Chapter 12

At the entrance of the mine two humans from the guild stand waiting in front of two Hellclaws. The two men couldn’t be further from opposites of each other. One is short and overweight. The other could be best described as immense. His body is covered in full plate mail that completely hides his features. The taller man also holds a giant tower shield and impossibly massive mace in his hands. The short man is dressed in an expensive maroon colored robe, embroidered with gold. He occasionally lifts a gold plated pipe to his lips and smokes from it. His hair and mustache, although excellently groomed, are white from his age. "How much longer will it be?" Asks the shorter man with an annoyed voice. The towering man glances over at the two Hellclaws that have remained motionless before returning his gaze to the short man.

"Shouldn't be too much longer master Alvin.” The eyes of Alvin narrow at the mere suggestion of a further wait.

"Harold this is not acceptable. Do they not understand that I am a guild investigator? These stupid crab people should have more respect for someone of my position!" The voice of Alvin grows ever more shrill as his irritation deepens. Harold stiffens his body and grips his mace.

"Should I kill them master Alvin?" Alvin looks at Harold in confusion.

"No you buffoon. We don't need a war with another race right now. The king can barely deal with the orc kingdom." The two men stand in silence for a few more minutes while Alvin occasionally smokes from his pipe. A voice suddenly breaks the silence from the entrance of the mine.

"Sorry for the long wait gentlemen." Says a femimine voice. Alvin and Harold turn towards the voice and the most beautiful human woman they have ever seen walks out and stands before them.

"A goddess!" Yells Alvin as he rushes over and grasps her hand. "The gods are truly kind to allow me to be graced by someone of your beauty." For a moment Alvin thinks he sees disgust on the woman’s face but he must have been mistaken, as her face currently has the most enchanting smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Alvin. My name is Yidhra and I serve the Shiny God."

"The Shiny God?" Asks Harold.

"I'm not familiar with a church of the Shiny God." Alvin’s pudgy face scrunches in what is presumably confusion.

"You wouldn't have had the opportunity to hear of our church, master Alvin. This was originally the god of goblins after all.” Yidhra’s smile furthers its enchanting expanse, becoming the only the Alvin’s eyes can focus on.

"I can smash goblins." Alvin’s gaze is broken for a moment as he looks at Harold, only seeing a smile through the knight’s helmet shutter.

"Shush you idiot." Says Alvin before turning back to Yidhra, his grip tightening around her hand. "My lady, I apologize for my guard. He is an imbecile. We would love to learn more about this religion of yours, however I must first tend to my guild business." Alvin releases her hand and gives as elegant a bow he can manage. "I am master Alvin, guild investigator. I am here to investigate a missing adventurer party and the goblins they were sent to subdue. This is my personal guard Harold. He is dimwitted but steadfast." Alvin, though seemingly irritated at the presence of his protector, holds a bit of pride in his tone as he compliments Harold. Yidhra stares at Alvin in amusement.

"Very well we shall bring you inside then. We can answer any questions you have as well.” She motions them to enter. The group travel down the tunnel towards a massive gate. "As you can see, my employer has built a town in this mine."

"A town? This looks like a fortress." Says Alvin. Yidhra brings her hand to her mouth and gives a brief chuckle. "I can assure you master Alvin, this really is a peaceful town." The two Hellclaw guards salute Yidhra and signal for the gate to open. Chains can be heard as the gate slowly rises and the group enters the town. "By the gods what a beautiful church." Says Alvin. In the center of the town is a pristine church carven from marble, towering in its stature. Its various stained glass windows seem to be made of gemstones rather than glass.

"Yes a shiny church for a Shiny God." Yidhra motions to the heavens as she continues her tour.

"Here I was thinking we would see some shack carved from bones. I guess these goblins are truly different than others." Says Alvin. Harold suddenly charges forward bracing his shield to guard Yidhra and Alvin. Two goblins had approached the group when Alvin was distracted.

"Hello Hummies. We gud Gobbos no need to squish." Says one of the goblins."We need be friends with hummies to make Shiny God happy." Says the other.

"This is Dimwit. You can think of him as the leader of the goblins here in the town." Says Yidhra.

"Amazing!" Shouts Alvin as he pushes past Harold and pulls out a journal and begins logging information. "Peaceful goblins! What a discovery! Perhaps this Shiny God has blessed them and turned them into an enlightened race? Marvelous!" He says while writing rapidly.

"Master should I kill them?" Asks Harold in confusion. Yidhra interrupts them, attempting to reign in the situation to some degree.

"I would not recommend that. The leader of the town has set up a rather strict protection field."

"Ah I thought I felt a field when we entered. Is your employer a nobleman? Also what is the penalty I will need to log it?" Asks Alvin as he readies his pen.

"Well, various afflictions really. Initiating violence will inflict you with unease, nausea, a strength and agility drain and a job level loss." Says Yidhra with a smile.

