Lurk breathed hard, he was staring at the still spasming body of the dark elf, he was unable to scream anymore. The poison that Vorm had applied to his sword, that Lurk dipped the tip of his hook into, had claimed two people. Alex and Grandir had died screaming in agony. Lurk did not care at all.

They had no excuse, they were not tainted with [Evil], or maybe they were Lurk thought briefly. But he doubted it, the dark elfs actions against the women did not seem to be the same?. It was hard to put into words. But he felt that these humans were not cursed with the [Evil] trait.

Lurk picked up the rod the dark elf had held onto, Instantly he could sense the location of the women that had the collars on. The rod was the control tool for the collars Lurk surmised. Lurk looked at the women that had returned to normal, even Restia was sitting up looking over at Lurk holding the rod with an intense stare.

Lurk hurried over to Aurk and Vorm that were holding Bellie down that began screaming as Lurk kicked her in the face knocking her out. Vorm and Aurk stood up looking at Lurk.

"We need to get out of here, Vrek will be back soon. Loot them quickly, Resti..."

"[Light Heal], [Light Heal]"

Lurk healed Aurk and Resti, she had received a severe blow to the head with the blunt side of the ax.

Lurk helped her up.

{"We have to get out of here... I need your help with the women... My plan failed I'm sorry. "}

Lurk said to Resti as he moved over to the women taking Resti with him. He hinted at them wanting Resti to explain it to them. Aurk and Vorm taking items off from the corpses and Bellie in the meanwhile.

{"...Yes, Master..."} Resti said she grimaced as she suddenly seemingly was forced to say the word master. She looked at Lurk then at the Rod, her hand holding onto the collar around her neck. Her eyes showing a distinct sense of anger but her face unable to show it.

"Oh.. Umh hmm I wonder how this works..."

Lurk thought scratching his head, looking at the rod, the crystals had a faint glimmer inside them, multiple runes covering the rod.

"I am not sure... But you have control over all the collars it's connected to... that much I know..."

Lurk noticed something as Resti explained it to him, he could understand her, she even understood him when he questioned himself out loud in goblin...

"Ok.. Act like you normally would as if the collar was not on, this is a command to all of you." Lurk said out loud to the women in the cave. They changed how they acted, tears beginning to flow again, they looked at Lurk with scared eyes.

"do not worry, I will not hurt you, we need to get out of here, So please help each other up. " Lurk said calmly, the women looked at Lurk shocked, they all began to get up, helping each other. They were not wounded especially except a few of them that the dark elf had kicked hard. Lurk gave them a few cantrip heals, he hurried down below taking Resti and the Dark elfs backpack with him.

Resti explained to the women inside the locked room, Lurk hurried over and cured the poison on the group of women with Emily, but they were all very weak having been in their poisoned state for a long time, and laying still without much food or light. Lurk told the women to help, Resti informing them Lurk was trying to get them out of there.

Lurk told some of the women to pick up the bags of food that the goblins had looted from their village, unable to carry all of it. They hurried out of the cave, Lurk being the last to leave.

He looked behind at Bellie who he had tied down, staring at her and the robed girl, who sat up but did not do anything but look at Lurk. Bellie slowly came too seeing Lurk standing over her and Sylvie.

"I will not hurt you... Do you want to come with us?..." Lurk said, Sylvie opened her eyes wide, she was expecting to now be forced to serve a goblin for the rest of her life, being raped and used to heal the goblins. She had not had a single kind word ever since she had been captured and sold to these adventurers. A single tear ran down her cheek as she nodded meekly. Bellie looked back and forth at them. Scared out of her wits.

Lurk helped Sylvie up and walked towards the cave entrance, Bellie suddenly realized she was being left behind, the strange goblin was not staying. What was going on?!

"Sylvie!. Tell him to take me with you!, Do not leave me here for the other goblins to take!!"

Bellie screamed out in panic, Lurk could not understand her human language, Sylvie stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Bellie who was panicking on the ground trying to get out of the ropes around her legs and arms. She looked at Lurk, who calmly waited for her.

"... Master... She wants to be taken with..." Sylvie said in a meek voice.

"..." Lurk looked at Bellie with a cold glare...

Sylvie tugged on her collar.

"you can put a collar on her... Force her to serve you..."

Bellie opened her eyes wide in shock, panicking she tried to think of what to do... But she could not think of anything...

"I think she should remain free... For however long that will be...I do not want to force anyone to do my will..." Lurk said as he turned away, Sylvie following behind him after giving Bellie a brief look, a smile on Sylvie's lips.

They could hear Bellie scream as they left the cave. Lurk and Sylvie caught up to Vorm and Aurk leading the women towards the ruined city.

Bellie struggled to get free of her ropes, she was lying in complete darkness now, the light from the spell Lurk had cast that was floating in the air had gone out, she was frantically trying to run the rope at her arms back and forth over a sharp stone she found, but it was hard to do with her arms behind her back.

