- 101 -

Debuff removed: Blindness (1/1) 75 exp

Debuff removed: Blindness (1/1) 75 exp

Debuff removed: Blindness (1/1) 75 exp

Debuff removed: Blindness (1/1) 75 exp

“What is happening?” Pegg cried.

The platform they were dumped onto jolted and kept moving steadily onward. Down and down into the near darkness.

“You’d be able to see for yourself if you let Drew remove your blindness debuff.” Vaylari shouted.

“There is not much to see anyways. We are alone in the dark.” William said. The blacksmith sat on top of his suit crate.

It’s a giant elevator. We’ve been moving for a few minutes at least now. How deep underground is this dungeon?

Drew shifted his wings to keep his balance as the platform changed direction and moved diagonally down. Pegg fell on his butt, Vaylari grabbed onto Hemut’s arm and the two of them kept their feet.

“Ahh! What is happening now?” Pegg cried out but nobody answered him.

The walls of the shaft they were traveling down were rough to the touch, and the platform occasionally scraped off some of the stone. Dust and gravel fell on the group as they dropped farther into the darkness.

Drew sprinted around the perimeter, careful to stay away from the small gap around the edge.

No sign of any enchantments. How is this platform moving?

The platform shifted direction again, returning to moving directly down through the earth.

“What are we going to find when we get down there?” William asked. “It’s a dungeon with goblins in it? Do we know anything else?”

“Dungeons devour adventurers. They taunt you with treasure and resources but they are deadly pits that chew you up for your exp.” Pegg whispered.

“There can be mechanical traps and deep pits to fall into.” Vaylari said. “In the south there is a water dungeon that has been known to flood its tunnels and drown adventurers.”

“Ha ha! I can see!” Pegg cried. “Take that you damn fates!”

Vaylari slapped him. “Don’t tempt fates near me idiot!” She growled.

If his debuff had the same timer as mine had then we have been riding this elevator for 5 minutes.

“Drew, has the quest updated at all?” William asked anxiously.

Hero’s Quest: Save Exylandria: Find Exylandria.

“Nothing new yet.” Drew said. “Should we be worried about traps in this elevator shaft?”

“What’s an elevator?” Pegg asked.

“This platform we are on.” Drew said. “It’s a lift, or what do you call something that moves people up and down buildings?.”

“But we are descending. How could it be a lift?” Pegg countered.

“It don’t matter.” Vaylari said. “You should always be worried about traps in a dungeon. At all times.”

The platform smashed into something, sending everyone sliding against one wall of the shaft as half of the platform continued down.

“Whatch out!” Drew shouted.

Whatever the platform hit, it crushed it and slammed down into the ground.

They found themselves in a round room. Spaced periodically around the walls were small clusters of glowing crystals, in red, blue or green, giving off just enough light to see. All over the ground there were sticks and fabric and rope and rubble and fungal mycelium scattered everywhere. Some of it was burning.

It’s all trash.

“We need to get out of here.” Vaylari said.

The group stumbled away from the platform and William dragged his suit crate along with him through the smoke.

This smoke is noxious.

“What kind of dungeon is this?” Pegg coughed.

“Is this normal?” William asked.

“No.” Vaylari coughed. “I’ve been in slums like this in the capital. This is a goblin trash heap.”

The platform shifted and the group turned to face the threat. Instead the platform leveled out and disappeared up into the hole in the ceiling.

In its wake, the group saw a smashed goblin alter, built out of sticks and trash.

“That explains the rough landing.“ Drew said.

The group turned to a thin path through the trash that led to a tunnel. As they neared the tunnel more and more of the trash was covered in webbing.

“What’s all this webbing?” He asked.

Vaylari crouched down and sliced through it with one of her large knives. The webbing was spongy, and papery.

“It’s not webbing. It’s mycelium. There is a fungus growing down here.” She said.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Alright, let’s collect the mishrooms and bring them back with us.” Drew said.

