Creatures Lurking in the Dark

Adventure is an occupation with high risk but high return.

 

Successful adventurers could strike rich if they advance through the beginner rank. But, of course, not all adventurers could achieve it.

 

Many adventurers made names for themselves, becoming famous and admired by everyone. However, many more were forced to retire due to injuries or, worse, perished in the line of their duty.

 

They understood the risk that they had to face once they became an adventurer, but in the end, greed outweighed their mind.

 

They knew the dangers they signed up for, and when they achieved high ranking, they let their guard down.

 

Such a thing was what happened to Lainey and Lynn's party.

 

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It was three days after Lainey and Lynn were captured.

 

Lainey's labor breathing could be heard clearly within this dark and quiet cave.

 

Yes, it was quiet. The goblins had stopped ravaging Lainey and Lynn for some time.

 

It was a living hell for them.

 

Their bodies were sexually abused to the extreme.

 

At one point, they were leaning against the wall next to each other. Their arms and slightly spread legs were chained to the wall.

 

They had regained consciousness, but there was no light in their eyes. Their bodies were smeared with dried semen and other bodily fluids.

 

The only sign that showed they were still alive was their breath.

 

And the result of that...

 

Their large stomachs.

 

That was right; they were pregnant. So the goblins stopped their sexual assault so that they could give birth to goblin babies.

 

Goblins' semen was more fertile than members of the race. And their children grew by feeding on the mother's magic power.

 

From when they fertilized the mother's eggs to when the mother went into labor, it only took about three days.

 

Suddenly, there was movement in Lainey's stomach. To be more accurate, it was movement in her womb.

 

"Nnnnnghhh...hah...hah...hah"

 

Liquid started dripping out of her vagina.

 

Her water just broke.

 

"Urgghhh..."  On her semen-covered face, droplets of sweat dripped down her cheeks.

 

Slowly, her pussy lips spread apart, showing something greenish being pushed out.

 

It was a goblin baby...

 

And then one more was pushed out...

 

And one more.

 

Lainey just gave birth to three goblins.

 

It was not only the highly effective conception rate; goblin babies also grew up fast. Right after their births, the babies crawled to Lainey's boobs to search for food.

 

Her breasts were bigger than before. It was brimming with mother milk.

 

Her nipples started to lactate. Milk was forming inside her mammary glands, dripping from her nipples and areolas.

 

One baby on the left nipple.

 

One baby on the right nipple.

 

And one baby licking around her areolas.

 

To these newborn goblins, mother milk was a precious source of nutrition.

 

"Mmmmgghh..."  Next to Lainey, Lynn also started to go into labor, sweating profusely.

 

It looked like it was harder for her compared to Lainey.

 

Her water broke. From inside her tiny pussy, goblin babies were also pushed out.

 

But unlike Lainey, Lynn gave birth to five goblins.

 

But Lynn's face was still cramming. Something was going on inside her body.

 

Her partially closed anus started to twitch.

 

Her anus could somehow regain its former tightness because the goblins and the worm hadn't touched it since they stopped sexually abusing her.

 

But now, it started to open up again.

 

Two tentacles went out from inside her butthole.

 

That was right; the worm creature was still nesting inside her.

 

These two tentacles then spread her anus lightly, and from inside the gaping hole, something else came out.

 

It was the worm.

 

It had decided to go out after feasting on Lynn's magic power.

 

It didn't suck her magic power during the conception of the goblin, though.

 

So why it didn't leave at that time?

 

The reason was the number of goblin babies she had given birth to.

 

It was transferring its magic power into her to raise the goblin.

 

It was an experiment for the worm.

 

As a mage, Lynn's body housed more magic power and higher quality than Lainey's.

 

From the worm's miasma-covered body, eight bug-like creatures dropped down to the ground.

 

To parasitize the newborn goblins.

 

With this, the worm creature concluded its experiment.

 

It wanted to see how many goblins a woman could give birth to.

 

And the conclusion?

 

It did not worth the effort.

 

Goblins are dumb and weak. The only reason they hadn't gone into extinction was because they produced fast.

 

Such monsters could not serve as the main force of its army. The best they could do was grunts' work.

 

The worm was expecting more goblins could be given birth at a time, or better yet, a higher species.

 

Yet it was neither.

 

And now, it wanted to move on with its new task: to find a better monster for its army.

 

Leaving the dark room inside the cave, the worm left on a journey to increase the might of its army.

 

Inside the cave, the goblins started swarming Lynn and Lainey again. To make them give birth to more goblins.

 

It looked like the two women adventurers' nightmare had not ended.