She suddenly heard footsteps and goblin shrieks and cackles. She turned to face the entryway, seeing many red glowing eyes staring at her, She gave a manic smile and laugh, tears pouring down her face, the goblins throwing themselves over her as the laugh turned into a shrill scream.

---

"Can you cover the tracks Aurk?" Lurk asked out to him, as they were walking towards the city.

"Somewhat... we can take a few paths that will cover our trail Chief..."

"Chief?..." Lurk quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, you have freed us from under Xarns rule, I will follow you as chief till the end..." Aurk solemnly said. As he began guiding the group, doing his best to diminish their tracks left behind.

Lurk was trying to think of what to do now. They would head back towards the city, and the workshop they had found, initially, he wanted to keep just himself, the sun soakers and the few goblins he had hand-picked there. He had guided them there as the first goblins to be put out as camp guards. Sala was there waiting with them.

("I wonder if the workshop is big enough... It should be, but it will be crowded with goblins and women close together... Ah this is gonna be a headache...")

They hurried as much as they could with the women, Lurk and Vorm keeping an eye out for anyone following them. He was happy he decided to take Vorm aside and tell him about his Dark Magic skill while they were out together. He and Vorm had trained when they were resting, Lurk had managed to learn the spell [Shape Darkness], due to his extreme mana he could train a lot, he taught it to Vorm who then began to use it to cover himself when he was trying to sneak up on someone.

It really complimented him well, it was fortunate he had done so, he could not see them fighting the adventurers and winning if Vorm had not been able to cover himself in shade and Lurk covering the entryway in unnatural darkness to shield Aurk.

"Chief... uhm... Lurk... What do we do now?..." Vorm asked meekly, Lurk was still not quite used to Vorms quiet voice, he did not talk a lot. Lurk turned to him and answered as best as he could.

"We hide in the city... Then we need to find a way for the humans to be returned..."

"... Do we have to return them?... Will we not need more gobs?" Vorm asked, a certain glimmer in his eyes.

"You have to resist that urge I talked about... " Lurk told Vorm, as he himself felt the urge to just capture the women and keep them as his personal slaves. The Evil trait pushing his worst desires to the surface.

Vorm looked at the women then Lurk, Vorm had a harder time of it. Lurk thought it would be impossible to truly convince him in a normal way, so for now, he had to do it roughly.

"It's my will Vorm, we cannot risk it."

Vorm nodded hearing Lurks stern voice. They followed the group as they finally reached the town, with no one following them.

They headed into the broken building that housed the workshop basement. Lifting up the hidden latch that they had tried their best to hide its damaged state. The women squirmed and looked reprehensively around, but Resti calmed them down and they all headed down into the basement.

"Haha! Sala knew Lurk would be a great Chief! so many women under him so quickly!!!"

Sala was standing in the main room arms crossed looking proud, her belly had grown considerably, during these short four days. Behind her were three goblins wielding clubs and bows.

"... Sala... I did not claim these women... I said we had to return them to the humans..." Lurk said as he helped guide the women into the basement, there were 12 women in total. and Emily and the two women with Emily were extremely weak and were laid down on some bedding, along with five women who all had big bellies too.

Resti, Sylvie came over to Lurk who was trying to talk Sala down from her ideas of Lurk as the big women breeder chief when he decided to introduce them to each other.

"This is Resti I told you about, and this is? Sorry i did not get your name..." Lurk had heard Bellie scream her name, but he wanted to be properly introduced. The girl pulled her hood down revealing her cat ears. Lurk opened his eyes wide, and opened his mouth agape.

"Hah! that's the look Sala wants to see!" Sala exclaimed seeing Lurk suddenly staring at Sylvie

"My name is Sylvie master" Sylvie bowed to Lurk slightly, Resti beside her was stunned, she had been told to not act like the collar forced them to do.

"Why do you call him master! he told you not to follow the collars commands?"

"I do not mind... He is kind and saved me..." Sylvie turned away meekly from Restis slightly angry voice questioning her.

"uhm... ok lets uh... your a catgirl ?" Lurk managed to stammer out

"I am a beast kin, yes of the cat tribe." Sylvie nodded to Lurk.

("...Catgirls... are real...") Lurk thought he was struggling really hard with his [Ravenous] Trait... Long had he dreamed of cat girls but now, one was standing in front of him. Resti and Sala noticed how he was staring at Sylvie with those eyes.

"Hey! Don't you dare think of commanding me.. Ehh.. Her to do lewd things!"

"Oi! you can breed her but you can only like me!!"

*BONK*

*FOOM*

"Ow!! Careful with the fireball!" Lurk exclaimed as he snapped out of his thoughts. Seeing Resti and Sala staring at him angrily, with Sylvie smiling behind them as she realized it was not so serious as it first felt like.

".... What am I gonna do now..." Lurk sighed out loudly..