“No, not mishrooms. These are dungeon mushrooms. Not cute at all. And most varieties are carnivorous.” She said.

“We need to get out of here.” William said. He carried his armor crate along over his shoulders.

“Best to be careful.” Pegg said in a hushed tone. “Hemut, you take the lead.”

Hemut nodded and stepped forward. He shoved aside the trash on either side of the tunnel and Vaylari pushed past him to range ahead.

“Let me take the lead, there could be traps.” She said. “I’ll have the best chance of spotting them.”

The group proceeded slowly down the tunnel, Vaylari in the lead. She stopped frequently to check around for traps.

The tunnel was short, with a few turns. Every five meters there was another cluster of glowing crystals.

At least we can see where we are going.

After 20 minutes the tunnel took a turn and Vaylari was the first to see what was ahead.

“Guys!” Vaylari whispers loudly. “Come out and see this!”

-

The cavern before them was a lost world. It was massive, roughly circular, easily a thousand yards across on the shorter dimension. There was a massive open area in the center of the chasm. Like a Roman collesum. In fact, there were broad areas carved out and flattened layers wide enough for two wagons to pass eachother.

It’s a strip mine.

Each layer had mineshafts, buttressed with massive beams, that disappeared into the stone.

A bat flew by in the distance, dwarfed by the size of the open space. It swooped between the many large red, green, or blue glowing stone outcroppings that dotted the ceiling.

“Is that a giant bat?” Pegg asked.

“It couldn’t be.” Vaylari said hesitantly.

Hemut murmured something to himself.

Drew watched the beast fly a while and then the distance and scale of what he was looking at shifted.

“It’s got to have a ten meter wingspan…” he said.

“That’s impossible.” Pegg mumbled.

The large bat dove down amongst some giant mushrooms. When it emerged it was carrying a goblin in its claw. It screeched in victory and another bat screeched back from somewhere deeper in the dungeon.

They can carry a goblins in one claw… that’s how big they are. One could eat me in one bite.

The mushroom forest spread across the highest layer and half of the layer below that. The largest mushrooms were 20 meters tall and their caps were bright red with diamond shaped spots.

Those caps are easily 15 meters across.

There were three more layers of the mine going lower, each one concentrically smaller, and also wetter. The bottom level was swampy. Even the bottom level was larger still than any football field Drew had seen. Large slimes could be seen bobbing about in the water and mud.

“What is this place?” William asked, his mouth hanging open.

Hero’s Quest: Save Exylandria: Find Exylandria: complete. 1200 exp

Hero’s Quest: Save Exylandria: Speak with Exylandria.

“This is the dungeon we are looking for. My quest just updated.”

“What’s that over there?” William asked pointing across the cavern to some smoke billowing up.

“It looks like a fortress.” Pegg said, and Hemut grunted.

A wild battle cry rang out from the mushroom forest across the cavern. Hundreds of goblins charged out and rushed the fortress. A bell was rung from inside the fortress, its tone was flat and jarring.

A cheer answered the bell from the fortress. Several dwarves could be seen manning the walls. They operated ballistas and began their preemptive attack, mowing down the attacking goblins with rapid fire arrows before the feral monsters could reach the defenses.

“We have to help them!” Drew shouted.

“What can we do?” Pegg said. “There’s just five of us!”

“We should do what we can.” William said. “I’m no friend to goblins.”

Exylandria could be in that fortress. And those people need our help.

“How are we supposed to get there? We would have to run all the way around!” Pegg cried.

“Then that’s what we will have to do!” Drew said and flew forward around the edge of the cavern. William was a step behind him with his large crate in his arms.

“Well? Are you going to stand here alone or are you going to come along and be of some use?” Vaylari asked.

Something snarled behind Pegg and he turned to see three goblins a ways off, creeping up on them.

“Ahh! Alright let’s go after the bird!” He said sprinting off. “But he’s not the leader!”

