Red hid behind the thick bush near the cave, not far from it. Two torches lit up at the entrance, making it easier to see who came in and out. He didn't want the others to find out what he tried to do.
The warriors and the other adults came in and out in turn. It was a game of patience, and he made sure to say that the number who entered the cave and came out of the cave were the same.
He honestly didn't know what they did inside there. He once tried to peek but ended up hearing moans and screams. Those were the moans and screams from the female human.
That was the only thing he could identify, and there was this strange reaction from him when he heard those moans and screams. He felt hot inside, and the thing that was dangling on his crotch started to stand up.
That reaction made him weird, and he left before things got weirder. That was what he was currently experiencing. He felt hot, and the thing on his crotch was standing up right now.
Red tried his best to hold off this strangeness in his body. This was for the sake of his future. He needed more information about the Awakening.
Like the Copper Coin, for example. He knew it had some value for the tribe to keep it, but he could tell the Matron put more importance in the Magic Core and the marget.
That was what he perceived from a short exchange when he handed that to the Matron. Now he needed to find out the use of it since he had more than thirty coins.
The most important thing was how to acquire a skill. That was the most important thing to him right now. Having more skills would boost his survival chances, whether from the beast or his tribe. He could not forget how the Shaman was still trying to kill him.
His patience finally paid off as the last two warriors came out with a satisfied grin on their faces. These two were supposed to guard the cave, and slouched down, leaning against the wall before falling asleep.
This was the main reason he dared to sneak into the cave. The guards were always slacking, and he could easily sneak into the cave without being caught. Being careful, Red waited a little bit longer.
He was worried that there might be more coming to the cave, or maybe the guard had not fallen into a deep sleep yet. After confirming that the two guards had fallen asleep, there was no sign that anyone would come either.
That was when Red decided to get out of his hiding spot and made his way to the cave. He was so conscious of his steps, making sure that he didn't make a sound that might awaken the two guards, or he would be in trouble.
He arrived in front of the cave, and there was this fishy smell that he didn't like. The smell just got worse since the last time he visited this place. His expression scrunched into displeasure.
Red checked on the two guards to make sure they were completely asleep. After making sure of that, he stepped into the cave.
This was one of the biggest caves the tribe had, and they put the kidnapped women here. Inside the cave was lit with many torches, and he finally got to see what was inside.
Red furrowed his brow with what he witnessed. More than fifty female humans were lying on the ground, all over the place.
He quickly noticed they all looked sick. First, they were naked, wearing nothing. Second, they were all dirty, not just because of dirt, but also the sticky white fluid on their bodies, especially on their crotches. Third, they all looked lifeless.
The scene weirded Red, and for some reason, he didn't like what happened here. The scene didn't bother the adults and the warrior, but it bothered him. They were all alive, but not alive at the same time.
This was when he realized that there were more people who were in worse condition than he was. Even though he heard how humans always wanted to kill them. This scene bothered him; he just felt this was wrong.
He took a deep breath. That caused him to flinch at how bad the smell was. He coughed a few times and steeled his heart to approach the first woman.
Red squatted and was about to shake the female human to wake her up. The moment he touched her, she screamed. Her voice was hoarse, but the scream quickly disappeared as she lost her voice.
He immediately went away from her, shaking his head. This time, he tried to check on their condition first, and he found the one that was in better condition. He squatted and was about to call her, but she spoke first.
"Kill me… Kill me… Kill me…"
She repeated the same word while trying to reach his hand, but her hand fell, not having the strength to lift her hand.
Red could repeat the words after listening to them a few times, but he didn't understand them. He didn't know what she tried to tell him. It was a desperate call, but he didn't know what she told him.
'Is she asking me to save her?'
That was the first thing that came up in his head. He thought "kill me" was "save me" in human language. This interaction made him realize that gathering information would not be as easy as he thought.
Red totally forgot about the language barrier between them. He forgot that humans spoke in a different language.
"I just need to find a female human who can speak goblin language."
He recalled that the female human in the kitchen understood him. So he thought there might be a female human who understood his language.
He did his best to ignore the miserable-looking female human as he tried to look for the one who understood him. His attempt was futile. He left the cave empty-handed after half an hour.
Those female humans were no longer alive in his eyes. Their eyes were listless, no more spirit to live in them. In fact, he could see them wanting to die.
That reminded him of the first female human who kept saying: Kill me. That might not have saved me, but she asked him to kill her.
Red could grant her wish if that was what she wanted, but he decided not to. That was too risky for him when his position in the tribe was unstable. Even though his first hunt was a success, the people had not accepted him yet.
He must gain their trust before doing something stupid just for his sympathy. He steeled his heart and returned to his hut.
The foreign feeling kept bothering him. The scene kept appearing in his head. The fact that he failed to gain any information didn't bother him. The scene bothered him more.
Red lay down on his straw bed. Today was a wild day for him. There were a lot of them for the first time. The first time of a near-death experience. The first time he felt the joy of freedom was while hunting.
It was also the first time he finally ate in the main kitchen, having a proper meal instead of leftovers. The first time he felt something hot inside his body, not actually the first, but this was the first time he went through with it till the end.
It was also the first time he felt wrong. There was just something wrong with what he saw. He didn't feel it was the right thing to do. That made him realize that he might actually be different from the goblin. That explained why he looked different than the others.
Red recalled how the other kids were trying to sneak into the same cave. They sounded excited back then. However, they were caught in action and got beaten. That didn't stop them from trying to visit the cave again.
That meant it was something normal, a common thing to keep those female humans like that. But why did it bother him? Why did he have a different feeling toward that scene, not the excitement as the others?
Everything was weird, he thought it might be a different kind than the goblin, but then he made an excuse because it might be because of how the tribe treated him. He felt pity toward those female humans because they were treated worse than he was.
Red slept with those weird thoughts in his head.