Luna looked around with fear and anxiety as they walked through the forest at night following the goblin tracks. Goblin Slayer led the way with a torch illuminating their path.
The forest emitted a strange smell of life and death that made Luna scratch her nose several times. She gripped her sword's hilt tightly, slightly nervous, and soon they stood before a dark cave.
"This is it. Get ready," he said calmly. Luna nodded, and they entered the cave. Darkness surrounded them, with only the torchlight from the man leading the way. The air smelled of blood, and small water droplets dripped from the ceiling.
"Goblins see very well in the dark. Stay alert," he warned. After a few more steps, a female scream echoed through the cavern. "It's those adventurers from before! Should we rush to help them?" Luna asked timidly, preparing to run, but Goblin Slayer stopped her.
"There might be traps. Don't run blindly in a cave." His words carried a frightening calmness. A few steps later, a sight that nearly made Luna regret coming appeared before them.
Two goblins stood over the body of one of the female adventurers from the previous group, laughing while a young priestess with an arrow stuck in her shoulder was thrown to the ground nearby, trembling with a puddle of liquid between her legs. The fresh scent of blood hit Luna's nose, and the vision made her tremble momentarily. But then Goblin Slayer's voice reached her ears.
"You take care of the one with the dagger," he said calmly. The next instant, the dagger-wielding goblin charged at them. Remembering her training, Luna drew her sword and waited.
Time seemed to freeze. She could hear her heart pounding loudly in her chest as the monster leaped into the air, ready to stab her. But recalling her training, Luna stepped forward and executed a simple thrust.
Slice!
A sensation of cutting and weight passed through her hands as her blade pierced the goblin mid-air. It shrieked momentarily in pain. Gritting her teeth, Luna pulled her sword free, making the creature collapse to the ground. With a second slash, she decapitated it, sending its head flying.
The second goblin, armed with a bow, saw its companion die and fired an arrow at Goblin Slayer, who easily deflected it. Realizing it was outmatched, the goblin tried to flee, but a blade cut through the air.
Crack!
There was a crunching sound as the short sword pierced the goblin's skull, splattering blood everywhere. "Two," the man muttered coldly before turning to the priestess.
While they talked, Luna froze momentarily as the adrenaline faded. She stared at her bloodstained sword and the headless goblin corpse. "I really killed something... Even if it's a monster, I still took a life," she thought to herself. But she took a deep breath and steadied herself.
The mission wasn't over yet, and she didn't want to be a burden to her companion. She saw the young priestess begging for her friend to be saved, but Goblin Slayer coldly refused, stating it was already too late.
Approaching the bleeding girl on the ground, he pierced her neck with his sword, ending her suffering. Then, with a swift motion, he pulled the arrow from the priestess's shoulder and handed her a potion for the pain.
"Take the goblin's dagger. Your sword is too long for cave fighting," he instructed. Luna nodded and picked up the dagger. After asking the priestess some basic questions, he slit open a goblin's stomach and motioned to both of them.
"We need to mask our scents," he stated matter-of-factly. Luna internally cursed herself for forgetting this detail.
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"You're a Porcelain-rank adventurer too?" the priestess asked Luna, who nodded silently. The atmosphere remained tense for a while, and she wasn't in the mood for conversation.
Further ahead, they reached a fork in the path marked by a pattern of bones. On the ground lay the remains of a young adventurer—or what was left of him. Without warning, Goblin Slayer threw his torch into the darkness, revealing a hiding goblin scout, which he quickly stabbed to death.
"There's a shaman. This one was probably a lookout," he said, leaving his short sword behind and picking up the goblin's javelin. Luna noticed drag marks leading deeper into the cave—likely another girl from the previous party.
"I'll set a trap. You wait here," he told Luna, who nodded and stood guard at the fork. After setting a simple rope trap, Goblin Slayer ventured deeper with the priestess.
Moments later, a bright flash of light erupted, and the two came running back with a massive hobgoblin chasing them, snarling fiercely. The priestess leaped over the rope trap and immediately chanted a light spell, blinding the creature and making it trip. It fell face-first to the ground.
Slice!
With a swift motion, Luna drove her sword into the hobgoblin's neck with all her strength, twisting the blade to tear open a gaping wound. Blood gushed out. "Good," Goblin Slayer acknowledged before pulling out a flask of oil, dousing the corpse, and hurling it deeper into the cave where more goblins were coming.
"Twelve. Thirteen," he muttered before throwing his torch, igniting the corpse along with two other goblins. He then turned and warned, "More goblins coming from the fork. Stay sharp." Luna braced herself as four goblins charged at them.
In a quick motion, Luna threw her dagger, killing the first goblin, then stabbed another precisely through the neck. Beside her, Goblin Slayer crushed one's skull with a shield bash and impaled the last with a dead adventurer's sword.
"Let's keep moving," he said calmly. Luna nodded, and they advanced deeper into the cave. The stench of burning flesh filled the corridor, making both Luna and the priestess cover their noses momentarily.
In the nest, they found the goblin shaman pinned to the ground with a javelin. In a corner of the cave, a naked girl wept and coughed. The priestess rushed to comfort her.
"Not dead after all," the man murmured. The next instant, the shaman sprang up and attacked, but with a single swing of his club, Goblin Slayer crushed its skull, then kicked aside the bone pile, revealing a hidden door.
Behind it cowered a group of goblin children, trembling in fear. "You're going to kill them?" the priestess asked. Goblin Slayer responded in his neutral tone.
"If they survive, they'll learn from their mistakes and adapt. They also hold grudges for life. Best to end it now." With that, he began slaughtering the goblin young.
Luna, watching from behind, couldn't bear to hear their desperate cries and turned away, unable to watch. Despite knowing how vile goblins were, she still felt a bitter taste in her mouth seeing the pups being killed.
"That's the price of compassion," she whispered under her breath. And so, her first subjugation mission came to an end.