The smell of insect blood and opened bowels filled the air over the dried cliff. Within thick walls of roots, a one sided battle between goblins and killer wasps had ened with the former's retreat into a giant tower-tree. That great plant was endowed with few appenddages despite its unequaled size, but was nevertheless majestic. In front of it were two brave adventurers, patiently observing its details. The first was a Dwarf, a race known for their strong arm and deep connection to the stones. The second was a member of the gracious High-Elves, an ancient race whose refined tastes and good manners go back many millennia.
"Are you done yet?" yelled the High-Elf Archer to her other comrades.
"I believe so." assured a lizard-scaled warrior.
Always serious and courteous, this Priest of the northern marshes had supported the group through the morning's events. His latest assistance was to aid Goblin Slayer's curiosity. That Human, diligent as ever, had insisted they examined the goblin corpses more throughouly. Something didn't sit right, and the Lizardman had concurred.
Goblins and hobgoblins alike had died, either from poisoned stingers or from a merciful blade to their throat. Beneath the sparkling armors, their bodies were riddled with swellings. However, a good portion of the garrison had found the time to take refuge inside the tower and bar the gates. According to the duo's count, around sixteen of the monsters had been killed by the insects alone, while six had fallen to their death in the panic. At least two among the dead were evolved hobgoblins.
"Woah. More effective than expected." admitted the girl.
"It was a deadly species." explained the armored rogue. "Apparently, some wasps can kill you with a single sting if you're unlucky." That detail made the Dwarf shiver for a moment, if the essential oil had been inneffective, the three non-scaly warriors would be in agony right about now.
The Lizardman brushed the soil's dust off his tribal clothes: "The swarm's dangerosity aside, we think the issue lies with the goblins themselves." The silence of his comrades allowed them to elaborate. Goblin Slayer removed the armor of a nearby corpse so all could see the color of the skin. It was brighter than usual, pale even. Moreover, the body didn't present as many pimples or swellings like the ones Goblin slayer usually dealt with. Our connoisseur continued:
"They are all well-fed, clean, and not of this region. This isn't a group formed by wanderers or any normal pack. They have hobgoblins as footsoldiers, but there is no sign of a leader. No Champions or Lords at least. Not only did they react poorly to the attack, I also didn't see any totem."
"Any idea what that means?" asked the Dwarf Shaman?
"I can't say." admitted the expert. "We'll find answers inside, but they must have put up traps while we talked."
Sniffing the air, the demi-human Priest joined his hands together. "May I to open the way?" he proposed.
It was agreed. The small-sized Elf griped her bow with confidence and stepped away from the tree's entrance. The two remaining warriors placed themselves on each side of the door. The Lizardman nodded to signal his intent, then increased his distance for a sprint. A powerful shoulder strike damaged the aging hinges, a second blew the door open with a great sound. But after this came silence. Noone was waiting for them behind the gate. No screaming fiend or hidden assassins, for now. The only real danger was to become enchanted by the beauty of the place, like the High-Elf eased the tension of her bow:
"Incredible." she allowed herself to say.
Around them was the pure fusion of a budding forest and advanced architecture. It was more like the entrance to a King's castle than a hidden fortress. Noone would believe this was the inside of a tree if they didn't see the uneven walls of old wood and the mark of nature. Gilded pillars and smoothened furnitures were the norm. Moss and vine thrived in the contained environnement where the light was abundant. There was indeed light inside this great tree because, unexpectedly, the roof was almost non-existant. The remnants of staircases and decayed platforms aside, one could see all the way to the sky without interruption. How beautiful it would have been in its prime. But it felt unnatural how this tall tree could have grown so high up with a gaping hole in its center.
Wary of an ambush, the four comrades advanced weapon in hands. But for now, there was no sign of the disgusting goblins. There didn't seem to be an acccess to the upper levels, despite their expectations. And the goblins didn't leave as many trinkets as they did outside. Finally, the solemn silence was broken by the Dwarf.
"I don't like this. I don't like anything about this. Where did they go? And how is this old tree even standing?"
"Elven engineering. What else?" replied the ancient Elf.
"Dumb luck?" joked her friend. "Seriously though, where are the greenies?
As Goblin Slayer began searching the grounds for clues, the Priest took the time to address the Archer: "Is there a secret passage somewhere?"
The Elf sighed. Not happy to share the secrets of this place it would seem. She searched her purse and presented a precious map made of old wood. On it was a drawn representation of the hall in a better day, with the statues and structures intact. The Dwarf and the Lizardman went to take a closer look. The colors seemed to indicate a way towards the back, and a bubble hinted towards a lower level. Though that's not all they noticed.
"The ink on it is fading. How old is that thing?" wondered the aged Dwarf.
The Elf dismissed the question. "Don't worry about it. So, basically, some roots were made to dig into the ground and serve as hallways. There should be an access to one of them on the floor around here. Oh, but only a High-Elf posessing secret object can open them." once again she put her hand to her little bag. "Look."
The wooden artifact she showed was shaped like the bottom half of a broken arrow with an intricate nock serving as the key. There was a tint of gold, but it was obviously a very old artefact, as old as this place no doubt. The girl seemed happy to have a bit of real adventuring done today. Goblin Slayer had finished foraging:
"Something like this?" he said as he presented a similar object in his hand.
