I wanted to stick a finger up each nostril as I explored the cavern that the Slendals called home. The smell was overpowering. There was a mist in the cavern that floated around the room and you could taste and smell it when you walked through it. They had built stone storage shacks that ran in exactly spaced rows in the main cavern. They used their shedded skin and made bags and containers out of them. I saw them carrying these containers filled with what I guessed was a combination of worms, mushrooms, and leftover fish parts into these houses. Early in my exploration, I learned this was the source of the awful smell.

There were several other caves and tunnels running off of this main one. I was not sure if someone or something created all of these massive caverns and caves, to begin with. Perhaps this was one of the gods' creations and the base they had created for them.

I received some looks from the different Slendals as I traveled through their caverns. I noticed that there were far fewer female Slendals, just like the orcs and goblin side. It seemed strange as the human town and villages we had destroyed had a lot more women as a percentage of their population compared to our race. Was perhaps the power of the race and the potential for them the determining factor? Another question I was going to have to save for Bob if I ever got the chance to see him again.

Down one tunnel I found where all the ore that got mined was taken. There were three massive holes that had flames coming out of them, hot enough to melt the ore. I could see a blue and orange flame rising up and they used them to heat the massive stones. It looked like some sort of volcanic release or something of that sort. I had no clue how this world was designed, but they did not let the heat go to waste. They directed it towards a holding rock that they had built over them where all the ore to break down and melt.

There were two orcs and four goblins sweating profusely as they poured the melted ore into tool-shaped stone molds. They had a few metal tools here to assist in moving these giant rock containers. I was impressed that these stones apparently did not melt from the heat. They would pull the tools out once they were cooled off enough and use the other small tools they had on hand to smooth out the handles and sharpen the point of the picks. I wondered what they could really accomplish if they had enough metal to make an actual anvil and some hammers and more.

The majority of the ore was poured into large ingots molds that once cooled off, were dumped out, and taken by a few Slendals down a tunnel in the back of this cavern. The goblins and orcs had acknowledged my presence but none of them appeared to be interested in talking. One of the largest Slendals I had so far encountered, kept an eye on me the whole time I watched this process. He got incredibly irritated when I got close to the pile of ingots they had dumped out. When I finally walked away from the pile, he turned back to directing the dozen or so workers who stayed in this room and carried stuff out.

It was hard to tell which Slendal was which because they usually looked alike. Outside of the two goblin ones I had seen, most of them looked exactly alike. Inbreeding had apparently served its purpose in making a race that looked almost exactly alike except for height.

Another tunnel led to an area that was blocked by two Slendal guards. They said it was the hatching room and I figured it was not worth upsetting a whole race to just see how many possible eggs were back there.

It was easy to get lost in all the tunnels and caverns. I started just following the wall on my right and when I stumbled through one room, found the one called Yashk, surrounded by three smaller-looking Slendals. He was at least sixteen feet tall and his upper body was a solid mountain of muscle. I imagined Arnold’s upper body in his prime on an easy twenty-five-foot long snake body.

Yashk saw me as I came around the corner and stared at me for a moment. His eyes seemed to blink sideways as a scale or something covered his eyes for a moment before disappearing. I was not sure if I had shuddered when I saw him do that.

He slithered over towards me, gliding quickly and silently along the stone floor. When he got close leaned down toward me till he was almost in my face.

“You must be the new one my children have talked about.”

I know my face gave away my surprise because I saw Yashk smile.

“Would you prefer me to talk like my children?” he asked with a slight chuckle.

I shook my head and if goblins could turn green from embarrassment I might have just done that.

“I am sorry if I offended you Yashk. I had grown accustomed to how your children talk and was caught off guard by your clear voice.”

Yashk seemed to laugh and his throat vibrated as he did. I could feel the vibrations since he was close to me.

“When one has been alive as long as I have, one learns to speak to those they ally with. It has been far too long since we have seen your kind.”

“Can I ask how long that has been?”

Yashk leaned back until he was almost touching the ceiling. He started tapping his fingers with his other fingers.

“Our time is different than your time,” he finally answered. “We live longer but it also takes longer for us to be born and grow. We also sleep sometimes for long periods when the food we eat is almost gone and wake up when they have returned.”

He turned around and looked at the three Slendals that were behind him watching us talk. His throat expanded and I heard the small hum and saw them respond. They turned and then exited out a smaller tunnel on the left side.

Yashk turned back to me and coiled up around himself.

“I am somewhere between two hundred and three hundred of your years," he stated. How he had said that looked as if it was not a big thing.

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I coughed and gasped. “You are that old?”

I saw Yashk’s throat vibrating and realized he was laughing. He stopped after a moment and nodded his head.

“You are not very good at hiding yourself. You give away too much. You are young I can tell.”

“I am afraid you are correct.”

He nodded at me and then pointed toward me with his massive finger.

“You are the champion?”

“That is what they call me," I replied with a shrug. "I assume it is because I have told them I will carve out a place for the orcs and the goblins and hopefully your race as well. I will do what I must to prevent the pink skins from destroying our races and others like yourself.”

