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Rain picked up the now clean and dry and clothed Goblin having bathed her once more, despite her furious protestation.

She had her arms crossed and wouldn't look him in the eye. Her legs dangled beneath her uselessly.

“This sucks.”

“Not my fault if you can't handle a good hard fucking.”

“Shush you.”

“Maybe if we do it enough you will get used to it so you won’t have this problem.”

Opal scowled but an interested look crossed her eyes.

Rain put her up onto his shoulders with her feet dangling over his chest. She grabbed at his fur to hold her balance. He was far larger than last time he had carried her like this and her legs were spread wide.

“Where can I find more to eat Opal? I don’t want another Panthara, that monster was far too cunning, and much too dangerous.” 

“Yeaaah. Pantharas are a big nope. It’s fine, there are tons of monsters in the dungeon. We could walk for miles across just one floor, we'll definitely find something at some point. Hmm...”

As Opal spoke about where various monsters could potentially be found, Rain untied the Kobold’s chain from where he had looped it around a tree. The Kobold was already up and waiting to go with Opal’s old rucksack on his back. The Kobold seemed distinctly disinterested in mentioning what had happened earlier and was trying very very hard to pretend it had not happened.

Rain gripped the end of the chain in his fist and they made their way out of the giant flower cavern. 

Walking didn’t take as long as it used to as Rain’s increased size meant longer legs and a longer stride. The Kobold had to hurry to keep up.

They wandered through the endless warren of dungeon tunnels, occasionally popping in and out of minor caverns and varying biomes. At one cavern a dozen small horned rabbits fled from Rain's presence as he went to grab them, eager for a snack. They disappeared into tiny burows carved into the cavern wall. Growling in annoyance he turned away. 

His hunger was starting to rise and pull at his attention when they emerged from a dark twisting tunnel into an extremely large cavern. It was by far the largest Rain had seen in the dungeon so far. A vast plain of long grass stretched out before them, the ceiling so far overhead that clouds had seemingly formed. The clouds scudded across the underside of the cold glowing crystal and rock. A ruin was in the middle of the cavern and dozens of smaller stubs of stone dotted the grassy plain.

“Is... is this normal for a dungeon?” asked Rain looking at the other side of the cavern several miles distant. 

“Uhm, I don't know, but the witch in my old tribe warned Gobbos from coming here. We should go around…”

“If that witch didn't want people coming here then I want to know why. Goblin witches hate me because of whatever species of monster I am, this could be related, it could be an answer. It... It feels like something is here...”

“Or it could be that there's just some nasty monster and she didn't want Gobbos dying pointlessly.”

“True, but I'll kill and eat it if there is.”

He strode out onto the plain, long grass flattening under his feet. The Kobold required a tug to be moved from the safety of the tunnel.

“H-hey, my tribe knew of this place too!” squawked the Kobold as he stumbled onto the grass.

Rain turned to him with a frown. “They did? Do you know what this place is?”

“Uh, well, sort of, It’s uhm, Haunted! We shouldn't go here! Maybe! Please don't eat me!”

“Haunted?”

“Yes!”

The Kobold looked around frantically. The plain stretched out before them. A breeze brushed the long grass.

“Haven't you noticed? There’s wind in here! In a dungeon!”

“He’s right, that is kind of strange,” murmured Opal.

“It’s probably because this cavern is so large, or maybe there is air rising up from lower caverns disturbing the air in here. I’m not turning back because of some wind.”

Rain marched further into the cavern, fearful Kobold in tow. They came across one of the stone stubs dotted throughout the grass. Now that Rain was close he realised that it was the very last remnant of a structure. Blocks of stone littered the ground around the small finger-like chunk of masonry that was all that remained standing. 

His eyes followed the stone blocks peeking from amongst the blades of grass into the distance.

“I think this cavern used to be filled with buildings, like a city… A huge city...”

Opal peered down at the heavy block stonework. “It looks old, like the stone stairs between floors.”

“Maybe it was the same people who built them. It would make sense that they would leave something other than just stairs behind right?”

They wandered across the plain, various pieces of ruin becoming visible, a piece of fallen arch, a corner of a tiled floor, a stumped pillar. whatever had been done to the place had leveled it, torn down every structure stone by stone until only the one ruin in the middle was left standing.