 

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Kato village

 

"Good afternoon, village chief. How may I help you?"  said the village guard.

 

"Have you seen the adventurer party that accept our request?"  The village chief asked.

 

"No, sir. The last time I saw them was when they set off to investigate the forest."  The village guard replied.

 

"Hm, Don't you find it strange? It shouldn't take this long to deal with the goblin, don't you think so?"  The chief asked,  rubbing his chin.

 

"That's right, sir. Well, it's been three days, and the goblins have stopped coming to our village since. So I guess they probably finished routing the goblin nest and went back to the guild to report."  The village guard pondered his guess.

 

"I see. Well then, that's it for me. Keep up the good work."  The village chief left, waving his hand.

 

"Yes, sir!"  The village guard saluted.

 

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A week later, in Lutenburg's Adventure Guild

 

"Hi Aina, Could you meet me in the office, please? I have something to discuss." 

 

A man in his forty with a bald head and a large scar running from the bridge of his nose to his left cheek said to Aina. He was the adventure guild's guild master of the Lutenburg branch.

 

"Yes, guild master. Let me wrap this up."  Aina replied as she cleaned her work desk. Then she followed the man into his office.

 

"Do you remember Ardy's party that accepted the request from the village chief in Kato village?"  (Guildmaster)

 

"Yes. If I remember correctly, it was about the investigation of monster activities around the village. The village chief suspected that it was the work of goblins."  (Aina)

 

"Right, that was the one. So have they reported back to the guild? It's been about a week already."  (Guildmaster)

 

"No, sir. Now that you mentioned it, I haven't seen them lately. I thought that the other receptionist processed their request when they reported back."  (Aina)

 

"Uhm. You see, I already checked with the others. It looks like none of them saw Ardy's party."  (Guildmaster)

 

"Eh? Could it be something that happened to them?"  (Aina)

 

"I'm not sure. But it is unlikely, as they are a competent party. But it was weird that they took longer than usual. That was why I asked for your time. It should be around the time you have your vacation break, right? How about this, can you drop by Kato village to find out and when you finish, you can take your vacation. I'll also give you a bonus, of course."  (Guildmaster)

 

"Mooo, guild master. You know I've already retired, right?"  Aina pouted her lips.

 

The guild master put his hands together and pleaded. "Please! We are really short-staffed at the moment. Besides, you were a B-rank scout adventurer back in your active day. I cannot count on anyone but you for this." 

 

Aina sighed in agreement. " I understand. Then I will go prepare and set off tomorrow.."

 

"Thank you, Aina. I know I can count on you!"

 

After Aina finished her work for the day, she went to the commercial areas to buy necessities for her trip and then went home.

 

“I know it's kind of late to say this, dear, but you don't have to go with me.”  The next day, Aina set out for the trip with a man walking next to her.

 

His name was Norn, Aina's husband. “Come on! There is no way I'll let my cute wife head out alone into danger, right?”

 

"Mooo, suit yourself! ... Thank you."  Aina blushed; her voice trailed off at the end.

 

The trip was about two days from the capital of Lutenburg.

 

After the war against the corrupted creatures, many monsters were reduced in number and became less active. Thus the roads were relatively safe to travel.

 

In addition, as B-rank adventurers, Aina and Norn had experience in traveling. They also used to be in the same party back when they were still active. So they knew and covered each other well.

 

Thus, in the early afternoon of the second day, they reached Kato village uneventfully.

 

“Hello, I am from the capital of Lutenburg’s Adventure Guild. Next to me is my husband, Norn. Could I ask for a meeting with the village chief?”  Aina came to ask the village guards at the gate.

 

“Yes, ma’am. Please wait here for a moment. I will confirm it with the village chief.”  One of the guards saluted to Aina and Norn, nodded to the other guard, and ran back to the village chief residence.

 

Five minutes later, the guard returned and led them to meet with the village chief.

 

“Hello, village chief. My name is Aina, and this is my husband, Norn. We are affiliated with Lutenburg Adventure Guild.”  Aina and Norn bowed to the village chief.

 

“Thank you for coming all the way here. How may I help you?”  (Village chief)

 

“Yes. Actually, about a week ago, an adventure party came to accept the request from your village. I would like to ask about their activities during the investigation.”  (Aina)

 

“Oh, I remember them. I thought that they had returned to report to the guild.” (Village chief)

 

“Regarding that, we actually haven’t seen them since they took the request. So I was sent here to look for their whereabouts.”

