Robin padded softly around the cave, trying to get closer to the voices. At least here being naked was a bit of an advantage, though he would have totally traded that advantage for some shoes. Fortunately the floor was relatively smooth, though the chill soaking up through his feet left a lot to be desired.

He could only make out snatches, but nothing he heard sounded like any language he knew. If he was truly in another world, or on another plane, that would make sense. It sucked, but it made sense. [Tongue of the Fallen Tower] suddenly seemed a lot more appealing.

The voices were too quiet to be drifting down from above, so there must be something he had missed. The voices were louder the further he got from the shrine. Robin couldn’t see any door or air vent they might be drifting through, but, as he’d only recently established, his new world was one of illusion.

He put his hands out and began to carefully feel along the wall. It all felt like stone. The same cold and clammy stone he’d felt throughout the cave. Of course, if an illusion could fool the eyes and ears, it might also fool any attempts to touch it. Maybe if he used a little more pressure?

Robin deliberately pressed firmly into the stone, turning his mind to seeking any flaw, any hint that there might be an illusory entrance nearby. Solid stone, solid stone, soli—whumpf! Not solid stone! Robin’s arm shot through the seemingly solid wall, unbalancing him. He’d pitched forward and fallen. That was a failed dex save if he’d ever seen one. Did he have stats here? Was dexterity one of them?

The thought brought up an increasingly familiar blue screen. Not now! He didn’t have time now! Robin mentally flailed at the screen, dismissing it. The voices—the voices were slightly louder to the left? They were high-pitched and very animated. He could hear more clearly now, but he still had no idea what was being said.

Well, he’d found the way out. Now he needed information. Information was always key. In every game he’d played, the more information, the better options, the greater chance of success. Knowledge was power.

With a thought, he opened the screen in front of him and selected [Tongue of the Fallen Tower]. Languages poured through his mind like honey wine. Oh frell did that feel good. He felt full, and warm, and positively pulsing with pleasure. Thank you Rhyth! No need to buy a guy a drink first, just lead with that next time!

Robin levered himself carefully up. The voices were drifting away. If he wanted to follow them, he’d have to move quickly. And that was not going to be easy. The stone here in this tunnel was rougher than that of the cave of the shrine, and harder on his feet. He’d have to watch his step.

He pressed forward anyway, a bit heedless of the sharp burst of pain that spiked up through the soles of his feet as he followed the voices. His ex, Dan, had been big into barefoot running. Robin briefly regretted not letting himself be dragooned into making it a habit. That would have helped here. Never mind that now! Focus! He needed to get close enough to hear clearly. Fortunately, he swiftly gained on them.

‘—why searching tunnels? Nothing new in tunnels! We live in tunnels! Why think we not know tunnels?’

Robin could understand the words now! He ran his tongue over his teeth. He got the feeling that his tongue wasn’t quite properly suited to this speech, but also that it wouldn’t matter if he tried to speak it himself. He crept forward cautiously, so as not to overtake the speakers.

‘—because chief tell us search! We search. We no find, so what? We search. Time to hunt crunchies-munchies in tunnels. Time away from smelly fire. So what we no find stupid shrine? No one else find either.’

Robin’s heart sped up. They were looking for the shrine? That was something he could use! He knew how to find it, even how to get to it. From here, at least. He could trade that knowledge for food, or directions out of this cave system or—he froze.

He’d been edging closer and closer as the two voices spoke. The thought of food, clothes, a way out—it was too tempting. He drew too close and he caught sight of who he’d been following.

There were two of them, each standing about three feet tall. They were humanoid, but reptilian, covered in scales with protruding snouts and brow ridges and oh sweet frell those were kobolds. They were armed with short spears and daggers, and those mouths full of razor sharp teeth were at the same height as Robin’s very exposed soft bits.

Robin jerked back and wrapped a [Lesser Phantasm] around him to blend into the stone. He almost had a heart attack when nothing in his view changed. Had the cantrip failed? No, the nearest kobold whipped their head around, but didn’t react. It was looking right at him, but gave no sign of seeing him.

Then it flicked its forked tongue out, testing the air. It gave a faint hiss. Robin flinched. Please don’t find me, please don’t find me—

Would you like to raise Stealth to 1 with experience? Y/N?

Yes! Frell yes! Robin mentally bashed at the prompt. There was a flash of something like enervation shooting through his limbs, and then an influx of a different sort of energy.

Robin felt his muscles shift and grow still. The kobolds were gesturing to one another with hand signs. Robin couldn’t interpret those. His gift must not extend to codes or non-verbal languages. Frell.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Not knowing what the kobolds intended, Robin held still and watched them. The two prowled through the cave, tongues questing through the air.

