The entrance to what the common man referred to as a ‘dungeon’ was always the same. A brief moment of heightened excitement and all your senses being brought up to the most extreme level. My ears and eyes began to hurt from being strained so hard. It couldn't be this easy, but it was.

I stepped into the darkness and my elven eyes began to shift. They picked out the flow of the natural walls of the cliff cave and the world twisted into black and grey. I could see well enough in the dark, but I was no dwarf. With practiced grace I reached towards my bag and grabbed at the side pouch with my lantern, only to come up empty.

“Bitch,” I hissed.

I forgot, I had been robbed and humiliated. That meant I was doing this the old way, like my ancestors when they hunted for beasts in the dark. I took out a dagger and kept my other hand free for emergencies. I crept along the twisting path deeper into the cave, crouching low to avoid the stalactites above my head.

Low head room, twisting paths that follow an ore trail, and the constant scent of dampness. This was once a goblin cave alright, they had to have been a mining expedition because I could see the pick marks on the wall to widen the natural path. Or was it natural?

I ran a finger along the wall, on the end of my finger was grey dust, and grey goop. I took a quick whiff and smelled a mixture of sweetness, like fermenting fruit and rust. This place had iron ore, and it had been dug with goblin mining worms.

“More than an expedition, but where are they?” I thought to myself.

I didn’t have to wonder for long. I heard the sound of rushing water and moved further ahead. The rock tunnel opened up into a sunlight cave, with holes in the top to let in rushing water, and I stood amazed at the roar of the underground waterfall. This area was big enough for a few inns to be spaced together, and the path I was on twisted along the wall until it reached a rock bridge.

The majority of the room was a large flat disc of rock held up by stone pillars, water ran along troughs towards the middle where a tiny fortress of wood, mud and stone had been made. I could count six goblin-sized tents, and a stable for the mining worms. I had to blink the sun out of my eyes to get my vision to readjust and when I could see again, I gasped. The camp had been burned out, and I saw scorch marks surround the walls. Inside near a broken gate were several charred mounds huddled together. I had no love of goblins, but that was a touch too much for me.

I looked around and saw there were two other ‘roads’ heading deeper underground. There was also a rock wall I could climb to reach the top of the waterfall, and there was a space cut beside it to get out on top of the cliff. Someone had taken a lot of care for an emergency exit, a shame they didn’t get to use it.

Out of the two paths I could take I saw one was taller, wider and had more care put into it, with well made wooden bracing holding up the rocky corridor. Spaced along it were glowstones, little quartz crystals with just enough magical potential a drop of mana could light them up for days. From their glow I could see they were freshly charged, a sign that my spellcasting quarry would be that way.

I looked at the goblin camp and frowned. I needed equipment, I needed anything I could get my hands on, goblin made or not. After making sure there were no traps along the path against the cavern wall I snuck my way down. The only thing I could hear was the roar of the water rushing into the cavern and down into an underground river. I peaked over the edge and saw a long fall. Down in the choppy water I saw shapes move, cave crocodiles.

“Come down elf, the water is great!” one of them said as it noticed me.

“Don’t worry, like a mutt we are all bark, no bite!” another croc with bloody teeth chimed. “Except if you throw us down a coyote or two like the lovely green fellows used to, we love those!”

I decided that swimming lessons weren’t in the stars today. I could communicate with many animals, but lizards were a mixed bag. Just smart enough to figure things out, but most of them ran on pure instinct, ignoring words. I couldn’t blame them, in all the years of recorded wood elf writing most lizards had remained the same since the dawn of our history, so why change?.

“Elf!” one of the white scaly crocodiles called. “Elf, look here!”

I bit my lip and looked down. The crocs were putting on a show, swimming together and rolling in the water. The little water dance didn’t persuade me, I didn’t trust crocs.

“Very lovely, keep it up and I’m sure the great mother will reward you with a fish,” I said. “Now I’m a little busy, so I need to go.”

“Why elf, is it to see the scaled sister?”

I stopped abruptly in my tracks and peered down again. “What was that?”

“Hmm,” the largest croc hummed. “Sorry, it seems I’ve forgotten, we are so hungry and can’t remember a thing! Perhaps if you tossed down some of that lovely roast we smell up there, we can remember.”

I looked at the charred goblin bodies and did the mental gymnastics. I was supposed to preserve the natural world order, keep dark magic out of the woods and live my life. Feeding goblins to cave crocs seemed less than polite to their customs, but then the bodies wouldn’t be a waste. I shook my head in disbelief, I was pretty much naked in this fight, so information wouldn’t hurt.

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I made my way to the goblin camp and peered inside. The damage was extensive and not a single tent or box was left untouched. Barrels were smashed open, chests overturned and sacks burned to a crisp. There was little of value and I counted only a waxed rope next to the worm stable having escaped the destruction. I walked over to it carefully on account of my sock feet and tucked the rope into my bag. I saw inside the stable long, charred remains, and a few leather items. I picked up a set of leather braces with metal hooks on them and shrugged, pulling on the protective items.

