Chapter 31

The Kobold gripped his spear and squinted over the rough stone parapet.

Furrowing his brow he nudged the Kobold beside him, the second Kobold startled and looked up from where he was fiddling with a metal puzzle toy.

“Hey, do you mind? I think I almost got it.”

“Stop messing around with that, I think I saw something. You know what they said, keep an eye out for anything strange.”

The second Kobold blinked at him then turned and looked over the parapet. Below the wall and across the bridge over the bottomless chasm there was an entrance to a cave system.

“I ... I don’t see anything. I think you’re losing it.”

“I’ll make you lose it in a second if you give me any more lip. Look.”

The Kobold jabbed out with a claw, pointing. The second Kobold stared, then after a moment, a flash of red appeared from around the edge of a rock.

“What was that? I thought I saw a ... tail?”

“That’s what I thought. Some idiot Kobold on the outside, dunno why they’re not coming forward though.”

“Why would anyone be on the outside? We’re in lockdown after the chief freaked.”

“Do you know why we’re in lockdown?”

“No?”

“Mm, well I heard talk. You know that Half-goblin tribe down a floor?”

“Oh yeah, they tried to raid us a while back, fat chance that was going to work with these walls.”

“Well apparently one of our scouts we placed to keep an eye on them threw a fit. He came back raving about some new monster he’d never seen before, said he saw it make its way inside their base, and then nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing?”

“I mean they’re all gone. He watched and waited and the new monster left and then he crept inside their base and there was nothing left. No goblins, no half goblins, no nothing except a massive lake of blood in the center of the cavern.”

“Wha- That’s a joke right?”

“No, not the way I heard it. He came screaming back up here terrified out of his mind and babbling incoherently. Had to ply him with a few drinks before they could get the story straight, once they heard it though, and sent someone down to check its truth, they were real disturbed like. And here we are. Buckled up tight. Hey, Hold on, looks like our friend out there is making a move.”

The two Kobolds leaned over the parapet and stared intently as a red Kobold stumbled reluctantly from behind the rock. He looked around unsure for a moment before he focused on the wall the two Kobolds stood upon. The wall was across a bridge and set access the entrance to a large cavern. It featured a heavy iron door. The wall around the door was riddled with arrow slits from which dozens of bows were being aimed. The top of the wall bristled with Kobolds carrying spears.

He blinked in surprise seemingly caught unawares by just how fearsome a defence it presented.

A stick wobbled from behind the rock and poked him in the tail. The Kobold jumped and seemed to collect himself. He produced a piece of paper and held it up. He squinted at it then cleared his throat.

“I- uh, I’ve come with news! There’s a uh, terrifying! Monster on the prowl, and uhm, it can dig through stone like swimming through water! My tribe, uh, Kobold tribe, has d-died! All dead! We underestimated the beast and it came up from under our feet! It is only I who survived! I come here now to beg you to follow me! Flee from behind your safe walls before it is too late! Come with me if you wish to live!” His head turned to the side and he whispered loudly. “I-Is that okay? I thought that went okay.” The stick prodded him in the tail again and he shut his mouth and turned back to the wall.

“Who the fuck are you?!” yelled a Kobold.

“Me?! Oh I’m just a survivor, I’ve had a, truly, dreadful time, you would not believe it. Uhm, but I hope you will listen! Heed my warning!”

“What if he’s telling the truth?”

“Oh shut up. He’s clearly trying to get one over on us.

“Hey, it could be true, I swear I heard scratching in the walls last night, what if it’s this monster?”

“That was your girl tickling my balls.”

“Fuck you Folen, that’s not funny.”

“Whoever said I was joking?”

A short lived fight broke out on the wall.

“Uhm,” said the red Kobold. “Do you think any of you will be coming out?”

“Hell no! You’re probably with the monster!”

“I am most certainly not! I would never voluntarily-”

“Hey, is that a slave collar around that Kobold’s neck?”

“It fucking is as well. Hey, this Kobold’s being puppeted!”

“Th-this? This is a-a fashion accessory!”

“It’s attached to a bloody chain!”

“Oh, that’s the necklace part! It’s long because it’s fashionable of course! It’s really popular on the bottom floor of the dungeon!”

An arrow zipped out of one of the arrow slits and struck the stone by his foot with a shower of sparks. The red Kobold leapt into the air in fright.

“You almost shot me! Scale rot you! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? My own kind having the audacity to shoot an arrow at me? Have some decency you cretinous-!”

Three more arrows struck the stone around him and the red Kobold was abruptly yanked behind the rock with a tug on his chain.

An annoyed looking Goblin met his eyes.

“You suck at acting.”

“No I don’t, it’s just that you gave me an impossible act to follow!”

“Nonsense, my plan was fine.”

Rain moved away from the wall. “It was not very likely to work Opal, let’s be serious.”

“Hmph!”

“They somehow heard about what happened.”

Opal scowled. Then sighed and her shoulders slumped. “It’s my fault. My old tribe posted scouts on the Half-goblin tribe, I should have realized that other tribes would do the same. Half-goblin tribes are dangerous so it’s smart to do that.”

This was the fourth tribe that Opal had brought them to, and the second on the floor above the Half-goblin tribe. They had left the Half-goblin tribe intent on finding a regular goblin tribe and repeating the same plan, unfortunately each time Opal brought them to one of the nearby small Goblin tribe’s home caverns they found it devoid of Goblins, with only a few signs that a tribe had recently been there. What had happened to the Half-goblins had spooked them enough to go to ground and vanish into the dungeons extensive cave systems. After the second time they found nothing Opal had suggested they take the stair up a floor, they did so only to be met with another tribe’s deserted cavern. Word had apparently spread far. This had led to Opal wanting to test the local Kobold tribe, if unenthusiastically, as the Kobolds were clearly entrenched and impossible to attack.

“It happens. We just need to adapt.”

Opal bit her lip and shivered. Rain noted her knees were slightly turned inward. He looked over the Goblin carefully. He could sense something was off with her since she had run away while he ate the Half-goblin tribe yesterday but he couldn’t precisely say what. She’d stayed away from him until they’d made to look for more food and then he kept catching moments where she was looking at him nervously.