The Path of the Beast

Eliana's heart burned with a mixture of rage and determination. The goblin colony she had come from was nothing compared to the vast, brutal world she now found herself in. The orcs, once thought to be powerful in her eyes, were now mere stepping stones to a higher plane of existence. She had barely scratched the surface of what she needed to achieve.

Yet, as the weight of this revelation settled in her mind, doubt crept in. Was she truly capable of rising beyond the filth of her origins? The world she had discovered was immense, ruled by creatures far stronger than anything she had ever faced. Lords, warlords, and monstrous beings who wielded terrifying power—could she ever hope to match them?

She hesitated, her mind swirling with uncertainty. But then, something deep inside her stirred. A slow, creeping realization of the advantage she held. She had already broken past the limits of what she thought possible. The thrill of the unknown, the exhilarating prospect of carving her own legend in this cruel world—it ignited something feral within her. Her hesitation transformed into an insatiable hunger for power. If she could evolve once, she could do it again. And again. And again. Until she stood above them all.

Her path ahead would not be an easy one. It would take years—perhaps decades—of struggle, of violence, of bloodshed. But with every kill, with every battle, she would grow stronger. She would climb the ladder of evolution, step by painful step, until she became the very thing that no goblin in the greater colonies could ever hope to defeat.

Her hatred for her uncle, Lord Theron, burned brighter than ever. She had seen the opulence of the world she had once called her own. It was time to burn it all to the ground.

But first, she had to ascend. And the first step? Killing the strongest goblins in the greater colonies.

The deeper Eliana ventured into the labyrinthine tunnels of the greater goblin kingdom, the more she felt the weight of her inadequacy. Despite her victories, despite the surge of strength that came with her evolution into an orc, she quickly realized that she was still a small fish in a vast, merciless ocean. The deeper she descended into this new world, the more she saw how truly powerless she was.

Each step felt heavier. The air grew colder, denser, as if it were thick with the weight of centuries of power, violence, and cunning. The goblins here were not the pitiful, starving creatures she had once known. These were beings forged in the crucible of survival—powerful, ruthless, and far more intelligent than any she had encountered before. The creatures she had once considered "goblins" were now barely a shadow of what they truly were. She had to remind herself that her journey was only beginning.

Her mind raced with frustration as she tried to make sense of her place in this vast new world. Despite her size and her physical strength, she was still a child compared to these evolved goblins. She could feel their eyes on her as she moved through the dark corridors, as if they were waiting for her to make a mistake. And she knew one wrong move would be her last.

She forced herself to remain calm, to observe rather than react. Every moment was a test, every encounter a lesson. She studied the way the stronger goblins moved—fluid, calculated, predatory. Their scars told stories of battles hard-won, their eyes gleamed with a cunning that went beyond brute strength. Power here was not just about physical might but about patience, strategy, and knowing when to strike. She would have to adapt.

Determination swelled within her chest. Fear was an enemy, but knowledge was a weapon. She would learn their ways, decipher their hierarchy, and exploit their weaknesses. She would take what she needed from this pit of monsters and rise above them all.

Eliana clenched her fists, feeling the pulse of hunger deep within her soul. The hunt was on. And this time, she was the predator.