-

“Drew! Slow down, I cannot keep up.” William called out.

Drew circled back, his route took him out over the drop off to William’s left. There were two goblins clinging to the steep slope. They had climbed up from the layer below.

“Heads up!” He shouted to William.

Drew pulled his water wand and doused the two goblins. The wet stone surface was too slippery and the monsters slipped back down into the lower layer of the cavern.

William stood with his crate, his blacksmith hammer ready.

“I knocked them back down. We need to keep moving.” Drew said.

Vaylari and Pegg ran past them, with Hemut a second behind.

“Get a move on lad!” Pegg wheezed.

“Goblinz.” Hemut chuckled as he passed them at a steady pace.

“Go on ahead I’ll cover you.” Drew said and circled in the air to face the goblins.

As the goblins got closer to Drew he tried to reason with them.

”Hey, get out of here. We don’t have to fight!” He said.

The feral goblins snarled and charged him.

Let’s try wind this time, I could blow them over into the layer below, at least then I won’t have to kill them.

Drew switched to his wind wand and summoned up a small tornado. It swooped in and turned the goblins around, slowing their charge and knocking them into each other.

“Drew! We could use a hand up here!” Vaylari called. “Quit playing around!”

Six goblins rushed the ranchers from the layer below. They had jumped up to block their path. The monsters raised pointy sticks and slobbered and snarled as they ran towards the ranchers.

Pegg and Hemut had their swords out, Vaylari had a dagger in each of her hands. William was crouching behind his crate with a blacksmith’s hammer.

Doesn’t he have a weapon? He makes swords, you’d think he would know how to use one too. We brought an NPC to a dungeon.

Drew used another charge of his wind wand and his tornado grew, doubling in size. It kicked up rocks and grit from the ground and buffeted the goblins facing him.

Whirlwind!

First one, then two of the goblins were tossed off the edge. The third crawled along the ground, keeping itself low.

The charge ran out and the tornado started to die down. The goblin rushed Drew and he pulled his Dirk with Mage Hand while giving ground flying backwards. He cut the goblin across the face and then followed up with a slice across its spear hand, the goblin dropped its spear and wailed on the ground.

I need to meet up with the rest of the group.

Hemut killed the goblin in front of him with a decisive swing of his large sword. Pegg was whittling down the second one, keeping his distance without backing into another monster. Vaylari was engaged with three goblins, in the thick of melee, but she was holding her own, her long curved daggers spinning and biting into goblin flesh in all directions.

William circled his crate keeping the goblin on the other side opposite him. The goblin grew tired of the game and jumped on top of the crate smiling. William slammed his hammer into the goblins face, knocking it off the crate.

“Die monster!” William shouted.

The black smith followed it down, and continued hammering it until it died.

Drew reached the melee and considered his options.

I can’t use my wands with everyone so tightly packed in. So rocks or knives then?

Vaylari spun and decapitated a goblin, then quickly ducked under an attack from behind without looking.

Drew swooped down and emptied a couple rocks out of his gathering ring. They struck the goblin in the head before it could swing at Vaylari again. She was able to plant both of her knives in its back while it was stunned.

The last goblin died when Hemut struck down the one Pegg had been whittling away at.

“I nearly had him.” Pegg said huffing.

“Velkom.” Hemut said with a grin.

“William you fight like a beast!” Vaylari said, she wiped off her weapons and gave the lad a thumbs up.

“I don’t know, I nearly died.” William said bashfully.

“You did alright kid, but you need a real weapon.” She said.

”Can we move on before more show up?” Drew urged from above them.

These goblins are feral but they might have a chance of ranking up if they survive long enough.

An explosion echoed around the cavern. Goblins scattered and retreated from the garrison as the dwarves threw another explosive over the wall.

“Guess they held out on their own well enough.” Vaylari said.

“Then maybe we could use their help.” Pegg said. “Let’s get over there behind their wall already.”