"E-Eh? Where d-d-did you find this?" stuttered the girl.
"On the ground, right here." he pointed.
At the back of the great hall were two great pedestals. One had been stripped of its statue of a golden Elven archer and the four companions chose to get closer. A passage was clearly present on top of it. One of the wings of this secret passage was partly open, with a lock on it perfectly adapted to the arrow-key.
The Dwarf was pensive. "You sure only an Elf can open those?"
She crossed her arms in puzzlement. "Normally. I mean it's supposed to activate when one of us touches it while turning the key."
The Dwarf closed his eyes and breathed out softly: "So... Either an Elf came here and forgot to close behind him, or the little ones made a new friend..."
She realised his meaning immediately, and anger swallowed her green eyes: "If they kidnapped another Elf, I swear I'll tear them a new one."
The poor girl was not alone with this thought. Though some had other priorities.
"We should hurry before they reach an exit and call for back-up." simply stated the rogue.
And so they entered the shadowy passage. The High-Elf took the lead to watch for traps and ambushers. Next was Goblin Slayer, able to relay orders without having to raise his voice. In the third position was the Lizard Priest. The Dwarf closed the march. The absence of light was dismaying, but they advanced nonetheless. And as walked through the hollowed wood, they did their best to feel their surroundings through touch. Internally they could feel how the path had curved, roughly following the cliff's edge. At least that's what the Elf of the woods and the Dwarf of the stones announced.
The Lizardman was still not used to wandering interiors. He did his best to learn from this experience by observing the others closely. While doing so, the oily scent his companions had bathed in pleased his nostrils. It reminded him of the hot summer in his marsh, of some of the hunts he participated in as a youngling. His nostalgia distracted him from a mossy part of flooring. He tripped on it perfeclty and began falling to the left side. Instinctively, he pressed his hand on the wall, barely maintaining his standing. All of a sudden he felt no resistance from his support. The complete loss of balance surprised him: "AH!"
The wooden wall had fully crumbled from his weight, leading him right outside, over the void. A strong wind was now sucking him outward and he barely had time to grab the remaining wall. But even this vestigial part was breaking down from his strong grip, it would not hold him long. "Help!" he shouted. Thankfully, his two nearest companions grabbed his arm and pulled him back in time.
"You're fine." assured the Human.
The new opening of the giant tree overlooked the sheer cliff it rested upon. The party had descended a good way, but the distance to the ground was still incredible. At this height, the scattered goblin corpses below looked like crushed beetles. The Lizardman had been lucky not to fall. Looking at the large new hole in the wall, his voice trembled in disbelief:
"I barely pushed it... How in the world..."
"Look closer." said the keen-eyed Elf. "Termite holes, very old holes."
An endless labyrinth spread. The Lizard Priest got back on his feet quickly. But understanding how how hollow and brittle this building actually was made a cold sweat run down his scaley cheeks.
"How can this tree remain standing at all?" he shuddered.
The Dwarf scratched his bearded cheek "No idea. I think we should... Uhm?"
An eary noise stirred inside the old wood and the four of them turned towards it. A strange blue fluid, akin to sap, began pouring out of the labyrinthine path, towards the damaged wall. The group silently observed this magical phenomenom. Slowly, every damage done to the wall began resorbing, and before long, the hole would be filled in by hardened sap. Darkness returned. But they had time to notice how other locations in the passage had been similarily restored in the past.
"I've never seen anything like this." commented the Elf.
"I guess we can't destroy the place after all. How bothersome." commented Goblin-Slayer.
"Might this be why the goblins are here? For whatever magic is keeping this tree alive?" suggested the Priest, still shaken.
"If they are, then this is not just an incursion. This is a recovery operation for someone who knows how to use it."
"The Demons? Again?" proposed the Dwarf.
They all remembered the Ogre that ruled over a goblin nest, not long ago. A peerless being, standing the Demon King's generals. Could a Demon of similar standing in charge of this operation? While the Human wasn't knowledgeable about the current state of the war, for his companions the idea was both plausible and horrifying. Imagining Demons going so far as to hire goblins to search for an elven artifact was nightmare fuel. Speed was the word of the day.
"Speculations won't help us. Keep your guard up." advised our mortal hero.
On that they all agreed and resumed their advance with renewed had walked enough for the curveous path to achieve a complete circle back against the edge. The High-Elf suddenly stopped, raised her hand, and pushed herself gently against the wall to hide. The rest of the group leaved her the room to operate She nocked an arrow on her bow. Something was spying on their position from downstairs. A goblin. Thankfully, it hadn't noticed them despite its ability to see in the dark. Goblin Slayer whispered orders to the vanguard's pointy-ears. Without hesitation, the Archer loosed her projectile right into the fiend's throat.
One more dead goblin to add to the list. One who didn't even have time to warn its friends. The group advanced slowly while the goblin silently grasped its empty jugular. When Goblin Slayer got close enough, he stabbed the body again and updated his mental record. "Seventeen." A few steps later, They arrived before a dimly lit room. An unfurnished yet occupied room. The party remained in the passage. The Archer assured the group that there wasn't any traps, they could observe without fear.
