The Dramatic Dungeon - A Dungeon Core Story

Ohhhh, things are about to get exciting, so very, very exciting!

Hehehehehe!

Master seems worried, but me, I'm just really really excited! I’m about to have so many playmates!

My siblings are so boring to play with, their wooden faces are so expressionless. But the green men were fun! The look of terror on their faces was priceless!

And there are about to be many more of them!

Such fun, such fun!

I cloak myself in a veil and float up to the ceiling as the rest of my siblings spread out and begin their routine. It’s fun seeing them being mischievous like that, but their pranks are not that creative, I think. And once one of them has done their thing, the gig is up.

My thoughts turn back towards the green men, just as the door opens and a whole pack of them swarms in. Cloaked in purple magic and anger in their faces, they stare and sniff around.

“Hehehehehehe!”

I cannot help it, a giggle escapes my lips as I imagine the fun to be had. I adjust my position immediately, and not a moment too soon as an arrow embeds itself where I just was. Oooops! Hehehehe, the goblin with the bow down there looks like it means business.

The rest of the goblins stare at the ceiling and their apparent leader in confusion and fear, but he grunts something and they refocus and spread out around the room.

There are about 10 of them in here, and more entering in pairs of 2, as they swarm around.

Having learned from our oldest siblings' very first blunder, my family has chosen inconspicuous spots to play dead in. The goblins largely ignore them, only the one with the Bow - the Gobowlin! Yes, he shall be the Gobowlin, hehehehe! - takes note of their presence and inspects them suspiciously.

There still are goblins entering and it doesn't seem like that will stop soon. Only after waiting for a loooooong looong time have they all finished cramming themselves into the small space together.

Hehehehe. It’s time to have some fun. The first goblins that entered have scouted out the first room and report their findings to the one with the fancy stick. Oh, and the lovely dress. The little things that form it scuttle around adorably with their tiny limbs and cute carapaces.

The second they are done, the Gobleader chitters at his minions and they begin the march down the hallway, accompanied by one of the Gobowlins.

Showtime.

Master starts the performance by extinguishing what little light we had, momentarily stumping the green men as their bulbous eyes become useless. As he does, I weave a little illusory sound. A menacing growl behind. A scuttle between legs. The panicked goblins twist and turn, striking at the perceived source of noise with their primitive weaponry. Some even hurt their comrades in the process, eliciting grunts and screeches of pain and anger. This is so fun! So much emotion on display!

“Hehehehehehe!”

Oops. I shift again, though no arrow comes this time. The gobowlin must have not heard me over the screeching. How boring!

Their confusion grows as I throw another pained screech in the mix, right behind them. All of them turn, and that's when the door bursts open and my siblings charge down the hallway. Siegfried is in front, shield raised, barreling into the group, and it devolves into a messy melee. At the same time, my siblings in the first room rise from playing dead, and barrel into their rearguard.

I add some more sounds into the mix as my siblings assault the blinded goblins, several of which get immediately crushed and maimed by the surprise assault. The purple magic doesn't make their small bodies any harder to squish it seems. Weaving a scream of pain here, a snarl and growl there, the scratching of claws on stone, and grunts in an imitation of the shamans voice, I hope to confuse and bedazzle.

And I succeed, most of the goblins attacks only hit the air, the walls, or their allies, only the ones that are being directly assaulted by my siblings have even the chance of retaliation, the rest merely attack everywhere wildly, causing much pain among the side with the larger body count. Which is theirs, hehehe!

Now that everything is well and truly plunged into chaos, I swoop down from the ceiling and towards the gobleader. One of the latest three wooden siblings is currently trying to get at him past the goblin with the sword. He is waving around the shiny stick while grunting and gesturing, so I bite his finger, causing him to drop the stick.

Bleh! Green men taste nasty!

But the stick is on the floor now, hehehe!

Mine!

I snatch the shiny and fly back up to the ceiling, hastily cloaking myself again in order to not receive an arrow for my troubles.

“Hehehehehehe!”

Another giggle escapes unbidden… and I am not fast enough this time. The arrow hits me square in the chest, and everything fades to black as I begin to fall.

At least… it was… fun…