A gasp of air left Stefan’s lips as he bolted up from the cold floor of the dungeon. He looked around and found Semilia as she dug through the rubble near them. Riel’s [Light] Spell shone brightly in the darkness and he could see that both of them had a frantic and terrified look in the both of their eyes. After a moment of silence, the gears in his mind clicked together and he immediately leapt to his feet in a panic.

“Orien! Ameera! Where the hell are they?!”

“W-We don’t know. I don’t think they’re under the rubble… but....”

Semilia looked down into the depths of the dark hallway, and she shuddered at the thought of being lost in that place once again.

"Stefan... Where the hell are we?"

Riel adjusted her hat and looked around them with a worried expression.

She looked for the two siblings that were walking just beside her earlier and found no trace of them underneath or near the rubble of what was once the floor above them. She glanced at Stefan, who was already reaching for his flask of liquor as he looked around him with a deep scowl on his face. Her eyes flashed for a moment as she heard the sound of distant footsteps somewhere in the deep darkness. 

Stefan also heard the distant sound of footsteps and he pulled himself up before he patted away the dust on his cloak. Semilia put away the bow over her shoulders and grabbed the dagger on her person as she stared down the length of the twisting corridors. She knew that they were down somewhere in the deeper floors, but where exactly are they? Her eyes looked at Stefan, and she wondered if he had an idea of where they are and what they should do.

“Hmm… Nowhere to go but forward. But I wonder where those two are?”

Stefan scratched his cheek and looked around he rubble for the lantern he was carrying. He found it under some rocks, its oil dripping and staining the ground around it while the shards of glass that protected the flame lay scattered on the ground.

“Fuck me… I’ll lead the way while you two cover my back and sides.”

“You can have my lantern.”

“Oh! Thanks!”

Stefan smiled as the small lantern Semilia had with her lit up a small area ahead of him. The dust around them still lingered in the air but it barely fazed any of them as they pushed forwards into the dungeon’s depths. They were on an unfamiliar floor a hundred feet down the one they were previously on. The darkness here was the same kind as the one they had encountered in the past and it gave the dungeon a terrifying aura.

"Hmm. Where do you think they are, Stefan?"

Riel asked just as her staff began to glow brightly. She adjusted for the sudden spike in her mana and the glow dimmed to prevent the others from being blinded by her [Light] Spell.

"Probably somewhere else. We should get a move on now that we're sure no one's coming to help us this time."

Stefan sighed as he brushed away the dusty cobwebs near him.

The empty corridor and room they entered earlier disheartened them. Riel distressed and felt great sadness when they found only dusty bookshelves in the room where the Goblin used to reside. Riel pointed her staff at the dark hallways before them and gulped audibly. The Goblin that once led them through dark paths just like this one is now gone, his presence but a memory that they will cling on to in this dark place.

They slowly walked forward through the corridors while Semilia gripped at the dagger by her side. The smell of the damp walls and something decaying deeper down the dark corridors filled their noses and churned their stomachs. Their soft footsteps and ragged breathing filled the silent corridors while Riel's pounding heartbeat made Semilia twitch from time to time. The Low-Elf glanced at the nervous Mage behind her while she kept an ear out for any signs of danger.

"Nervous?"

Semilia asked with a gentle smile on her face. Riel nodded silently and smiled back at her.

"Just a bit... I guess "worry" is the right word for it? I'm not really sure. I'm just worried for him, I guess..."

"Goblin? He's probably eating some mushrooms in a room right now."

Semilia chuckled nervously as she peeked behind the corner. 

"Clear. No traps and no monsters."

Stefan nodded and walked ahead of Semilia. He could feel the chill wind that blew from somewhere down the dungeon as he looked down the corridor to his right.

"This is a bad spot to be in."

Stefan muttered as he slowly moved forward into the unknown parts of the dungeon. 

The corridor they traversed was long and had a stagnant air to it. Stefan kept the torch close to them as they walked through the dusty path ahead of them. A lingering feeling of something watching them made Stefan glance at the other two before looking back into the darkness. There was a crunch from beneath his foot and he found the bones of a Giant Rat that perished long ago.

"Gods... At least these bodies here are dry. The Black Swamp's probably the only place worse than this."

Stefan chuckled nervously while the other two shuddered at the name.

"Stefan, please. Don't remind me of that place. Rotted leaves, even the mushrooms there are horrifying."

