It was mind-blowing following Yashk through two more sets of tunnels and caverns filled with just as many eggs. He easily had almost a thousand eggs I felt based on what I had seen and the other cave they had prevented me from going into earlier.

After the second cavern, Yashk led me through, he slowed down as we came to a tunnel with four Slendals blocking the entrance into that tunnel. Each of them had a massive spear in their hand and a few smaller ones on their backs. They were larger than the typical Slendals I had seen and the only ones that had a weapon.

When they saw Yashk coming they moved to the side and watched me as I ran behind him. I had not noticed until this last tunnel but the number of worms along the cavern wall and the amount of fungus in these rooms was almost all gone. Only a few small patches that appeared to be well maintained were providing light in the caverns and in the tunnels.

Finally, Yashk slowed down and we came to the opening of where he was leading me. I almost tripped when I saw stacks upon stacks of metal ingots filling a room almost to the ceiling as big as the caverns that held the eggs.

I moved up to stand next to Yashk as he beckoned me to join him where he was waiting.

“When the day comes and you need us to stand by you for that fight, know that I and my family will be ready," he declared boldly.

I could see the proud look on his face. There was enough metal here to outfit an army with weapons but I could not even begin to fathom how strong it would make him and his people.

“How long has this taken to collect?”

“Since the day I fled from the battlefield,” he replied. “This room was empty when we went to the surface. Many of my children have died mining and collecting this for our family. The years have been difficult but we have managed. If I am honest, part of me was ready to give up years ago.”

I saw a smile replace the solemn look that he was wearing as he informed me how long he had worked on it.

“Now I know that we will one day be free to live in peace!” he proclaimed.

No pressure I thought.

“I promise I will do what I can to help make that dream happen for your family and for mine,” I replied, not sure if I said it for him or to make me believe I could actually make this dream a reality.

Yashk nodded in understanding.

“If one does not have a family it is hard to understand the length one will go in order to protect it,” he stated as he moved over to a pile and picked up one of the bars. He came back to me and handed the bar to me. “Take this. I give you this so you will know I am committed to fighting by your side.”

He dropped the bar he had been pinching between two fingers into my hand. The weight of it was at least twenty-five pounds! Suddenly the magnitude of what was actually in the room hit me. Just from what I saw and could begin to count and imagine there were over one thousand tons of metal in this room!

I stood there in shock holding the bar in my hand. I had no clue what kind it was since I had no experience in this world with metal. It felt stronger than my original sword was at least.

“Yashk I am honored you would give me this. Am I allowed to use this as I see fit?” I asked.

He looked at me and nodded but I could see the questioning look on his face.

“I will share this with Bula and her tribe so that they might make weapons to help both of us when the day comes to fight.”

I realized I had a moment to possibly fix two problems at one time.

“Hmmph,” replied Yashk. I could see him struggling with what I just said.

“I mean no disrespect!” I proclaimed. “Just like you want your children to be prepared for the day that we fight, I need to make sure that Bula and the other goblins and orcs are outfitted with weapons as well.” I paused and saw he was weighing what I was saying.

“Soon we will need to fight. When that day comes, I cannot imagine orcs and goblins being as effective if they have nothing but sticks. My sons and I almost died the first day we arrived in this world because those were the only weapons we had. Two of our friends from our world died that day! I am not asking you to sacrifice your entire room of metal, but could you find a better split with Bula? Let them have a little more ore so they can start making weapons for when that day comes?”

Yashk turned away from me and looked back at the stacks of metal they had been collecting for almost two centuries. He leaned over and ran his hand over the top of the stack he had taken mine off of.

I saw him nodding his head ever so gently. I was hoping it was in agreement with what I had said and not just a natural movement Slendals made.

“You are right Zolb,” he finally said as he turned back to face me. “I need to look at committing to this alliance more. I will share our metal with you and your kind.” He turned and started to make his way towards the entrance we had come in through. “Come let us go find Bula and tell her our agreement.”

Stolen novel; please report.

As I quickened my step to catch up with Yashk I was trying to recall exactly what our agreement had been.

When we arrived back in the cavern that the orcs and goblins used for their home, I heard the orcs and goblins whispering as Yashk and I made our way through the open area. Bula was coming to meet us in the middle of the cavern.

“Yashk!” exclaimed Bula as she arrived with Dirk and Vreek in tow. “I am honored you have come into our home. What can I do for you?”

