Claret

Cassyt dashed through the woods, avoiding branches and sticks that she could trip over. Goblins, with warty deep greenish skin, were quick to follow her racing to catch her first. Cassyt leaped into the air as she turned to face the goblins. She pulled out her long bow and felt for an arrow. Quickly notching it and pulling the string back, Cassyt fired an arrow. The arrow skewered a goblin in the head. They fell to the forest floor as blood gushed out. Cassyt landed and resumed running through the woods. The goblins kept pursuit of the dome tripping. It had seemed more and more goblins would join the chase.

Just over the horizon, the end of the forest came in Cassyt's sight. Her cloak blew in the wind as she ran. Goblins still yelling in the distance behind her. She felt for any more arrows. Her quiver was empty, and the goblins were catching up. Skidding to a halt, Cassyt turned around and took out her dual-wielding daggers. She stood her ground, and the goblins approached. The first one that reached her was sliced in the throat, blood bursted out as the goblin tried to scream, then stabbed in the chest. Cassyt cast the body towards the other goblins who were running towards her. Two goblins tripped on the body as it suddenly landed in front of them. Cassyt nailed the fourth in the head with one of her daggers. As it fell, Cassyt threw the other dagger at a fifth goblin, hitting them square in the throat.

More goblins continued running towards her. Cassyt looked around for anything to use. She ultimately decided to start running towards the goblins and pick up her daggers. Dashing quickly, Cassyt picked up one of her daggers out of the dead corpse of the fourth goblin.

As Cassyt charged deeper into the forest towards the goblins, her dagger flashed in faint sunlight that shone through the leaves above. The first goblin let out a blood-curdling shriek as Cassyt's blade impaled deep into its neck, slicing through the jugular vein with a sickening gurgle as blood pour out of their mouth. Their eyes widened and pupils dilated in shock, and the creature fell back a step, clutching at the gaping wound. The second goblin, his ears pointed and twisted, attempted to dodge to one side, but Cassyt was too quick.

She spun on her heel, her dagger slashing in a wide arc, which struck the creature with a vicious slash that opened its ribcage, exposing the quivering mass of its internal organs. The goblin's scream was cut short as its lungs collapsed, its body crumpling to the ground with a wet, slapping sound, like a fish dropped onto a stone floor. The third launched at Cassyt with a crude spear, but she was ready.

In one swift motion, she sidestepped the attack and struck back, the blade of her dagger deep into the goblin's abdomen just below the ribcage. The eyes of the creature widened, its mouth open in a silent scream, as Cassyt twisted the blade through the soft tissue, and then yanked it free, releasing a gout of blood that splattered onto the grassy floor like a gruesome, red rain. The goblin's body collapsed, its limbs twitching feebly as Cassyt stood over it, her chest heaving, her dagger still trembling with the force of her strikes.

Cassyt caught her breath and picked up her other dagger from the fifth goblin. She pulled it out of its flesh as blood Sept out of the gaping wound the goblin took. As Cassyt studied her surroundings, a goblin ranger sat atop a nearby boulder, staring at her with a beady eye. A cackled scream escaped his lips as he loosed the pulled string of his rude bow, and a jagged arrow whirred through the air and hit Cassyt in the leg with a nauseating thunk The arrowhead tore its way through her skin, and Cassyt's vision began to blur as a wave of searing agony erupted from the wound.

Blood fountained from the raged hole, coursing in a warm, crimson cascade down her leg, and Cassyt fell, catching the weight on her good leg. The goblin apparently was encouraged by its successful shot and let out a shrill whoop, but its triumph was short-lived. With a snarl, Cassyt yanked the arrow from her leg, and another wave of pain crashed through her with the action. The removal of the arrow had left a gaping, pulsing wound, but Cassyt's adrenaline pressed her onward.

As the goblin had begun notching another arrow, Cassyt launched herself in an assault with daggers in her hands against the goblin. Surprised by the furious assault, the goblin had barely raised its bow before Cassyt was upon it.

She plunged one dagger deep into its heart in one swift, deadly stroke, and the goblin's eyes were suddenly wide, its mouth contorted in a silent scream as Cassyt wrenched the dagger free, then slammed the other dagger into its exposed neck, severing the creature's jugular in a spray of hot, viscous blood. The body slackened onto the floor, dead, while Cassyt remained over it, standing, her chest heaving, a screaming pain in her leg. Glowering down at the corpse, her vision yet blurry from the pain, a cold, hard satisfaction seethed inside her. The goblin had committed the fatal mistake of underestimating her-and it would never do that again.

Cassyt scanned the area once again before putting away her daggers and taking a bandage out of her sack. Cassyt put the bandage over the open wound and tightened it. She winced in pain as she tightened it harder and harder. Goblin's blood on her gloves and her face. Her own blood soaked some of the bandage. She tried to stand on her leg. She kept the pressure on her good leg, and she limped over to a pool of water. Cassyt washed her face and her gloves off in the liquid.

She turned and limped out of the forest. The sounds of goblins had dissipated after killing the ranger. Huffing under her breath, she'd take out a map. Eventually, Cassyt appeared at the gate of Sorrondal, a small village with a guild hall, a pub, farming fields, a general market, a blacksmiths, and a common. Cassyt had her hood on and her hands in her cloak. She hid her limp as she approached the market.

She made her way to a specific stall. "Hello, how may I help you today?" The merchant at the stall asked before looking up. "Hey," Cassyt said as she slid twenty gold pieces on the stall table. "I'd like a healing potion, please." The merchant nodded and took the twenty gold pieces and handed Cassyt a healing potion. She thanked him and turned away. "Hey, wait, you're one of those adventurers, aren't you?" The merchant called to Cassyt. "Hmm? Oh, yes, I am." She turned around."Why?" She questioned. "I'm Horuk," the merchant said. "Have you heard of that caravan? I apparently need to take an adventurer with me for protection since the last one got raided. Maybe you could come with me?" Horuk proposed. Cassyt thought for a while. She took a sip of the healing potion, which healed her arrow wound.

Cassyt looked at Horuk and then looked around at the rest of the merchants. "I'll think about it." Cassyt turned and walked away. Cassyt walked around the town, checking in on things and inspecting the people there. Everyone in the town seemed to be human. Cassyt stocked up on rations and arrows. She had her daggers fixed by the blacksmith.

Cassyt walked into the guildhall and to the main desk. She took a relic out of her cloak and set it on the desk. "I've finished my quest." She said. The receptionist welcomed her back, "How many run-ins did you have?" The receptionist asked. "I had only two one inside and one fleeing outside. I counted 10 total dead." Cassyt answered. "Sign here, please!" The receptionist smiled at Cassyt and watched her sign the paper before she took it away. The receptionist took out 40 gold pieces and gave them to Cassyt. "Thank you." Cassyt said, taking down her hood, revealing her long, pointy ears. She heard someone far across the room whisper, "A high elf? That's very rare to see."