"I once saw a man spare a goblin child," Morris said darkly. His voice was low, grim.
"What happened?" Elena asked, her voice unsteady.
"That cub grew up," Morris continued, gripping his sword. "And it brought a pack with it — slaughtered the entire village that once showed it mercy."
With that, Morris drew his blade. The steel gleamed cold in the flickering torchlight. He strode toward the goblin whelps huddled at the far end of the cave. One of them turned to flee.
Shing!
Morris's sword flashed, cutting the creature down. Blood splattered across the stones, and the dying whelp's pitiful scream echoed through the cavern.
Elena turned away, unable to watch as Morris methodically slaughtered the rest. The cries of the young goblins faded one by one, replaced only by the rasp of Morris's blade returning to its scabbard.
"Goblins multiply fast," Morris said coldly. "They'll have a new warren within a year if you let one live. No mercy. No exceptions."
Elena bit her lip, her heart heavy. "But... what if there are good ones?"
Morris paused. For a moment, his expression softened — perhaps recalling some distant memory.
"Maybe," he admitted. "But if there's a good goblin... they'll know better than to show themselves."
"Die!" Fiona's voice shrieked from deeper in the cave.
Boom!
Fire erupted in a violent blast, licking the cave walls and filling the air with smoke and burning stone. The ground shook beneath their feet as the explosion rocked the cavern.
"Fiona, are you insane?!" Derrick roared. "You'll bring the whole place down!"
But Fiona stood unmoved, her face twisted in a mask of rage. Flames danced in her eyes, her breathing ragged and shallow.
"Burn them," she spat. "Burn them all."
Morris sighed. He knew Fiona's fury all too well — born from a pain she refused to speak aloud.
"Let's move," Morris said firmly. "We've done what we came to do."
Derrick didn't need to be told twice. "Come on!" he barked, motioning the others toward the exit.
"Wait!" Amy cried, pointing to a bloodied figure sprawled near the wall. "He's still breathing!"
"Ike..." Elena whispered, running to his side.
"He's alive," Amy confirmed. "We can still save him."
Elena knelt beside him, relief washing over her. "Thank the gods..."
"Where's Morris?" Derrick asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"Wait," Amy murmured. "He's..."
Morris stood before an old wooden crate pushed against the far wall. Something moved inside — small, shivering, barely breathing.
A goblin whelp.
The tiny creature pressed itself into the corner, wide eyes glistening with terror. Its thin arms trembled as it stared up at Morris.
"I hid better than you did," Morris muttered, his grip tightening on his blade.
The goblin let out a pitiful wail, clutching its tiny hands together in desperate prayer. Its voice was weak and broken — a pitiful plea for life.
Morris sneered. "Next time, choose a better hiding spot."
Shing!
The goblin's cry ended in a gurgle. Blood spilled from the crate as Morris sheathed his sword and turned away.
"We're done here," he said flatly. "Let's go."
Elena hesitated before following, casting one last glance back at the crimson-stained cavern. The silence felt louder than the chaos they had left behind.
Outside, the wind stirred the trees, whispering through the branches. The group moved deeper into the forest, leaving the ruined goblin nest behind.
But as the wind died down, a figure emerged from the shadows near the cave. A goblin — older, broader, and sharper-eyed than the rest — carrying a basket of wild berries.
Its face twisted in shock as it took in the scene of blood and death. Its gaze fell on the bodies of its kin, then locked onto the small, lifeless whelp in the crate.
A guttural snarl escaped its throat — a sound of grief and rage mingled into one. The goblin trembled, its claws curling into fists.
Then, like a whisper in its mind, a voice echoed — cold, powerful, undeniable.
[Special individual detected.]
[Potential unlocked: Evolution.]
The goblin's muscles swelled. Its frame broadened, and its eyes darkened with a new, cruel intelligence. The air around it seemed to hum with power.
The goblin raised its gaze toward the forest where Morris and the others had vanished.
It smiled.