The muscles in her legs were screaming, begging her to take a rest and give them a chance to recover from the constant exertion. Elaria ducked into an alleyway between two rickety wooden shacks, hacking up black goop with a vicious cough, acrid smoke filling her lungs and burning her eyes. Hands on her knees, breathing rapidly between coughs to try and regain some stamina, she began to regret her recklessness just a little. Her plan had gone off without a hitch, the four buildings she’d lit on fire had combusted into raging infernos within minutes, the timber dry from weeks without rain, and the panicked goblin lookouts had rushed to wake their brethren and attempt to fight the blazes.
Having successfully split them into smaller, more manageable groups, Elaria had begun the dirty work of darting from the shadows, her sword dancing in the light of the flames as she slaughtered goblins while they desperately attempted to stop their home from burning to cinders. Honestly she felt a bit villainous at that moment, but goblins had attacked her first, and she had a job to do. The first group of goblins and wolves had fallen rather quickly, her hit and run tactics honed from the experience in the forest, and the ongoing distraction of the fire stopped them from banding together to take her down.
It was during her battle with the second group of goblins, fighting the fire at the food storehouse, where the situation took a drastic turn. Most likely one of the wolves or goblins had rushed off to tell the rest of the residents that there was a human in the fortress, murdering them with great prejudice while they attempted to rescue their home from the clutches of flame. Leaving just a barebones crew of firefighters, she presumed, almost the entirety of the goblin horde had charged towards her location, and unable to hide any longer with every nook and cranny and hidden alcove being flooded with the monstrous green goons and savage wolves, had resorted to simply facing them in open battle. Her physical strength now was overwhelming compared to the low levelled monsters, but after a while she simply couldn’t keep up with their numbers.
Slashes, strikes, bites and thrusts came at her from every angle, and it was only by constantly downing health potions and thanks to her high agility that she was able to stay at a reasonable level of health. The fires had spread rapidly, the effectiveness of her tactic surprising even Elaria, and thick woodsmoke filled the streets. It was only thanks to the lowered visibility she had even managed to slip away from the enormous band of foes. Even with their sensitive noses obscured by the smoke, the wolves were able to track her down fairly easily, and it was a struggle to keep up a constant sprint, lest she get caught out of position and meet her end.
The next few hours felt like an eternity in Elaria’s mind. Cut. Thrust. Stab. Parry. Potion. Sprint. Thrust. Slash. Cut. Block. Run. Her mind moved on autopilot, simply performing whatever action was necessary in the moment for her to survive to the next. A visceral trail of death and gore lay behind her, the light of the blazing inferno that consumed the fortress reflecting in her deep amber eyes, an angel of death for the frenzied monsters. They had rushed her without thinking at the start, goblins and wolves throwing themselves into the fray without a second thought for their own safety, simply wishing to slay the human who’d invaded their home. Now, they calculated their movements, carefully judging if the next strike they sent her way would be their last.
She eventually broke free from the fugue of blood and ash, finding herself in a square that was most likely the centre of the goblin town. Every exit was blocked by a mixed group of wolves and goblins, baring their teeth or makeshift weaponry at her with trepidation. Never before had they encountered a human full of such ferociousness and drive, unstoppable in their machinations of slaughter. A brief glance at the blue boxes in the corner of her vision notified Elaria that she had more stat points to spend. Perhaps they would help her here, although with the way her entire body was screaming at her to just lay down and rest and the nauseating taste of the health potions as they dribbled down her throat, it seemed as if she may have bitten off more than she could chew.
At the very least, if she fell in battle here, the colossal cloud of smoke that was blooming above the forest would alert the citizens of Felspire, and the goblins wouldn’t last much longer when the adventurers or soldiers discovered their burning fortress. It was little comfort to know all her efforts would amount to simply paving the way for another’s success. Elaria refused to fall. The tension in the square was broken by a garbled roar, and the heavy pounding of feet. The goblins at one entrance were blown away as an enormous wolf burst through them, bloodshot white eyes locked onto her, its thick muscled legs carrying it on a charge directly at her. It looked similar to the Silvermoon Wolves, but simply much larger.
Its thick coat of fur was a shinier silver than its modestly sized brethren, glowing in the combined light of the moon and the inferno. Claws like daggers poked out from sturdy paws, and it’s teeth dripped with saliva as it let out an ear splitting howl, whipping every wolf in the vicinity into a frenzy, echoing back the howls, the resulting cacophony startling many of the goblins seated atop their backs. On the huge wolf’s head was a blood red crescent moon marking, which she was only able to appreciate because the beast had crouched down low on all fours in preparation to pounce at her. Elaria raised her sword, mustering every ounce of strength left in her battered body, and as the silver and white blur flew through the space between them, she heard the beat of a sword against a shield, and in the corner of her eye saw a goblin that looked closer to a human than one of the pint sized green menaces, red warpaint covering his burly muscled figure in swirling designs that were almost hypnotising.
