A Kings Cry

It didn't take Lilith long to reach a smaller side cave branching off from the main passage. The stench hit her immediately—a nauseating mix of death and rot that hung heavily in the damp air. She wrinkled her nose but kept moving, her senses zeroing in on the faint, flickering mana signatures emanating from within.

"I can sense them," she muttered, her voice low. "The captives are in there."

Pausing at the entrance to the side cave, she focused for a moment, letting her mana stretch outward. The energy signatures confirmed her suspicions—several weaker presences clustered together, surrounded by stronger ones that could only belong to goblins.

"I should take care of this first," she decided, gripping her mana saber tightly.

She stepped forward, her shield barrier shimmering faintly in the dim light. As the smell grew stronger, she noticed crude cages made of bones and twisted metal scattered around the cave, some holding limp figures. Her sharp eyes picked out faint movements—proof that some of the prisoners were still alive.

The sight made her jaw tighten. "Disgusting," she hissed, her anger bubbling beneath her calm exterior.

The goblins hadn't noticed her yet, too preoccupied with their jeering and rummaging through piles of stolen belongings. Lilith took a deep breath, the glow of her mana saber intensifying as she prepared to strike.

"I'll make this quick," she whispered, stepping into the cave like a shadow of vengeance.

With fluid precision, Lilith cut down the goblins one by one, the sound of their bodies hitting the cave floor barely audible over the rush of her heartbeat. Her saber moved like a blur, and within moments, the cave fell silent, the goblins no longer a threat.

She turned her gaze to the captives—humans, beastkin, and one long-eared woman who could only be an elf. The elf looked similar to those from Eldoria, but there were differences. Her ears were longer, and she seemed taller, though it could have been the malnutrition and exhaustion that made her appear so frail. Lilith studied the group closely, noting the weariness in their eyes.

"This is not my world," Lilith murmured under her breath, but then focused on the captives. "Are you all okay? I'm here to help."

The group exchanged uneasy glances before the elf spoke, her voice strained but grateful. "We're lucky… we only arrived today. They haven't done much to us yet, just the bare minimum—some grubbing, some bruising." She gestured toward the corner of the cave, where several other women lay, nearly unrecognizable from malnutrition. "But those... over there," she continued, her voice heavy with sorrow, "they've been here for too long. They're broken. If you don't mind me asking… could you please end their suffering? Put them out of their misery. They'll never escape this hell."

Lilith's eyes flickered to the group of women in the corner. Their skin was drawn tight over bones, their breaths shallow, almost imperceptible. They looked so fragile, so far gone. A deep pang of sorrow filled her chest as she knelt beside one of them, her expression hardening.

"I see," Lilith said softly, her voice a low murmur. She walked over to one of the women, her steps light. The woman's pale, hollow eyes opened slightly as she noticed Lilith's approach.

"Can you hear me?" Lilith asked gently, kneeling beside the fragile form. Her heart ached as she took in the woman's skeletal appearance.

A faint, rasping breath escaped the woman's lips, and in a barely audible voice, she spoke: "Help us… please… kill us." Her words were barely more than a whisper, but they cut through Lilith like a blade.

Lilith's gaze softened, and she reached out to gently touch the woman's hand. Her anger, her determination to rid the world of these monsters, surged through her. She would end this misery—for these people, and for herself.

"I won't let this torment continue," Lilith vowed quietly, her voice low but filled with resolve. "You'll be free now."

She turned her attention to the elf and the rest of the captives, her heart heavy but her purpose clear. These beings had suffered long enough.

With a flick of her wrist, a small flicker of light shimmered into existence. The healing magic flowed through the cave, enveloping the surviving captives in a warm, soothing glow. The faint tremors of pain that had wracked their bodies slowly subsided as their wounds began to close and their strength returned. The faint murmurs of gratitude filled the air as they regained their composure.

Lilith didn't speak as she moved among the captives. Her expression was calm, but there was an unsettling stillness to her movements. She walked slowly, purposefully, to each of the skeletal women. With a single, swift motion, she ended their suffering, her blade cutting through the air with precision. There was no sound, no cry. Just silence, as each life was gently snuffed out.

Once the deed was done, she summoned a small magical box out of mana, its delicate, ethereal form shimmering in the dim light. With a somber expression, she placed the now-lifeless bodies of the women inside the box, one by one. It would hold their remains safely until they could be given a proper resting place. and then the magical box disappeared just at came.

As Lilith turned toward the remaining captives, her anger was barely contained, her fury boiling beneath her composed exterior. She addressed them quietly, her voice almost a whisper but carrying an undeniable weight of authority.

"Go to the entrance," she instructed. "Stay near it. Don't go outside. As long as you stay there, no goblin will get to you."

The elf, still weak but now standing, looked at Lilith with a mix of gratitude and uncertainty. "Where will you go?" she asked softly, concern flickering in her eyes.

Lilith paused, her gaze hardening. The anger in her eyes was unmistakable—burning, fierce, a flame that would not be extinguished. She turned to face the elf, her words laced with quiet but undeniable venom.

"I've got some unfinished business to attend to," she said, her voice low but filled with an intensity that made the cave feel colder.

With that, Lilith strode toward the cave's deeper reaches, her aura of power crackling with every step. Her work wasn't finished—not yet. And the goblins would pay dearly for what they had done.

Lilith's eyes narrowed as she heard the raucous sounds of goblin laughter and shouting echo through the cave. Her face darkened further, her anger building as she moved closer, her steps silent, almost invisible in the shadows.

"Listen up, my brothers!" A loud voice rang out, its tone booming and filled with bravado. "We are here to celebrate our war chief's big triumph and the loot he came back with!" The goblin's voice swelled with pride as he addressed the horde. "Long live Haaka!"

The other goblins roared in agreement, their voices filling the cavern in a cacophony of celebration.

Lilith clenched her fists, her sharp eyes scanning the large, dimly lit chamber. The goblins were gathered in a loose formation in the center, drinking and laughing around piles of stolen goods. It looked like some kind of throne room, a vile mockery of power.

Her gaze landed on the largest goblin, a hulking figure at the center of the room. "Oh, so that's the war chief," she muttered under her breath, her voice seething with frustration. "But then… does that mean this big goblin is the goblin king?"

She took a deep breath, assessing the situation. Over seventy goblins were packed into the cavern. The idea of fighting them all at once was daunting, but Lilith was no stranger to overwhelming odds. She began to consider her options.

"Magic," she thought. "I could use fire magic, but it might cause too much damage. The cave could collapse, and there's that risk with the air supply… what was it again? Something about—"

She shook her head, brushing aside the distractions. "Forget it. I'll just blast them with ice spears. That should be safe enough."

Without hesitation, Lilith focused her mana, shaping it into fifteen sharp, crystalline ice spears, each one glowing with an eerie blue light. With a quick flick of her wrist, she sent them flying into the horde of goblins. The spears tore through the air with deadly precision, piercing through the bodies of multiple goblins at once.

A few goblins stumbled back, eyes wide in shock, while the others were struck down by the powerful, freezing projectiles. The room fell into chaos as goblins screamed in pain and confusion.

The goblin king and war chief looked around frantically, their eyes scanning the cavern for the source of the attack. It didn't take long for the goblin king to spot Lilith standing just beyond the entrance.

"There!" the goblin king bellowed, his voice dripping with rage. "It's a human! Kill it!"

His command was followed by a flurry of goblins charging toward her, weapons drawn and bloodlust filling the air.

Lilith's eyes narrowed as the goblins began to swarm. "Let's see if you can handle me."

She raised her mana saber, the weapon crackling with power as she prepared for the onslaught. The real fight was about to begin.