Ray jolted awake when she sensed that someone was inside her tent who wasn’t supposed to be there. This wasn’t like when Jantzen and Peter entered while she was pretending to be asleep.

This was something unexpected.

“Who are you?” Ray asked, opening her eyes. She couldn’t see anybody. She no longer sensed any presence other than her own, but she was certain that somebody was there.

“The moment you started talking, he stepped back into the shadows and disappeared. It was like what Max did that one time.”

Ray reached for her enchanted bag and withdrew her shortsword. Her eyes roamed back and forth over the dark interior of her tent.

“I know you’re there. If you want to talk, let’s talk. If you want to fight, let’s do that. I don’t want to play hide-and-seek right now.”

“Did you see what he looked like?”

“He was short, maybe two feet tall, and covered in black clothes. He had a few daggers strapped to his body and he had green skin, red eyes, and pointed ears.”

Ray mentally went over the list of creatures her teachers had told her about during training. The description almost perfectly matched one that she had been told about.

“Goblins.”

Fortunately, her memories of languages were relatively untouched. Goblin was one of the five languages she knew how to speak. It was especially easy amongst the five because Goblin was basically just a diluted version of Ancient, her first language.

“Who are you?” Ray asked, this time using Goblin speech.

After a long pause, a small figure stepped out of the shadows in front of her with a baffled expression on his face. Now that she saw him herself, Ray was struck with déjà vu.

She was certain that she had met this goblin before.

Og kneeled and bowed until his nose touched the floor.

“It really is you! My lady, your humble servant Og is overjoyed to meet you once more!”

Huh?

Ray froze like a statue.

“If you can forgive my ignorance, I would like to know why you are traveling with a group of adventurers?”

“What do I say? I don’t know who this guy is…”

“Just be honest with him. It’s better to clear the air early than to risk offending him by lying.”

She decided to follow the advice of the voice in her head.

“Umm, Og, right? I lost most of my memories a few weeks ago and I don’t remember anything about who I was. I’m with these adventurers because the human fortress was the first place I found with people in it.”

Og looked up and stared at her with a blank expression. As he processed her words, tears budded at the edge of his eyes.

“You’ve lost your memories…? I don’t want to believe it…”

“It’s true. I want to figure out what happened that day that I woke up, but I don’t have very many leads to work with, so I’ve been learning to fight and use magic with the humans here.”

The goblin groaned.

“You should have sought out our tribe or moved across the border into the United Federation. Even staying in these mountains and fighting wild monsters to train would be safer and cleaner than living amongst humans.”

“Cleaner?”

“Spiritually. The only things humans can teach you are depravity, persecution, and destruction.”

Well, that wasn’t completely true. Of course, she had seen many things that bothered her, but she had also met nice people like Sister Eileen, Kelsey, and Siegfried.

Og sighed and motioned towards the tent exit.

“We should leave, I think that you should meet with Shaman. She might be able to help you.”

“What about my teammates?”

She was willing to go but she knew that if she just waltzed off with a group of goblins, she would have a lot of explaining to do if she wanted to maintain her current lifestyle in Cairel.

“We can’t take your ‘friends’ to our camp because they’ll just respawn and let others know where it is. They’ll have to die here and now.”

Ray thought about that for a moment and she remembered what Eileen had taught her about drones. An idea popped into her head and she revealed her fangs in a savage grin.

“Would it be possible to just kill the ranger and the rogue for now? I have some unfinished business with the fat priest and the warlock before we leave. Oh, and the catkin is with me.”

Og motioned for Ray to exit the tent first.

“So long as our safety is guaranteed, I see no issues with your request.”

He then nodded towards an empty space.

“See to it.”

Ray felt a chill run down her spine as she realized that there had been multiple goblins either inside or surrounding her tent while hiding. She didn’t know anything about the forces she was dealing with right now.

She felt a bit bad for Helen, but she couldn’t see a way out of the current situation that didn’t involve her dying. However, she shoved her guilt aside and focused on what was about to happen.

It was time to get some closure.

“Ray, I see what you’re planning to do, and I think you should stop. Just let the goblins kill Jantzen and Peter like the others. You’re taking a needless risk based on an unproven theory. If you’re wrong, everything you’ve built up in Cairel will be compromised.”

Ray knew the voice in her head was right. However, she felt like continuing with her plan. From the moment the idea had popped into her head, she was resolved to follow through with it. She licked her lips in anticipation as she remembered the sensation of stabbing a knife into Suzy and Bill.

“I thought it was understood that we were going to be working together. You are your own person and can make your own decisions, but I hope that you consider my advice more seriously. I warned you, so don’t expect me to fix the consequences for you when things go wrong.”