As they approached it Rain realised it was a part of a castle, although nearly destroyed beyond all recognition. The walls were shredded and scarred, the dark stone blasted and melted in places. The ruin had a skeletal bleak feel. The wind blew through stoney gaps with a hollow echoing sigh. 

Opal shivered on his shoulders. 

“This place is creepy...”

Rain didn't reply but approached a wall. On the wall was something familiar. An angular runic script that looked like it had been clawed out of the stone. It was the same as the script around the gold band on the giant petrified alligator they had found dead by the great lake. He put his paw flat on the wall, the runes were the same, although this time his claws dwarfed the markings.

“I was right to listen to my gut, these runes, I think they were made by my kind, these marks were made by claws like mine.”

The Goblin peered down at them sceptically. “I guess they could be, the dead thing that was on the bottom of the great lake was supposed to have lived a long long time ago. It’s possible it was part of the people that built this stuff.”

“Maybe there will be more inside… Maybe a clue about what happened here...”

Opal hesitated then nodded her head. “Yes... there might be.”

They wandered beneath ruin, into the shadowed halls and broken rooms. The ceiling was tall, enough for Rain, with Opal on his shoulders, to just fit beneath. The wind was muffled here and Rain was a little disturbed to hear it sound a little like a susserating whisper in some unknown language as it filtered through the ruin.

The Kobold yelped suddenly and Rain turned to him. 

“What is it?”

“I- th-thought I-I s-saw something, there was a weird pale head, at the end of the hall looking around the corner!”

Rain narrowed his eyes and rushed forward. He came to the end ready to catch whatever monster was there but found the following hallway empty. 

“What did you see? Tell me.” 

The Kobold yelped as he was pulled forward on his chain. “Elf! Or H-human maybe! I can't tell they all look alike to me!”

Rain blinked in surprise. “Not a monster?”

“No! I don’t think so anyway, but then again it could be a, uhm, harpy. W-we should go, really!”

“If there really are levelers here then they would have come for monsters so that they can kill and level up from them, so if you did see a leveler then we can be sure there are monsters too,” murmured Opal.

“Caution it is,” said Rain. He shook the Kobolds chain and gave him an evil grin. “You go first.”

“W-what!” spluttered the Kobold. “B-b-but I can’t! I- I- have a condition!”

Opal scoffed. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

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“I’m scared.”

“Good. It’s like fishing, a wiggling worm on the hook attracts more fish, or something,” leered the Goblin.

Rain yanked on the chain and the Kobold yelped and scuttled forward with tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

He approached the next corner.

“WhymeWhymeWhyme, should have kept my mouth shut, oh godsohgodsohgods.”

The Kobold slowly stuck his snout around, ready to bolt at the slightest motion.

After a moment he released a breath.

“There's nothing here, it’s just a big empty room.”

Rain approached behind him and peered around. The hallway terminated just a few feet ahead and opened into a dark and shadowy hall.

“This must be in the center of the Ruin, if there's anything important I bet it's here.”

They slowly emerged into the hall, it was a vast thing with great square pillars marching down its length to either side. The occasional crumbling gap in the ceiling let pinpoint beams of light through. Dust motes hung sluggishly in the light, giving a still and heavy feel to the space.

The hall was deathly silent until suddenly a thud and the click clack of a lock behind them caused them to turn. A pair of heavy bronze doors had shut themselves over the entrance they had come through. The Kobold rushed up to them and desperately tried to pull the doors open but they remained solidly immovable. 

“Oh gods we’re all going to die!” moaned the Kobold. He turned on Rain. “I told you! I told you so! This place is! It’s h-HAUNTED!”

“Quiet.” 

The Kobold’s mouth clicked shut with a terrified look up at the wolf.

“Is it just me or is the end of the hall… darker.” whispered Opal. The oppressive stillness and weight of stone holding her back from speaking aloud.

Rain narrowed his eyes at it. It was true, the hall was unnaturally dark, and despite his excellent night vision, he could only barely perceive that there was a stone throne at the end.

A voice came from the shadows, a dry husk of a voice.

“Unusually observant, but then you appear to not be a band of foolish levelers who have wandered once more into my domain. Curious. A Kobold, a Goblin, and a…”

The shadows suddenly drew together and a cloaked thing materialised upon the throne. Its pitch black clothes made from layered rags that writhed of their own accord. The creature was large, or rather the throne was large, yet it still sat comfortably upon it. Its hood was shadowed yet it was still possible to see seven humanoid skulls of various species packed inside, one even had horns. Squeezed amongst the skulls were smaller skulls, rat skulls, bird skulls, canine skulls, cat skulls. Each eye socket of every skull had an eerie green flame flickering in it.