(Aina)

 

“That’s strange. Because after they showed up, our village hasn’t been raided by those pesky goblins. So I assumed that they had returned to report to the guild.”  (Village chief)

 

“I see, that is strange indeed. We haven’t heard from them. May I ask for the detail about the request?”

(Aina)

 

“I understand. So about the request, from the traces that were left behind, we suspected that it was the work of goblins. And the next day, they left to investigate the forest just outside the village.”  (Village chief)

 

“Can you show us the areas where the goblins attacked?”  Norn chimed in.

 

“Of course, but I doubted there is much to be seen as it has been a while.”  (Village chief)

 

“It’s fine. Thank you.”  (Aina)

 

And then, the village chief had someone show Aina and Norn around and assign them a place to stay the night.

 

They also came to the same conclusion as everyone that it was indeed the work of goblins. So they decided to start following Ardy’s party tracks the following day.

 

After checking their equipment for the last time, the couple set off to investigate the forest.

 

It was a clear summer day, accompanied by the humidity of the forest, so the temperature here was relatively high.

 

 As a cat race, Aina was more sensitive to the heat than Norn.

 

"It's so hot..."  Complained Aina, sweat trickling down from her forehead and cheeks. She also used her hand to fan her neck, trying to get air flown into her.

 

"I concur. I wish we were at a beach instead."

 

" *Chuckle* Me too!"

 

In this two-people party, Norn's role was a swordsman. He wore leather armor with padded knees and elbows. His sword was strapped on his back.

 

As for Aina, her role was a scouter. As her skill relied on speed, she dressed lightly so as not to hinder her movement.

 

Similar to Norn, Aina wore leather armor, but it exposed her flat stomach and her beautiful navel. Her skin was smooth, with not a single marred spot on it. Some droplets of sweat formed on her stomach and dripped down as she moved around in the forest.

 

Below, she donned short pants that cover up to only half of her supple thighs. However, as an athletic woman, her thigh muscles were firm to the touch despite their soft and smooth appearance.

 

Sat on her thin waist were two sheathed daggers, her main choice of weapon.

 

Aina stopped Norn and pointed in front of them. "Wait, dear. Look at this branch. It looks like someone cut it recently." 

 

"Could it be that Ardy's party had passed by here?"  (Norn)

 

"I think so. The villagers rarely go this far deep into the forest. So it's highly likely that Ardy's party cut this branch as they advance."  (Aina)

 

"I see. Let's follow this trace then. We might find something."  (Norn)

 

The two then followed the traces left behind by Ardy's party, and soon, they reached the naturally formed cave near the heart of the forest.

 

"Look over there. There's a cave. You think it might be a goblin next?"  Norn lowered his voice and talked to Aina

 

"Give me a moment, dear. I'll look for other traces."  (Aina)

 

"Got it. Be careful."  (Norn)

 

Aina nodded and went around the entrance while making sure not to cause any noise.

 

Five minutes later, she regrouped back with Norn and reported her findings. "Although faint, there were definitely footprints of goblins and humans. But it's strange. Both the footprints only led inside the cave, and none walked out. I also didn't spot any goblins guarding the entrance. It's like the cave is abandoned."

 

"Say, I know it's still early afternoon, and I doubt that we can finish exploring the cave before the sun goes down. How about we camp slightly further away to observe the cave for today and go in tomorrow?" After pondering for a short while, Norn suggested.

 

And then, Aina and Norn set up a camp out of sight, slightly away from it, but they made sure they could still observe the entrance.

 

In this forest, although it was hot during the day, the temperature dropped sharply at night.

 

As the couple needed to stay out of sight, they could not afford to light a fire to warm themselves and repel the monster. So they could only scatter monster repellent around their vicinity. And to keep their body warm, they wore a cloak that, although not thick, was big enough to cover them from their heads to toes.

 

Under this starry sky, the couple sat with their back against a big trunk.

 

"It sure does bring back memories, don't you think so too, dear?" Aina snuggled closer to Norn as she whispered to him.

 

"Yeah, we've gone on many adventures, and best of all, I've got to meet and marry you" Norn hugged her shoulder and leaned his head toward her.

 

The two stayed like that for a while, then took turns to rest as the insects cries played in their background.

 

The following day, they once again approached the entrance to the cave.

 

"We did not spot any sign of life or movement from that cave. I guess we really have to go inside to check it out." (Aina)

 

"Yeah. Don't let your guard down. Let's go." Norn said

 

Finally, the two entered the cave. Since none of them were capable of using magic, Norn was holding a torch in the front while Aina walked closely.

 

They advanced slowly into the cave, and in less than ten minutes, they reached a fork road.

