"Stop playing around, now's not the time!" Igrit shouted at the fat mage.
"Hehe, sorry, sorry!" the latter responded, but it was clear that he was not sorry at all!
Igrit rolled her eyes that were clearly saying 'Damn pervert,' and returned to the fight.
As the rocks and dirt were extracted from the entrance, the tunnel leading underground started expanding. It was now time for the melee combatants to do their part and attack.
Each of the warriors had a lantern on their hip as they descended into the darkness with weapons drawn.
There wasn't much resistance at first, as only confused Goblins came out, and got turned into bloody corpses before long.
However, although the danger of ambushes was low, the smell that assaulted their noses was way worse than anyone could imagine.
It was like directly falling into a cesspit full of rotting corpses, and many among the seasoned warriors could barely hold themselves back from vomiting.
One of the younger ones wasn't that strong and collapsed from stench-induced nausea. He had to be carried out, and even then he needed more than half an hour to recover.
Sera, Xilia, Elly, and Qiona remained on the surface just like most of the mages and archers and stayed on guard against any possible surface ambush. They were in enemy territory after all.
It wasn't long before Qiona got bored of standing around and decided to explore a little bit. She walked around with no fear and observed the various plants and flowers that grew in the vicinity.
Unlike the relaxed atmosphere on the surface, the underground was all wet and dark. It didn't help that the tunnel soon branched out while the space to maneuver remained limited.
It appeared as if the natural cracks in the ground were artificially widened into long hallways by the beasts and served as a labyrinth for those that didn't know the way.
"Let's split up! One team goes with me, and the rest follow Ravian!" Tabbris decided after some deliberation.
The numbers didn't mean much in the narrow spaces anyway, so they might as well go separate ways.
It wasn't long before the first ambush happened.
A whole bunch of Goblins were hidden in the cracks along the wall, however, they were quickly discovered and disposed of before they could pose a threat.
"What is this?"
As they advanced forward, one man in the group brought his lantern close to the ground to see what the slippery stuff on the ground was.
"It's blood!"
Some other guy looked at him sideways and said, "Well yeah, we just killed Goblins, didn't we?" in a somewhat confused voice.
"No…" The first guy shook his head and pointed forward, "It's coming from there!"
They arrived at a wider cavern by now, and the light reflected from the wet walls, giving the place a creepy vibe.
"By the gods!"
"Lord have mercy…"
Bleagh!
A person in the front suddenly lost control of his stomach and vomited all he ate just an hour before.
The group suddenly became silent as they gazed into the darkness with somber expressions. As for why they reacted so…
Bones and blood, mixed with excrement, were covering the ground for as far as the eyes could see, and what looked like fresh corpses chained to the walls could be seen all around.
Worst yet, they were all women! Many dozens of them and hundreds of small disgusting Goblins were feasting on their flesh like little glutenous demons.
The men gritted their teeth and gripped their weapons in silence, for their anger and rage were becoming so great they feared going mad if they let it consume them.
There was a sudden glint in the darkness. Someone was still alive!
A young girl, probably not even in her twenties moved her eyes towards the light with difficulty.
"There's someone alive!" Tabbris quickly ran towards the girl and brought the light close. However, when he saw her, he winced in pain and averted his gaze to get his emotions under control.
Her stomach was opened, and tiny monsters were gnawing their way out slowly. Her guts were pushed onto the cold floor and blood was trickling from her wounds.
Tabbris kneeled close, for he saw her lips moving ever so slowly.
"Kill…me…"
That's what she kept repeating in a barely audible voice as her body was already at the edge of death. Even if the best healer in the Kingdom was here right this moment, she would still die before the hour was over.
Tabbris slowly nodded and gently caressed her pale cheeks with a pained expression and then placed his palms on her head.
"Freeze…"
As the words left his mouth, a terrible cold spread outward, and a few seconds later, the girl was frozen solid, her lips forming a barely noticeable smile.
"Boss?" One of the Knights called out as calmly as he could, but everyone present could feel his voice shaking beneath that facade.
"Kill them… Kill them all!" Tabbris roared and stomped on one of these tiny monsters, smashing it into a bloody pulp.
He took out his sword and turned around to face the warriors, "Kill them all, burn this place to the ground! Don't let a single one of these fucking devils escape!"
What happened next could only be described as absolute slaughter. Anger was flowing in rivers, the same as the blood. However, even so, it could not quench the thirst for death born in the hearts of men.
The Goblins were sliced, crushed, even torn to pieces by the hands of the warriors as they shouted in rage, descending into a bloodthirsty frenzy in the darkness of the Goblin nest.
But while all of that was happening…
"It is time my dear," a shrill voice was heard from the darkness, followed by a bloodchilling laugh. "Hehehe…"
"Kill those humans!"