The memory of those black mushrooms that oozed yellow poisons and nauseating spores flashed through Semilia's mind and made her shudder.

"At least that damned swamp had sunlight and a nice view at night. This place is just depressing with its shadows and dead bodies."

"Shh. Quiet, I can hear something up ahead."

Riel's staff shone brightly as she pointed its tip down the long corridor.

All three of them halted and all mentions of the Black Swamp and Bogshrooms stopped. Semilia's immediately grabbed her bow and drew an arrow from her quiver. She aimed at the corner at the far end of the corridor while Riel prepared a [Flame] Spell beside her. The Elven sword glowed in Stefan's hands as his eyes watched the corridor with a vigilant gaze. They went silent at the loud sounds of bestial grunts and guttural moans from down the corridor.

A foul and putrid scent that smelled like feces and rotten eggs assaulted their noses. The rumbling beneath their feet grew closer and the soft sounds of a nose sniffing the air made them freeze up in their boots. A hand larger than Stefan's face clutched the corner at the end of the corridor as it stepped into the light cast by Riel. Its hair-like growths on its body and its head swayed as it turned towards the source of the bright light.

"Shit..."

Stefan muttered out as the creature noticed the three adventurers staring at it.

Emerging from the shadows covered in tattered rags and holding a large club, the Troll looked at them and found only an opportunity to feast. Its pale, green skin was covered in growths and scale-like protrusions and its hideous face was marred with growths and scars. It sniffed at their direction with its large noise before it snarled at them with its threatening and crooked teeth. With a roar that sounded like a mix between a dying horse and a boar, it charged at them with bared teeth and a vicious look in its eyes.

"A fucking Troll... Of all the damn things, it had to be a fucking Troll!"

The three of them braced themselves as the resounding, heavy footsteps of the Troll as it charged towards them shook the very walls itself. Stefan let out a cry of anger, one that was drowned out by the creature's terrible roar as the two of them clashed in the middle of the large corridor.

"Want mushroom?"

The Goblin offered the two siblings a charred mushroom. The two siblings shook their heads politely and stared at the strange Goblin.

It was strange. He was strange. He walked like a Human and he wore clothes like a Human. Orien stared at him silently, his left arm firmly gripped on the dagger he brought with him. The words of his late teammate, Reynold, rang through his head as he watched the Goblin scratched the back of his head. Surely that Swordsman was wrong in his description of the monsters since the thing in front of him didn't fit the image of a "Goblin" that everyone was familiar with.

His skin was green, but it smelled like earthly mushrooms and smoke instead of the putrid stench associated with their kind. The hair on his head was messy, but it suited him in Orien's opinion. The yellow eyes that would glance at the two of them from time to time felt warm and friendly and there was no bloodlust and viciousness within them. He was simply a Goblin that isn't a Goblin in Orien's eyes.

Ameera glanced away at the monster and the Slime that followed them and looked at the shadows that lurked just beyond their light. They were the same things that hunted them through this dark and winding dungeon and they were the things that claimed the lives of their party. She wanted to slash at them in revenge, to run them down with her sword and erase them from this world. But their looming forms and the fear she felt within her made her hands tremble every time she saw one of them along the walls.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"[Flash]."

The two children looked at the flash of light that shot out from the Goblin's finger and shivered. The light shot out to his right and one of the Shadow Fiends that tried to reach at the children melted as the light melted it.

"Shadows... They are not good."

His yellow eyes looked at the young boy and young girl behind him. They simply nodded at his words before they closed the distance between themselves.

The Goblin looked at the annoying Shadow Fiends that surrounded them. Shadows given form by magic, that is what the Goblin thought of such dark forms. They are the annoying guardians that he and the Slime had been fighting against for the past week. He didn't know what is happening, why the shadows are becoming more violent and more powerful were beyond his mind. But still, he fought them off every time he could although he did not actively hunt them down like Giant Rats. They were far more troublesome than the vermin and he knew that wasting mana on them is pointless.

A small piece of the ceiling dropped on top of his head. He let out a cuss in Goblinspeak while he clutched the swollen spot on his head. The Goblin turned towards the two children, both of them scared stiff at the Goblin's irritated expression. He let out a sigh and wondered if he really looked that scary to others. The Slime let out a soft purr, its body wiggling as it did so. 

"I'm okay."

"Miu?"

