Dark Age Year 871
Ninth day of the Eighth month
After the attack on the camp, they swiftly gave chase, beginning what, at least for the first few hours, became a cat-and-mouse game between them and the group of goblins. Tracking these goblins for three days straight was tiring and exhausting, especially for the companions. However, it was not the case for him. They trekked through dense forests, undergrowth, and travelled along many back roads and paths, following the trail left by the goblins. Along the way, they encountered random bandits, highwaymen, and anyone foolish enough to obstruct their path.
After several days and nights of tracking, they finally located what they assumed was the goblin camp. Hidden in the hillside, there stood an old abandoned ruin made of white marble that had turned a hint of yellow. He saw what looked like the outline and former foundation of what would have been perhaps a road or pathway that followed past this building. Perhaps this forest they were standing in was once a village, a town, or even a city at some point, with nature reclaiming back what was once theirs.
It was a long rectangular building with a massive open passageway leading down into the hill. One of the walls had cracked and fallen into disrepair, resembling a skeleton or a rotting corpse of what might have once been a great building, a marvel of engineering that all could admire in its day. Now, it was being used by the foulest of creatures, goblins. Outside the ruin, Tharos could see Jabari’s wagon, with some boxes missing. From the wagon, there were massive drag marks, some of them stained red with dried blood, slowly baking in the hot sun.
Of course, they killed and ate the horses once they were done with them, savages, Tharos thought to himself as he looked at the scene before him, hidden in the treeline. What surprised him the most was that he hadn’t seen anything like it before. Based on the size, design, and the way it was carved into the mountain, he thought it might have been Dwarven. He remembered that in this area, there was a small clan of Dwarves that once called these mountains and hills home. However, the creature’s style was way off for it to be Dwarves. For starters, the pillars were way too round and thin. There was an elegance to it that Dwarven designers would never use. They preferred more rugged, square, and bulky designs. Unlike Elves who preferred elegance, rounded shapes, and slim fittings. But even if this building was built by Elves, it would be considered way too tacky and crude for their tastes, even in its decrepit, decaying state. Elves, unlike Dwarves, when they built their settlements and structures, liked them to blend in tandem with nature and the world, while Dwarves, on the other hand, like to make nature and the world bend to their will.
This looks like either some sort of temple that leads underground or maybe it’s an underground crypt. But who could have built this? It doesn’t look like anything I have seen before. Tharos thought to himself as he tried to remember every people, every culture that he had ever come across or read about. And he was coming up with nothing. Maybe this was built by people older than the Zarbarians, maybe they had been wiped out during the apocalypse war, or maybe these were a people who came and went in the intervening years. Neither one of these possibilities was a settling thought for Tharos. However, in cases like these, it was good to get a second opinion. Tharos turned his head to Jabari, who was standing next to him, watching the scene with a cold detachment. While Cenric and Rayner were behind them, catching their breath by sitting and resting on a nearby log.
““What do you make of this?” Tharos asked Jabari, who was deep in thought, rubbing his chin.
““I do not know. I have met many people, read many books, and seen things many have not, and wouldn’t see even if they were to live ten lifetimes.”
““That is a shame. What do you think it is?” Tharos asked Jabari.
““Maybe some long-forgotten temple, or perhaps a crypt is my best guess. But until we go inside and examine it closer, all we have is speculation,” Jabari answered, looking back at Tharos with a knowing glance.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Tharos said. He then turned towards Cenric and Rayner.
“Cenric, you stay here with Jabari. Rayner and I are going to explore the ruins. We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come down,” he said, tapping Cenric on the forehead. Cenric nodded slightly. “It’s about time,” Rayner remarked as he stood up from the log he was sitting on. “I’ve been waiting to spill more goblin blood,” he added with a loud snort, readying his axe. Cenric gave him a sullen look before returning to his normal expression. The two of them slowly walked towards the abandoned ruins.
