The jet-black mace delivered a crushing blow to the Chamber Wolf’s skull before it had time to yelp, its gory remains staining the otherworldly metal a bloody red. The remnants dripped onto the forest floor, joining its other fallen brethren.
“Damn pests,” the hooded woman cursed, the pouring rain weighing down her black cloak. From the bushes, another set of eyes began flashing red and yellow repeatedly, silhouetted against the darkness of the night, before the Chamber Wolf leaped out of the foliage to assail her.
Scowling at the dungeon-bred monster, she swung her mace once again. The unfortunate Chamber Wolf never stood a chance as its head was eviscerated on contact. Blood sprayed into the air, thicker than the rain, smearing against a nearby tree.
“You foolish beasts, do we look like an adventuring party?!” The woman sneered at the dozen corpses by her feet, each one more broken than the last. “Your diluted blood isn’t even worth collecting.”
She turned around to the source of her woes, spotting the set of four goblins cowering on the floor, small sacks by their sides spilling berries onto the ground. She despised those little creatures with a fury that dwarfed her loathing for the dungeon-kin, but she had little choice but to keep them alive.
“Of course, you’d sneak out to gorge yourselves on berries, you greedy, spiteful little drights. If your little stunt delays my plans by even a second, I shall rip your guts out through your mouth!” The woman threatened the goblins as they trembled in terror. There used to be ten of them before they were discovered by the Wolves. Were she not alerted by their distant cries; they would no doubt be wolf meat.
A sole goblin, the largest remaining among their group, raised a shaky hand towards the trees ahead of her. Turning back, there was indeed one more obstacle.
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Another, far larger wolf padded towards her. This was no Chamber Wolf, as their breed barely reached a size larger than a common domestic dog. It was a Dire Wolf. Its fur was black and brown, stained in red. It bared its fangs at the woman; its mouth coated in the remains of the goblins it had just killed.
“A dire wolf leading a pack of dungeon mongrels?” The woman found herself smirking. “Looks like we’re both down on our luck. Perhaps your blood will be worthy.”
The wolf howled, a piercing yell that echoed throughout the forest, as it sprinted towards her.
Standing her ground, unmoved by the wall of fur and muscle on course to rip her apart, she threw out her left hand towards the creature as her shoulder radiated red underneath her cloak. Just before the wolf could reach her, a cloud of black smoke erupted from her shoulder and sped towards it. As it moved, it changed shape, transforming into a bolt of black and red energy that zipped toward its target. The Wolf, unable to dodge, collided with the energy.
The massive beast yelped and howled in agony as the bolt burst into flames on impact, coating the wolf in fire and setting its fur alight. The hooded figure watched under the glow of the flames that the rain could not extinguish, as the Dire Wolf burned until it finally collapsed, death overtaking it.
With the final threat dealt with, she walked over to the smouldering corpse, placing her hand on the creature. Her shoulder lit up red once more as the wolf’s blood flowed up her arm towards the light until there was nothing left but charred skin and bones.
“A fine donation, more than worth the cost to bring you down,” the woman complimented, getting to her feet. She turned back to the cause of her problems, spotting the goblins still sitting, trembling in fear.
“What are you waiting for? Get back to the tunnels before I add your pathetic corpses to the pile,” she threatened them. They didn’t need to hear another word as they sprinted for the entrance without stopping to collect any of their spoils.
Now alone in the rain, she pulled down her hood, allowing her long ears and longer hair to experience the rainfall. The cold water from the sky ran down her pale skin, as she closed her eyes, hearing the distant rumbling of thunder.
“It will all be over soon,” she assured herself.