Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking

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"There's… a voice coming from up ahead?"

March 7th whispered as she stopped, turning her head to listen closely.

The group immediately paused as well, a gesture that warmed March's heart.

They're watching out for me. The thought brought her a wave of courage, filling her chest with renewed resolve. Her pallor from earlier was gone, replaced by a determined glint in her eyes and a touch of healthy color on her cheeks.

"Do you hear it?" she asked.

"…It might be coming from above," Stelle replied, her tone uncertain.

"Wait a moment," the elf archer interjected, her long ears perking up as she focused intently. "I've been keeping my attention on the floor, but let me check."

Tilting her head slightly, her ears twitched in subtle movements as she listened to the faint sounds beneath the rush of flowing water.

"…Yes. It's definitely someone speaking. I can't tell if it's a man or a woman, though."

"Prisoners. Or perhaps…" Dan Heng's sharp gaze darkened. "Spare rations."

March 7th grimaced at his implication but quickly spoke up. "We need to split off some of our team to rescue them."

It wasn't even a question. If someone was being held captive, leaving them behind wasn't an option.

Stelle nodded in agreement, already familiar with the team's unwavering moral code. The elf archer, sensing no objection from Nahida, allowed herself a sigh of relief.

Although she trusted Nahida wouldn't abandon anyone, rescuing prisoners would take time and resources—a decision that required both ethical resolve and strength to execute.

In a fortress of this size, built for ancient wars, they were already at a disadvantage as infiltrators. The fact that they had Nahida among them was their greatest source of confidence.

"The plan remains the same. Let's move," Nahida declared once everyone appeared mentally prepared.

The group pressed forward until they arrived at a spiraling, cylindrical chamber that stretched from the ceiling down into the depths.

March's first thought was of the Forestfolk village, though she couldn't quite explain why.

The chamber's stone walls were dotted with numerous branching corridors, creating a dense network of pathways that resembled a tree's root system.

If their presence were discovered, those tunnels could instantly spew out hordes of goblins.

The voices they had heard earlier echoed faintly from deep within the abyss below.

"…The unmistakable stench of a goblin nest," the elf archer muttered, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Although Nahida's wind barrier shielded them from the worst of the smell, it wasn't foolproof. She had relaxed it slightly to allow the elf to conduct proper reconnaissance, which had proven invaluable thus far.

Following the elf's lead, the team descended along the spiral staircase.

The stone steps were narrow, with no railings, forcing everyone to hug the inner wall cautiously. A single misstep could send someone plummeting into the void below.

"This place feels like an ant colony," March remarked as they carefully moved downward.

"Exploring an insect kingdom, huh? Sounds like an adventure," Stelle mused, her mind wandering.

"…Assuming you're not afraid of spiders or the like," Dan Heng added dryly.

"Ugh, don't even say that!" March shuddered, rubbing her arms as she imagined giant spiders crawling toward her.

Nahida, meanwhile, wasn't particularly afraid of insects. Her experiences in different worlds had prepared her for the possibility of oversized insectoid monsters appearing at any moment.

Still, a stray thought crossed her mind: Am I carrying too many unnecessary burdens?

As her thoughts drifted, she caught the elf archer staring at her with an expression of pure admiration. The young elf seemed to interpret Nahida's calm demeanor as an unshakable courage that inspired her further devotion.

This misplaced faith is… complicated. Nahida quickly averted her gaze, pretending not to notice.

"Wait… there's firelight ahead. Three sources," March 7th whispered, halting abruptly.

The group exchanged glances and slipped into a combat stance, hiding in a side trench designed for battles.

Nahida quietly cast another wind barrier over them, muffling their presence.

The goblins emerged moments later, holding torches.

The elf archer silently nocked an arrow and drew her bowstring. With a breathless release, the arrow struck one goblin in the eye, sending it tumbling off the ledge into the abyss.

The remaining goblins didn't seem alarmed, laughing cruelly at their fallen comrade.

To them, such accidents were routine. But before their laughter could continue, a spear pierced one goblin's back, launching it into the chasm to join its companion.

The last goblin, finally sensing danger, turned to flee. But the Trailblazers were already in motion, swiftly dispatching it and tossing the body into the water below.

The faint splashes of the goblin corpses hitting the dammed river were barely audible. The water, blocked upstream, pooled here before continuing downstream.

"Those little monsters haven't thought to poison the water, have they?" March wondered aloud, her voice tinged with revulsion.

March 7th furrowed her brows and asked, "If goblins are this cunning, why haven't they tried poisoning the river upstream? It's more effective than sending a beast to rampage."