Ray giggled to herself. Things may have gone poorly for her when she first became aware but ever since she made the decision to return to Cairel, almost everything had gone well. It was almost as if the universe was balancing things out for her. Her first set of distinct memories was absolute hell, and the rest of her life was paradise.

Perfect balance.

“If that’s really how you feel then this should be a good learning experience for you. Go ahead.”

With that blessing from the voice in her head, Ray started humming as she patiently waited.

A minute later, Helen and Ven’s dead bodies were dragged out of their tents and propped up against the wall of the cave. They both had a hole in their heart and a slice across their neck. Ven’s mask hung crookedly off his face, revealing sharp, handsome features and blonde bangs that fell in front of his eyes.

Jantzen and Peter were tied up and dragged in front of Ray. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she had knocked them both unconscious, but they were both awake now and looking around with terrified expressions. Their eyes settled on Ray and Peter squealed.

“H..how are you s..still alive?!”

Ray took a step towards him and he squirmed in his bindings as if to run away. The ropes tying his wrists and his ankles were tight and he was helpless as he wriggled like a worm.

Another goblin approached with Lexi in tow. The catgirl was shuddering but when she saw Ray all of the tension left her shoulders and she relaxed.

Ray motioned towards Jantzen and Peter’s helpless forms. There was a dangerous glint in her eyes and the corners of her mouth turned up in a sadistic grin.

“I heard that if a person experiences an extremely traumatic death, the respawn usually fails and they become a mindless husk - a drone.”

Lexi glanced at the two idiots then returned her attention to her friend, unsure where Ray was going with this.

Ray pulled a few blades out of her bag. She offered one of the daggers she’d confiscated from the idiot duo to the catgirl.

“Ready to get started?”

Lexi gulped as she reached out to accept the weapon.

“What are you doing?!” Jantzen shouted, his blubbery face twisting with terror.

He tried to push himself away from her, but he only ended up rolling onto his back, his ample mass spreading against the ground, securing him in place like a baby in its mother’s loving embrace.

“Stop!” Peter shouted.

Ray felt his mana invade her mind, but she thoroughly crushed it. She turned to observe him for a moment while deciding how to best go about creating a ‘traumatic’ experience. His nose was still flattened, and he was still missing some teeth. She took a step towards him and the warlock desperately tried to inch himself away from her approaching form like a caterpillar.

“N..n.nooo! Get away from me!”

Ray stalked closer to him.

“Repulsive,” she growled. “You call us ‘monsters’. You treat others like trash and yet you call us ‘monsters’? How does someone like you dare to mistreat others? When we fight back, you do nothing but cower and scream!”

She reached down and picked up Peter by the neck.

“You tried to cast domination magic on me. Obviously, it didn’t work… but I cannot ignore the attempt.”

Ray swung him like a sack of potatoes and smashed his legs against the ground. There was an audible crunch and his legs bent at odd angles. The boy went silent for a moment, staring at the sight. His eyes widened and then he screamed.

Ray released her grip and allowed the monster to crumple to the floor. She then raised her sword, eyeing the creature with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

“W..what are you going to do to me?” Peter screeched.

Tears streamed from his eyes and mixed with the bloody mucus pooling on his chin.

Ray giggled as she crouched down next to his agonized form.

“I’m just raising the stakes and gambling. We’re going to make sure you have one hell of a traumatic experience.”

She raised the sword and pointed it at Peter’s hand.

---

Peter’s screams of agony echoed in the cave and pierced Lexi’s ears. Though the torture was slightly unpleasant to watch, the feeling was completely overpowered by the sense of satisfaction she felt in watching her former owners take their turn as victims.

Thanks to Ray, she had been freed. Thanks to Ray, she would finally be able to rid herself of her fears. Lexi felt her eyes tear up as her chest swelled with emotion.

The screaming stopped after a few minutes of intense, brutal torture. Ray moved away from Peter’s now unrecognizable corpse. It would be more appropriate to call it a lump of poorly processed meat and bones.

Ray stopped in front of Lexi while licking the blood off her sword.

“You want to do the other one?”

“Yes,” Lexi replied confidently.

Every horrible beating, vicious slur, and cruel mistreatment passed through her mind. She couldn’t wait to show Jantzen just how humiliating and painful it was.

Ray grinned.

“Better get to it then!”

Lexi leapt forward and threw her arms around her savior and friend. She didn’t care that the young woman was covered in blood. She didn’t care that her friend had just violently mutilated someone in front of her. She had seen much worse and wanted to do much worse to the people who had harmed her. It was a little unsettling, but she needed to get used to it.

