Jason trudged through the forest, his steps steady but his mind restless. The quiet was unnerving—too quiet for an area marked as goblin territory. By now, he had expected to encounter at least one or two of the creatures, but so far, there had been nothing but the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds.
He paused, pulling out the map Elysia had given him. Unfolding it carefully, he glanced at his surroundings, comparing landmarks. If his estimation was correct—and he prided himself on being decent with directions—he was at least halfway through what was supposed to be goblin territory.
His brow furrowed. "Strange," he muttered under his breath, folding the map back up and tucking it into the bag. Goblins didn't just abandon their turf, especially one so close to a river where resources were plentiful. Something didn't feel right, but he pressed on, gripping his dagger a little tighter as he scanned the dense forest ahead.
He soon stumbled upon a small, makeshift camp. Crude wooden spikes jutted from the ground, forming a flimsy perimeter around leaning wooden shacks that looked as though they'd fall apart at a stiff breeze. Bones littered the area, scattered haphazardly like discarded trash, a grim reminder of what once thrived here.
As he approached, a rancid stench slammed into him, so pungent it made his stomach churn. He instinctively covered his mouth and nose with his hand. "Damn!" he muttered, his voice muffled by his palm. The air was thick with decay, a nauseating mix of rotting flesh and stagnant filth.
Jason hesitated, his feet rooted to the ground. The sensible part of him screamed to turn around and leave, but his gut told him the answers he sought lay within the abandoned camp. He clenched his dagger tighter, steeling himself for what was ahead.
"If I want to get to the bottom of this, I have to go in," he whispered, forcing his legs to move forward, one cautious step at a time.
He reached what seemed to be the entrance, a section of the crude wooden fence broken and splintered as though a massive creature had rammed straight through it. The jagged edges of the broken spikes jutted outward, further reinforcing the idea of brute force. It was the only visible way in, and with no other options, Jordan cautiously stepped through the gap.
What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.
Bodies—piles of them.
They were everywhere. Goblin corpses lay strewn across the ground in various states of decay, some already picked clean by scavengers, others bloated and swarming with flies. The grotesque sight sent a chill down his spine. He hadn't seen them from outside the camp, hidden as they were behind the wooden walls, but now, standing in the middle of the desolation, it was all he could see.
The air inside was even worse than the stench outside. It clung to him, heavy and suffocating, a sickening blend of rotting flesh and dried blood. Jordan instinctively covered his nose again, fighting the urge to retch.
"What the hell happened here?" he muttered under his breath, his voice shaky as he took a hesitant step forward.
He wasn't particularly disgusted by the sight of the bodies; after all, he had grown used to such grim scenes since his arrival in this world. But the smell—that was something else entirely. It was overpowering, seeping into his nostrils despite his best efforts to block it out. The stench of decay and death was almost unbearable, making his stomach churn with every breath he took.
Jordan took a moment to steady himself, pulling his shirt up over his nose in a futile attempt to filter the air. "Damn, this is stink," he muttered, forcing himself to move deeper into the camp. "What could've done this?"
Jordan squatted down beside one of the bodies, his brows furrowing as he examined it more closely. Though he wasn't an expert, the level of decay suggested the goblin had been dead for a few days. Bite marks littered the body, and from the jagged, brutal wounds, it was clear that whatever attacked it had left it to bleed out.
Behind the goblin, streaks of dried blood painted the ground, creating a trail that led toward the large wooden house in the center of the camp. The goblin had clearly been crawling, either in desperation to escape something or seeking refuge.
"Something must be in there," Jordan thought, his gaze narrowing as he turned his attention to the ominous structure.
He moved around the camp, examining the other bodies strewn across the ground. Every one of them bore the same marks—bite wounds—and each trail of blood seemed to lead toward the central hut. The realization unsettled him, but his curiosity outweighed his caution.
"This place just keeps getting stranger," he muttered under his breath, gripping his dagger tightly as he took a cautious step toward the house.
Jordan approached the hut, noticing it was slightly sturdier than the others, though still in poor condition. The walls leaned awkwardly, and cracks ran through the wooden planks, but it seemed to have been built with more care than the rest of the camp.
He hesitated briefly before stepping inside, instinctively covering his nose, though to his surprise, the stench wasn't as overpowering as it was outside. His eyes scanned the dim interior, noting the claw marks that riddled the walls, as if some frenzied creature had been confined here.
What caught his attention, however, was the lone body sprawled in the center of the room. Unlike the smaller goblins he'd encountered before, this one was different—much larger. While the typical goblins resembled malnourished children, this one had the build of a grown man. Its muscular frame was imposing, though it still bore the unmistakable goblin-like features: sharp, jagged teeth, pointed ears, and greenish-gray skin.
Jordan crouched beside the body, inspecting it carefully. The same bite marks marred its flesh, though these wounds appeared deeper, more vicious, as if the attacker had needed more effort to bring this creature down.
"What the hell were you?" Jordan muttered, his gaze lingering on the creature's thick arms and broad chest. Whatever had killed it hadn't done so easily.
The claw marks on the walls and the larger goblin raised questions in his mind. This hut wasn't ordinary, and neither was the goblin inside. Something about this place felt... off, like it held more secrets than answers.