The expressions on the twins faces were very ugly. They had never seen such a terrible scene before. The two were no strangers to people that wanted to harm them, mostly men.
The memory of the man that attacked them in Olbrand flashed through their minds. Luckily the two have been strong enough to stop that from happening, but looking at the women in the room; they understood that this was the end of any normal woman who faced such a situation. If they were weaker than their captor, then they could only choose to become numb, or to choose death.
One of the women finally looked up at the entrance. Even in pitch black darkness she stared straight at them, her eyes different from the rest of the women here. Her eyes were sharp, full of tenacity.
"Please. Help us" the woman uttered in the same hoarse voice the twins had just heard.
Isla studied the woman. Her face was sallow but her beauty could still be seen. Her hands were chained above her head, her naked body completely exposed in front of Isla's eyes, but she showed no sign of weakness. Judging by her muscular frame, Isla doesn't believe she is a village woman.
"Who are you?" Isla asked.
The woman seemed to understand Isla's doubts, and replied "My name is Sia. I came here with my team, intending to hunt the goblins. However it seems we bit off a little more than we could chew" her face showing a mocking smile.
After hearing Isla's voice, many of the women finally showed a change. Many turned their heads to look towards where the voice came from, but some still kept their same posture. Not bothering to move, showing no interest.
"Sila. Help break the chains" Isla said.
"Alright" Sila agreed.
The two started to free the women. Some began to weep, others thanked them profusely. However a few just sat there, legs still open as if they hadn't heard the commotion around them, just deaf to the world.
Sila walked over to one of the women, bent down on one knee and said right next to the woman, "Do you want to be free?"
The woman showed no difference in expression. Sitting there ignoring Sila.
Sila didn't mind, she continued asking, "Do you want to be free? Free of the pain? Free of the memories?"
The questions brought the attention of the rest of the people in the room, including Isla and Sia. Isla was the only one who could see Sila and the woman. Strangely the woman's eyes finally showed some movement.
Sila noticed this, showing a gentle expression, "Do you want to be free? Free of the suffering? Free of the unknown future?"
The woman finally showed a different expression. A trace of hope that forced her to turn her head towards the darkness where the voice sounded.
Sila asked the final question, her tone as gentle as a whisper, but the words resounded through the room like a shock "Do you want to be free from this life of yours?"
The woman's gaze towards the darkness was so strong. Trying to see the being that spoke with that heavenly voice, "I do. Please bless me with your mercy" her raspy face was filled with devotion, as if the voice had come from a God.
Sila slowly pulled out the dagger, cupping the woman's face with the other hand, "Rest now my darling. Your suffering is over". The dagger plunged into the woman's chest, and Sila twisted it.
The woman rested her head on Sila's hand. A tear falling as she let out her last breath. But her eyes were full of gratitude, choosing to leave this world with a smile on her face.
The rest of the women had listened to the conversation, the sadness in the room increasing. The few other women that had remained numb all stared where Sila was, longing on their faces.
Isla saw their expressions and hastily took the women out of the room, leaving Sila behind.
She took the women down another tunnel where Sia said the goblins kept their supplies. They found countless piles of clothing, both men's and women's. Weapons, jewellery, coins.
Isla gave the women a set of clothes each and packed everything else into the storage ring. Waiting until they were outside to divide it among the women.
After they returned to the large cavern area, Sila was already waiting for them.
"All done?" Isla asked.
"Yeah. Whenever you're ready" Sila replied.
Isla asked her to lead the women out, and when she saw they had left, she took out a few fire talismans from the ring, throwing them into the various rooms. The last one was in the large cavern. A sea of flames consuming every bit of the area as she walked towards the entrance of the cave.
Sila who was waiting outside could hear the flames crackling and waited for her sister. She looked towards the sky, the morning sun easing her melancholy. After waiting for a while, Isla finally exited the cave, throwing one last talisman at the entrance of the cave. A furious rumbling came from the entrance, the violent shaking drawing the attention of the women, who were huddled together. Then the entrance of the cave collapsed under the sight of everyone, burying the place of their horrors.
When the rumbling had stopped and the dust had settled, Isla took out the items found in the goblins treasure room and asked each of the women to pack as much as they could carry.
A sliver lining is that, although the goblins had obviously harmed countless people; there was more than enough treasure here for these women to live out their lives extravagantly. Hopefully it would be enough to let them try and focus on the future, rather than remembering the past.
The twins escorted the women back to where they asked. A few came from the village that had initially sent the task. After the villagers had heard that the goblin den had been destroyed, they knelt to Isla and Sila crying with joy.
The two were quite embarrassed by their strong emotions. The villagers wanted to pool together what Silver was left in the village to reward them, but the twins quickly denied it, and in return left behind a portion of the leftover treasure from the goblins.
The rest of the women, including Sia, wanted to follow them back to Rusvil. Choosing to start anew in the safety of the city.