Yashk folded his arms and stared at me. I could feel his gaze from how hard he seemed to stare. I had no idea what he was thinking as we stood there in that room for minutes with neither of us saying a word.

He finally broke the silence as he uncoiled himself and started to head toward the huge opening at the back of the cave.

“Follow me, I will show you something,” he called out, fully expecting me to come without any questions.

As I jogged to catch up to him, I watched how his body slithered along the stone floor. I could tell that he was stronger than anything I had ever faced. If he was as old as he said, then he must possess an old man strength I could not begin to fathom.

We reached an opening and the cavern was easily the length of a football field. The ceiling was only a few feet above his head on the outer ring in the room but there was a recessed area for the eggs. Inside were hundreds of eggs all sitting on some small base that kept them I figured from moving.

Yashk turned to me and motioned toward what was down there.

“Those are some of my children waiting to be born. The orc, Bula, promised me that she would find us a home if I let her group stay and grow.”

He motioned for me to follow him and led me down a ramp that took us to the floor where the eggs were. When we got there he tapped one of the eggs with his finger and I saw his throat expand a few times and heard that same thumping noise he seemed to make when speaking to his people.

The egg started to shake a little and move around. Watching it I could see its shell flexing as the Slendal inside pressed against it. A shape that looked like a head pressed against the side and suddenly it tore open and a slimy three-foot-long Slendal male fell onto the floor.

Yashk bent down and picked up the baby Slendal and started to wipe the slime that covered it and held it close to his chest. I saw its tail try to wrap itself around one of his massive fingers as it made a weird beeping sound. The sound almost sounded like a laser gun from a game we used to play.

I saw the love in Yashk’s eyes as he nodded and spoke and soon I heard the sound of a few other Slendals coming into the room. Two adult male Slendals came in and stood behind Yashk and waited patiently until he handed the small one to them. They held the baby Slendal close and left through the tunnel they had come from.

“That was amazing,” I whispered.

Yashk jerked a little as he came out of his moment and turned to me.

“It is a shame you orcs and goblins do not know the joy of family and children.”

I laughed and shook my head which caused Yashk to question my reaction.

“I will share a secret with you," I replied as I winked at him. "I have two children and they are both here.”

Yashk leaned back and even rose up onto his tail some. He was probably almost twenty feet tall as he pulled back and moved a little away from me.

“That is not possible. Goblins have not had one they call their own since before my time. No child belongs to a goblin. It belongs to the clan or the King.”

Folding my arms across my chest I tried to stand a little taller as I had to crane my neck up to look at him.

“Do you know what a champion means for a goblin or an orc?”

Yashk nodded.

“You are not from this world," he replied.

I was a little surprised that Yashk knew but then again if he had lived this long, it should not come as a surprise. If he also knew of a time that our races worked together it seemed that each side might know something about their ally.

“How do you know of this Yashk? It seems like a secret that might be kept from most.”

He lowered himself down and coiled himself up again and nodded.

“It should be but each race knows what a champion is. We know that the pink skins get a champion more often than us.” Yashk tapped his finger to his chest. “My father was one of ours. He was a great warrior and leader and tried to fight the pink skins along with our lizard brothers.”

I saw sadness in his eyes. I knew what he was going to say next.

“My father fell in battle. Thousands of my brothers and sisters fell with him.” Tears started to fall from Yashk’s eyes as he stared up at the ceiling. “As he died on the battlefield, struck down by champions of the dwarves, elves, and humans, he willed his mind to me. He shared the knowledge he could before they cut off his head.”

Yashk turned his gaze back to me and frowned.

“I did not learn everything he knew, but I learned enough. I fled with the few who were still alive and came here. We have been slowly regrowing our numbers but it has been difficult. Metal has been hard to find and we have had to dig deeper.”

“I’m sorry but I have to ask,” I said as I interrupted Yashk. “What is all the metal for?”

A large smile came over his face and he rubbed the area I would consider his belly with both his hands.

“We eat it.”

For a moment I was confused but then I realized why they ate it.

“It makes you stronger when you eat it, doesn’t it?”

Yashk nodded and smiled.

“You learn fast. You know what makes us stronger. I know what makes you stronger,” said as he tapped his chest.

“How much metal do you need to grow?”

“Lots. I eat most of what comes in but I also share with some of the other ones. I will need strong warriors on the day we do battle.”

He pointed to the eggs that were in this room.

“They are stronger because I am stronger. I was strong because I was born from my father who was our champion. He rushed to fight too quickly. He should have waited longer.” The way he spoke so was a matter of fact. Hindsight was 20/20 after all.

I knew Yashk was right. I had tried to rush and fight before I was strong enough and it almost cost me and my boys our lives. That thought reminded me what we had been talking about before.

“Yashk, I told you earlier I have two children. They are champions like me. They came with me from my world. I know what it means to be a father and worry about your children surviving.”

His eyes went wide and I saw the look on his face change.

“Then you know what must be done to protect your children. Even if it means you must die.”

I nodded. I would gladly die if it meant my boys would live.

Yashk sprung up and started to weave between the eggs.

“Come, I must show you something important!” he called out as he rushed off ahead.