NOVEL FROG 63. Ultimate diversion.
Arani was walking. WALKING! His angry murmurs echoed in the caves and while no one could understand what he was saying, for sure, he was furious. The large eagle barely fit inside the tunnel and he was walking a fair distance from the rest of Avalon's forces.
"At first pigeon, then not even bat! What am I? A lizard to crawl under a rock?" He muttered a bit louder and sent a raging thunder towards a small pack of goblins hiding in the supposed safety of the dark nook in the wall.
He felt just stupid, crawling on the ground like prey, but it was necessary. Only he could lead the Avalon forces in this battle. The only thing that soothed his wrath was the voice of his King, who praised his efforts and watched through his eyes the course of battle. King Theon was not interrupting his scion; he watched him and allowed him to make mistakes so he could learn. This was an incredible and thrilling thought that the King was observing. Arani moved deeper into caves, obliterating all groups of goblins who couldn't even dream of surviving his wrath.
Maybe he was wobbling like a duck, but at least he was a very angry duck.
•••
The Hussars cleared all the chambers behind their angry leader and, fortunately, the underground dungeon was not the most complicated thing to map. In many chambers closer to the cave entrance, they found very rudimentary armouries and the wolf pens where about two hundred wargs could live. Deeper in the caves were warehouses, some crude workshops and just a few useful nodes that were carefully sampled. In one chamber, deep underground, they found a prison with the remnants of the victims rotting in the deep pits underground. The silent cry for help made the hussars look around the entire room once again. They finally managed to locate the source of the voice; it was coming from behind the wall of the prison.
The hussar captain looked at the wall and the only thing that came to his mind were additional holding cells hidden behind the large rocks. He looked around the room and noticed twenty similarly big rocks under the walls. He signalled to take out more lamps and pointed at the boulders. His soldiers moved them away, revealing a gruesome picture. Dozens of people who died in these cells were a testament to the cruelty of this dungeon. In one of the cells, they found a human girl who once she recognized the human-shaped armours of the Avalon soldiers tried to stand up, but she could only raise her hand. There were a few more women in the cell, but they were dead or unconscious.
"Bring the fairies!" The captain yelled. "Don't be afraid! We are here to help you!"
"Please... Help us..." She managed to whisper before she lost consciousness.
"Lord Arani will be furious..."
"He will be." The captain sighed. "But he must learn about this."
The Avalon soldiers were using their own potions to help those who still could be helped, saving many lives. Others had taken out the dead and laid them with respect while offering a minute of silence, preparing them to be laid in coffins for their last travel in this cruel world. In the end, they managed to save about fifty-two people of various races- Elves, Wolfkins, Humans and Nekomis. Fairies and nagas, which the latter were newly added to the legion ranks, were making sure that saved people would regain enough strength to survive the road to Avalon.
It was a strange feeling to the valiant servants of the Righteous Dungeon. They felt compassion; a feeling unknown to the other monsters they ever interrogated. Lord Lance also told them it was strange that they were compassionate, but Hussars were proud of that feeling; it must have been a gift from King Theon. They are fearless warriors, but no longer they are simple mindless monsters. They are part of the immortal army of Avalon.
•••
I sent another Hussar detachment with horse wagons on the mission to evacuate the captured people. I was a little surprised that we found anyone alive and I don't even want to think how they were kept there. They have spent the last weeks or even months in the darkness of the Goblin Dungeon prison, waiting for a slow death or a fate even worse. I started getting used to the idea that wherever I looked, the people of the world were constantly kicked in the ass. It is the grim world of struggle and death where individual lives are worth nothing. The depressing reality? Or just the reality? For me, it's not normal...
But just for me.
Everyone around me looks away, unwilling to look me in the eye and confirm or deny. But I won't judge them, I will not be harsh and for sure I will not tell them "From where I came this is unimaginable". The nice and comfortable worlds rarely need fixing or saving. It was almost morning, and I was sure this little crisis was over. So far my forces did not find the earth wyrm spawner, which is a bit odd considering the fact the Goblin Dungeon used them.
Well then... The search continues!
•••
Doom was coming for the Goblin Dungeon core in the most hilarious way possible. Eagles are one of the most gracious and majestic birds in the flight, arousing admiration or horror, depending if you are their target or not. But this one was slowly walking through the underground narrow passages towards the Goblin Dungeon core chamber, swearing all the way down. It would have been amusing if it was not so terrifying.
The Goblin Dungeon had run out of options as well; he could only look on powerlessly as the armoured minions of that... Filthy cheater dungeon kept stealing his bargain tokens. He pulled back every single high-level goblin back to his sanctum and started organising the last stand. His traps were too crude to stop or even slow down the invaders, so he was not even bothering with setting them. But in his inner sanctum, he gathered everyone still capable of resisting. But through his proverbial gritted teeth, he just knew that doom is approaching.