Her reasoning was sound. If the goblins controlled the upper river, poisoning it would be an efficient and devastating tactic—one that could complement their use of beasts.

"Perhaps it's not that they didn't want to," Dan Heng replied, shaking his head. "It's likely whoever's behind this has different plans."

Before they could dwell further on the subject, Nahida spoke up, her voice soft but clear.

"The voices… they've stopped."

This simple observation made the group tense.

"They started fading as we descended, and now they're gone completely," the elf archer confirmed, her long ears twitching as she strained to listen.

"Are we too late?!" March's voice rose, panic etched into her expression.

"No use speculating. We'll know once we get there," Stelle said, gripping her bat tightly and quickening her pace.

Thanks to Nahida's sound-dampening barrier, the team advanced swiftly without alerting any enemies. When they reached the darkened lower level, the elf archer, who had enhanced night vision, whispered gravely.

"There's something ahead… a massive stone basin. Surrounding it are five or six goblins—they look like they're… entertaining themselves."

Her voice carried barely suppressed anger, her hands trembling with the urge to act.

"Take them out," Dan Heng commanded quietly, his tone firm.

Everyone moved into position, their coordination seamless.

The goblins, blissfully unaware, were in high spirits.

One of them, slightly drunk from stolen alcohol, waddled into the group's circle and grabbed at the grotesque "meal" set at the center.

Tearing a rotting finger off a severed hand, it shoved the morsel into its mouth with a contented sigh.

"Workin' down here is such a drag… and the food isn't even fresh!" it grumbled.

The others joined in with raucous agreement, each tearing off bits of the "feast." One goblin dug out a golden eye and swallowed it whole, snickering as the others fought over scraps.

Goblins didn't care about camaraderie. Even among their own kind, it was every goblin for itself.

The group gorged themselves lazily, patting their bloated stomachs as they started to doze off, only to be interrupted by something rolling to a goblin's feet.

It was a small mechanical device, shiny and unfamiliar.

The goblin crouched down to pick it up, its curiosity piqued.

That was the last thing it did.

A sharp blow to the back of its skull sent it crashing forward. Its comrades burst into laughter at its fall, only for their own eyes to widen in terror as they noticed their fellow's cracked head spilling dark fluid onto the ground.

Their laughter turned to screams as arrows, blades, and blows rained down on them in a coordinated assault. A goblin trying to sound an alarm found its hand severed before it could reach its whistle, its body soon reduced to a pulp.

When the dust settled, the room fell silent again, save for the sound of shallow water trickling away.

The team examined the area, their faces grim.

The large stone basin was indeed a crude juicing device. From its gaps seeped the pulped remains of a humanoid body—thin limbs, battered hands, and even a partially crushed woman's head with empty, glassy eyes and a slackened tongue.

The goblins had been "working," crushing their victims into a bloody slurry.

"This… is…" March's voice broke, her complexion pale.

Dan Heng's expression darkened as he pulled a sapphire identification tag from the remains. "This was a team… an adventuring party, judging by their equipment."

The elf archer confirmed, her voice trembling with fury. "The green gem from another corpse matches. They were from the same group."

The goblins had clearly tortured, killed, and desecrated these adventurers, turning their bodies into twisted amusement. What they couldn't consume, they had funneled into the water channels, contaminating the downstream flow with the horrific remains.

The thought of unknowing villagers and adventurers drinking from that river made everyone sick.

No one spoke further. They gathered the remains, wrapped them in cloth, and conducted a simple water burial. It was all they could do under the circumstances.

The group paused for a moment to collect themselves, silence heavy in the air. Even March 7th, usually full of chatter, refrained from voicing the haunting question on everyone's mind: If we'd come sooner, could we have saved them?

After a brief rest, Nahida turned her gaze to an ancient lift that ascended to the fortress's upper levels.

Her clenched fists betrayed her restraint. She wanted to unleash her full power, to annihilate the fortress and everything within it in an instant. But she forced herself to wait.

Not yet. We'll make them suffer first.

Riding the lift upward, the group stopped at a mid-level floor storing food supplies. Sounds of anguish drifted faintly from behind a door.

"We split here," Nahida instructed.

Dan Heng, March 7th, and the elf archer moved to investigate and rescue any survivors, while Stelle and Nahida remained on the lift, continuing their ascent.

The elf archer hesitated, glancing at Nahida as if to protest, but the princess's calm, determined gaze silenced her. Nodding reluctantly, the archer joined the rescue team.

As the lift rose further, sunlight began to filter through cracks above.

A shimmering green light enveloped Nahida, her childlike form dissolving into the silhouette of a serene bard.