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All of the goblins reacted fervently to his arrival, cheering and yelling in anticipation. She was worried that the intimidating looking new arrival would join the battle, spelling certain doom for her, but he seemed content to watch as the colossal wolf barreled into the girl, sending her flying back across the square, sparks flying as her sword blocked its claws from carving out her chest, dust swirling from her feet as they scraped across the dry, cracked earth. These two must be the boss monsters of this little fortress. Reeling from the heavy impact of the wolf’s charge, Elaria raised her weapon once more, the tip pointed at the beast, body poised to react to any sudden movements. Some of the weaker looking goblins and wolves tried to flee the square, as more and more of the buildings surrounding them began to collapse, the flames tearing through foundations and supporting pillars as it spread through the fortress like a ravenous beast.
The large goblin didn’t like that at all, and as a few of the monsters nearby tried to dash away, he stomped a bare foot heavily onto the ground, and the resulting shockwave knocked many off their feet. Tossing his shield to the side, the beefy goblin grabbed the nearest wolf, a skinny runt carrying a malnourished goblin away from the fray, and lifted both high above his head, before launching them into the ruins of a nearby building, cackling at their screams as blazing fire started to lick at their flesh, quickly consuming them and leaving naught but black ashes. Another wolf, not dissuaded by the brutal display, ran in the other direction, looking to use a different exit not blocked by the large goblin, but the fellow pounced on the unlucky canine, cracking ribs with a powerful kick that sent the creature flying across the square, landing with an unnerving crunch.
The colossal wolf turned to the tall goblin, rage visible on its face at the terrible treatment of its kin, but the tall goblin roared a command, waving the large broadsword in his right hand in threat, and the beast turned back to Elaria, frustration evident. Perhaps the relationship between the goblins and the wolves was not one of harmonious cooperation as she had originally thought when witnessing the weaker monsters hunting her down. It seemed the leader of the goblins was forcing them into submission through brute strength. A genius idea sparked in her mind, and with little else in the way of hope, she grasped onto it and quickly figured out how to proceed with the hasty plan. Tapping her pocket, to check if the collar was still there, sighing in relief when it was, Elaria sheathed her sword.
Looking at the two from the outside, watching the human girl covered in ash and dried blood facing a towering Silvermoon Wolf that was almost double her height sheath her only weapon, one might think the move suicidal. Banking on her opponent not expecting her next move, Elaria slipped the collar from her pocket, unbuckling the clasp and gripping it tightly in her right hand. The wolf was slowly pacing towards her, following the command of the goblin chief to attack, albeit unwillingly. Compared to the timid girl she’d been when she first faced a wolf in the wilderness, Elaria was battle hardened. Still a lot to learn, and plenty of room to grow, but the blood and violence that this world of monsters and magic had thrown at her was an efficient teacher. Shaking her legs loose, she bent down compressing her muscles, before launching into a full speed sprint straight at the beast.
It’s utter surprise at her incomprehensible move was exactly the moment she needed to grasp, and a powerful leap sent her soaring over its head, straight onto the muscled, furry back of the monster. Grabbing a handful of silver fur to pull herself back towards the creature’s head, getting a frustrated yelp in response, she straddled its shoulders, gripping tightly with her thighs to make sure it couldn’t throw her off. With a quick whip of her wrist, the collar wrapped around the wolf’s neck, and she hurriedly pulled the ends together, buckling the clasp shut right as a vicious rotation of the monster’s shoulder muscles sent her careening into the hard ground, the impact winding her. Elaria hurriedly pulled out her sword, but the strike of the wolf that she had been expecting never came.
Relationship with Silvermoon Denmother has changed from Hostile to Amicable
Silvermoon Denmother will obey your commands that do not endanger itself
Her haphazardly thrown together plan had worked exactly as she’d envisioned. It had worked so well in fact, that Elaria was beginning to wonder if her personal ability was clairvoyant. Every time she used it, the items she received seemed to be just what she needed for whatever situation or battle she found herself in. The colossal beast, the Silvermoon Denmother as the Chain had called it, had completely halted any attempt to fight her. Instead, it was standing over her, snarling viciously at the goblins’ chieftain. The tall, beefy monster simply grinned at the rebelling beast, and finally took a step into the battle, pounding his chest to cheers from the surrounding goblins. Dragging herself to her feet, Elaria readied her blade and turned to face her strongest opponent yet, in what would be the decisive clash that determined whether she would die a foolish adventurer, or achieve the first of many such feats on her road to being a legendary hero.