Oscar continued his journey through the Dungeon, taking the time to really understand it as much as he could.

At first, the purple crystals that lined the ceiling were the only thing interrupting the monotony of the endless caves and caverns. Eventually though, flora started to be seen. Bushes, moss, and even small trees—all the same, light purple color as the crystals—began to dot the caverns at random. He had even walked by a waterfall filled with purple water at one point. And even though he knew the Dungeon was a place hostile to human life, he couldn’t deny that the sights were rather pretty.

To anyone else, it would seem as if Oscar was aimlessly walking through the Dungeon, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even now he was following the path laid out by Altar. The sword and him were connected on a spiritual level, and while it wasn’t capable of communicating with him verbally (or mentally?). It could manage some form of communication in the way of hunches.

Coming up on a fork in the cave, Oscar without hesitation took the path to the left. He knew immediately that the path was leading down deeper into the Dungeon, as did every other path Altar led him through.

Oscar didn’t know how big or expansive the Dungeon was, a rookie mistake by him to be sure. However, considering that so far Altar has only led him down, he figured it was safe to assume that the sword wished for him to reach the bottom of it.

How deep did the Dungeon go? He didn’t know.

Did he have any clue why Altar was leading him down? No.

Did he still intend to see this through to the end? Of course.

Still, this place is dangerous, I know, but I still don’t know.

He hasn’t seen or met anyone since the two initial groups when he first descended. Oscar had been on his lonesome the entirety of the trip. He figured adventuring was a dangerous job. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a reason to offer armor and weapons to any novice adventurers.

That “starter gear” has to serve some purpose, and to Oscar, that purpose couldn’t be anything other than helping rookies survive against whatever was in here.

He hasn’t encountered anything hostile. Or even anything in general in fact, just trees and rocks.

Just what was in the Dungeon?

At that thought, the mark on his arm pulsed and that hunch he had been following grew stronger.

Altar was urging him forward. He didn’t know where, but Oscar was inclined to follow the holy sword's directions. It wasn’t as if he had any clue what he was doing here anyway.

Understanding that he was finally close to his destination, Oscar ended his leisure stroll and entered a steady jog.

It was minutes later in a different cavern that Oscar finally met another living being—two in fact.

They were short, almost as tall as a child first entering puberty. Their skin was dark green and their scrawny, practically bony physique didn’t do them any justice in the looks department.

They were goblins.

It would be a lie to state Oscar didn’t feel something upon finding other adventurers. Ever so slowly he could feel himself going insane in this cave. There was nothing but him and his thoughts, but now that was no longer the case.

“Hey,” he called to the goblins, who turned as his voice reached them. “Do either of you know the way—“

Motes of golden light coalesced in his hand and sparks went flying a mere moment later.

Oscar leaped back after the sudden clash. He took the time to regain his bearings. He had acted instinctively, as such his mind was still catching up. Despite that, he used the time given to him to steady his center and tighten his grip on Altar.

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He appraised the two goblins before him a lot differently now. Both wielded weapons made of stone, one a dagger and the other, a small sword. The one with the sword was the one that swung at him.

He really took the time to understand them. The way they stood. Their posture. How they breathed. The way their bodies moved with every heave and pant.

He met their eyes..or at least he tried. Nothing resembled a pupil in their eyes. There was only white.

“What the…”

The two goblins ignored him for a moment and looked at each other, all before screeching. They screeched. They didn’t speak. There wasn’t anything even resembling a word in that sound.

Frankly, the sight left Oscar baffled.

Why did they seem so…savage? It was as if there wasn’t a single intelligent thought drifting through their heads—only animalistic instinct.

“Why did you swing at me?” Oscar tried communicating with them again, though he still held Altar at the ready.

Nothing was said from either of the goblins and for a brief moment, an eerie silence settled between the three.

All before the two of them leaped at him, shrieking.

Oscar stepped back and with a single swish of his sword parried both of the goblin’s attacks—shattering their crude weapons at the same time.

The goblins seemingly didn’t care for their broken weapons as they resolved themselves to claw at him with their sharp nails.

Narrowing his eyes, Oscar planted one foot on the ground and swung Altar in a wide, horizontal arc, forcing the goblins to take a step back. It was an incredibly telegraphed move, but that was the point. Immediately after, he spun in another arc, using his other feet to kick up as much dust—straight onto the goblins. There wasn’t a lot—due to the rocky cave floor—but there was enough to force them to cover their eyes with their arms.

In a single breath, he closed the distance, arriving between them. Without hesitation, he slammed the broad side of Altar against the back of the goblin’s neck. He didn’t even try to do the same to the other, knowing he wouldn’t have enough time to wind up another swing. He let Altar fly from his hands, the sword dissipating into motes of golden light, and simply grabbed the other goblin by the back of the head, and slammed it into the floor.

Sighing, Oscar stood from his abrupt kneel. He stared at the two goblins, who had both been knocked out cold. Even as the seconds passed, his eyes remained on their unmoving bodies, waiting for some sign of life.

…

…

There.

Oscar released a sigh of relief as the noticeable rises in their bodies revealed they were still breathing. He was relatively sure they were fine, his body was drastically weaker than it once was, but it was never to be safe—or in this case, sure.

With that done and over, now comes a more concerning issue.

“Why were they so…” Oscar trailed off struggling to find the right word “...feral.”

There wasn't any better way to describe the two. The way they acted didn't have a shred of humanity or intelligence in it. There was no thought, only action. There was no plan to their attack, only just to run at him, and the only time this wasn’t the case was when their fighting ability was endangered—protecting their eyes from the dust and retreating from the sweeping arc in fear of being bisected.

The Dungeon was a dangerous place, it had to be for there to be so many precautions for any rookie adventures. But what exactly about this place made it so dangerous? Did it have some sort of maddening effect on anyone within? Is that why these goblins acted more like animals than people?

But that couldn’t be the case, because if so, the receptionist would’ve mentioned something to him about it. If staying in the dungeon for extended periods meant slowly losing your mind, then that is definitely something worth mentioning to anyone venturing its depths for what is most likely their very first time.

Then, how do you explain the way these goblins acted? It wasn’t normal.

“I’m not cut out for this,” Oscar muttered. “Altar, you must know what’s happening here. I need answers.” The golden mark on his arm shined ever so slightly after his words, showing that they had reached the holy sword.

Now if it responds is an entirely separate matter.

As if to spite his thoughts, the sword immediately acknowledged his answer. An alien thought drifted through his mind and Oscar instantly recognized it as Altar communicating with him.

Oscar furrowed his brow. The sword was leading him deeper into the caves—away from the two goblins he just incapacitated.

Without a doubt, Oscar trusted in Altar’s honesty. If he ever asks and if it ever decides to answer, always—and he means always—will an answer be given, and it is always the right one too.

However, leaving the two goblins here, utterly defenseless, was not something he wanted to do. Who knows what could happen to the two of them? He doesn’t know if adventurers are the type to loot or hurt defenseless people.

Noticing his hesitation, the feeling grew stronger, Altar wanted him to get moving.

With clenched teeth, Oscar relented against the holy sword and continued on his way.

Leaving the two unconscious goblins.