Chapter 77

“We don’t have to be safe you know.”

Rain narrowed his eyes at the Goblin, “What are you suggesting?”

She grinned almost predatorily. “This is a real chance to kill him, to kill the big bad leveler. To get what you want Rain.”

Lyra yelped as she was thrust forward on the table, the entire desk moving as Rain shifted in agitation.

“I- I don’t know what you mean Opal, he’s inside the dungeon and we’re out here! It’s better that way! He’s too s-strong!”

“A dungeon with a secret exit that only we know of. Oh and Rain here just destroyed this leveler council thing fighting against him all together, some of their best. I think he can take this Ranker as long as he is alone, especially with my plan for a trap.”

Rain’s eyes glittered with desire. Opal was right, there was a unique opportunity of timing here. His bloodlust for Bane, the Ranker, was roaring in his ears.

He reached for the spilt inkpot and the quill and dragged them toward the book with his claws, then he lowered his head to be close to Lyra’s, his breath tugging at her hair.

“Write in the book, copy the handwriting of the councillor.”

Lyra shivered. She felt very small beneath him.

Hesitantly she picked up the quill. It was still wet with ink.

“Wh-what do I say? He’s asking about the attack!”

Rain paused, his thoughts were still too much of a poisoned mess to quite articulate what he wanted.

“Duh,” said Opal, rolling her eyes. “Baldy already gave you the answer.”

“He did?”

“Yes, the Orc clan. Tell the Ranker that his mansion is under attack from the Orc clan and that his girls are dying or dead and they are looting his stuff. That’ll make him come running.”

Lyra blinked and then turned to the page. She carefully checked over the councillor’s remarkably sloppy handwriting then lowered the quill and hesitantly began to write.

After a minute she finished, her breath held, waiting for a reply.

They waited, tense, quiet, and then fresh ink appeared out of nowhere on the paper, creating letters, tersely worded.

“He wants to know how we’ll deal with it.”

“Tell him we can’t, we need help from him.”

Lyra bit her lip and began writing once more.

“How will this ensure he comes alone?” gravelled Rain, his gaze locked onto the dancing quill in Lyra’s hand.

“Hmm, that’s the next part.”

The reply came.

“H-he seems angry, he demands we deal with it ourselves as he cannot leave the dungeon because of the Inquisitor.”

“Tell him that it’s worse than just Orcs, the succubus is involved and there are some troublesome people about to make moves. The priestess has turned against him, she was never happy with what he was doing...” She played with a lock of hair, “Even I could tell that.” She continued: “Tell him he should come with no one as he doesn’t know who else has come under the priestess’s influence or who is involved.”

Lyra finished writing, the reply didn’t take long and it was angrier still.

Opal smiled and tapped her chin with her finger. “And now you give him the rope to hang himself with.”

“The secret exit.”

“Exactly.”

“Uh, how do I direct him to that?”

“Draw- nevermind, just pass me the book.”

Lyra seemed quite grateful to be handing the book over to the Goblin girl and eagerly shoved it along the desk where Opal hopped her chair over and reached out for it, settling it in front of her. She grabbed up the quill and began furiously scribbling, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth in concentration. Rain watched carefully as a crude map of the dungeon slowly appeared.

As Opal was scribbling Red was struggling with a metal door behind Rain. He had his stolen key in claw and was twisting it in a keyhole, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, clockwise once more, just as he had observed the councillor do it. There was a clicking sound and to the Kobold’s delight the door swung open. His eyes lit up at what was inside. Gold, lots and lots of gold, more gold than he had possessed before even as it included both his own and the councillor’s. The hoard Swelled.

Above the pile of gold was a robe, one that looked suspiciously like the cultist’s robes, except this one was fringed in red and black, clearly something someone important would wear. Red did not care even in the slightest, he was too busy scooping armfuls of wonderful gold into the Dimensional bag.

Opal finished her map with a flourish and pushed the book back over to Rain and Lyra.

The reply didn’t take long.

“He wants to know what the hell this is.”

“It’s a map.”

“I, ah, think he knows that, I think he means the secret exit.”

“Tell him it’s a recent discovery, something to do with the succubus, keep that part cryptic, but be clear on how to find the switch that opens the door amongst the fungi,” said Rain.

Lyra wrote quickly.

“He’s coming, he’s really coming, oh gods what have I done!”

“It’ll be fine sheepy, especially with my trap plan.”

“What is this plan? what do we need to make it happen?”

Opal nodded. “Okay first of all we need a town cave, preferably one close to the surface.”

Lyra and Rain stared at her.

“ ... A what now?”

“You know, a town cave, caves in a town, town caves,” she gestured with her hand like it was obvious.

“Oh my gods there are no caves in a town Opal! That’s dungeon thinking!”

Opal looked at her non-plussed.

“Why wouldn’t there be?”

“Because it’s a town! Town’s don’t have caves! Oh no no no, we’re all gonna die!”

“Oh.”

“It’s fine, I know this town,” said Rain. “There are no caves but there are basements, some quite large and sprawling, that should be near enough for any plan.”

“Okay, come pick me up and show me,” she lifted her arms and made grabbing motions for Rain.

Rain rolled his eyes and at last moved from the desk. Lyra nearly fell over. Her bum almost felt sore from Rain’s carelessness! Being bent over a desk, his vast mass pressing against her, shredding her clothing with his intimidating claws, then holding his prey down, slooowly squeezing his massive throbbing maleness into her-