As they entered it and climbed down the steps, the light of day vanished quickly behind them. They were left with nothing but darkness and the sound of their boots stepping on the stones. As they followed this stone stairway further and further down, they started to see a light at the bottom. It was a yellow and orange light, the light of fire. As they got closer, they heard the snickering laughter of the goblins. They were down here, and could even sense that goblin chieftain who had given them trouble a few nights before, and he wanted some payback.
As they slowly crept up toward the entrance of the goblin lair, Tharos and Rayner entered a massive stone room with several statues in different states of disintegration. The room was surrounded by several hallways that led to more corridors and other rooms. In the centre of the room, there was a stone sarcophagus that had been opened and was being used by the goblins to store their ill-gotten plunder. It was filled with many coins and trinkets, and next to it was a wide assortment of rusted and grimy weapons, armour, and, most importantly, the crates they had stolen. Luckily for them, most of these crates hadn’t been opened and were nearly part of the goblins’ ill-gotten hoard. This room, in its day, must have been the final resting place of some king, perhaps a hero or some other person of high status. Regardless of what it used to be, it was now being used as the home for the most vile of scoundrels. As Tharos scanned the room, he counted about ten goblins, not including their leader, with maybe a few more down the other corridors that he could sense. In total, there were maybe fifteen to twenty goblins left, at least in this group. Although that was quickly going to change if Tharos had his way.
As they stood just outside the entrance, blending with the shadows of the walls.
“So, what’s the plan, Milk drinker?” Rayner said in a gravelly whisper, looking at Tharos with a wide and wolfish smile.
“We’re going to change them. I’ll take on the leader, and you can take care of the rest.”
“I love this plan. Let’s go.” Tharos then reached between his belt and pulled out a knife, twirling it in his fingers before throwing it at one of the goblins next to the goblin chief. The dagger flew through the air and hit its target, causing the goblin to let out a breathless scream. That was the signal to charge.
At that moment, the two of them charged. The goblin chieftain drew his sword, pointing it at both of them before letting out a loud scream. All the goblins in the room changed and charged, with more goblins coming in from the corridors to join them. Tharos made a straight beeline for the goblin chieftain. A few goblins closed ranks to stop him. Drawing his blade, Tharos parried and deflected the axe blows and spear thrusts coming towards him, using his shield. He latched onto one of the axes and twirled the shield to disarm the first goblin standing before him. Before the goblin could react and let go of his axe, Tharos pulled the goblin close to him and thrust his sword straight into the goblin’s chest, feeling the creature’s heartbeat stop and a rush of power overcoming him as the goblin dropped dead. The other two goblins swung their spears and axes at him. Tharos dashed to the side and pushed his shield through the skull of the second goblin with an axe. There was a satisfying crunch of bone as the goblin dropped to the ground. The last goblin, carrying a spear, launched a flurry of blows and spear thrusts, but to no avail. Tharos dodged every single one of them with speed and grace. When he was within slashing distance, he cut the creature’s spear in half, twisting his body into a spinning slash. With a single slick movement of his blade, the third goblin’s head flew from his neck in a splash of green blood and dropped to the floor.
Now, several feet in front of him stood the goblin chieftain, who glanced around and noticed that his minions were occupied fighting Rayner. With a swift swing, Rayner cut down several goblins surrounding them, akin to a woodsman felling trees. Realising he had no backup, the goblin hissed at Tharos and charged with its sword swinging.
The goblin’s sword descended upon Tharos, who swiftly blocked it with his shield. Seizing the opportunity, he aimed a strike at the goblin’s torso, hoping to pierce its chain shirt or, if lucky, hit its leg. However, the goblin anticipated his move and dodged his blade, narrowly avoiding Tharos by a few inches. With its free hand, the goblin swiped at Tharos with a dagger, which struck deep into his neck, causing blood to gush and the taste of iron in his mouth, almost making him feel like he was choking. Tharos stepped back, trying to pull the dagger out of his neck.