“If I may ask, what exactly are you?” it said, “I know of most if not all monsters in this dungeon, and I have been here a very very long time, yet I have not seen one of your kind.”

As the creature spoke the jaw bones of each skull shivered and trembled and the flames flickered and flared.

“An old species. I couldn't tell you what I am, I don’t know myself,” answered Rain warily.

“What a strange answer.” A breeze seemed to lift and brush against its rags. It smelt like ancient death.

“You say you’ve been here a long time? Then you must know something of what happened to this city we stand in?”

The creature seemed to study Rain. 

“This dead city has always been here for all the centuries that I have existed, it has always been, just as the rest of the dungeon has always been, these things just are. If that question is your only reason you have come to my domain then you are truly as foolish as all the levelers who came before. No matter, you shall make a fine addition to my collection, a body such as yours will be well suited.”

Opal suddenly piped up. “It’s not your domain!”

The ‘eyes’ of the creature looked above Rain and focused on the Goblin. “I have lived here longer than tens of generations of your kind. All you see is mine.”

“Doesn't matter. Wolfie here’s people built the place.”

“An absurd claim.”

“It’s true! You’re a squatter!”

The creature seemed to pause hearing this, a ripple of irritation crossed its pitch black rags.

“No, I am not.”

“Yes you are! You’re living in someone else's home without permission! You’re a bum!”

 

The fire seemed to flare in its eyes. “Stop talking.”

“Squatty squatter! How about building your own house instead of squatting all over the place!”

“Nonsense. I shall endeavour to flay your skin from your body before you become mine Goblin.”

“Big talk coming from a lazy bum squatter squatting in other people's property because you're too cheap and lazy to build your own house. Squatty squatty bum bum, squatty squatty bum!”

 “Shut up! Shut up! I command you to shut up!” shouted the creature, its eyes blazing in fury.

“Squ-

“ENOUGH!” it roared.

The creature abruptly stood from the stone throne, its ‘hands’ emerged from the sleeves of its cloak, each bone hand had at least twenty digits and were a mix of different creatures, claws and talons and fingers, even some small creatures' arms acting as fingers. The disturbing looking ‘hands’ roiled and twitched, the fingers clawing and twisting at the air. A scraping sound soon came from the empty entrances around the throne and a white thing rushed across the ground, a snake? snakes? No, it took Rain a moment to realise what he was looking at was not a pile of snakes but dozens of spinal columns twisting and writhing and slithering across the ground, coming together to twist into a larger boney length. Large black triangles were attached at various points on the spines and were dragged into the bone mass giving the effect of a thorny vine.

The ‘snake’ slithered up to the cloaked creature's feet then coiled upward into its hands where it formed into a thick staff. The black triangles, which on closer inspection appeared to be some kind of giant shark like teeth, arranged themselves so that the top quarter of the staff was studded with the things, the largest at the top, each tooth the size of a fist. A brutal looking spiked club.

“I would have liked to have avoided damaging you. Oh well.” 

The skulls grinned.

Its free hand came up and the many fingers made a beckoning motion at the darkness. After a moment the air was filled with a moaning and shuffling and Rain and Opal could only watch as figures stumbled from the doorways. They poured in, a veritable crowd of species, everything was present, monsters, levelers, Goblins, Kobolds, Humans, Elves, even to Rain’s dismay, a huge Panthara.

As they came into the lighter part of the hall their rotted faces were revealed, haggard torn skin hung from shambling bodies, injuries in life having remained in undeath, missing eyes, torn open bellies, broken bones. The undead stared coldly at Rain, their dead hands gripping whatever weapon they had held in life, now rusted without a care.

“Behold.” said the creature. “My collection.”

The trio were surrounded by well over a hundred of the undead, the crowd only broken up by the massive pillars supporting the hall.

The Kobold squatted on the ground with his claws over his head, his eyes squeezed closed, letting out the occasional whimper.

Opal leant down and whispered in Rain’s ear.

“Get close, it’s our only hope.”

“I know.” said Rain, coming to the same conclusions as the Goblin.

 

 

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