I blinked my eyes open blearily; they were caked with that odd crust you got after a REALLY deep sleep. I could hear snorting and chomping, along with the distinct sound of flesh being torn from bone. I glanced up and to the side and saw my sword laying a few inches away from where my hand rested. Carefully, cautiously, I inched my hand forward to grab the hilt. I paused as I felt something hot and moist on the back of my neck, scenarios and options flashed rapidly through my mind. If I ran, I’d die. If I stayed put, I’d die. If I so much as twitched the wrong way, I’d die…I decided to take my chances.

I whipped my head back and was met by a satisfying crunch; warm blood drenched the back of my head. I pushed myself up and forward, seizing the handle of my blade and swinging with it wildly at the creature which was busy clutching its face and screaming in pain. I took in the sight of the thing in one quick glance—it stood about seven feet tall, and was covered in mangy white fur, now stained red with blood. The creature had fangs like knives and claws like daggers. I had never heard of such a formidable-looking creature.

“Stop sizing the thing up! Most things die if you cut their fucking heads off! Do that!” screamed the sword.

I obeyed in a rush, surging towards the blood-spattered monster in a mad charge. It batted one of its massive clawed hands at me, but I deflected the strike with a quick flick of my wrist. I was satisfied to feel the sword bite into a claw, severing the finger cleanly. The monster leapt back with one massive surge of its impressively-muscled legs. It stared at me with something I was convinced was intelligence, and fled.

I held my sword in front of me cautiously, waiting to be sure that the monster had well and truly gone. I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but I knew that it must have been longer than twenty minutes. My arm was cramped and aching, and my adrenaline had finally run its course. My heart still hammered in my chest.

“Its blood was delicious, I want more. Hunt it down for me and let me drink of its life!”

I shook my head, dropping the sword to my side. “No. I think I may have gotten lucky this time around, it underestimated me because it had already experienced the lack of resistance from the goblins.”

“Probably yes,” interjected the book, “the creature was also probably mildly affected by the sleeping potion still present in the blood of the goblins.”

“Speaking of the monster, do you have any idea what that thing was? Was it a werewolf?” I hedged. “A werewolf?” the book scoffed, “You’ve read too many stories, boy. Of course werewolves don’t exist, they are fairy tales.”

“A fairy tale? What’s that?” I asked.

“A tale propagated by the fae in order to fuel the nightmares present in mortal minds. They harvest these terrors and use them to guard their enchanted woods. Obviously. Did you pay any attention at all to your lessons at the guild? I am disgusted with you.”

I shook my head slowly, “Of course, how could I have forgotten? So, what exactly was this monster then?” “I…” the book's voice was hesitant, “I don’t really know. It’s possible, I suppose, that it’s a species unique to the mountain?”

“Something the great and wise book doesn’t know? Now this is a surprise,” mocked the shield in a singsong voice.

“Yes, yes. I know my knowledge must seem infinite to the likes of something such as yourself, but alas, I am not all-knowing.”

“That’s surprisingly down-to-earth, for a knowledgeable book such as yourself,” I said.

“Surprising only for the uneducated. Knowledge teaches you first and foremost the depths of your ignorance.”

I inspected the bodies of the fallen goblins; they were picked almost clean. Small puddles of blood beneath their bodies served as the only evidence that they had been living creatures just moments before. I shook my head in distaste; if I had been slightly slower to wake, I’d be in the same grim straits as these poor creatures. I looked down at the remnants of my one gold sleeping potion and shook my head. That merchant would be taught a lesson about exactly how resilient a product meant to be thrown should be.

I shook my head, sheathing the sword at my hip. "We need to press forward. Luckily, nothing survived to reveal our location. Still, we need to be careful."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"That monster we faced may still be lurking around, Henry. We should remain vigilant, it's very possible it will try to hunt you down," the shield cautioned, its voice low and heavy with worry.

I nodded to myself, "That's wise. It looked awfully similar to a wolf...it may possess the ability to track us as a wolf might," I started again down the path leading further into the depths of the mountain. Not for the first time, I wondered if I would live to ever again see the sunlight.

As I crept along, I noticed that the light level was gradually increasing. I came to the point where I could see my surroundings as clearly as if I were under the full moon. The ceiling above me was lit by rivers of softly glowing green crystals.