"Oh a little weaker than the capital then. That's impressive. I did hear the king's son has left the capital on an untold mission. " Alvin says with what he believes to be a knowing grin.

"Unrelated, I assure you."

"Sure. Sure. Back to the goblins." Says Alvin as he turns to Dimwit. "Hello goblin, I am master Alvin, guild investigator."

"Hello shiny humie. We gobbos get you gift. Please no kill gobbos." Dimwit pulls out a small cloth sack and hands it to Alvin.

"Oh what is this?" Alvin peers into the contents of the pouch. His eyes bulge for just a moment before he quickly closes it and places it on his belt.

"Ah yes, finally someone who respects the guild. I wasn't aware goblins had nobles. I'm sure we will be great friends from now on Dimwit." Says Alvin.

Dimwit examines Alvin's clothing and jewelry. And nods. "Good to have such a shiny friend. Says Dimwit as he extends his sickly green hand, covered in warts." Alvin looks down at the hand and sighs before shaking it.

"Handshakes are for common folk and not for us of the nobility my dear Dimwit. I have much to teach you of what it means to be nobility." He says as Dimwit nods once again but this time in confusion. "Well I see the crabmen and the goblins are peaceful enough Yidhra. Where are my missing adventurers?" Asks Alvin.

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"Of course. The one who can explain matters is at the guild. Let's head that way." Yidhra turns and begins to move onward. The group says goodbye to the two goblins. Harold, still confused at the lost opportunity to smash goblins trails at the end of the group, sulking. As they travel through the town Alvin is surprised to see not just goblins and crabmen but also large amounts of humans.

"Where did all these people come from? I know you said this was a town but I wasn't expecting too many humans here."

“Refugees from the war mostly. They all had nowhere to go so my employer and the Shiny God welcomed them here."

"I see. It is good to see that coexistence is working here. Hopefully we can have the capital recognize the town soon. Although I'm sure your employer already has influence with the capital." Says Alvin with a chuckle. Moments later the group approaches a guild hall situated across from a tavern. They enter the building and are soon brought upstairs to a private office. Alvin takes a seat while Yidhra and Harold stand behind him.

"Sorry for the wait" Says William as he enters the room and sits in the opposite chair.

"William? I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting. I used to attend your plays every evening, they were fantastic!” Says Alvin.

"It's always fantastic to meet a fellow lover of the arts." Says William.

"So you were in the party sent to investigate the goblin attacks. Please, tell me what happened here." Alvin has now become more serious in his demeanor. The fragments of the man who had been cajoling all around him mere minutes ago appears to have left completely. He pulls out his pen and journal and readies himself for his work. He looks up from his journal and nods, signalling William to start.

"Well it was all fairly simple really. We tracked the goblins to this town. We were surprised to find they had begun living peacefully with humans in town here under the influence of the Shiny God." States William.

"But that doesn't explain why the others are not here or why you never returned to the guild." Alvin chuckles.

“Well you see Alvin. Our group got greedy. This town is built atop a dungeon you see." Alvin raises an eyebrow but continues writing.

"Fantastic resource for a town. I see why it was constructed here inside the mine then." Says Alvin, not looking up from his journal for a moment.

"Yes, and we quickly cleared the first floor and that's when the problem arose. You see it was a single floor dungeon and half of the group decided we should destroy the core."

"Clearly not the priestess? So the barbarian and the ranger then?” William gives a solemn nod.

"Sadly yes. The priestess was killed before she knew the betrayal was happening. I was lucky enough to escape.

"And what of the other two… and the core, is the core intact?" Asks Alvin.

"Yes the core is safe. The two begun to dispute over who should be allowed to break it before fighting each other. The ranger dispatched the barbarian but was mortally wounded. With the priestess dead they had no way of healing serious wounds. I wish there was more I could have done. I should have tried to stop them." Says William with his head slumped down in sorrow.

"Yes it must have been hard on someone of your level. Without combat jobs what can be done? This happens too often on dungeons with few floors." Says Alvin.

"But the good news is we still have a new growing dungeon." Says Yidhra.

"Yes indeed. We will have to get a guild master assigned here after I bring my report back to the guild." Alvin closes his eyes as he starts to assign the information he’s been given to memory.

"Actually our employer loves William's work and has already assigned him here as acting guild master." Says Yidhra.

"Very well I will notify the guild, but we will still need to send you some staff and we must send in some adventurers to test the dungeon" Says Alvin.

"Of course." Says William. The original group exits the guild hall and stands in front of the tavern. Harold stands at the ready as many goblins and humans pass by in a rush.

"Should we stop in for a drink? I actually run this establishment." Says Yidhra.