"Why the change?" Stelle asked, her eyes steady but curious.

"This face suits the task ahead better," Nahida replied softly, plucking a string on her lyre.

Her voice was gentle, yet firm. "Things are about to get… a little loud."

Stelle smirked faintly, stepping closer. "I'll keep your secret."

"Thank you," Nahida said, her lips curving into a faint smile as the lift reached the top.

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The Fortress Rooftop

The goblin high priest surveyed its gathered troops on the rooftop, nodding with satisfaction.

Each goblin was clad in polished breastplates and armed with fine swords or spears—gear far superior to the usual scraps their kind scavenged.

Its current success was the result of pure luck.

It had been bathed in the light of a strange star, gaining magic power far beyond its kin. Though bouts of madness occasionally clouded its mind, the priest remained lucid most of the time, enough to seize control of its tribe and establish dominance in this nearly impregnable fortress.

Using spells to cloud the mind of the great beast Mokra Mbembe, it had affixed a saddle to its back, allowing its minions to ride the creature and unleash destruction on the Forestfolk.

It was confident that tonight would mark the beginning of a bloody feast. It had even boldly declared to its followers that they would found a goblin kingdom in this land.

Its idiotic yet obedient kin groveled at its feet, their faces alight with greed and reverence.

The priest felt a rush of euphoria. There was no greater pleasure than basking in the admiration of its inferiors.

Standing at the edge of the rooftop, it gazed at the river below, watching the water surge with relentless force. Its emotions swelled with a twisted sense of purpose.

Raising its staff—a skeletal wand adorned with the skull of a female adventurer—it admired its craftsmanship.

The adventurer had been particularly useful; her skull enhanced the clarity of its curses.

Now, the Forestfolk and humans downstream were unknowingly drinking a mixture of blood, excrement, and filth, a grotesque mockery of their civilization.

The merchants, hunters, and adventurers who had dared to investigate had been dealt with, one by one, their bodies defiled and consumed.

The priest was certain its curse had taken root. The Forestfolk's destruction was inevitable. All that remained was to invade, slaughter their people, and capture the elegant Forest Princess and that delicate Fairy Princess.

Both would serve as breeding stock, their exceptional lineage giving rise to goblin rulers capable of conquering the world.

Afterward, it would target the City of Water, reducing its famed Sword Maiden to a broken, whimpering shadow of herself.

These ambitions were its dream, a lustful fantasy of limitless power and debauchery.

Though it fancied itself a leader and spellcaster, the goblin high priest remained, at its core, a goblin—ruled by base desires and driven by cruelty.

As it envisioned its glorious future, it let out an excited, guttural shriek, rallying its troops with twisted enthusiasm.

A soft, almost musical sound cut through the air.

The priest's thoughts faltered as it felt a strange sensation in its arm.

Looking down, it saw its staff lying on the ground—and its severed limb beside it.

Pain erupted as blood sprayed from the jagged stump, the shock making it stumble over its overly long ceremonial robe.

It fell into a pool of its own blood, shrieking in agony.

"You seemed to be having so much fun, giving speeches and playing games," a calm, youthful voice echoed near its ear.

The priest looked around frantically, but no one was there.

The other goblins stared dumbly, their heads tilted skyward.

Finally, the priest forced its gaze upward, and what it saw froze its mind in terror.

A figure hovered in the sky, bathed in radiant green light. Their form was human-like, but their features were obscured. Behind them spread immense, shimmering wings, their presence majestic and otherworldly.

"Mind if I join in on your little game?" the figure said softly, their voice layered with chilling menace. "I promise I'll take my time, nice and gentle."

The priest's magical vision revealed an ocean of wind elementals converging above, a gathering of power far beyond its comprehension.

"No… no…"

Trembling with desperation, it shoved its comrades forward, offering up goblins and still-living captives as a plea for mercy.

It begged with broken words and frantic gestures, but its plea fell on deaf ears.

The judgment of the winds was absolute.

"Ah, you're so eager. Let's begin."

The last thing the priest saw was the colossal tornado that tore through the heavens, descending upon the fortress with unstoppable fury.

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T/N: YIPPEEE

Greetings, esteemed Readers,

Your steadfast support throughout this journey has been as constant as the tides and as enduring as stone. In the spirit of gratitude, I am pleased to announce the release of bonus chapters, a reflection of your unwavering dedication and enthusiasm.

Should you wish to continue fortifying the foundation of these tales, WiseTL's efforts can be supported here:

[patreon.com/WiseTL].

Even the humblest contribution becomes part of an enduring legacy, a cornerstone for tales yet to unfold.

With utmost sincerity,

— Zhongli