 

"The tunnel splits here. I don't see any tracks or footprints on the left. So let's check the left one first." Aina suggested

 

The couple then found a deep hole in the ground. Norn then picked up a rock lying on the ground and threw it into the pit, and a clacking sound echoed back about five seconds later.

 

"That's quite deep. I don't think we can explore what's down there." Norn shook his head.

 

"I see. Let's go back and check out the other tunnel." (Aina)

 

The two returned to the fork road and continued down the empty tunnel.

 

As it was originally a monster nest, the two trod carefully to avoid triggering any traps or ambushes. And on their way, they spotted a pitfall trap cleverly covered in a thin layer of dirt. Aina cautioned Norn as they went around it. 

 

Shortly after, they found something that looked like a door with chain locks at the end of the tunnel.

 

They looked at each other and nodded, then Norn slowly approached the door, holding his torch on the left and sword readied on the right. 

 

Sweat slowly trickled down from his forehead, and his sweaty hands gripped the torch and the sword handle. Aina was also in the same state.

 

Aina walked up and unwrapped the chains. She then pushed the door open slowly.

 

Smack...smack...smack.

 

The sound of something hitting against each other echoed from within the room.

 

The two nervously entered the room.

 

It was quite a big room, so the light of the torch could not clearly show what was going on in the corner of the room.

 

However, Aina and Norn knew that something was there, and something was happening as the smacking and slurping sound rang out clearly once they entered.

 

To get a better look at what was going on, they walked toward the direction of the sound.

 

And finally, the torchlight let them catch a glimpse, and they gasped at the horrible sight.

 

A group of more than thirty goblins was raping Lainey and Lynn as they lay motionless on the ground.

 

There was nowhere on their bodies that were not stained with dried semen, and even some goblins shot new patches of semen on them.

 

Their stomachs were bloated, proof that they were pregnant.

 

Norn was the first to act. He quickly covered Aina's mouth, afraid that she would scream and alert the goblins of their intrusion.

 

In a hushed voice, he whispered, "Quiet, they haven't noticed us yet!"

 

Confirming that Aina had calmed down, he released her and set down the torch.

 

"Listen, Aina. This is the plan. We have the advantage that they haven't seen us yet. You will go around and secure the girls. I will go from the front and distract them." Norn whispered the plan to Aina.

 

"Be careful. I will join you once they are secured." (Aina)

 

"You too. Now go." (Norn)

 

When Aina was in position and readied to sneak in, Norn shouted his battle cry and rushed in to strike the unsuspecting goblins' back.

 

Normally, the goblins would react to the attack and retaliate. But these goblins did not so much as turn toward Norn, their backs still facing him as he shouted and rushed at them. The worm creature only had ordered them to keep fucking Lainey and Lynn, and they did just that. 

 

Norn slashed and killed two goblins with his initial strike. He was baffled at their inaction in defending themselves. Aina, who was running from the flank, also saw that and was puzzled.

 

Norn turned his head to look at Aina, and at the same time, she looked at him. Then, with a subtle nod, the two changed their plan.

 

Aina ran back to Norn to regroup.

 

Then Norn slashed with his sword to kill the goblins. Aina also thrust her daggers toward their necks and cut the blood vessels there.

 

Without resisting, the group of more than thirty goblins was brought down in less than ten minutes.

 

As the two caught their breaths. Norn moved a bit further away as a courtesy for Aina to clean up Lainey and Lynn. As for their bloated stomachs, she couldn't do anything but take them to someone with medical knowledge.

 

She then wrapped a cloak around the two girls and called out to Norn to help her escort the girl back.

 

Aina was carrying Lynn on her back, while Norn was carrying Lainey on his back.

 

On their way out, Norn furrowed his brow and asked. "Aina, don't you find those goblins' behavior strange?"

 

"I think so too. It was as if they didn't care about their lives and just stood there." (Aina)

 

"What exactly is going on with those goblins anyway. Knowing Ardy's party strength, I know there was no way they could possibly lose to a bunch of goblins." (Norn)

 

"Well, guessing won't get us anywhere. First, we have to take the girl to safety and ask them the details once they are healed." (Aina)

 

"Yeah, the sooner we get back, the better. I'm not sure why, but I keep getting this strange feeling that something is seriously wrong with this place." (Norn)

 

The two then picked up their pace, tracing their steps to leave the cave.

 

Unbeknownst to them, something terrifying was waiting for them outside of the entrance.

 

Just as the two exited the cave, the worm creature returned with many new types of monsters in its tow.

 

......

 

...

 

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