Dim surveyed his surroundings. The sun had already started to set low on the horizon. A cool ocean breeze blew inland across the shore, carrying with it a taste of dust. All around him, the scene was one of devastation—rubble stretching as far as the eye could see, jagged remnants of the once-imposing mountain, and corpses left to bake under the relentless sun. The stench of rot clawed at his throat, making him gag, but he swallowed it down desperate to leave. However, he would not and could not. Dim was afraid.

He was afraid for two reasons. First, he knew how close they were to the human and Galak city. If scouts had happened upon them by chance, he doubted their ability to do anything about it before reinforcements could be summoned and their small goblin contingent was overtaken. A small band of goblins, no matter how vicious, was nothing compared to the organized strength of an allied army. Dim was almost certain the collapsed mountain was their doing, and knew they'd be back to see what remained of their handiwork.

But as unsettling as that thought was, it paled in comparison to the terror that loomed just a few feet away—the Goblin King. Dim's stomach churned at the sight of him, towering and pacing restlessly near the ruined entrance. The King was a force of nature, capable of feats that made the blood drain from Dim's face just thinking about them. Dim had seen him summon fire from nothing, tear men apart without so much as a grunt, and vanish into thin air like a ghost. Now, as he watched the Goblin King inspect the rubble, Dim had no illusions about what would happen if things didn't go according to the King's plan.

Around them, three squads of goblins milled about, their minds too dull to grasp the danger they were in. Occasionally, a scuffle would break out among them, their boredom quickly turning into violence. Dim envied their ignorance. If they had even the slightest boost in intelligence, they'd be just as terrified as he was. The Goblin King wasn't known for his patience. At any moment, Dim half-expected him to lash out and slaughter them all for their incompetence—or worse, for sport.

Dim's heart raced as the Goblin King shifted his gaze to the right, toward a path they'd already explored. His confusion deepened as the King began walking in its direction. There's nothing down there, Dim thought in a rising panic. They'd searched every inch of that path, and it led to a dead end. But if the Goblin King found something they'd missed... Dim gulped hard, the bitter taste of dust still clinging to his mouth. If there was something there, it would be his head on the line.

Reluctantly, Dim followed. His second-in-command, Dum, trailed behind, as usual doing something utterly useless—this time picking his nose. Dim slapped him upside the head, earning a bewildered look, before motioning him to pay attention.

The Goblin King stopped at the wall that marked the path's end, his gaze focused and intent. Dim watched as the King began to do something strange. First, he scraped his boot against the ground, dragging it deliberately across the dirt and stone, stirring up clouds of dust. Then, he ran his hands slowly over the surface of the wall, as if searching for something only he could feel. The seconds ticked by painfully, each one stretching longer than the last, until finally, the Goblin King's fingers stilled. He turned, his eyes locking onto Dim, a slow, cruel smile curling his lips.

Dim's heart seized in his chest once again desperate to flee. That smile couldn't mean anything good.

Without warning, the Goblin King twisted his hand, the very mountain trembling before them. The earth groaned as rocks shifted, grinding against each other, throwing a new cloud of dust into the air. The ground shook beneath his feet, and he braced himself, terrified of what might happen next, blinded by the swirling debris.

When the dust finally settled, what stood before them made Dim's blood run cold. An entrance that hadn't been there before. The wall was gone, replaced by a massive, yawning opening. Dim starred, dumbfounded, his pulse thudding in his ears.

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The Goblin King had found what he was looking for.

At once the Goblin King spoke to him. "Go. Tell me what you find at the end. Do not be caught."

It wasn't a request. Dim's heart pounded in his chest, motioning for Dum to stay put. He crept into the tunnel, hugging the shadows as if his life depended on it—because it did in every since of the word. Like most things that happened to him, Dim had no idea what was really going on, only that he had to do as he was told.

Some things were worse than death.

The tunnel stretched out before him, long and dark, with jagged edges and the occasional drip of water echoing in the silence. This was the only advantage Dim had—the dark. Humans, with their pitiful vision in low light, wouldn't see him coming. He'd spot them first, and hopefully, that would give him a chance to escape. As long as no burrowing creatures lurked beneath the surface, he'd make it through in one piece. Lucky for him the cave was too symmetrical to have been made by any...that left only the humans.

When Dim finally reached the end, his heart sank. Another wall. Another dead end. But this time, he wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. He glanced around nervously, remembering the Goblin King's peculiar method earlier. With a hesitant breath, Dim scraped his foot along the ground like he'd seen the King do. He felt ridiculous and nothing happened, just as he feared.

Frustrated, Dim pressed his hands against the wall, running his fingers over the rough surface, feeling for anything out of place. Minutes ticked by. Nothing.

Just as he was about to turn back, a thought struck him. He retraced his steps and felt around a similar spot in the wall where the Goblin King had searched. After a tense few moments, his fingers grazed something—a loose rock. Dim's pulse quickened. Carefully, he turned the stone, feeling it shift ever so slightly. He froze. Whatever was behind this door wasn't for him to discover. There could be anything—traps, creatures, or worse, more humans. Dim wasn't about to risk being on the wrong side of whatever lay beyond.

He backed away, breathing heavily as he made his way back down the tunnel. The Goblin King and Dum were waiting for him, though Dum was predictably oblivious, still picking his nose like the dull-witted fool he was. Dim shot him a look of disgust, then turned to face the Goblin King, whose gaze was already piercing through him.

"The tunnel's empty," Dim reported, his voice steady despite the sweat trickling down his back. "Another blocked end, but I found a second secret switch."

The Goblin King's eyes narrowed. "Did you activate it?"

Dim swallowed hard, his throat dry. "No."

A wicked smile curled across the Goblin King's face. "Good. I would hate to lose our advantage." He stepped forward, his voice dropping to a low growl. "Gather your troops and leave this place. Leave behind the dead. No one must know we were here. Go to Pearlview. You attack in five days."

Without another word, the Goblin King turned and activated the switch. The ground rumbled beneath their feet as the tunnel entrance sealed shut behind a cloud of dust and debris. Dim squinted, coughing through the haze, but when the dust settled, the Goblin King was gone, as if he had never been there at all.

Thank the gods.

He glanced over at Dum, who was still preoccupied with his nose. Hopeless.

Ignoring him, Dim returned to the rest of his troops. As expected, they were already brawling, a tangle of limbs and snarls, driven mad with boredom. Dim's frustration boiled over, and with a roar, he grabbed one of the goblins by the scruff and hurled him into the others. The impact was enough to break the chaos, and the goblins quickly fell in line.

"To the boats!" Dim barked, his voice carrying over the crowd. "We attack Pearlview in five days!"

The goblins erupted into cheers, their bloodlust already bubbling to the surface as they set off toward the ocean. Dim marched behind them, thoughts racing. They had three days to reach the staging site where the rest of their contingent was waiting, and another day to plan the assault. But his biggest concern wasn't the logistics. It was the goblins themselves. Left to their own devices, he knew many would likely kill each other before they even reached Pearlview. The thought didn't bother him as much as it should have. He understood the allure. This land was theirs by right, and he, like the rest of them, was ready to take it back—whatever the cost.

As they reached the shore and the boats came into view, Dim's voice rose above the sound of crashing waves and excited goblin chatter. His eyes gleamed. He was ready. They were ready. This was their time.

"Let the war begin," he cried.