26.1ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ/sᴛʀᴀᴛᴏᴛʜʀᴀx

"Those Gobbos that fled screaming when you killed that Human-gobbo, well, I think the tribe knows we are here now," said Opal as voices and footsteps started to reach them from the surrounding jungle.

"That's fine, they won't know what's happening yet and it's too soon to have drawn the attention of many. Just need to keep on top of them as they come," said Rain wiping blood from his nose.

Opal withdrew her rapier and scuttled under a nearby bush as Rain set his feet.

"All yours big guy."

Rain spread his paws as two Lamia-goblins exploded from the foliage followed by a dozen or so regular Goblins.

The two Lamia didn't hesitate for a moment and dived on Rain using their bodies to engulf him entirely in an attempt to squeeze him to death. If only they had seen what had happened to the last one.

Rain disappeared behind their scales as the Goblins whooped their victory. It wasn't long before the screaming started. Blood sprayed from between the Lamia's coils shocking the Goblins out of their celebration.

"Uncoil! Get it out!" cried one Lamia-goblin as the surrounding Goblins started to panic.

"I- I Can't! Gobbos! Use your weapons, stab between our coils, go damn you!"

The crowd of Goblins seized on the command and swarmed over the entwined Lamia, using their poorly made swords and knives to poke between the slipping moving coils.

It was working! More blood than ever was pouring out from between the coils! They were injuring it! Surely!

A massive paw burst from the coils and wrapped around a Goblin's head and then dragged him inside screaming. The Goblins faltered. Another Goblin was pulled inside, then another.

"D-Don't stop! You must save us! Please!" said one of the Lamia as they held the other up, blood pouring from their mouth.

The Goblins began to back away.

"What are you doing?! Stop! Don't run! Oh- oh gods it's eating through my spi-."

The Lamia slumped to the ground as the Goblins stepped back fearfully toward the trees.

A blood covered head burst from the Lamia's flesh causing the Goblins to freeze in fright. It turned on them, its yellow eyes alight with hunger, tongue running along its teeth.

"B-Beast! Run!!" squeaked one of the Goblins as with a snarl Rain bounded from the Lamia's corpses and gave chase. They fled into the jungle, the beast hot on their tails.

It leapt and landed on a Goblin crushing it into the ground and instantly snapping its back with its weight, a paw lashed out and snatched up another goblin bashing its brains out on a nearby tree. The chase continued, Goblins dropping like flies as the beast outpaced them due to its longer legs. Soon enough only three desperate Goblins remained, though not for long.

A dark shadow loomed over the slowest of the Goblins but before it could reach out something cried out from above, an ear-splitting avian screech of a sound. The black furred shadow tumbled to the ground as a pair of wings cannoned into it.

A tall naked female Goblin crashed into view, but instead of arms it had wings, and instead of Goblin legs it had the feathered legs of a bird of prey complete with oversized hooked talons made to rend flesh. It scratched and clawed at Rain as he rolled across the ground, keeping his arms up to protect his eyes. The Harpy-goblin avian screeched again and it was joined by a second. They seized on Rain's shoulders, their talons puncturing his flesh, they then furiously flapped their wings. The Harpy-goblins slowly began to rise into the air, up above the foliage, above the jungle where they were joined by more of their sisters, flapping and cawing.

"We have it sisters! We have the intruder! The prize is ours!"

"What a feral looking beast, what creature would come to be if we were to breed with it I wonder?"

"We should take it to Mother, he can be ours alone and strengthen our blood!"

"All the better. The time we take over the tribe is near! We shall look down on our lessers from above as it is meant to be!"

A large paw wrapped around the leg of one of the carrying Harpy-goblins. She looked down in surprise that the creature could still move with their claws piercing it. Normally their prey was left in agony and unable to struggle.

The paw's grip tightened and to the Harpy's shock she felt it drag her down.

"H-hey! You're not supposed to do that! We'll fall!"

Yellow eyes looked up at her with contempt and then its jaws opened and bit off her leg. She screamed and watched on in horror as her limb fell into the jungle canopy below.