After several agonising moments of searching, the larger of the two jabbed a curt gesture at the smaller and the two of them moved off along the tunnel, continuing the way they had been headed. Robin almost didn’t follow, but what else would he do? He could be miles from an exit from this cave system. The shrine had water, but no food, no clothing. The kobolds clearly had access to both. Through how he was going to get it…

Robin slowly detached himself from the wall and cautiously followed after the kobolds. Tunnels branched and wound, widened and narrowed as he went. Stress mounting, Robin made a concerted effort to pick out landmarks and commit them to memory so he could return to the shrine if needed. If nothing else it should be a fairly safe hiding place.

Proficiency Unlocked: Survival. Increase Survival to 1 with experience Y/N?

Robin mentally assented. Once again he felt a curious energy drain followed by an influx of vitality and knowledge. He felt more assured about not only finding his way back to the shrine but also about trailing the kobolds ahead without losing them.

And trail them he did, all the way to a large cavern. His first hint that something was about to change was the presence of light. Light! Flickering and firelike, it must be the fire the kobolds had mentioned earlier. So this should be their main home cavern.

Robin crept forward slowly. His ears brought him the sounds of many voices and various hints of industry. The smell of roasting meat came to his nostrils and his mouth suddenly watered. Thank Rhyth his stomach didn’t growl.

Thank Rhyth? Robin mentally shrugged. Why not? The god had been decent to him so far. Not like any other deity had stepped forward to help. Not that he’d seen evidence of any other deities, but if Rhyth had been lost, and this was any kind of standard fantasy world, there had to be others. That was the safe assumption, anyway.

Robin put the issue out of his mind as he drew close enough to get a full view of the cavern. The ceiling rose several dozen feet after the tunnel opened into the wider space ahead. From his angle he couldn’t see precisely, and he didn’t want to risk getting too much closer yet, but it was a big space.

Several kobolds swarmed around the floor, bickering and going about small tasks. Three tended to a large fire pit in the centre of the cavern, turning something on a crude spit. Others slept in piles of rags or came and went from other tunnels.

Robin moved as close as he dared, and stepped in among a patch of stalagmites. He wrapped a [Lesser Phantasm] around himself. Being able to see through his own illusions was turning out to be incredibly useful.

Eyes scanning over the cavern from his new vantage point, two oddities leapt out at him. The first was a large figure lounging on a massive wooden chair, almost a throne. She was definitely not a kobold. Green skin, black hair, a pair of small, ivory tusks jutting from her lower jaw—unless Robin missed his guess that was probably an orc of some sort.

The kobolds gave her a wide berth. She, for her part, mostly ignored them, though as Robin watched, she barked an order and a kobold scurried off to carve off a hunk of meat from the spit and bring it to her.

The other oddity was a group of people up against one wall. They were practically crammed into a natural niche formed by the stone there, and bound hand and foot with greasy-looking ropes. Adventuring party maybe? There was a pile of equipment not far from them that two kobolds were digging through.

New Quest: [You Gotta Have Friends]

You have discovered a group of adventurers being held prisoner. Free them.

Reward: Basic clothing; possible allies.

Well, that answered that. Though Robin was still very much outnumbered and under-armed. He resisted the urge to move and find a better vantage point. He was safe here for the moment. Maybe when the kobolds fell asleep—

Robin’s planning session was derailed by the arrival of a new figure to the cavern, this one human! An older man, his left eye was covered with a black patch, and the armour he wore was dark metal embossed with a curious red sigil.

‘Bula!’ the man snapped, ‘you promised me results! Where is that shrine?’

‘Not here.’ Bula, the orc on the throne, shrugged. ‘Maybe you were wrong.’

‘Have you even looked?’

‘Kobolds looked.’ Bula took a bite of meat and bloody juices ran down her chin.

‘Right.’ The old man sneered, looking at the kobolds scurrying around. ‘Because you have such a firm hand on the tiller here.’

‘Don’t preach at me, priest,’ Bula said. ‘They do as I say.’

‘They don’t fear you. They’re running about, likely lying to you about even searching.’ The priest glared about him.

Several of the kobolds made themselves scarce. Robin doubted this was the first time the priest had visited.

‘You’re running out of time, Bula,’ the priest continued. ‘My lord has commanded this shrine be found and destroyed.’

‘Then maybe Urkhan should come down and do it himself.’

‘Don’t play at blasphemy and think you’ll get a rise out of me,’ the priest sneered. ‘Just do the job I hired you for. Or I’ll have you replaced with someone who can do it.’

‘I’m doing the job!’

‘It doesn’t look like it! I’m warning you, Bula. Consolidate your hold over these vermin, find that shrine, and do it swiftly, or I will send you to the Hell of Chains myself.’

New Quest: [Just a Spark of Rebellion]

Incite a rebellion amongst the kobold servants of Bula Bloodfist and disrupt the plans of Urkhan, God of Tyranny. Bonus points if you can kill the bastard’s lapdog priest in the process.

Reward: Enmity of Urkhan, Increased Favour of Rhyth. And the fun of pulling it all off, of course.

Robin thought quickly. Maybe there was a way to kill two birds with one stone. Or to complete two quests with one trick.