“Yes!” she shouted. “Oh gods, yes!”

Ray hugged her back and Lexi felt like her reality shifted back into place.

Her life was finally on the right track again. If she stayed with Ray, she would get stronger and, one day, she would be able to get her revenge.

A faint weeping sound from the side reminded them of Jantzen’s presence. Lexi met Ray’s gaze.

“Shall we have some fun?”

Ray motioned towards the sword.

Lexi raised the blade, her arm shaking. Phantom pains from a month of beatings and poor treatment flared across her back. She remembered when Jantzen forced her to eat her food off the floor because she was a ‘dirty beast’. She remembered every single wrong Jantzen had committed against her.

Still, she hesitated.

Before she was enslaved, she had been a normal, teenage girl. She had never done anything like this before. Her arms trembled slightly as she held the sword with both hands.

The mind was willing, but the body was weak.

The weapon slipped from her sweating palms and Ray caught it in a smooth motion. She gripped Lexi’s wrist firmly and placed the sword back into her palm. She gently closed Lexi’s fingers around the hilt.

“I know you can do it. You know you want to do it.”

Lexi smiled back weakly, taking strength from her savior and friend’s support.

“I do… I really want to...” Lexi purred as she allowed Ray to pull her towards Jantzen’s waddling form.

The fat priest was oozing tears and snot as he desperately tried to find a way to move his body. Lexi pointed the sword at Jantzen. She was scared but her instincts were telling her to do as Ray said. She raised the sword in her trembling arms.

She yelped, stumbling backward as Jantzen cried out.

But Ray was there to catch her. Her friend leaned forward to whisper into her ear.

“If it helps, you can close your eyes. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Ray released her and took a step back.

Lexi nodded and positioned the sword over Jantzen’s leg. She closed her eyes and folded her ears down to block out some of the sound. She took a deep breath and, with a mighty roar, she stepped forward and struck down her fear and hesitation. She felt the tip of the blade jolt against bone and smiled bitterly. Adrenaline surged through her system and she could feel her heart beating rhythmically.

To her surprise, she was calm.

She opened her eyes and saw the blood oozing out of the open wound. She heard Jantzen’s wailing anguish and revealed a tranquil smile as she raised the sword to strike again.

The minutes passed by filled with violent, vengeful stabbing, swinging, and crushing. The air of the cave was permeated with the scent of blood and sweat, while wails of soulful torment rang out periodically.

Finally, Jantzen went silent. By the time he finally died, he was missing both eyes and all of his teeth. Every bone in his arms and legs were firmly shattered and a disturbing amount of his ample mass had been carved away. Both of his eyes had been entombed in his mouth from an early stage in the procedure and had long since been crushed until they were unrecognizable. Blood pooled over the floor of the cave.

---

Ray observed Lexi’s bloodstained form, a faint smile tugging at the edge of her lips

“I wonder if that was traumatic enough…” Ray mused.

Lexi fell to her knees, exhausted. The bloody sword clattered against the floor.

The two of them smiled at each other.

“Ahem,” a voice interrupted.

Both flinched simultaneously.

That’s right, the goblins were still around. They were so focused on the torture that everything else blurred out.

“Well then,” Og coughed out in Goblin. “I suppose we can conclude that you are not on the adventurer’s side.”

The other goblins all vehemently nodded in agreement.

There were five goblins in total.

“Let us pack up our stuff first. Then let’s have a little chat,” Ray suggested.

Og nodded his assent and she moved to collect her portable toilet and kitchen. She also collected all four of the enchanted bags. She would give one to Lexi, but she intended to return Helen and Ven’s bags to their rightful owners. Neither of them had done anything to harm her.

Ray and Lexi entered their respective tents and took a moment to wipe themselves off and change into clean clothes. After collecting all the tents, supplies, armor, weapons, and enchanted bags, Ray approached Og.

“You mentioned a shaman? Take us there and we can talk as we walk.”

The goblin revealed a toothy, wistful smile.

“How efficient. Let’s do that.”

Ray motioned for Lexi to follow. It was unlikely that Lexi understood Goblin, but she could translate the essential points for her.

They left the cave escorted by five goblins covered in black leather clothes. Ray noted the sun rising over the edge of the mountains and grinned as the cold, mountain wind scratched against her face and caused her hair to flutter behind her.

She giggled, remembering the tears and screams of the two idiots who had treated her poorly. She gave them multiple chances to avoid this fate. It was their fault for acting the way they did.

Ray hummed quietly as she strode down the mountain path, following behind Og as he led her to an unknown destination.

It was finally time for her to meet some more ‘monsters’.