“I didn’t realize Haven was so far away,” Raine observed after a full day of hiking through the rubble-strewn Wasteland.

“Yea, sometimes it’s closer, and sometimes it is further away,” Prince Booger said.

“What do you mean by that?” Raine asked.

“It is never in the same spot. You knew that, right?”

“None of us have ever been there,” Gilreg admitted.

“Ahh, yea, you goblins are farthest away from the Dungeon. You would send that one guy over every few cycles. A fellow with an eye patch,” the orc said.

“Zaploc?” Nulrok asked.

“Yea, that’s right, Zappy. Good guy. Helluva, a drinker. I hope he is still alive.”

“It’s Zaploc,” Shaymus growled.

“That’s what I said.”

“How does it move?” Raine asked, bringing the conversation back on topic.

The prince shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess magic. They only started doing that about a year and a half ago when we discovered that the adventurers had hidden encampments. They were getting real close to Haven. So the bosses thought it best to keep it moving.”

“So, how do you find it?” Raine asked.

“Oh, I don’t. The Envoy takes me once a cycle to meet with a boss. Not the “Boss,” mind you, but one of the bosses. We meet, I share my progress and trade my loot. Sometimes they give me better weapons. I got Ole Linda here,” the large orc said, hefting his wide-bladed spear.

“So, where are you taking us?!?” Raine demanded.

“Oh, I’m sure we will run into someone as we go deeper. Maybe a Minotaur or one of the Dragonspawn. They might know something,” the prince said with a shrug.

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

“Or a group of adventurers,” Nulrok said, moping.

“Relax, little guy. They never move it that far away. I mean, it’s usually in the same vicinity. Maybe a few clicks for each jump. So we should be there any moment now,” Booger said, and he rubbed the mage’s head like one would a child.

Raine waved them to be quiet and squatted low behind an outcropping rock. The others silently ducked, except for Prince Booger. His armor rattled as he tried to kneel up against the rock, and his head was still poking out.

“Get down, you big rattling moron!” Shaymus hissed.

“Now, no need for name-calling. I never had to do much sneaking, okay? I’ll learn it, don’t you worry.” He said and still made a lot of noise as he lowered his tusked head out of sight.

The five peered around their cover at what Raine had spotted earlier. A group of eight adventurers was moving among what appeared to be tombstones and killing lumbering zombies. Further off in the distance, the sky darkened and became more menacing. They could see rickety spike gates that led into a massive necropolis.

“Zombies,” the orc said with disgust on his face.

“We can take those adventurers,” Gilreg commented, noticing their clumsy tactics. The fighter types would poke and prod a zombie and then retreat as it lumbered toward them. Their mages and archers would pepper it with arrows and spells. After a moment, it would collapse. The fighters would then go after another zombie as it rose from a grave. They repeated the same tactics.

“I mean, the Zombies are technically on our side, but they are also not if you catch my meaning. They probably would just try to eat our brains if we got too close,” the orc said.

“Wouldn’t have much to eat from you,” Shaymus grumbled.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” she said with an evil grin.

“What’s over there?” Nulrok asked, his voice quivering as he motioned to the ominous gated cemetery.

“You folks don’t get out much, huh? That’s the Old Cemetery. I didn’t name it. There are a bunch of dungeons and whatnot inside that lure adventurers every day. The further you go, you will find a tower. By the Dreaded One, I do not know who resides there. I suggest we stay clear of it,” the orc prince said.

“But someone inside there would know what happened to Haven and the Envoys, right?” Gilreg asked.

The orc shrugged.

“I say we keep searching the Wastelands,” Nulrok said, and he clearly did not want to go into the necropolis.

“Are you scared?!?” Shaymus teased the mage.

“I vote we go into the cemetery. We can’t keep traveling through the Wastelands and risk running into this adventurer encampment. At least here we have allies,” the goblin warrior stated.

“I agree,” Raine said.

“I’m in,” Shaymus cackled and poked Nulrok.

“Well, I, for one, agree with the white-haired fellow,” Booger said.

“That’s 3 to 2. Majority wins. We are going into the cemetery,” Gilreg observed.