Chapter 5: The Evolution for Vengeance

The first taste of her power had only whetted Eliana's appetite for more. She began to train, not just in survival but in honing her newfound ability. The goblin city, with its labyrinth of tunnels and constant threat of violence, was the perfect place for her to push her limits. She would need to become stronger, smarter, and deadlier if she were to achieve her vengeance. The magic—whatever it was—was unpredictable. Sometimes, it flared up when she was enraged, sometimes when she was in danger. But Eliana wasn't content with just wielding magic on impulse. She wanted control. She wanted mastery.

She spent long nights in the dark corners of the goblin city, experimenting. Her body was used to the brutality of goblin life, but now, it was her mind she sharpened. She focused on channelling that raw energy, learning to summon bursts of force or heat with a single thought. Sometimes it was a surge that lifted an object from the ground or sent a goblin crashing into a wall. Other times, it was a smaller, more subtle power—a crackling pulse that surged through her veins, making her stronger, faster, and more resilient. Each time, she felt herself changing.

The more she used her power, the stronger she became—physically and mentally. And with each new burst of magic, something else began to happen. Her body responded. Her muscles grew tighter, more defined. Her senses became sharper. Her goblin form was evolving. The change was gradual at first, imperceptible to anyone but her. But soon, her stature began to shift. She became taller, more imposing. Her hands, once mere claws, now looked more like weapons—longer, sharper, and deadlier. Her skin, which had once been a pale, sickly green, grew tougher, almost stone-like in its durability. Her teeth lengthened into jagged fangs, and her once-slouched posture straightened as strength coursed through her.

Eliana's mind was no less affected. Her intelligence had always been her greatest asset, but now it was paired with a new, primal cunning. She understood the language of power—of dominance, of violence. She could read the slightest tremor in a goblin's body, the faintest shift in their posture. She knew when to strike, when to retreat, and when to make herself invisible.

She began picking off the weaker goblins one by one. At first, it was just a few—the smaller, less dangerous ones who were easy to overpower in the darkness of the tunnels. They never stood a chance. Eliana killed with efficiency, with cold precision. She hadn't just gained magic; she had gained the power to tear down the weak and feed on their essence.

With each kill, her power grew. She could feel the transformation in her bones—the brutal, savage evolution that was taking place. Her magic grew stronger as well, and she could summon bolts of energy that knocked enemies to the ground before she finished them off with a swift strike of her clawed hands. The other goblins began to notice, and they whispered among themselves. The weaker ones feared her, but the stronger goblins took interest.

Vorn was one of the first to try to stop her. The moment he realized what was happening to her, he tried to control her, to crush her before she could grow too powerful. But it was a mistake. His arrogance led to his downfall. In a confrontation deep in the tunnels, he attacked her, thinking she was still the same fragile, broken goblin he had abused. But Eliana had changed. With a surge of magic, she lifted him off the ground and slammed him against the wall. He struggled, but he was no match for the power that flowed through her.

The fight was brutal. But when it ended, Vorn lay motionless on the stone floor, a broken shell of the goblin who had once tormented her.

And Eliana stood above him, breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling with the fury of the battle. Her hands, her claws, were stained with blood. And as the power coursed through her, she felt the first stirrings of a greater change.

Her body was no longer just that of a goblin. She was becoming something more—something powerful, something terrifying. She had killed enough to evolve, to transcend. She was becoming a hobgoblin, and with that, she knew she was only one step away from something even greater: an orc.

The hunger for vengeance, for power, would not be sated until she had climbed to the top of this brutal society, until she had become something the goblins, the overseers, and the betrayers like Theron would fear. And Eliana would make sure they feared her.

Her journey was only beginning, but now, she was no longer just a broken creature of the dark. She was a force to be reckoned with.

The path to vengeance had become her true destiny.