The Puppy's Perilous Infiltration
I dive into the dark cave without a moment’s hesitation. The entrance, thick with the scent of damp earth and a nauseating, fishy stench, feels cavernous to a puppy like me. Once I slip inside, I can’t see a single inch in front of me. In the absolute silence where not a sound can be heard, a wave of terror washes over me. Am I really supposed to find people in here? Should I just turn back? The thought crosses my mind. I can tell where the entrance is by the direction of the wind—a perk of having a dog’s senses rather than a human’s, I suppose. I’m so tense I nearly bite down on the seed. The ash tree seed is tougher on the outside than I expected, but the inside is soft, like jelly.
I need to finish this job as quickly as possible. Sniff, sniff... I need to find the scent of a human. But it’s hard to pick up. If anything, the fishy, filthy stench unique to goblins feels like it’s going to paralyze my sense of smell. I focus on sniffing while walking with extreme caution. What would have happened if a person was dragged in here? They must have been dragged along the ground, their body scraping against the dirt, when the goblins kidnapped them. I bury my nose in the dirt floor and sniff frantically until I catch a faint trace. The smell of a human woman’s urine. She must have been so terrified she lost control of her bladder. And then, the scent of the woman I confirmed on the fabric earlier.
Thump. Thump. Thump. My footsteps echo loudly in the hollow void, which only makes me more nervous. But I keep moving forward. I can’t lose Angela. A genius dog doesn’t let its master down.
...Kereuk.
"?! " A sound suddenly echoes from far away. It’s not a human voice. It’s definitely a goblin. Can goblins see in this darkness? That doesn’t make sense. Even with my dog’s vision, I can barely see a thing. I don’t think the goblins can see either. They won’t be able to see me. But I don’t know about their sense of smell. Or their other senses. In truth, it’s all just a guess. Ultimately, I have to find the person and get the hell out of here.
I continue to track the scent. I sniff my way forward for a long time. I bump my forehead against the wall a few times, but I keep moving forward in silence. This sense is definitely on a different level from a human’s. I gain confidence that I can find my way through the darkness using my sense of smell and acute hearing. A map made of sound forms in my head, and the path made of scents is marked within it.
Kereuk!
I flinch. It’s close. Too close. Is it right in front of me? My sense of distance has dulled slightly. There’s a goblin nearby. Probably within ten meters... I was told they were nocturnal and would be sleeping, but I guess that’s not the case. How many active goblins are there? No, how many goblins are in this cave to begin with? My imagination turns into discomfort, and that discomfort turns into fear...
I move away from the nearby goblin, feeling along the wall as I go. As I keep walking, I see a red light flickering in the distance. ...And that, as it happens, is the source of the scent. I head forward slowly. The closer I get, the stronger the goblin stench becomes. I feel like vomiting from the filthy smell, but I endure it, and endure it again.
The red light comes from torches mounted on the walls. I’m surprised by the intelligence of goblins being able to use torches, but what I see beyond them is even more shocking. On a flat area of the cave, there are five people... no... ten... no, even more. There are so many people, all lying down. The village chief said there were three—two girls and one maiden... What is this?
I wander around to check on the people. They’re all alive, but they’re lying still as if trapped in a deep sleep. A peculiar thing is that they are all women, and they are all naked. In the center of the group grows a massive purple mushroom, nearly three meters tall. Under the light of the torches, I see human corpses beneath the mushroom, and the mushroom has rooted itself into them. Every time a corpse exhales, spores like dust are puffed out into the light, floating in the air. Odorless and tasteless. I can’t smell a thing, but... is that mushroom what’s keeping them asleep? Their chests are rising and falling, so they’re definitely alive...
It’s been about thirty minutes since I entered the cave. It’s fast, or maybe slow, but I’ve found the people. Now, if I just bite that seed...
Kereuk!!
".....!" A sound from right behind me startles me so much that I drop the seed from my mouth. It rolls away, and I can’t see where it went. Damn it...! I have to hide. I crawl into the space between the black hair of a woman lying nearby.
Thump. Thump. Thump. I hear the footsteps of at least dozens of them. I scan the surroundings through the faint view I have between the strands of hair. Before long, a swarm of goblins arrives. Holy crap. There are just too many. It doesn’t make sense. Countless goblins enter, dump the limp humans into the cave, and shout at each other. I don’t understand what they’re saying, but their actions are full of joy. Some are dancing, stomping their feet as if they’re having the time of their lives. Some are even rubbing their erect male organs against the women’s crotches in a form of sexual harassment. However, unlike the clichés in the fantasy worlds I know, the goblins aren’t actually raping or ravaging the women. They just seem to enjoy the fact that they’ve captured humans. I don’t know why. I don’t even know what’s going on in the head of a fellow dog, so there’s no way I’d know what’s inside the skull of a monster.