"No, no. I'm fine. Protect children, not me."

Orien and Ameera glanced nervously at each other as the Goblin pulled something out of his cloak.

He scratched his head while he unfolded the map from his notebook. The kids' eyes widened at the large map in his hands and the two of them slowly walked over towards the Goblin's side. The Goblin failed to notice their presence as they looked over his shoulder since he was focused on trying to find a possible exit for the two children. He tapped at a room with his thumb while he mulled over what to do.

"It's a map, Orien. A map of the dungeon."

"I know. Weren't they looking for one as well?"

The two whispered to one another, unaware that the Goblin could clearly hear them. He continued to ignore them while he crossed out parts of the map that were no longer accessible.

"I wonder if they're safe..."

"They're probably looking for us somewhere. I hope Mister Stefan finds us..."

Orien was about to look at the Goblin's map when he found himself being grabbed by his shoulders. Ameera drew her sword while the Goblin stared at Orien's eyes with an excited look on his face.

"Friend Stefan?! You know Friend Stefan? He here? Down in dungeon?"

"Let go of him!"

 Ameera was about to kick the Goblin when the Slime wrapped around her leg and stopped her from doing something she might regret later.

"M-Mister Stefan was supposed to look a-after us... D-Do you know them as well?"

Orien's nervous and slightly terrified voice made the Goblin let go of him. The Goblin smiled as he folded up his map and tucked it back into his pocket with his notebook.

"Friend Stefan, Friend Semilia, and Friend Riel. I help them out of dungeon. Slime! Let go of small girl!"

The Slime eased its grip on Ameera's leg while the Goblin smiled at the two children warmly. He wanted to see his three friends again, but he felt worried for them as well.

"You know where they are?"

Orien shook his head at the Goblin's question. He frowned and looked at the shadows that surrounded them.

"Hmm. So somewhere here... Okay, we find them and you help."

"W-What?"

Orien and Ameera looked at the Goblin in surprise as he stretched out his arms.

"We find them. I have map. They are lost, so they need map. Again."

The Goblin flashed them a toothy grin as he pointed down the shadowy halls before them.

"Follow close. Need to hurry."

Orien and Ammeara ran with the Goblin through the corridors of the 50th floor. The Slime clutched onto Orien's back as it lit up their surroundings with the crystals that floated within its gelatinous body. The two siblings could see the look of excitement on the Goblin's eyes as it ran, and they knew that it was genuine. How can such a monster look so... innocent?

"W-Where are we going?"

Ameera asked loudly as the Goblin continued to burn the Shadow Fiends they came across.

"Dungeon is here and not here. You not know how magic of dungeon works. But I know how dungeon work."

"T-That doesn't really help, Mister Goblin."

"Yeah. I'm not sure if I got any of that."

"What? Did not give you anything. What are you talking about?"

The Goblin raised a brow at Ameera while she shot him a confused look as well.

"Wait. Must be joke. Sorry, but I no good with jokes. Not really understand people well."

"This is really confusing."

"Miu!"

The Slime let out a happy sound while the two children just looked at the strange Goblin.

"So did you really meet them?"

The Goblin glanced at the curious boy that ran beside him. He let out a scoff as he shot out another bright beam of light.

"Fell over me when first met. Thought I will be squished to death by them. Wanted to kill me at first and Friend Semilia took gold when I wasn't looking."

"Oh... Really?"

"Yes! Really! Friend Riel smelled but I didn't say anything. Teached magic to me. Helped them get out of dungeon because they're annoying. But they are nice friends."

The Goblin smiled at the fond memories of those three. 

The three of them turned the corner, only to be met by the smell of something horrible. The Goblin let out a gag for a moment before he covered his nose with his hand. The two children looked at the floor and found the gnawed bones of various creatures and the disgusting wastes of the creature that did this. The smile on the Goblin's face disappeared and he looked at the markings made of crap on the wall.

It only took him a moment before he realized where they were. His hand grabbed the sword by his side and he turned towards Orien and Ameera. The two drew their weapons as well while the Goblin let out a shush and gestured for them to be quiet. His yellow eyes turned towards the far corner of the corridor and found the soft glow of a light in the distance.

"Troll Den... We must fight."

"W-What?!"

"That's a damn Troll! There's no way we could fight that!"

The Goblin just stared at them while they looked worryingly at the chewed up remains of Giant Rats around them.

