14

I furrowed my brows. 'What was that...'  I thought that I heard something but... but it must've been my imagination. A sound so shrill and terrible that it couldn't be anything but my imagination. Right?

Either way there was this electric feel in the air. One that practically screamed at me. I wanted to discard that feeling, say that the scream was nothing more than my imagination. But I couldn't.

Hah- it ruined my mood. The scream that was. I should've been far more excited. I should've let my brain wander while I performed a slaughter. Yet here I was, worrying over nothing but a damned scream.

Fuck that.

I set myself into a runner's stance, paced myself to my stamina. Rather than any other indicator. And when I was ready, I leaped into danger. Chambers flew past me, each of them this drab and boring gray. 

And that gray and black... ugh- It oozed into this terrible color that gave me a headache. Fuck that. I stopped for a moment, leaned my back against the wall, let myself rest for a moment and sip upon the water I held religiously in my pack.

'Quiet'

Eerily so.

Before there was a buzz in the air, a sort of droning activity in my ear something to signify the countless critters that flittered around the ground and above me but now... now there wasn't a single noise.

Nothing.

A sort of quiet whose reign would disturb the soul, of course it didn't do a damn thing to me. No, but I felt the need to investigate. My eyes roaming the chamber and the subsequent paths.

My nose twitched and my eyes gave off this inherent violet light. And ah- there it was. The source. I walked towards it and found myself enamored by the stink. The slight stench of blood being spilled.

Oh' so fresh.

The chamber was filled with corpses. Each of them carrying this ugly green creature. Short and stout, with long noses and deep yellow eyes. Even its teeth was carved yellow, with a rotten stench that refused to go away.

Ah- but there was something interesting abound. A certain hole that each of them carried. Small, about the size of a penny if I had to guess.

And each of them had - from a rough estimate - hundreds of these holes. Interlapping and creating a waterfall of blood, each pouring into its own river. 

"Quite a gruesome way to go huh-"

Death by a thousand cuts. Or in this case, a thousand bullets. 

What a way to go.

It was effective though. I could see this being the work of one person, each of their hands filled with what must be thousands of coins and each of them spearing towards their victims.

Ah- My lips were suddenly dry.

A tinge of admiration for their form, their slaughter.

Whoever this was... they had my attention. 

My eyes tinged red, drool caked over my chin, and for a second I felt myself blush red. For those actions... I looked around. Hoping that Lily hadn't seen me doing that. It was... embarrassing.

I took a deep breath. Released it into the air and found myself quietly walking towards that scream. Was it a scream? I can't rightly know. But I walked towards it either way.

Was it some sadistic man, he who tortured their enemies to death, or was it their own death throes, feeling pain at the prospect of death. Or... or was it my own imagination. Conjuring sounds to fill this void of nothing.

Chamber after chamber. Bloodied corpse after bloodied corpse. Each creating a river of their own blood. It was in that manner that I found myself stopping. For a moment really. That was all.

My head raised. Sniffing at the air.

'Somethings different'

The air had a different taste to it... almost- yeah. It was fresh. My blooded eyes locked onto the winding path and found myself interpreting another smell. A musty stench that spoke of sweat.

'A human~'

Ah~ That was what the taste was. A person~ Oh' how sweet.

One more chamber.

I passed by strange symbols. Skulls hung upon a cross of wood, blood painted across the walls in differing patterns. Each of them alluding to some greater purpose.

And when I came to there was fire. A great torch that lit the room and gave me sight once again - not that I couldn't see - I could see quite fine in the dark, thank you very much.

Ah- but there came the drama. A door made of wood, screws and pillars that pierced the stone and gave no other option but to open the locked gates.

I did.

The door creaked and I was blinded by another light. This one made by the several torches and braziers scattered across the room.

"Heh~"

I couldn't help the laugh. Ridiculous, that was the only word for it. Corpses littered the room, and in that somber atmosphere came a girl. She stood head and shoulders above the many dead. But her eyes were screwed shut with tears caking down her cheeks.

