Somewhere, West Virginia, USA.

Morty sat at in a slightly less ramshackle building, he claimed it as his "office" when he was in Goblintown. It was where he could do paperwork while away from the prying eyes and loose lips of the staff at the manor.

The last thing he needed was any of them telling the miners or his father what he was planning.

The police/military was also an issue he didn't want to deal with anytime soon. He could see it now. National Guard storming the mine and mowing down his free workforce. Him led away in chains.

The sisters dead trying to protect him. His hands paused their work at that thought. They haven't been with him long, but he's grown fond of them and their constant presence was something he's enjoyed. Even their less than subtle advances were something he's grown attached to.

He turned to where the sisters were now. They sat at opposite ends of the "room" he was in, Orga was sleeping while Urga was munching away on... something. He wasn't entirely sure what it could be since he hasn't seen any food nearby.

The only food he could think of was what he brought with him, and he didn't see the ogress take any of it.

He shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts. He needed to get work done. Working out the logistics and supply system of the new tunnel was frustrating when he didn't have a signal down here.

Maybe I can connect a landline, Morty thought as getting a phone, even if it was some old piece of junk, would be better than sitting here trying to guess what was and wasn't possible.

The thought sounding more appealing, and the work growing monotonous, he got up from his desk and stretched. He left Orga to sleep while he took Urga topside. After a quick trip back to the manor to retrieve an old rotary phone his grandpa had, and picking up some wire to jury-rig into a nearby underground phoneline. He picked a random goblin to be his little handyman for the job.

With a map to tell him where it was he set the little green pest a digging away, wire trailing behind him.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"So what your gonna want to do is keep digging west for about 2 and 1/2 miles!" Morty shouted down the telephone tunnel.

"Wich way iz west Boss?!" The goblin shouted back.

Morty checked his map along with a compass he got from his office topside.

"Just keep going until you find a thick cable!"

"Roight Boss!" The goblin echoed back.

As he kept digging Morty got the phone set up, it sat on a small table in his underground office, it wasn't too fancy, just a basic white rotary phone. It was made of ivory and bronze instead of plastic but no one needed to worry about that little detail. With it Morty hoped he would be able to make and receive calls down here.

As he finished up connecting the phone to the wire he heard the goblin call back.

"Boss! I fink I's found it!"

"Alright, now cut open the casing around the cable, after that connect your end of the wire to the exposed cable!" Morty called.

"Roight! I fink I gotz it Bos-"

ZZZAAAAAPPPP!!!!!

POP!

"You all right?!" Morty called into the hole. When no answer came he looked at his map again.

"Maybe that was a powerline and not a phoneline?"

Shrugging his shoulders he decided to try the phone anyway. Pushing and turning each number then waiting and doing it over was mildly annoying but there was a certain charm to it.

RRRIIIINNNGGG!

Morty was surprised it worked.

"Hey thanks little buddy!" Morty called into the hole.

He waited as he got the company that transported the coal from the mine on the phone.

"Yeah, Sam , hi! Yeah sorry about that, my phone needs a new upgrade, haven't been getting a good signal for sometime now. Hey listen, I need your guys to resume pickup at another location. What? No the mine isn't closed, it just had to be shutdown for inspection is all. Yeah, everything's good! Just need you to come by a new entrance for pickup, the old area is closed off. Hmm? Why? Oh uh, damage to the roads? Yeah that's right! Damage to the roads! Anyway, there's going to be a new tunnel over by Hill Drive. Yes, I know where that is, and NO I don't care about the Crone on the Hill or whatever other bullshit superstition you lot believe in! I'm paying you to move coal if that's too hard I can find someone else to do it! Wonderful! The tunnel should be done any day now. OH I forgot to mention, the pickups need to happen at night. Why? Don't ask me why! Just pick up the shipments at sundown and quit bitching! You want work or not? Good, call you when things are set up."

Morty hung-up as he finished talking with the transportation company. That's one problem solved, Morty thought.

-----

CLINK!!

CLINK!!!

CLINK!

The goblins were working away in the tunnel for Morty. They hated it but after witnessing what Morty did to their last Master none were going to complain.

At least openly around him and the ogres they weren't.

"Don't no why we'z stuk doin' da 'ardwerk!" One complained as he chipped away at the wall.

He was promptly struck across the back with a blunt piece of wood.

"You'z da ones doin' it cuz I say so! Now werk!"

The grumbling goblin continued his work, and his grumbling. He just needed a moment and he could pop the other goblin off, then HE would be in charge!

Well, in charge of the tunnel crew anyway.

Him and the others grumbled and groaned away, under the watchful and cruel eyes of the Foreman.

Then the grumbling goblin fell forward as his pick hit a weak wall. As he got up his own green shocked face was met by a red scaly one.

The two faces screamed. The lizard running away down it's own tunnel while the goblins ran back screaming.

"DRAGON, DRAGON!!!"