"A beautiful priestess of a church running a tavern? This Shiny God knows how to attract new flesh to their flock." Says Alvin while laughing. "I would love to. Alas my dear, I must return to the guild quickly in order to turn over my report. I will have a more thorough stay next time I visit." He says while giving a wink. The group continues traveling towards the town entrance before Alvin pauses, seeing a rush of human and goblin bodies alike heading towards the church. "What is going on?"

"Oh it's just a local ritual. Nothing to concern yourself with master Alvin." Says Yidhra.

"Nonsense. As a priestess shouldn't you be participating? We should let the commoners see that even the nobility is humbled by the gods. Here, I'll escort you.” Alvin grabs hold of her arm and pulls her towards the church with him.

"I really don't think this is a good idea." Says Yidhra. Harold shrugs his shoulders and follows behind them taking up a guard post outside the church. As the pair enters the church Yidhra loses sight of Alvin almost immediatly as he forgoes his grip on her, pushing his way towards the front of the congregation. An assortment of confused humans and excited goblins fill the church wall to wall. Up near an altar a hooded goblin stands giving a sermon. Sadly, and to Alvin’s surprise, the sermon appears to be reaching its end.

"Brothers and sisters you know me as Glaaki, first contracted of the Shiny God." The goblins in the room cheer all around Alvin. "Those of you who are here are ready now. We drink deep and become one for the Shiny God." The goblin shouts as he lifts an embellished cup above him. Two heavily armored goblins begin passing out cups and mugs full of a strange drink to everyone in the room.

"Some kind of wine? Thank you!" Says Alvin towards one of the goblin guards as it hands him one of the cups scooped from some sort of cauldron. The room grows rowdy before Glaaki raises a hand to quiet them.

"This is not the time for fancy words or speeches. It is time to drink and see the glory of the Shiny God." He commands as he raises the cup to his mouth and drinks. The entirety of the room mimics the actions of Glaaki, bringing their various goblets, cups, and mugs to their lips. Alvin, caught up in the excitement does the same.

"What…" says Alvin as a piercing headache hits him. His world around him blurs as he almost drops to his feet, barely catching himself. The room around him changes into a horrific scene. Some of the various goblins and humans in the room have begun screaming in pain and clawing at their skin. Others have dropped to the ground and begun sobbing. A select few instead have begun bowing and laughing madly. Alvin looks over to the altar to see it now covered in blood. Glaaki stands above them cackling madly. "What... is... this?" Alvin asks himself through pain. The room itself is no longer made of beautiful marble but flesh and bone. The flesh quivers and pulses as if alive. Portions of the fleshy floor bubble up and start to reach towards Alvin, causing him to stumble backwards into something firm. He turns to see a goblin that has begun eating its own fingers in between fits of maniacal laughter. "I need to get out of here... this is a madhouse. I should not have been so foolish.... as to think goblins could be peaceful." Says Alvin as he tries to climb to his feet. He moves a few feet towards the entrance before a wave of pain hits him once more, causing him to lose footing.

He braces himself against a pillar which is coated with growths and sacs of fluid. One of the sacs bursts as he presses against it, covering him in a combination of pus and blood. A moment passes before he begins to immediately vomit the contents of his lunch onto the floor. Alvin would have passed out from disgust by now if the pain in his head wasn't so intense. Suddenly he begins scratching at his face as an eye erupts from his forehead. His new eye darts around the room in confusion before he adjusts to his new addition. Parts of his skin and bones shift, causing dagger like claws to erupt from his fingertips. The claws begin to drip with some sort of black fluid. Eight tentacles grow from his back and burst through his robes flailing out in pain. He feels his organs shift inside him as if something is growing in his body. Bone plates erupt from his skin's surface in various places, linking together into a white exoskeleton. Other areas of his body develop strange growths or sacs similar to what he saw on the church itself.

Alvin drops to his knees and scans the room one last time. He notices at some point Harold had broken into the church in an attempt to rescue him but was quickly subdued. Most of the other attendants simply grew a third eye and saw no other physical changes. Alvin is unsure of why his changes are so extreme. His head drops back as he looks up to see Yidhra walking into view.

"Alvin you are an idiot. Everything was going smoothly but you just had to go in the church didn't you.” She chastises.

"What is this?" Asks Alvin even though he is barely able to get his voice out.

"Not even my illusions can hide it from you anymore huh?" Says Yidhra with annoyance. Her form now resembling a goblin and a naga rather than a beautiful human woman. Glaaki approaches the pair and begins speaking to Alvin.

“You have been blessed with seeing the Shiny God’s domain. One day everything will be like this! You must endeavor to serve the Shiny God well." Says Glaaki while cackling. Glaaki’s robes, now torn, reveal parts of his body’s new form as well. His three eyes now rest upon stalks that rise from his head. Various spines run along his back and seem to be coated in some sort of viscous venom. Alvin's mind suddenly clears.

"Yes, I must serve the Shiny God!" He shouts with a newly found conviction. Alvin is unsure if he is screaming or laughing anymore.