“Looks like you succeeded,” a goblin officer says.

“More than you know,” I reply.

We’ve crossed the chasm and are safe behind the wall….for now.

“You’ll need to brief the general,” the goblin says.

“There’s no time for that,” I reply. “We need to start bringing that ceiling down, now. The orcs will be here any minute.”

The officer, a captain by the looks of it, shakes his head. “I don’t have the authority to issue that kind of order. Only the general does.”

Stupid goblin hierarchies.

I clench my fists. “There’s no time for that.”

As if to accentuate my point, the drums start again. Louder this time. Even the goblin officer notices it.

“I will go,” says Kabaret.

Everyone turns to him.

“Sir Ethan and his companion are needed here, to help defend the wall. I will inform the General of the situation and then once I have his permission will inform the miners. The ceiling will fall, I promise you.”

I appreciate the determination but am still not sold on the timeline. “That still sounds like it will take too long,” I say.

Kabaret turns to me a light of defiance flicking through his eyes. “It will take longer the longer we stand here.”

Fari point, and I don’t really have a better idea other than just trying to seize power myself which is probably not a great idea.

“Ok,” I relent. “Go as fast as you can.”

“Of course.”

Kabaret flees as fast as his feet will carry him. The drums are louder and not just drums. Stomping. I can hear the orcs feet, feel them even, the vibrations costing through the floor. I look at the captain briefly then climb to the top of the wall. Peering over I watch them assemble. Just a trickle at first, then more and more, just out of the range of the goblin archers.

“I don’t like of that,” I mumble.

Officers start sounding alerts and more goblins join me atop the wall. They also gather behind me, prepared to take our place should we fall.

We just need to hold for long enough for the goblin miners to do their job. No need to defeat the whole freaking army.

“What?” Myran asks “is that?”

The elf points and my eyes follow his finger. At first I think he’s pointing to the porcupine bear, one of those freakish creatures that the dragon summoned from the bowels of the planet. But he’s not, he’s pointing toa giant cart by the bear. Eight orcs are pulling the enormous cube and it’s right next to the porcupine.

“Wait a minute,” says Myran. “Is that a stone?”

More like small boulder I’d say as the porcupine lifts it out of the cart.

“Uh oh,” says Myran. “Is he going to…”

He sure is.

The creature heaves the stone across the cavern and it smashes into the wall, cracking and splintering some of the wood. He repeats the throw again, and does so again.

A section of the wall falls Goblin commanders start pulling their archers from the wall, fearing that their men will collapse with the wood.

“Wait,” I call, but to no avail.

Now the orcs charge forward. The porcupine throws its boulders and the orcs charge into the chasm. I look up at the ceiling; it looks steady as always.

Damn it, where are you Kabaret?

“Spearman forward,” the goblin leaders call-out.

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They mean to stab the orcs as they climb the chasm walls on our side, keep them from getting a foothold on our side.

Not a bad plan.

“Look out!” Myran shouts.

But it’s too late. Not one but two boulders slam into the wall beneath me. The impact is so strong it throws both of us down into the chasm. I tumble down the side like Simba in the Lion King and am just as bruised when I hit the bottom. But there’s not time for sympathy because the antelopes (orcs) are bearing down on me.

Oh shit.

Their eyes are red with bloodlust and I smell their scent as they approach me. I’m about to get swarmed, and battered with gnarly axes and curved machettes. For a moment I freeze, but then come bat relaxes kick-in - so glad I have those now - and I reach within. I find my light and extend my hand.

The reys shoot out, blinding and confusing the lead orcs, but it’s not enough. There are so many orcs that I’m getting attacked before all angles. As the porcupine continues tossing its boulders more goblins fall beside me. But the main force is held back, still defendinghte edge of the chasm against the charging orcs.

Of course they don’t come down. It’d be suicide jumpign down here. So what does that mean for me?

I can see Myran nearby, struggling against four orcs at once doing little more than not dying, though I’ll doubt he can survive for long. If I don’t do something fast he’ll die along with me and the goblins.

I search within again, even close my eyes gather as as much of my light as I can.

Come on, for the goblins for Myran.

I can sense the orcs coming at me again. Not much time.

I stretch out my arms, not just one but both, and light the light explode. Like a champagne shen the corks is popped it streams from me. It’s so much so fast that I loose control of it, the reys going in all directions around me. The orcs actually seem frightened at least as much as I can see. My vision is turning white I see to much light - too much light.

Turn. It. Off.

It stops abruptly, and I collapse. My head spins and I’m not even sure what’s happening. I see orcs laying about me, but goblins too.

Did I do that? Did the orcs?

“Myran,” I call. “Myran!”

There’s no answer though. Is the elf still alive?

“Sire!” I hear a shout. “I’m coming, sire!”

Dimly I see Dauntless trying to descend the chasm.

That crazy ass horse. He’s going to get himself killed.

“Dauntless, get back,” I shout. “That’s an order.”

Still no orcs though. Not by me anyway. Maybe they’re dead or blind or sick or whatever.

I stagger to my feet but fall down again. At least my vision is getting normal again. I can see my situation more clearly. The orcs have indeed left me alone. They seem to focused on the wall, or what’s left of it anyway. Myran has managed to climb back up amidst all the chaos.

Good for him. That’s what I should do.

I stand-up and this time I succeed in staying there, if still swaying a bit. I turn to retreat up the chasm wall when I see the reason the orcs left me alone: they were making way for something else.

Un. Freaking. Believable.

The spider has jumped into the chasm. The giant arachnid has turned its full attention on me and the orcs have done it the honor of getting out of the way. I glance back at the chasm wall, wondering if I can make it to the top before the spider can make it to me.

I can’t.

I turn and face the spider.

At least it has a lot of eyes. Plenty of targets for my light beams.

I reach inside and…nothing.

I feel hollow, spent, like a battery in need of recharging. The spider is approaching, cautiously, probably expecting me to ignite my flame. But I’ve got nothing. I draw my sword instead, still feeling unbalanced and not liking my odds agains the ugly creature.

Then I hear the rumble.

It’s not beneath me, it’s not beside me. It’s above. I look-up and see the cracks, the rivers running through the ceiling.

Oh Hell. Now it happens?

Chunks of the ceiling start to fall and once again I’m going to die. I look around me, desperate to find a place to hide, somewhere I can survive the coming cataclysm.

I see nothing.

Even the orcs have noticed now. They’re looking-up at the falling rock. Watching hte cracks widen and deepen.

They must know whats about to happen.

Not the spide though. The ugly thing is still focused on me.

That’s it! The spider!

In desperation I run at the creature. She stabs at me with her leg and bites with her mouth but I dive under her, beneath that giant abdomen. She reaches under to bit my legs off but as she does the entire ceiling gives way. Huge rocks tumble down on us and the spider hisses in pain as they crash upon her.

I take my sword, intent on stabbing up into her from below, but then the ground beneath me shifts and I see cracks developing in ti as well.

There have been so many impacts it has cracked the very floor we stand on.

That’s the problem with floors here. They are sometimes the ceiling for another room.

And it turns out that this ceiling gives way as well.

As it does I fall.

And so does the spider.