ahead ripple with uneven movement. Her eyes narrowed. One goblin wouldn't make that much noise.
She shifted her grip on the branch, knuckles whitening. Slowly, three shapes emerged—then four. A small pack, jabbering at each other, stomping through the undergrowth with crude weapons clutched in their filthy hands.
Her lips parted in a grin. "Perfect…"
The first goblin spotted her, shrieked, and pointed. The pack surged forward as one, crude blades flashing.
Darkness braced herself and charged, branch lifted high. She swung wide, the wood cracking across the ribs of the lead goblin, sending it tumbling. The second crashed into her side, driving her into the dirt, knife flashing. She twisted, the blade skidding against her breastplate, sparks flying. Her head slammed forward with a dull thunk into its nose. The creature screeched, staggering back, blood spraying.
She rolled to her knees, branch clutched tight, and swung low to sweep another off its feet. The goblin hit the ground with a yelp, and she brought the branch down in a crushing arc. Bones cracked.
"Two more," she hissed, spinning on her heel just as one leapt at her back. Its weight drove her forward, claws raking at her armor straps. She roared and rammed her elbow backward, feeling the crunch of teeth and jaw. It stumbled, dazed, giving her just enough space to whip the branch across its temple.
The last goblin, the smallest, froze where it stood. Eyes wide, weapon trembling.
Darkness stalked toward it, sweat dripping from her chin, breath ragged. She could feel her pulse racing, the rush of blood in her ears. The goblin whimpered, took a step back.
"Run," she growled.
It turned to flee. She lunged, branch snapping across its skull before it could vanish into the brush. The body crumpled at her feet.
Her chest heaved as she crouched among the bodies, pulling ears one by one, sliding them into her pouch. Her makeshift weapon was split now, cracked nearly in half, slick with blood and sweat.
She lifted it anyway, gaze turning deeper into the woods, lips curling with feverish excitement.
"…I can still keep going."