For she lay across the lap of what I presumed to be the boss of this dungeon. A goblin thrice the size of any others, his eyes blazing with righteous fury. He raised his hand to the heavens, and like a god, smote the disbeliever upon his lap.

SLAP

He spanked her. I turned my head and snickered to the side. But no~ apparently that small noise drew the attention of the goblin boss. He looked at me and threw the girl onto the ground. She landed ass up - red as could be - and her face in the dirt.

"Come to save her... have you... hu...man...?"

I tilted my head. Gave the being before me a queer look.

"No."

The girl whimpered in the corner.

"She shouldn't even be here, so be my guest. Kill her, take her, I don't quite care."

Silence reigned in this solitary chamber. Blood dripped from the freshly slain goblins and here I stood. Among their king. Waiting for his judgement, sharpening my claws - ready.

"I'll- I'll pay you. My family will. Just- Just save me you- you..." 

Her words were clear. An insult.

"Quiet girl. Your fate hasn't been decided yet."

"How much?"

"You dare!?"

I turned to the goblin. Dragged my dogged eyes over him. Then with all the deadpan I could muster I gave my answer.

"Yeah."

"A lot... thousands... hundreds maybe...? Just-"

I raised my hand.

"I got it. Just tell me-" I smirked. "What is this- some kind of play. A sadistic desire of yours maybe. Something your own subordinates fail to satisfy. A perverted desire maybe~" My smirk must've been infuriating, my words even more.

For the goblin leaped from his chair. A massive staff wielded between his two hands. He was a blur of movement and in those scant seconds he reached me. His hand raised high and bursting with energy.

A spell?

"EXPLOSIVE-"  I braced myself, turning on my feet and crouching low. All in preparation to dodge whatever explosive this goblin would reign. "Bonk~"

Huh-

What-

The hell?!

Above me air was cut, his staff bore down on my head like a grand hammer. It blurred into unreality and I found myself leaping to the side, my claws digging into the dirt for any nascent purchase.

I scowled. My eyes narrowed and I burst into speed. I leaped into the air and bore upon his head. A punch. It wasn't anything fancy, just force burdened by my weight. Enough to crush stone. But would that be enough?

I knew not.

And that was why I tested it.

For as my fist connected I prepared to backtrack, make myself scarce and let myself dodge any follow up attack.

I looked around and made sure to protect the girl behind me, sweeping my hand in a wide arc to settle the dirt.

But- but-

Nothing.

I looked and there it was. A corpse. His head caved in and his staff laid low on the ground.

"Was he that weak..." I looked at the girl. "Were you that weak?"

She froze. Then with all the bitterness of a cute puppy tears fell from her eyes and she lunged at me. Her arms wrapped around my waist and her tears stained my shirt.

"Uh..." I droned on... "I-"

"Thank you- thank you- thank you-"

All I could really do was pat her back and whisper sweet nothings, desperately looking at nothing to try and plead Lily to come out of her hidey hole.

/./

[You have conquered a rival dungeon; would you like to consume the XP or take control of the dungeon]

I laid the girls body down, she had passed out from exhaustion after crying for so long. But now that I was free I could finally address the two things that were currently taking up my attention.

One the body that I hadn't drank the blood of. My fangs bore holes into its neck, and like clockwork, the body was completely drained. 

"Tasteless-" I tsked. The blood was just that. Unlike the sweet, almost addictive taste of Lily, this was like water. I didn't mind it but- well there were better and more delicious options.

Lily had finally appeared. Saying something like- you conquered the dungeon so why wouldn't I show myself.

Yeah... try using that excuse after you left me with a crying girl. I still glared at her. She could go and sulk for a moment, crying at how I ignored her and how I shunned her.

Oh- and I drank the blood of the other goblins too. Can't forget them. 

[You have drank the blood of a |Goblin(lv3)|, gain 500XP]

Another six-hundred and I'll level up. Woo~