Reincarnated as a random race, of course I got goblin.

Chapter 65 - Divine Champion: Air

Forest Near G'cal
Valena's POV

"Whew, another hunt well done." Lychee slumps onto the ground in exhaustion as she is want to do once we take down a big monster. "Pawsome! You were so cool, Val! Dancing around the meownster like that!" Lima cheers, raising her massive hammer over her head as if it was made of air, and not weighing over fifty kilos (~110 pounds~). 

I sigh, drying my swords off with a cloth. That surprise attack by an Onyx Ironwing shouldn't have ended like this. Leon is studying the carcass, deep in thought. 

"Anything off with this one? It was far too slow..." I ask as I sheathe my blades. Lychee and Lima also come over, intrigued by what Leon is pointing to. "Here... I think this might be why it was so easy to take down." Leon says as I walk over to him.

A large gash across the back of its left hind leg is what has caught his attention. The wound is deep, having ripped apart the sturdy layer of fur-covered scales that cover the Onyx Ironwing. It also seems to be oozing a black, oily substance, and the exposed flesh is a sickly greenish brown.

"The poor thing would probably been beside itself with pain." Lychee mutters. "At least meow it's out of it's misery..." Lima adds. 

"We should take samples of whatever this is... It could be related to an undiscovered monster." Leon fumbles around in his bag for a vial. He always keeps a few handy, for cases like this. "Do we leave the body?" I ask. 

Leon considers for a moment. "Let's dispose of it properly. Make a pit and burn it, then cover the remnants in soil." He finishes taking the sample, and gets up. 

"Awe, and I was looking forward to the parts we could get from it." Lima pouts as she sets her hammer aside and removes her latrine shovel from her backpack. "I suppose I'm the one digging the pit." She sighs and gets to work with frightening efficiency.

An hour later, a pit able to house the Onyx Ironwing's body has been dug. Together, we push it into it, and cover it in branches and other burnable things.

"Stand back!" Leon warns as he casts a Fireball onto the body, igniting it into a fierce blaze. Almost immediately, the noxious odor of burnt hair and flesh fill the area. I retreat further away from the pit, gagging at the smell. 

It takes several hours for the fire to die down, and when we finally finish piling the dug up soil back onto the charred remains, night has fallen. 

"Well, that's over." Leon sighs before sniffing the sleeve of his shirt and grimacing. "We might need to buy new clothes. Mine at least smell terrible." 

"I want to go homeow..." Lima complains. "So do I, but is it safe to wander at night?" Lychee adds in.

"Now that you're mentioning it... Other than this Onyx Ironwing, there's been no monsters in sight. Not even the small ones." I put a hand to my chin in thought. 

"Perhaps whatever injured the Ironwing also scared off all the other monsters?" Leon suggests as he picks up his pack in preparation for us to move out. "But it should be fine, right? This close to G'Cal there shouldn't be anything we can't handle." He gives a nervous smile aimed at me in particular. 

"Indeed, let's go. The less time we spend here, the better." As the  leader of the group, my decisions carry the most weight, and the others immediately start moving towards the town. 

We encountered nothing on the way back, and I could finally slump into my own bed, exhausted after being awake and active for over twelve hours. Tomorrow the plan is to deliver that sample to Mina's place, and then take a few days off from hunting, as we're all pretty discomforted by what's going on in that forest.