Dalton tried to climb up to the hole to no avail. He wasn’t sure how the goblins had climbed up in the first place. There weren’t any ladders, and the wall up was rounded and smooth like marble.

Perhaps goblins were using climbing equipment, or they just could climb the wall like a spider.

Regardless, Dalton couldn’t climb back up to escape, and was stuck with only one option to venture deeper in the cavern to escape.

After a few minutes of fussing in the dark, Dalton gave a very vocal sigh.

Guess I should venture deeper.

He liked pretending he had a choice. It was very good for his sanity.

There were many paths that branched out from where he stood. Dalton counted three, but when he dipped his head in the mouth of one, he could see torch light in the distant showing three more paths open up.

The other two paths had no torch lights hanging on the wall, which probably meant that the goblins didn’t go down those paths.

They could also potentially lead him outside and away.

But he had no resources on him. He even dropped Malcolm’s gun somewhere and had searched for it in desperation, before giving up. It would be better if he went towards the goblins and see if he could steal any resources. After all, if he stumbled in the darkness, he may run into something worse than goblins.

“Alright. Let’s go with the going down the well-lit path.” Dalon spoke to his terrified self.

He hoped that he wouldn’t run into goblins. That hope was as empty as praying that the sun wouldn’t rise the next day. But he could still hope that it wasn’t a giant one like the one that took Ozul.

That goblin was no doubt evolved. Maybe a hobgoblin, or something even higher. For some reason, he was keen on Ozul…

Dalton stopped in his tracks at an entryway/ His question answered.

The evolved goblin was kneeling on one knee, holding a ring high up to propose to a tied Ozul. Ozul had the look of a dead man, his mouth covered by gum tape. When he spotted Dalton there was an unspoken conversation.

Save me, his eyes pleaded. Crack his skull with the axe on the table.

Dalton returned him a gaze and gave him a thumbs down. He told him to eat shit, and he hopes that he has a nice honeymoon with the nice goblin.

Ozul tried to speak, he thrashed in his restraints and tried to have goblin looked Dalton’s way. The goblin took his excitement as a yes and started to undress Ozul.

Dalton waved goodbye.

A muffled scream filled the air. Not from the pain that Ozul was feeling, but because Ozul was trying to sell him out to the big Goblin. Dalton grinned, knowing that it was meaningless. The goblin only wanted him. He didn’t understand why, but Dalton couldn’t help but feel happy about Ozul’s misfortunes.

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Just a little bit of him was becoming corrupt.

It worried him a bit.

The few weeks he’s been here, he felt that he was changing. If it was a few weeks ago, he would have tried to save Ozul.

As Dalton continued to explore deeper in the network of caverns, he passed by another will lit room and found Malcolm. His wrists and ankles were bounded together, and he was hung by them, suspended in the air. His pants had been pulled off, but his shirt was still on. He was turning like a wind-up angel music box.

“Hey,” Malcolm said in a conversational tone. “How are you doing Dalton?”

“Doing fine.” Dalton gave a curt nod. “Where is your goblin?”

“Oh, he went away. You know, didn’t have any lube. Pretty sure he’s going to come back any minute now. By the way, where is Ozul? Did that rat bastard abandon us?”

“No, he got caught. He’s currently in the throes of deep passion at his honeymoon.”

“I see. I see.” Malcolm nodded as if he understood the whole situation. “So, Dalton. Can you be a lad and cut me down from here.”

Dalton considered abandoning Malcolm.

He decided against it, taking a knife from the table in the corner. Malcolm gasped. Dalton turned around to find see the goblin. It smiled, even waved with its free hand, but Dalton’s gaze was focused on its other hand. It held a club high above its head and then it came down.

Dalton slipped forward, falling on top of the goblin. He immediately pushed himself away. The knife he was holding was planted deep in the goblin’s chest. It was dead.

“Wow!” Malcolm whistled. “That was amazing. You killed the goblin. If you kill enough you shall obtain the title of Goblin Slayer. Now can you please untie me?”

Though his hand was still shaking, Dalton glared at Malcolm. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

“I can’t really see too well, if you haven’t noticed,” Malcolm said, his back against Dalton right now.

He was having second thoughts about rescuing him.

“…I heard you gasp. You could have yelled at me.”

Malcolm was facing Dalton now. He frowned. “I know that look. No way in hell you’re going to abandon me.”

Dalton stared at the dead goblin. His hands had finally stopped shaking. He steeled himself and pulled the knife out. Blood spurted out like a geyser, hitting Dalton in the face.

“Come now, talk to me, Dalton! You’re not the type to abandon me are you? I would never abandon you.” Malcolm pleaded.

For some reason, there was a burning fire raging in his chest from hearing that.

Dalton wiped the blood off his face.

He held the knife up in the light. It was chipped and a bit rusted, but it would be useful. Using a scrap of cloth he found on the ground, he used it to tie the handle of the knife around his waist.

Then he took a step towards the exit.

“Wait goddamit! Don’t you dare leave me! I’ll have you know that I actually have a plan to kill the Goblin King!”

Dalton stopped. “You do?”

He highly doubted what Malcolm was saying was true.

“I do.”

“Just to tell you, but I lost your revolver. I have no idea where it is. I also don’t see your other gun you brought on you.”

“I know where it is, and I still have what I need to deal with the goblins,” Malcolm said.

Dalton narrowed his eyes. “And what is this plan?”

“I’m not going to tell you, if I tell you, you’re going to use it and leave me here for the goblins to use me as a hole. Cut my ropes, and I will tell you my grand plan.”

Dalton cocked his head at that.

Grand plan…

“You don’t have one, do you?”

“Shut up! I do! Fuck! If this was just a few years ago, I could break this rope and throttle you with my muscles!”

Doubt.

“Alright, well I think-”

“Okay, what if I offered you five paid days off?”

And that perked up his ears.

“A week.”

“Six.”

“Deal.”

Dalton freed him from his bondage. Malcolm rubbed his wrists, giving Dalton a stink eye.

“I can’t believe you weren’t going to free me? Why did Eira put a corrupt asshole like you under me?”

“No. Let me make this clear, if it were Eira or Louise, I would have freed them,” Dalton said. “But not you. And not Ozul. So, what’s your plan?”

His boss picked up his pants and gave him a shit eating smile. He held up a small vial of golden powder.

“This is it. Goblin pheromones.”