"I fight. You stay close. Okay? Trolls dangerous if not killed."

He had a serious look in his eyes while he stared at one of the Human bones piled to his right. He shuddered at the gruesome image and looked at the dim light in the distance. He could smell the pungent odor of Troll around him and he knew that he needed to do something about it before being able to progress.

----------------------------------------

"Gods! I hate Trolls!"

Semilia yelled out as the Firewood Bow that the Goblin gave her lit up the arrow she notched with magical flames.

"Just shut up and keep shooting!"

Stefan yelled out while he blocked the wild swings of the Trolls with his sword. 

Three arrows that blazed with magical fire flew towards the Troll's large back. It joined the dozens of arrows already sticking out of it while Riel's [Flame] Spell merely singed the creature's skin. It let out a grunt while it shrugged off the two girl's attacks, only for it to scream violently as Stefan plunged his sword deep into its gut.

Saliva that reeked heavily of decay spat out of its mouth as it roared. Stefan gritted his teeth and with a powerful swipe, sliced the Troll's belly open. He stepped away as the creature swiped at him with its large hands before it grabbed the guts that were trying to spill out of his open wound. It pushed the pinkish insides back into its body while its large wound closed quickly.

"Fire! We need fire to close the wound!"

Stefan yelled at Riel while he glared at the snarling face of the Troll.

"We're trying!"

Riel shouted at Stefan, her staff glowing brightly as she did.

Bright flames shot out from her staff and travelled down the corridor like a snake slithering through the air. It consumed the Troll's body while Riel continued to shoot arrows into the creature. The Troll screeched as the flames wrapped around him painfully, its hair and skin burning under the heat of the intense flame. But the creature let out a roar that shook the very walls of the dungeon before it shrugged off the flames that tried to consume it.

"Gods... Not even my [Flame] is working!"

"Tch! Stefan! You need to cut it apart first before we could burn it!"

"S-Seriously?! I've been doing that for that past- Graah!"

"Stefan!"

The troll's fist connected with Stefan and it sent the Swordsman flying toward the wall. He felt the air inside his lung leave his body after the Troll punches to his chest. He glared at the Troll as it raised the club over its head while it growled at him.

"Ugly bastard... Semilia! Take the fucking shot!"

Two arrows flew through the air followed by the bright flash of blinding light. The Troll sneered and yelled as the light blinded him and he tried to shield himself from the light with his hands.

But it was too late. The two arrows buried itself deep into its eyes before bursting into flames. The Troll roared and clutched for the arrows that blinded and burned his face. The heat cauterized the wound and permanently blinded him. It let out a roar once more as it sniffed the air around it while it grabbed wildly at its surroundings. Its wide nose and large nostrils flaring and snorting as it searched for them.

It growled the moment it caught Stefan's scent. The Swordsman was already on his feet when the creature leapt for him with jaws wide open. But before Stefan could thrust his sword down its gullet, he felt a chill from up above him. The Troll failed to notice as spikes of ice rained down upon it like a vicious storm of hail. It let out a screech as Stefan thrust the sword in his hand into its head while a dozen more spikes of ice rained down on its body. Semilia shot out more arrows while Riel burned its wounds to prevent it from closing.

With a final [Flame] Spell, the dying screeches of the Troll disappeared. Its body quickly burned in the heat of Riel's flames and the three of them were sure that the Troll was already dead by this point. The three of them heard the sound of footsteps running towards them while Semilia kept an eye on the Troll's corpse. She shot an arrow at its hand when it twitched, and another when she was startled by the familiar yet strange sound of a familiar voice.

"Friends! Friends!"

"Mister Stefan! Miss Semilia!"

The three of them looked up at the source of the ice that saved Stefan. He carried a lantern with his hand while he waved at them with the other. The three of them smiled at the strange creature before it was overtaken by Orien and Ameera. Their familiar voices filled them with relief and the brown hair and green skin of the creature that ran towards them gave them a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

"M-Mister Stefan! We met a-"

"Goblin!"

The three of them stared at the smirking Goblin as he waddled awkwardly towards them. They smiled at the unlikely friend they met in the dungeon as he flashed them his toothy smile. His hands were already reaching for his pockets and his yellow eyes that glowed like bright, orange gems in the light of his lantern was filled with excitement.

"Welcome back to dungeon, friends! Mushroom?"