Seeing the opportunity, the goblin leader struck at Tharos, aiming for his arms, legs, and the gaps in his breastplate. He sliced through Tharos’s shield arm and cut him down at the knees. As Tharos fell to the ground in a pool of blood, he looked up and saw the goblin chief sneering at him before turning away to attack Rayner from behind. Tharos, using the stump of his shield arm, managed to twist his body around as the goblin focused on Rayner. With a swift swing of his sword, Tharos cut through both of the goblin’s legs. He then used his stumps for legs to climb on top of the goblin and thrust his sword into its neck. The goblin looked at him in shock as its breath started to leave its lungs, and its mouth started to fill up with green blood. It thrashed around, trying to swipe at Tharos or dislodge him, but Tharos held on, his arms and legs beginning to reattach themselves as he put his full weight onto the goblin, pushing the sword even deeper into the goblin’s neck. With one final gurgle, the goblin chieftain was dead. Tharos then rolled off the goblin and tried to get up, only to be helped by a large meaty hand covered in green blood. Rayner gave him a small mocking grin.
“Quite rare for one of these pests to give you trouble. You’re losing your edge, milk drinker,” Rayner said to him as he grabbed Tharos’s hand.
“Hardly. This one just surprised me with how skilled they were, Rayner,” Tharos said as he got to his feet and dusted himself off.
Rayner gave a snort in response. “Sure, whatever you say.”
As Tharos stood up, he noticed that his fancy robe was now dirty and had massive holes in it. I’m going to have to get this cleaned, he thought to himself as he surveyed the room. All the goblins were dead, the cargo was safe, and they even got some treasure as a bonus.
“Not bad, as long as we don’t have any more unfortunate circumstances. I can call this another successful job, Wouldn’t you say so.” Tharos said with a small smile.
“Yeah, I told you this would be an easy job,” Rayner replied. Tharos then sent Cenric the all-clear signal, indicating that it was safe to come down. For the next few hours, they would spend retrieving Jabari cargo and looting the place of most of its valuables. Most of the armour and weapons were rusted beyond repair and not worth much. The coins and trinkets, however, were different. Most of the trinkets they found were worth at least a few silver, even a gold or two, and the coins were a mix of copper and silver talents, There were enough coins to fill a small coin purse or two.
After looting the place and loading what they carried into Jabari’s wagon, they decided to search for anything they might have overlooked. Whatever this place was, both him and Jabari were curious about it. Neither of them had ever seen architecture like this before. As they looked around, Tharos noticed that the stone sarcophagus was empty, indicating that the grave goods had been stolen or destroyed by the goblins. “The goblins must have burned or eaten the body,” Tharos speculated aloud, with Jabari nodding in agreement. However, upon closer inspection, he discovered a peculiar mechanism near the head of the sarcophagus, likely a trap. Despite the potential danger, Tharos was intrigued. He pressed the button, triggering a series of creaking sounds and the movement of gears as the sarcophagus shifted to the side, revealing a hidden passageway underneath it. Another set of stairs descended below, and as the sarcophagus fully opened, it emitted a loud hiss. Rayner and Cedric, who were by the entranceway, and Jabari, who was examining one of the pillars, watched in amazement. As the new stairway fully revealed itself, the tomb was filled with a musty, dry smell.
“What do you think is down here?” Tharos asked all of them.
“Perhaps more trouble,” Cenric answered back. “Nothing I can’t handle,” Rayner said.
“Or,” Jabari countered, “Perhaps clues to who built this place. I don’t mind taking a small detour if none of you mind.”
“Well, you are our employer. If you want to explore this place more, I won’t stop you. I myself am quite curious about this place,”
“But don’t we have a job to do?” Cenric asked. “The good people of Ammos can wait for a few more hours. We have already been delayed enough. What is a few more hours?”
“Sure, I guess,” Cenric said as he looked down at the floor. After a few more minutes of deliberation and debate, they all decided, for various reasons, to explore the new stairway. Tharos clasped his hands together and announced, “Well, it’s settled then.” They gathered their supplies and concealed the wagon before descending the new set of stairs, with torches illuminating their path. Little did they know, they would encounter more than they had anticipated on this unexpected detour.
