Darkness tightened the straps of her armor as the morning sun peeked through the village gate. Her body was still stiff from yesterday's "training," though she pushed that thought down quickly, cheeks burning. Today, she had another quest: goblins again.
But she wasn't alone.
"W-wait up! Hey—wait for meee!"
A girl scrambled after her, nearly tripping over her own boots. She was shorter than Darkness, her hair a wild tangle of dark brown that gave her a perpetually messy, tomboyish look. Despite her brash energy, her eyes betrayed unease—nervous, wide, darting to every shadow as though expecting monsters to leap from them.
Her body didn't resemble a warrior's at all. Her chest was flat, almost boyish, yet her hips and backside were wide and round, exaggerating the difference in her proportions. She looked less like a fighter and more like someone who would be knocked down at the first shove.
Darkness frowned slightly. "Are you… sure about this? Hunting goblins isn't a child's game."
The girl pouted, stomping her foot. "I'm not a child! I-I can help, really! I just—" She cut herself off, glancing away, her hands fidgeting. "I'm… I'm scared to go alone, okay? So… please, let me come with you! I won't get in the way!"
Darkness exhaled slowly, tugging at her glove. Her own memory of her first quest—the fear, the trembling uncertainty—flashed faintly in her mind. The tomboy wasn't ready, that much was obvious. But… she looked desperate.
"What's your name?" Darkness asked, softening her tone.
The girl perked up slightly. "Kara! Kara of… uh… nowhere important." She grinned sheepishly, scratching her cheek.
"Kara…" Darkness repeated, rolling the name on her tongue. She gave a small, reluctant nod. "Very well. But stay behind me. You will only move when I say so. Understood?"
Kara saluted with exaggerated bravado, her face bright. "Yes, ma'am! I-I'll be super obedient!"
They set off down the dirt road toward the woods. Kara walked close, almost too close, her nervous chatter spilling constantly. She tripped twice on roots, swung her dagger clumsily at nothing, and nearly screamed when a squirrel darted across the path.
Darkness sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple. She's hopeless. But… at least she's earnest.
Still, she couldn't ignore the gnawing unease in her own chest. Her body still remembered Gorvald's lesson, and now, with an excitable novice clinging to her side, she felt the strange duality of roles: student, and suddenly… mentor.
And beyond that, she wondered silently: If goblins come today… will Kara survive her first fight?
Darkness crouched behind the tree line, her golden eyes narrowing as she scanned the clearing. A group of goblins lingered there—six of them, noisy and distracted, gnawing on scraps of meat.
"This is dangerous," Kara whispered nervously, clutching her dagger so tightly her knuckles whitened.
"That's why you don't fight all of them at once," Darkness murmured, keeping her tone low but sharp, the way a teacher might scold a distracted pupil. "You isolate one. Pull him away from the pack. Then, when he's alone, you strike."
Kara leaned closer, whispering back: "But… how? They stick together."
Darkness inhaled, then straightened her back. A faint flush touched her cheeks as she stood up deliberately, stepping into view. "You lure them," she said simply.
Kara's eyes widened. "Lure them…?"
Darkness didn't answer at first. Instead, she walked with purpose, slow and deliberate, swaying her hips. Her armored thighs shifted with the motion, and her backside—ample and round beneath the leather straps—rolled with each step. The goblins turned, their chatter faltering, small yellow eyes narrowing on her figure.
"They're visual creatures," Darkness explained calmly, tilting her head toward the group as one goblin grunted and stood, sniffing the air like a dog. "Movement draws their attention. You keep just far enough ahead that they can almost touch you… but never quite reach."
As if on cue, she glanced back, caught the goblin's greedy look, and quickened her pace into a half-run. Not fast enough to escape—just enough that the distance between them remained taut like a thread.
Kara's mouth hung open, dumbfounded. "Y-you're… you're using your butt to bait him?!"
"Exactly," Darkness replied coolly, keeping her eyes forward. "It works. They cannot resist. Once one separates…" She gestured faintly with her hand, even as she kept running, "…you cut him down."
She looped back toward Kara, the lone goblin chasing her, drool glistening on his chin. Kara nearly panicked, but Darkness dispatched the creature in one clean thrust of her sword, dropping him instantly. The remaining five goblins, none the wiser, went back to their bickering.
Kara exhaled sharply, chest heaving. "Th-that was… incredible…"
Darkness dusted her gauntlet, her eyes sharp with pride. "It's technique. Not strength. Remember that."
She then glanced at Kara, considering. "You can also lure with the chest. Provocation is about showing softness where they want to strike."
But her words faltered. Her eyes slid down to Kara's torso—flat, utterly lacking the curves Darkness used to her advantage. A pause stretched in the air.
Kara noticed immediately, her expression twisting. "H-hey! Don't just stop like that! You're looking down on me, aren't you?!"
Darkness's lips pressed together, a guilty silence betraying her thoughts.
Kara's cheeks puffed out, and in a burst of frustrated bravado, she turned around and slapped her own backside with a loud smack. Her hips and large, round butt jiggled from the impact, almost comically exaggerated under her shorts.
"I-I don't have those," Kara shouted, her voice cracking between embarrassment and defiance, "but I've got plenty of this! If your trick works with boobs, then I'll use my butt instead! You'll see!"
Darkness blinked, momentarily stunned, then raised a hand to her face, half hiding her smile. "…You really are ridiculous."
Kara grinned, hands on her hips now, still blushing furiously. "Ridiculous and resourceful! Don't underestimate me, teacher!"