Thanks to his undying ability, the wound that Xiao received from the ambush has already healed.
With that in mind, Xiao continues the path with extra care. He lighted up the torch and kept it high up to avoid getting a jump on again from any Goblin hiding above the cave ceiling.
Xiao walks until the end of the path without an incident. There he found a throne chair that was made out of bones and animal hides.
What Xiao saw next has stirred his emotion greatly. As he took a few more steps forward, the torch reveals what his beneath his foot-multiple bodies of female that has already deceased.
Human, High Elf, Drawf and Half Beast, their bodies were so badly mutilated to the point that it causes Xiao to feel nausea for looking at it. Some even have their muscle been forcefully torn off, their eyes stayed open even after death.
Xiao stood silently for a while. Just the sight of those bodies has forcefully made Xiao visualize the horror they had gone through. Xiao can imagine that their screams and cries for help and mercy echo in this hell hole while the Goblins uses them as they pleased.
He was trying to swallow the rage that has been boiling inside of him. He unconsciously grips his fist so hard that it starts to bleed.
Although his emotion was still in turmoil, Xiao forces himself to stay focus and thoroughly scout the area. He checked every corner to make sure that there were no more enemies.
After a careful inspection, Xiao concludes that the area was safe already. He then there's one more path he hasn't explored yet.
("If my deduction is correct, the next area should be where they keep their stuff.")
Before Xiao moves on to the next area, he turns around and looks at one of the female bodies.
"Don't worry, I'll be back."
Returning to the spacious area, Xiao turned and took the second path.
Xiao ready his weapon while keeping the torch up to intercept anything that might come to him.
To his surprise, the path was much shorter than the first one. There was also no Goblin in the way.
At the end of the path, he found two rooms in which the door was made out of bones.
Xiao carefully enters the first room. What he found was piles of weapons and armours. Most of it was relatively new, as if it got recently picked up by the Goblin.
"Hmm....military sword, it seems another platoon has fallen victim to them again," Xiao commented as he inspects one of the swords.
He thought that he may find something useful in these piles of armament. Still, after a few inspections, he left with disappointment because his own crafted weapons were far better quality than any of those.
Xiao moves to the next room, which was also the last area he hasn't explore in this Goblin hideout.
Again, he carefully enters the room with his weapon ready. Before he even enters the room, he had already sensed that there was someone inside. The slight breathing sound and rubbing noise of the ground put Xiao into combat mode.
When the skeleton door has fully open, and Xiao leans the torch forward, there was, indeed, something inside the room. Still, it was entirely not what Xiao had expected.
There were around 20 Goblins that were cowering at the corner of the room. What shocked Xiao the most was not the number of the Goblins but the size of them. They were all newborn Goblins.
When Xiao took a step forward into the room, the newborn Goblins shrink in fear. Some can barely walk as they crawl further into the corner, huddle with one another to seek comfort.
("I should have expected to find their spawn, but...Shit! Can I REALLY do it?")
The sight makes Xiao slowly lower down his sword. He looks around the room to see if there's anything else besides the newborn.
Another sight has shocked him as he found few bodies lying on the ground on the other side of the room.
"So this is...breeding stock..."
Xiao emotionlessly stares at the female corpses on the ground. He doesn't want to imagine the hell they have gone through. He shut his heart as he offered a small prayer and was about to leave until he hears a voice among the corpses.
"...help..."
A faint call, as if it will disappear anytime soon, enters Xiao's ear.
"....what?!"
Xiao was stunned. He immediately turns around to find the source of the voice.
He found the owner of the voice. Still, he felt helpless as he lay eyes on her.
The voice came from a Human race girl with short brown hair. One of her arms has nothing left other than bone, with maggots crawling around. Her body greatly suffers from malnutrition. She was so thin that there were no muscles between her skin and bone.
What affects Xiao the most was her eyes. The light in her eyes has long gone. Hopes and dreams, there was nothing left except despair.
Xiao knows these eyes too well, for he has the same eyes as her before, the feeling of wanting to die and just be free from suffering.
Despite how disturbed her body has become, Xiao holds her body and tightly grip her hand that was still intact.
"....ah...warm..." the girl's expression turns slightly better as a faint light return in her eyes.
Xiao didn't utter a word. He just silently stay by her side.
"...are you...the reaper...are you going to...take me away...from this place..."
The girl said while she looks at Xiao's face. She was already so weak that she's constantly in a daze. So Xiao's dreading mask has her mistaken him as the reaper.
Xiao was shocked by her words at first. Still, upon looking once more at her condition, Xiao painfully decided on something and nod his head, replying to her.
"Yes. Yes, I am. Your time has come," Xiao replied as he took out his sword.
"... I see....finally....thank...you..."
Instead of showing fear, the girl gathers what strength she has left to smile happily. She closes her eyes, knowing that she can finally be free from this eternal torment.
"Rest in peace."
After murmuring a self-comfort prayer, Xiao stabs the girl's heart in a smooth thrust, swiftly ended her life, setting her free from the suffering.
Xiao sits beside the girl he had just ended motionlessly. While the girl has such a peaceful smile that no one would believe she was already dead, the man beside her has a lifeless expression beneath his mask.
Not long after, Xiao finally stood up. He slowly turns around and shifts all his attention to the newborn Goblins, whose crying in fear just having Xiao looking at them.
One steps and another, Xiao slowly approaches the newborns. Both of his hand were gripping his swords.
The newborn Goblins has no idea what kind of face the man in front of them was making. Heck, they don't even know whether this man has a face or not. All they know was that the brimming red visor and the dreadful breathing was the last thing they learn in this life.
"Here comes your reaper."
And thus, it didn't take long before the room echoes with the sound of screaming and flesh-tearing. The babies' cries quickly got silent, and the sound of intense wall digging instantly disappears by a heartbeat.
As soon as the room reeks of blood, dead silence slowly immerse into the atmosphere, concealing everything except the breathing sound of the reaper.