“Should keep my wrists and arm safe,” I said while inspecting them. “Rings must be to hook yourself up on a saddle or something.”

With the curious bracers on I picked around some more and found a leather bag under some debris. It was cut up, cracked and damaged. I cautiously opened the top, and found six intact javelins.

“Score,” I said, pumping my fist into the air.

I used my new rope and tied it to the side of my bag, making sure they were in easy reach. Then I took one out to use as a short spear, and went back to the crispy goblin remains. They looked to be little more than skin and bone. Out of respect to the goblins I opted to instead spear one of the worm bodies and dragged it to the edge, kicking it down to the crocs below.

“A blessing! The sister elf feeds us!” the crocs chanted.

“Now speak, what’s this about a scaled sister?” I asked.

The crocs devoured the worm body and started to whine again. I speared the other mining worm and pushed the charred log down. The crocs devoured it in record time and while they let out a belch, the largest one poked his head out of the water.

“The one that moved in has scales of red, and smells of fire. She slayed the goblins and claims this as her lair. Be warned elf, for she is mighty!” he bellowed.

“Cut the noise down a touch then,” I shot back. “Fine, thanks I guess.”

The crocs dipped below the water and headed for where the underground river flowed. I turned around and headed towards the tunnel with all the lights. I sighed and tried to think over all the possible things I could be facing.

“So they are a wizard, and clearly love a bit of fire magic. But if they are scaled it's one of three things,” I said, holding out my fingers. “One, someone in scale armour and the crocs are confused. Two, someone with a touch of dragon's blood in their veins to have scales on their skin and three…”

I left my voice trail off and gulped a mouthful of air. The most dreaded thing of all to fight in a dark, damp cave while being completely naked and alone. “Dragon.”

The word felt like a lump of lead on my tongue. I felt my pulse quicken and my breathing become rapid. Then I smacked myself for being an idiot as I waved my hand around my head.

“Willow honestly, if it even is a dragon it's a baby. I can barely stand straight up in the cave tunnels and I’m pretty close to average height. I can totally fight a baby dragon,” I snorted.

It had to be one of the first two, and I let myself relax as I followed the cave path, oblivious to my surroundings. I regretted that lull in my concentration as my foot hit the lip of something and I swore. I looked down and felt a shiver of fear run down my spine. It was a pressure plate.

I looked around me to see the cave corridor had widened out, and near each wall were a few droplets of blue slime. I looked back down to see my toes just barely touching the lip of the pressure plate and held my breath. I slowly leaned back, taking the weight off my foot as slowly as possible and the plate rose a fraction of an imperial inch. I was lucky.

“Whew.” I rolled my shoulders back and huffed, letting out the pent up energy in me. “That was close-”

Rumble.

“Damn it,” I groaned looking over my shoulder. “Oh, a rolling boulder, how original.”

The massive rock fell out of the ceiling a stone's throw away from me, blocking off the way I came. I looked down to see the cave corridor was ever so slightly slanted downwards, and before I knew it, gravity did its thing.

“Ahhh!” I screamed, running ahead. “Bad day, bad day, bad day!”

My mantra guided me and my feet followed. I sprinted as fast as I could, feeling the stone race towards me. The rumble of the boulder shook the walls and more traps were set off down the hall. I flew past them, sliding on blue slime to dodge spears shooting out of the wall, rolling under waves of fire or kicking off the wall to dodge a pitfall trap.

“Paranoid much mage?” I asked between breaths, pushing myself harder than I had in a while. “Sh-”

I skidded to a halt. The corridor stopped and an underground ravine took its place. The scar in the earth stretched in either direction for leagues and I couldn’t even see the bottom. Ahead of me was a thin bridge as wide as I was and over on the other side was a freshly built gatehouse. The brick and mortar walls blocked the far side and I could see a stone face built into the gate. A magical door for a magical lair.

I chanced a look behind me and my body made up the decision for me. I ran over the stone bridge, a lethal fall on either side as my slime filled socks struggled to keep grip. I ended up sliding on the balls of my feet, and twisted my hips to keep in line with the slide, keeping myself on the thin bridge.

As I reached the other side I felt my legs go out from under me and I tumbled. I prayed to every spirit, god and saint I knew off the top of my head and hit the ground hard. My vision was fading in and out as I felt a wave of nausea hit me, and the world spun. As I blinked the dizziness away I saw the boulder crash into the bridge on the far side. The end of the bridge was obliterated, and the boulder fell into the darkness. Shortly after the bridge shook and it too fell down into the abyss, trapping me on this side.

“Lovely,” I said under my breath.

I dusted off my naked butt and rose back to my feet. I was a touch too close to the edge for my liking and I shuffled back. The space in front of the gatehouse was big enough for a dozen people and when I got closer the face on the door woke up. The magical gate smacked its lips and opened its stone eyelids to look me up and down.

“Well hello there beautiful, what brings you to this neck of the underground?” it asked with a bardic flare.

I rolled my eyes to the back of my head and clutched the javelin in my hand. Either this door was going to meet its end by this spear point, or I was.