Chapter 21: Quest Complete
The flickering green glow of Inigo's night vision goggles cast eerie light across the narrow tunnel ahead. The deeper section of the cave yawned before him like a second throat—tighter, darker, unmarked on any quest notice.
He moved forward cautiously, one hand on the grip of his M4A1, the other steadying against the damp cave wall. This wasn't part of the contract, but instinct told him something else lived down here. Something the surface goblins served, maybe even protected.
The air grew heavier. Warmer.
He heard it before he saw it—a strange squelching noise, like meat dragging against stone. And then the echoing sounds of faint, shrill squeals. Dozens of them. High-pitched. Weak.
He turned a corner and found the chamber.
It was small—barely eight meters wide—but packed. Nestled in piles of straw, rags, and rotting hides were goblins. Not warriors. Not even armed. Infants. Dozens of them. Their skin a pale, sickly green, their limbs stubby and underdeveloped. Some crawled. Others huddled together in groups. They squeaked, whined, and blinked against the green of his vision.
Inigo's finger hovered over the trigger.
He could feel his chest tighten—not with hesitation, but with tension. With clarity. These weren't misunderstood beasts. They weren't children in any human sense. They were monsters.
Leave one alive, and ten more will come back to kill.
He didn't speak. He didn't hesitate.
He raised his rifle.