Max groaned as he slowly came back to his senses, his head throbbing with pain. All he could remember from last night was the delicious ale in the warm, cozy inn. He tried to move, only to find his wrists shackled to a cold wall. Panic began to set in as he realized he was in a dungeon. He tried to run, but he couldn’t move an inch.

“Snickers?” he called out weakly, his voice echoing between the dungeon walls. “Did they get you?”

“He is probably in some soup right now, swimming with potatoes and carrots,” Max thought, sad, because of Snicker’s probable death.

A sound came from the shadows, Max terrified tried to see who that was. A goblin? Some other creature he didn’t know existed? He’ll be dead.

Soon after Snickers emerged, looking worried but unharmed. “Max! Thank the stars you’re awake. Hold on, I’ll get you out of here.”

Max watched as Snickers used his sharp claws to pick the locks on his shackles. Within moments, the cuffs fell away making a loud banging noise on the dungeon floor. Max rubbed his sore wrists.

“How did you manage to stay free?” Max asked, still trying to figure out what had happened last night.

Snickers puffed his chest and grinned. “Being a kobold has its advantages. I didn’t get as drunk as you did last night. When they tried to shackle me, I pretended to be unconscious and waited for the right moment to escape. I’ve been hiding and looking for a way to free you. But it took you so long to wake up!”

“But why did they do this? The innkeeper seemed so nice, and the villagers…”

“It’s a trap,” Snickers interrupted. “I overheard some of them talking. They make travelers drunk and then offer them as sacrifices to a monster of some kind that lives in these dungeons. It keeps the monster from attacking the village.”

Max’s heart stopped beating for a second. “We need to get out of here before that monster finds us.”

Snickers nodded. “I’ve been exploring the dungeon. There are some passages that might lead to an exit, but we’ll have to move quickly.”

Max and Snickers slowly made their way through the dark, trying to find an exit through the small, dark corridors of the dungeon. The air was cold, and the sound of dripping water echoed around them. They moved silently, alert for any monsters that could come in their way.

As they turned a corner, they heard a low growl echoing through the halls. Max’s heart dropped to his heels, and he tightened his grip on his wand, ready to cast a spell if needed.

“That could be the monster,” Snickers whispered, his eyes wide with fear. “We need to find another way.”

They backtracked and took a different path, hoping to avoid the creature. The dungeon seemed like a maze with many passages and dead ends. Human remains were often found on the floor, but never a whole human skeleton, just the parts, and just the bones.

“Look!” Snickers almost yelled. “A staircase!”

And there really was a staircase leading upwards.

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“This could be our way out,” Max said.

They hurried up the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the small space. The growls of the monster grew fainter as they reached the top of the stairs. There was a heavy wooden door. Snickers pushed it open, revealing a well-lit room, it looked like a dance hall of some kind.

Max and Snickers moved carefully, hiding behind a giant pillar. Behind them, paintings of unknown men, under them a golden plate where their name stood with the year when they were mayors.

Max tried to tell that to Snickers but someone came in, and their loud footsteps echoed in the hall.

“They’re both ready for you in the dungeon, mayor,” said an old guy following a tall man, his head down looking at his shoes, avoiding eye contact.

The mayor’s face twisted into a huge, creepy smile, revealing sharp teeth that looked anything but human.

“Could he be the monster?” Max wondered.

They needed to escape before the mayor noticed they were missing. They moved toward the front door, but it was locked tight. With no other choice, they headed upstairs, hoping to find another way out.

As they reached the second floor, a door suddenly opened. A girl, her face pale with fear, stared at them in terror.

“Please don’t scream,” Max whispered. “We’re trying to escape.”

The girl hesitated for a second, then nodded, her eyes wide. “You have to hurry,” she whispered back. “He’ll be up here any minute now, go hide in my room.”

The girl pointed to a door that she just came out of.

“Thank you,” Max said, relieved. “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine,” she replied. “Just go, quickly!”

Max and Snickers hurried into the girl’s room, looking for good hiding spots. Snickers squeezed himself under a giant closet, while Max slid under the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. They could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. “Now that I think about it,” Max looked at his hiding position. “Those who hide under the bed are always found and killed first.” It was too late to change his hiding spot, the door opened, and the mayor entered with the girl. Max held his breath, praying they wouldn’t be discovered.

“Lea,” the mayor said in a smooth tone. “Why do you look so worried?”

The girl, Lea, turned away from him, her arms crossed. “You know why, Father. I know what’s happening to those travelers. The villagers look at me with fear and pity whenever we pass by. You don’t let me out anymore without you next to me.”

The mayor sighed, his monstrous smile replaced with a father’s look of concern. “It is for your safety. The Demon Lord is waking up, and I’m doing all this just to protect you!”

“Protect me?” she scoffed. “By sacrificing innocent people to that monster? Do you think I don’t hear their screams at night? You think I don’t know what you’re doing?!”

“Everything I do is for your safety! When the Demon Lord awakens fully, not just our village but the entire world will be in danger. You will be thankful to me then!”

Lea shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “This isn’t the way. You’re becoming the very monster you claim to be protecting us from.”

Max could see the mayor’s feet shifting uneasily, they were both quiet for a while.

“You don’t understand, one day you will. Until then, you must trust that I’m doing what’s best for us all.”

Without another word, the mayor turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. The girl collapsed onto her bed, sobbing quietly.

Max and Snickers remained hidden for a while longer, just to make sure the mayor wasn’t coming back. Finally, Max crawled out from under the bed and gently sat next to the girl.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “We heard everything. We need to stop him, do you know how we can do that?”

The girl looked up, wiping her tears. “There’s an old book in the library, hidden behind a false wall. It contains a ritual that summoned the monster you heard growling in the dungeon, but it’s dangerous.”

“We’ll do whatever it takes,” Snickers said, finally emerging from his hiding spot.

"Then we need to hurry. I’ll show you where the book is, but you must promise to take me with you when this is over."

Max and Snickers exchanged glances before Max replied, "We promise. Now let’s go find that book."

Snickers and Max got out of the room, behind them Lea stood looking at them. They couldn’t see it but she had a big creepy smile on her face. “Let the game begin..." she said under her breath and chuckled.

“You guys! Wait for me!” she closed the door. “Follow me, the library is right here at the end of the hallway.”