Loincloth

Fuwa sighed, she straightened up, wiping the sweat from her brow as they began to move cautiously in the direction the goblins had fled. The forest felt alive around them, with every rustle of leaves or creak of branches making them hyper-aware of their surroundings. Even though the immediate threat was gone, the oppressive atmosphere of the Goblin Forest loomed over them like a dark cloud.

'I can't believe I'm here killing these disgusting critters' Fuwa's mind remembered her time at her house playing video games and giggled 'Now I'm not bothered at all, after my time on the island... the training was really hard, but back then, back at home my grandpa never allowed me to skip a day of martial arts training too... now it paid off... thanks grandpa' Then she remembered and looked back "Are we not looting those bodies?" 

"Ewwww! Disgusting Fuwa!" Raven said looking at her "Wanna take their loincloths and watch their...!"

Fuwa cringed at Raven's comment, a mix of disgust and embarrassment flashing across her face, and quickly interrupted her "Ew! No! I didn't mean it like that!" She waved her hands defensively, her voice rising "I just thought they might have something useful, like... I don't know, weapons or gear?"

Raven chuckled, her mischievous grin widening "Yeah, sure, because goblins are known for their quality gear" She rolled her eyes playfully "Trust me, we're better off without whatever junk they're carrying. Unless you really want a rusty dagger or some… interesting loincloths"

Fuwa grimaced, crossing her arms "Fine, forget I asked" She muttered under her breath, "I just thought, you know, dungeon rules and all that…"

Raven's playful demeanor turned into a sharp smile "Sure!" She winked at Fuwa "Grab me a good loincloth that is not smelly too please so we can go in matching gear!" She laughed loudly. 

Fuwa groaned, her face turning bright red. "Why did I even bring it up..." She mumbled, trying to brush off Raven's teasing, but the cat girl's laughter was contagious. Despite the tension of their situation, Fuwa found herself cracking a small smile. It was hard to stay annoyed when Raven had that carefree, mischievous energy.

"Alright, alright, let's focus" Fuwa said, shaking her head to clear away the embarrassment.

Raven wiped a tear from her eye, still chuckling but settling back into a more serious tone "Yeah, yeah. Focus. Let's hope this rex monster isn't too disgusting" Her ears twitched, and her tail flicked in anticipation as they resumed their cautious pace through the dense forest.

As they pressed on, the air grew heavier and more humid, and the oppressive feeling of the Goblin Forest intensified. The towering trees, with their twisted trunks and sprawling roots, seemed to close in on them, making the already narrow path feel even more claustrophobic. Fuwa could feel the weight of the dungeon pressing down on them as if the very forest was watching their every move.

Also, there was the smell.

It was disgusting, a rotting smell, ahead of them, Raven was the first to catch it since her senses were sharper than Fuwa's, but not much later the human girl was able to feel it too. It was the smell of a mixture of thing, dirt, mud, sex, death, and decay mixed in a twisted and sour aroma that permeated the goblin nest ahead. 

Minutes passed in silence, save for the occasional rustle of leaves, both girls in alert in case of an ambush, then Raven came to an abrupt stop, she knew they were in the right place but she didn't like it. 

"Why do you stop?" Asked Fuwa. 

Ahead of them was an encampment of goblins, huts build with mud and rotting wood, crude buildings that these creatures had raised to solidify their dominion over this place. On the center of the place were the naked bodies of what once were other girls, all stained and abused, their bodies probably still hot but recently discarded as they knew they had replacements. Around them a horde of about of 20 goblins fought over something the girls didn't knew. 

Raven knew this was a mirage, a construct of the dungeon, but she had seen some similar scenes in the past, still, her hand grasped her dagger with cold fury. Fuwa meanwhile felt a surge of nausea rise within her. The sight before her was a twisted blend of reality and illusion, but the horror was all too real. The bodies, though a mirage, were a harsh reminder of what could happen in this cursed place, and it sent a wave of cold dread through her veins.

"Raven..." Fuwa's voice was barely a whisper, her eyes wide with horror and disbelief.

"I know" Raven muttered, her voice unusually low and controlled. The playful spark that usually lit up her features was long gone, replaced by a simmering rage "This is what this place does... twists everything to break you" Her tail flicked sharply, and her ears were flat against her head as she scanned the goblin horde "But it's not real. Focus. We have a job to get rid of those pests"

Fuwa swallowed hard and nodded, trying to calm the shaking in her hands. The smell, the grotesque scene... it was all part of the dungeon's twisted magic, meant to terrify and disorient them. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, she had never witnessed a scene so dire and disgusting in her entire life, she had thought that she was used to this world, but reality hits hard when you less expect it "You're right. Let's finish this"

Now the problem was... what to do? The place was barricaded with humanoid bones, covered in filth, mud, and other grime stuff, maybe even goblin bodies were used along with their victims. The goblins themselves were pretty weak, even untrained farmers could beat them one on one, but now there were 20. Raven had her shield, but then, just charging inside looked like a bad idea. Raven didn't want to end like a goblin plaything. Then she took a deep breath.

"When we go back to the tavern we need to have a good honest talk about our stats" Said the bandit cat to the girl near her "But for now, I'm gonna try to set this place ablaze to create some chaos"

Fuwa looked at her confused but then nodded, up until now neither of them had revealed their stats to one another, after all those are very intimate and unique to each person. Back at the islands, Fuwa was warned to only show it to people she really trusted and to not tell anybody else about it. After all in a world with sorcery and strange skills, it was better to keep all triumph cards well saved just in case. 

"Are we going in then?" 

"Wait for the spell to take effect... we will take this chance now that they are fighting between them and take them out" When the martial artists nodded, Raven extended her hand and silently but surely cast her spell "『Fire Butterfly Swarm』"

The crimson butterflies began their slow march toward their targets, Fuwa was really confused, the spell used was unknown to her, but said nothing. Slowly but surely, the tiny thing spread in the front of the village, and then... one impacted in a tiny explosion of flames... some huts caught fire, and hell got loose in the campment.