They leave the people and head back, leaving two goblins behind to pace between the sleeping captives. As I watch them, I think about the ash tree seed I dropped. Damn it. Where the hell did it roll to? Sniff, sniff... I try to smell it, but I can’t feel anything... Damn it. Is it because of the mushroom spores?
Kereuk?
At that moment, one of the goblins bends down and picks something up. In its small hand, it holds the ash tree seed I was looking for. It shows it to the other one, holding it up proudly, shaking it, and then tucking it into its pocket. Ah. Shit. I’m screwed. The one that took the seed leaves the cave with the other one. A dog’s life is supposed to be the best life, but this is bullshit. Ah, damn it. I curse up a storm in my head. I have to follow it. I crawl out stealthily. I follow the scent left in its footprints and the sound of its thumping footsteps. I can’t see an inch in front of me as I move away from the torches, but I have no choice. After walking and walking for a long time, its footprints stop.
Creak. I hear a friction sound, and then it happens again. I head toward the front, and something is blocking the passage. Damn it. Is this a door, by any chance? I stand on my hind legs and stretch out my front paws, but I can’t reach what looks like a doorknob. And this door—it doesn’t look like it pushes open; it looks like it pulls. What do I do? Hyper-intellectual genius dog Tommy! Get a grip! There has to be a solution! Should I wait until it comes back out? The moment I’m standing there, pacing in front of the door—
Grab.
"Kiiing!?" Something grabs me by the scruff of my neck! Holy crap, the rough touch, completely different from the hands of my master or any other human, turns my body around.
Chhh... chiiik... With the sound of friction, sparks fly, and a torch ignites. I can see. A goblin is staring at me, holding a torch in one hand. Yellow eyes. Long ears and nose, and a terrible stench wafting from its bumpy green skin. ...I’m screwed.
The creature picks me up and inspects me from all angles. I stay perfectly still, my body frozen in extreme terror.
Kereuk. Kereuk... Krrrk... The creature, which was making low sounds, puts me back down and then—
Stroke. Stroke. It starts stroking my head!
".....?" The goblin starts stroking my head and body! The clumsy touch is like a child messing around with a puppy. I tremble in this unbelievable situation, and the creature laughs, Kurrrk, as if it’s happy, then grabs me by the scruff and walks somewhere. I run into a few goblins on the way, and they clap their hands together or stroke my head, showing their own kind of rough affection. What the hell is this?
The goblin takes me to a small entrance blocked by iron bars, opens the door, and shoves me inside. Then it latches the door shut. Hmm. Well, I’m done for. This is properly done for. I’m screwed. Angela-goshujin-sama. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted so cocky. Sob, I miss you. I shed tears in the pitch-black darkness where I can’t see a thing. Ah. Why did I make such a stupid choice? I should have just left it to the killing-machine elf girl, or hung onto Uncle Gert’s pant leg and made him go in first. Damn it. A suckling puppy who didn’t know its place acted cocky and met such a miserable fate...
My fur is getting soaked because of the damp, humid cave, and my nose is already pickled in the terrible stench, so I can’t feel anything. I hang from the iron bars and try to stretch my legs, but it’s too high, and I can’t reach the latch. ....Damn it. Angela-master’s face comes to mind. I want to see her. I want to smell her. I want to hear her. I want to meet her again. I don’t want to be here. I want to be by Angela’s side. Angela... Angela....!
Grrrrrrr.....
"?! " The moment I think of her to try and overcome my fear, I hear the growl of a beast from behind me. The low, rumbling sound is definitely not friendly. Even when I turn my head back, I can’t see anything. Beyond the dark space. There’s a monster... These goblin bastards. Did they throw me in as food for a monster? That’s why they were so happy. Because they got a free meal. It was a rewarding dog’s life. I squeeze my eyes shut and curl my body into a ball. Just kill me in one shot. Don’t let it hurt.
.....
........Lick.
Something wet and warm licks my body. The monster’s tongue starts licking my whole body as if it’s savoring the prey before swallowing it... I feel like I’m suffocating from the foul breath. "Kii... kiiing..." I can’t hold back the fear, and a whimper escapes my mouth.
Kiiing. Kiiing.
Kiiiing.... I hear the cries of what I assume are the monster’s offspring...
...Wait? This feels a bit familiar?
"Sniff, sniff, sniff." The monster pulls its tongue off my body and starts sniffing me.
Thump, thump. A few more approach with footsteps.
Sniff, sniff, sniff.
Sniff, sniff, sniff.
Sniff, sniff, sniff.
How should I put this? I try sniffing them back, given this familiar behavior. This smell is somehow... familiar. The one I felt in that funky, muddy pit... Ah. I remember.
...Why are you guys here?
The identity of the monsters is none other than my own brothers and sisters.