"What are those?" I asked, my voice laden with awe.

"They are luminari crystals," replied the shield.

I looked down at the shield, surprised. "I have to admit, I expected the book to answer."

The book seemed genuinely pleased at the shield's knowledge, "The shield is correct, though I'm not sure how it would know. Luminari crystals are exceedingly rare—you only find them in small veins, usually in the Dwarven mountains. It's a shame that Humanity has failed categorically in mining these stones, otherwise this would represent a significant source of income for you."

I looked away from the glittering display, suddenly aware of something I had been ignoring—a soft breeze from further along the path was clearing the tunnel of the horrid smell I'd been contending with for the last few hours. I felt everything around me suddenly became more crisp, more clear. I now noticed that the crystals above me were in fact a myriad shades of soft blue and green—the sight was truly incredible. I pulled a journal from my rucksack and jotted down a quick entry to remind me to return to this cave after it was cleared of goblins. This is a sight I knew I'd want to revisit.

I shook my head, reminding myself that I had a goal; I didn't have time to dawdle around admiring the lighting. Tucking away my journal, I made the rest of the short journey through the tunnel. I crouched at the exit, peeking my head out cautiously to get a glimpse of what lay ahead. I sucked in a breath at the sight which greeted me—a wall, standing more than seven feet tall. The fortification was made from wood and stone, shockingly well-built for mere goblins. My blood chilled when I considered the implications of the fort—it was very possible that the structure was built by slaves, or possibly by some type of goblin I wasn't aware of. I retreated back through the cave to discuss options with my gear.

"What do you think is responsible for building that wall? I have trouble imagining goblins building something even as clever as that."

Once again, the shield surprised us all by piping up first, "Those walls were built by hobgoblins. They're a subspecies of goblin possessed of a keener mind than an average green-skin. If they have enough of those on their side, I'm considerably more concerned for your safety."

My mouth was agape, "How do you know all that about goblins? And how did you know about the crystals earlier?"

"I, too, am interested in the answer to that question. I know these things based on my extensive experience in academia. How is it you came by such information?" asked the book.

"I'm allowed to know things. I don't see why I have to answer to this interrogation. The point is, you're in more danger than we thought. We have to move very carefully from here."

The boots spoke in a tremulous voice, "I think we should wait here and take a rest. We could use my stealth ability in combination with muffle to sneak past this fortification, but we need to wait for the abilities to become available again."

I looked sternly at the shield, "I agree with the boots. And since we seem to have a bit of time to kill, I think we should all hear about where you came by your information."

"Kill?" asked the sword, perking up.

"Not that kind of kill, you psychopath," sneered the book.

"Watch yourself, dictionary—remember that scissors beats paper, I can cut you surely as I cleave flesh," the sword hissed.

"Shut up, the both of you. We don't need any bickering right now," I said, silencing them both.

I walked a short way back through the tunnel, setting alarm wires as I went, carefully following the directions I had purchased in 'Traps for Dummies: Vol II'. These traps, while simple, should be able to alert me in advance of any enemies, and slow them down as well. I pulled out the book and flipped through to a page I had marked out for regular use—the spell 'Create Camp'. It was a relatively simple spell with a significant material cost of two silver coins per casting. I still considered that to be a bargain when factoring in how much weight it saved me from having to lug around.

I found a likely spot - a small clearing with a good draft - and cast the spell, "Summone Castra'. I felt my coin-purse grow slightly lighter, and sighed. A campfire appeared, surrounded by several convenient features for a camp such as this: a drying rack for meat, three bedrolls, a cook-pot, and a small basin of potable water. This would be used for drinking water, cleansing water, and of course water for cooking. As always, I was surprised by the cost to my magical reserves; I felt slightly weak and fuzzy headed.

I sat down next to the fire and set the shield leaning against the water basin. "Now, I think you owe us a story."

While the shield had no need of breath, it still sounded as if it sucked in a deep lungful of air before reluctantly saying, "Since you don't seem willing to let this drop, I guess I don't have a choice in explaining," he paused briefly, "Most assume that I was forged in the deep mountains by the Dwarven folk, but this isn't the case. I was crafted by hobgoblins, and they used luminari crystal in my construction."