Dungeon God: A Dungeon Delving Fantasy by Jack Porter

Author:Jack Porter [Porter, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Eight

Water streamed from my sodden clothes in icy rivulets, the chill once again seeping into my very bones. I fumbled with numb fingers for a torch tied to my pack, grateful to find one still dry within its oiled leather pouch. Sharna huddled close beside me, shivering violently from the cold.

Before I could use the flint, torchlight flared to life along the chamber’s walls. The sudden illumination revealed an unsettling sight—crude pictograms covered strange runes that adorned every inch of the ancient stonework, telling tales I couldn’t begin to decipher.

More disconcerting were the dozens of small, wiry figures perched amongst the masonry, beady eyes glittering with hostile curiosity.

Goblins.

A whole brood of the vicious little imps watched our every move from the shadows, their sharp teeth bared in feral snarls.

They huddled around something on a raised ledge, but with the shadows, I could not tell what it was.

I drew my axes. Any threat they posed was negligible compared to the terror we’d just faced, but I wasn’t about to let my guard down.

One of the larger goblins let out a guttural bark. His minions responded with a chorus of shrill cackles and hoots that set my teeth on edge. At first, Sharna pressed herself against my back, her trembling hand finding my arm in what I thought was a silent plea for reassurance. “Kuno,” she whispered, “I know where we are.”

Surprised, I glanced at her as she stepped far enough away from me to draw her sword. She subtly nodded to our right, and I saw two clear archways leading out of the room.

The lead goblin’s lipless mouth stretched wide, contorting his features into something grotesque. Then, in heavily accented Common, he spoke a single word that cut through the din like a blade.

“Surrender.” His voice stopped all the chatter from the other goblins, all right, but it sounded more like a squeak than a command.

I snorted because it was the funniest thing I’d heard all day. And when the lead goblin raised what looked like a stick as a weapon, I laughed outright.

The goblin’s bravado faltered as my laughter echoed through the chamber. His beady eyes narrowed in confusion, as if he couldn’t fathom why I wasn’t cowering before his meager threat.

Clearly, these mangy little imps had gone far too long without facing a true adversary.

Seizing the opportunity, I slowly lifted one of my axes, letting the dim torchlight glint menacingly off the polished steel. The goblin’s stick clattered uselessly to the ground as his eyes went wide with sudden fear. Around us, his brood shrank back with hisses and whimpers, scurrying further into the shadowy recesses.

For all their bluster, these creatures were more bark than bite when confronted with genuine danger. The realization brought an amused smirk to my lips as I took a deliberate step forward, prompting another chorus of panicked squeals.

Sharna remained tense beside me, sword at the ready in case the situation turned ugly. But as the goblins continued shrinking away, their numbers no longer seemed quite so intimidating.

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