•••
Arani was angry. Actually, no, he was so furious he had to stop for a moment to prevent himself from falling into a blind rage. When he was born, he was like every other dungeon monster, wanting the best for his Master without thinking much about the other people of the world. But he loved his Queens, residents, and even found himself liking the citizens. However, all of them were mortal. One day, their life might just end too soon, and the idea of seeing so many of them just murdered by the Goblin Dungeon was simply outrageous. Arani received the report about the prison cells and he felt the pain in his heart as a single tear of grief fell down his beak. After just a moment, the most elite hussars joined him with the sabres in their hands.
"Lord Arani? The last centuriae of the Legio Fulminata are on their way here. Should we wait for them?"
"While I don't think we need them, we will wait."
•••
"Demesne." The voice of her master sounded in her consciousness, startling her.
"My King?" Demesne has not expected the King to reach for her so quickly. "How may I serve you?"
"Why did the Goblin Dungeon attack us?"
"Besides the fact he is just trash? He probably did that to steal as much mana as possible." She sighed and continued after a little while. "He always was an opportunist and scavenger. But you must be wary, my King! It is a treacherous Dungeon!"
"I see. Don't worry, Demesne, I almost resolved that problem," King Theon sighed through their link. "Prepare for me a report about the dungeon wars. Thank you."
Just like suddenly he contacted her, he disappeared. She mentally shrugged and returned to rebuilding once again her dungeon, but then she gasped.
"What is a report?!"
•••
The Goblin Dungeon core trembled in fear when the massive stone gates to his inner sanctum shook, then cracked in a matter of mere seconds. Through the collapsed doors entered armoured servants of this new dungeon hidden behind the massive shields, only to be followed by a wobbly but very angry storm eagle. The most elite of his goblins were gathered here. The archers started shooting as fast as they could, and the shamans cast the most potent spells in a last desperate attempt to change his fate. His best warriors clashed with armoured intruders and the Goblin Dungeon, unable to help it, cried out in shock. How is that possible? This dungeon was surpassing his level?
The raging thunder hit the goblin archers, killing two dozen of them instantly, without mercy. The angry eagle just comically wobbled unperturbed towards him; an unstoppable and terrifying avatar of doom and death. The goblins did everything in their power to stop the intruders, but it was hopeless. They managed to kill a few of them, and the amazing amount of mana that he received deeply shocked him. Each one of them was worth ten times more than his most elite goblins, but even using all the mana on the forced respawns won't help him now. In the last attempt, he ordered his earth wyrms to crush the invaders- the four of his most massive monsters, but it was all in vain.
The great eagle's cry, 'TESTUDO!' heralded deafening thunder as the blinding flash of lightning struck the earth's wyrms, killing them on the spot. The invading armoured monsters below had mere seconds to react and Goblin Dungeon had to admit they were far superior to anything that goblins could do. From behind the first line, a solid roof of shields rose in synchronized formation and an entire forest of some sort of pikes sprouted from within. The falling bodies were impaled and stopped before even reaching the shield roof.
"In the name of my Master, the Righteous Dungeon, I am here to convey his message!" The furious eagle declared.
"His message?" The last of his surviving scions repeated his own thoughts..
"Indeed!" The eagle cleared his throat. "Fuck you!"
The great eagle leapt towards the core that was hidden in the crude monument near the wall. His impossibly sharp beak shattered the figure of a goblin idol and left the core exposed. The Goblin Dungeon core looked in desperation, but there was nothing to stop the wrath of the Righteous Dungeon. He waited for the final blow.
"Submit." The sharp talons encompassed the orange gem.
"I submit! I surrender!"
•••
"Ughhhh... What now?" I rubbed my temples.
I was victorious, but the overall cost of this victory was quite grim. Legio Fulminata was in shambles and Legio Aegis also received a blow. I obtained an ally- Demesne of the Wolf Dungeon does everything that's in her power to convince me I can trust her. I can commend the effort, but that won't happen from day to day. The Goblin Dungeon core was dropped into the prison pit, and I'll probably spare it. However, there will be no more goblins. I ordered my troops to take everything of value from that cave and use the enchanted stones to shut that place down for the time being.
I could kill him, yes, but that would herald to the entire world, or at least everyone in the Cridian Kingdom, that I did that. And that's totally out of options for now. Depending on many factors, I will use that dungeon as yet another training ground. Maybe even with those disgusting goblins... My Adventurers should know how to fight that green trash in the wild. I can always kill it later.
Without any more goblins around, I could start repairing the damages and clean the moat. While it's convenient that over time everything will fix itself, but with the Dungeons wars under my belt, I don't want to wait. Repairs must start immediately.
•••
Oh god... This reminded me that I have forgotten about Twirll and Lance...