Yashk stopped slithering across the floor and stood there towering over all of us.

“Your champion has spoken with me and I have changed some of our agreement.”

Bula’s face showed the slightest amount of concern. That meant she appeared to be biting her lower lip slightly.

“What changes would those be,” she asked as she gave a concerned look in my direction.

“I will share our metal with you and your family. Zolb has convinced me you need to be prepared to fight with weapons for when the day comes that we fight for our freedom. As such you will now get half of the metal you mine for whatever you desire to use it for.”

Bula bowed slightly and smiled.

“I am grateful that you are willing to honor us with your metal. I will make sure that my family shows our gratitude in any way we can.”

“There is one thing I will request to help prepare Zolb and myself for the coming battle.”

I glanced at Yashk and at Bula. I had no clue what Yashk was talking about.

“What would you require from us?” asked Bula.

“I wish to train with Zolb and help both of us get stronger.”

I heard a gasp from some of those watching and listening to us. To duel with Yashk was a worse thought than fighting Uukog.

I interrupted the two of them by clearing my throat.

“I would be ok training with you, but without a heart, it would mainly be tactics and skill work. You know how we grow stronger,” I informed Yashk.

Yashk nodded and his throat vibrated and moved how it did whenever he was talking to his people. After him doing that for a little bit he smiled and pointed towards the walls that were the designated training area.

“I am prepared for that. Come, we will have some time to prepare before my people come with what we need.”

I nodded and followed Yashk as he turned and led the way. I did my best to ignore the fact that he towered at least six feet over the walls that had been erected in stone.

Dirk had gone and found Turk and they were standing off to the side with Vreek as Bula, Yashk, and I stood in the middle of the training area, discussing what would happen.

A little bit after Yashk had made whatever announcement he made, dozens of Slendals came into this section, each of them carrying loads of metal bars and dropping them on the ground near a section of the wall before leaving to go get more.

Yashk started swallowing the bars whole. I was a bit shocked to see him put a twenty-five-pound bar up to his mouth and slide it all the way in before I could see it go down his throat. After he had consumed about ten of the bars he turned and smiled.

“This should be good for about an hour. I may need to eat a few more depending on how rough we get.”

I tried to grin but I was worried.

“Yashk while I am happy to spar and train with you I will not recover as fast, nor will I be able to last as long as you might. I am not declining or trying to act afraid, I just want you to know I may need more breaks than you.”

Yashk shook his head no and motioned to one of the twelve-foot Slendals who had been standing next to the pile of metal.

“This is one of my oldest sons, Jganders. He has a gift for you.”

I watched as the one he had introduced to me as Jganders gave an embrace to Yashk and then turned his head and bowed at me.

“Remembers mes Zolbs. Frees ours peoples,” he said with a smile before he turned back to Yashk and nodded.

I started to reply but before I could Yashk thrust his hand into Jganders chest and pulled out his heart in one motion. Jganders fell to the ground, dead but with a smile on his face. His body thrashed around on the ground some but I knew it was just how a snake acted even when dead.

“This is for you,” Yashk said as he held out this long, still-beating heart to me. “This is how I prove my commitment to you. You will grow stronger from eating the heart of one of my children while I grow stronger from training with you.”

I stood there in shock. I had to force myself to walk over to where Yashk was and reach up with my hands to take the heart that was still beating. He put it in my hand and bowed to me before bending down and picking up the one called Jganders and carrying him to where the metal was piled up.

I glanced at Vreek and my boys and saw them each looking in shock. No one expected that at all.

“Eat it,” whispered Bula and I saw her face was serious. “He has shown you great honor and commitment by what he has done. You must not hesitate to accept it completely.”

I nodded and started biting into the heart. It was tough and I could feel it still spasming in my mouth. It tasted different but was still pleasant to eat, even when I knew how I had acquired it. I could feel the power from it starting to energize me. It had been a while since a heart had done anything like this. Before I knew it I had eaten every bit of it and turned to see Yashk resting on his coils, waiting on me.

“I can see your eyes have grown brighter, Zolb. I am happy my son's heart was able to give you the strength you will need. Shall we begin?”

Wiping my hands on my butt, I nodded.

“I will go as hard as you want. Tell me if it is too much,” I joked back.

Yashk laughed and nodded. “You tell me if I am too much also!” he exclaimed as he sprung from his coil at me.

Our training had begun.