Monster

I ran.

Grabbing Sasha and Jacob, I pulled them with me.

They protested, their voices filled with confusion and desperation, but the reality of our situation quickly shut them down.

They saw it too—there was no hope of winning.

'I have to survive.'

As we fled, I saw the people who had trusted me, their eyes looking at me with renewed despair.

Their gazes were cold and lifeless, filled with a pain that mirrored my own regret.

But I couldn't afford to stop. I had to keep moving, for their sake and ours.

'Stop lying to yourself.'

'You're leaving them to die.'

We darted out of the melee, the sounds of battle fading behind us.

I led the way towards one of the more obscure tunnels, the only route I remembered from when the guards had brought me to the dungeon.

It was a slim chance, but it was the only one we had.

'I have to see her again.'

As we approached the tunnel entrance, I spotted a Kraglin archer standing guard.

I whispered for Sasha and Jacob to stop, and they complied, their breaths heavy with exhaustion and fear.

Taking a deep breath, I mentally activated my sneak skill and felt myself turn invisible.

I moved quickly and silently, the seconds ticking away in my mind. Three seconds. That was all I had.

I reached the archer just as my mana ran out, plunging my knife into its throat.

The Kraglin gurgled, its eyes widening in shock as I became visible again.

I watched the life drain from its eyes before pulling my blade free.

The Kraglin's eyes held the same despair as the townspeople.

Turning back to Sasha and Jacob, I led them forward. We didn't have time to waste.

The way was clear, and we had to keep moving if we wanted any chance of escape.

We plunged into the tunnel, the oppressive darkness swallowing us whole.

I led the way, my night vision cutting through the blackness, guiding Sasha and Jacob who stumbled and tripped behind me.

The sounds of battle receded, replaced by the muffled cries of pain from the townspeople we had left behind.

Each cry was a dagger to my heart, but we had to press on.

'You left them to die.'

The tunnel seemed endless, a suffocating void stretching ahead. Our footsteps echoed ominously, a reminder of the isolation and danger that surrounded us.

The air grew colder and damper the further we went, the walls narrowing at points and then expanding into claustrophobic chambers.

Finally, a faint glow appeared, growing brighter as we neared the end.

The tunnel opened into a vast cavern, its sheer size taking my breath away.

'Fuck, I took the wrong tunnel.'

The eerie blue light from glowing stalactites hanging far above bathed everything in an otherworldly glow, casting long, sinister shadows.

The cavern was enormous, easily fifty times the size of the one we had just escaped. We found ourselves standing at the edge of a circular abyss, a sheer drop of at least a hundred meters.

The edges of the abyss formed a spiraling path down to the bottom, like a twisted staircase carved into the earth.

It was dizzying to look at, the depth seeming to pull at us, threatening to drag us down.

The walls around us all had holes in them of various shapes and sizes, natural as well as artificial tunnels built by the Kraglins leading to God knows where.

Below, the Kraglin settlement sprawled out, a grotesque parody of a village. Rough-hewn huts and makeshift enclosures dotted the landscape, lit by the ghostly blue light.

Kraglins moved about with purpose, their guttural voices and harsh laughter rising up to us.

'It seems too normal.'

They tended to animals, but as we looked closer, the horrifying truth became clear: the "animals" were humans. Men and women, broken and beaten, being herded and controlled like livestock.

My stomach churned with a mix of rage and despair. This was where they had taken our people, reduced them to this miserable existence.

The faint blue light from above cast an almost serene glow over the scene, but the reality was anything but peaceful.

It was a place of torment and subjugation, hidden away from the world above.

I stifled the urge to throw up as quickly as it came.

I had had enough for the day.

The cavern's walls were adorned with strange markings and primitive artwork, depicting scenes of Kraglin dominance and brutality.

The air was thick with the smell of earth and something more pungent, something that spoke of decay and suffering.

This settlement was ancient. It had been right under our very noses the entire time, for hundreds of maybe thousands of years.

We stood there, taking it all in. Sasha's breath hitched beside me, and Jacob muttered a curse under his breath. The enormity of our task was overwhelming, but we had come this far. We couldn't turn back now.

We had reached the heart of the Kraglin lair, and now we had to figure out how to save our people and escape this nightmare.

'How many will you forsake?'

We began our descent, moving in single file close to the wall.

The circular path was wide enough to accommodate two large men side by side, but we chose safety over speed.

As we walked down, the scenes below became clearer, as my worst fears were realized.

Kraglin kids ran and played, their laughter echoing up the walls of the abyss. At first glance, they might have looked like normal children, but their games were far from innocent.

They jeered at the human cattle, taunting and prodding them as human children might do with farm animals. The humans' eyes were lifeless, their spirits broken.

The settlement was a grotesque parody of a village. There were areas designated for breeding and a slaughterhouse, stark reminders of the fate that awaited the captives.

As we descended further, we saw a man being grabbed by two Kraglins and dragged toward the slaughterhouse.

His screams pierced the air, echoing off the cavern walls and filling the space with a chilling reminder of the Kraglins' cruelty.

A sharp click of Jacob's tongue and Sasha's stifled sobs reminded me of their presence, and I resumed walking.

Each step we took was heavy with dread, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on us.

The eerie blue light cast long shadows, making everything seem even more surreal and nightmarish.

We kept moving, the urgency of our mission driving us forward despite the horror unfolding below us.

We finally reached the bottom, standing before a tattered signpost that seemed to serve as the entry to the Kraglin village.

To our surprise, there were no guards in sight.

Realization hit me: the commotion above had drawn them away, leaving the village unguarded.

We quickly hid ourselves as a Kraglin walked by, holding our breaths until it passed. Once it was gone, we moved swiftly, ducking behind the first house on the street.

I took a quick peek around the side, scanning the street for any signs of movement.

It seemed clear.

Just as I was about to step out, I froze.

The door of the house we were hiding behind creaked open.

I quickly backtracked and motioned for Sasha and Jacob to remain absolutely quiet.

I silently unstrapped the bloody dagger at my belt, ready to take whatever came our way.

A Kraglin child emerged, seemingly heading out to play with its friends. We held our breath, hearts pounding, as the child skipped past us without a glance.

Exhaling slowly, I once again stepped onto the street. That's when I saw it.

The door was still open, and there was another Kraglin child standing at it. This one was different, I could tell because it was a few inches shorter than the one before.

A younger sibling perhaps. The problem was that it was staring right at us.

A shadow of panic passed across its face. Just as it opened its mouth to shout and give us away, I reached forward and grabbed it.

Clamping my hand around its mouth, I held it as firmly as I could, as to not let any sound escape.

'Kill it.'

'I can't, he's just a child.'

Disturbed by my inner monologue, I tightened my grip on the child's face.

'You have to. It's the only way.'

'I can't. He doesn't even know what's right from wrong.'

'You killed your townspeople. Don't be a hypocrite. End it. It's the only way.'

'I didn't. I didn't kill them. It was the only way. We would have all died anyway.'

My head hurt. The voices inside my head were growing louder by the second.

I clamped my head with my free hand.

My grip continued to tighten.

'You really are a monster.'

'Huh?'

What I had failed to notice was that the child in my hand had gone limp.

It had died of suffocation.

I had killed a child.