One hobgoblin, nine goblins. The former, with long teeth that reached his wide nostrils, had a large wooden club in his hand. It was armored with raw iron on all of his body except for the head. Meanwhile some of the goblins had no weapons at all, probably leaving them to flee the carnage. Reasonnable odds. Some goblins, wounded by the wasps, were scratching their arms in the corners of the room. Not even bothering to check if their friend was on watch, and keeping away from the door at the back.
"Sloppy. How can they be so careless?" whispered Goblin Slayer.
As if to answer this remark, the hobgoblin angrily headed towards his lessers.
"BEH!" it shouted making the lower minions squeal. Before the harsh words of a better, stronger specimen, there was nothing they could do but listen in fear.
"Rirak! Zazabek mutas ek garaha vem tos? Arachna ogama tseta vos! Satkil lag ad nobos!" accused the large monster. His weak brothers didn't dare respond.
They were distracted, now was the time to strike. All agreed and prepared in consequence. Despite his usual fonctions, Lizard Priest enjoyed those moments of preparation before a kill. He watched Dwarf retrieving his hand-axe and getting a serious look on his face. He admired how Goblin Slayer could choose one of the weapons he took from dead goblins without hesitation. Lastly, the High Elf chose her best arrow, nocked it, aimed it, and held. As for himself, he blessed small bones from his purse to summon a larger blade, composed of the bones of ancestral dragons. Sharp and simple, like his spirit.
"Now." casually said the Human, and the hobgoblin's head now had an unhealthy hole in it.
Three adventurers rushed forward and engaged their aggreed target. But it became evident than the goblins' armors were stronger than anticipated, and they knew how to make the most of them. Some jumped on their prey despite the danger to allow their comrades to get closer. Before long, the melee had become less than ideal, though the danger wasn't great yet. The Lizardman finally got rid of his quarry, and was eager to aid one of his comrades.
"Behind you!" screamed the High-Elf, forced into melee combat.
A second hobgoblin, fully armored this time, had appeared from behind the door at the back. swung the empty air with a short thick axeblade to intimidate the reptile warrior. This didn't frighten our Priest however who gripped his dragonic blade and came to meet him. The new hobgoblin proved its mettle by sparing with our hero for a few seconds, but then the Lizardman grew weaker all of a sudden. The hobgoblin pushed this advantage and struck the bone blade itself. The weapon flew off and stuck itself in a nearby wall. Not discouraged, the wise demi-human threw a chop on the fingers holding the axe. It succeeded in disarming the opponent. Despite this loss, the monster hurried closer to strangle his unnarmed prey. The Priest managed to catch those extended arms, seemingly delaying the inevitable. Then, to the monster's surprise, the Lizardman changed his posture.
"Imprudent!" he grinned, showing his bright reptilian fangs.
In a show of strength, the Lizard Priest had no equal. The tables had turned. Now, he was the one pushing the hobgoblin, and the hobgoblin was reeling. Bamboozled, the latter sweated in fear. Out of options as the sharp fingernails penetrated its hand, it screamed and launched a desperate headbutt. But this simple move was easily foreseen. The Priest released his left hand and let the hard skull strike the empty air. Unbalanced by its own momentum, the hobgoblin stumbled two steps forward. Since the Priest still held the right hand well in his grasp he was able to pull the large monster to the ground with a graceful technique. With the monster subdued below his knee, there was one thing left to do, going for the kill. A second bone dagger found the right space between the gaps, and between the ribs. Hot goblin blood was sprayed on our warrior's elongated face. The blade traced along the bone to ensure the kill. The death shriek lasted mere seconds, and the room fell quiet.
The Priest glanced at his surroundings. All hostiles had been neutralised. Good. The party was unscatthed and could start to check the area. He wiped his bloodied muzzle.
"Is everyone alright?"
Everyone was. Though this might change soon. Goblin replaced his used weapons, the Shaman cleaned the fat and blood off his weapon, and the Elf retrieved some arrows from a bow-less goblins. They were all becoming used to this after so much time spent with the goblin-slaying Human. His was thankless job, but one that must be done. Lizard Priest respected that. He gazed forward.
Soon, one detail caught the Lizardman full attention. Behind the door the second hobgoblin guarded, he could now see threads. As thick as climbing ropes, yet smooth like ivory. His reptilian eye opened widely, his legs instinctly recoiled from the shock. He fell to the ground, worrying his comrades.
"Ancestors save us." he gasped.
The High-Elf was the second to notice what he had seen. She was similarily shaken.
"So that's how... T-this is bad." whispered the Archer who started quivering.
The Dwarf and the Human were both clueless. There was no time for non-sense.
"Get a hold of yourvelves! What is it?" asked Goblin Slayer, concerned.
Struggling to maintain his breath, the tribal Priest explained:
"The goblin-leader is an Arachne. She has..."
The Lizard Priest heard a whistle behind him. Before he could turn back, he felt a sharp pain. In front of him his companions looked panicked, raising their weapons again. It took him a moment to notice the black chitinous pike that had pierced his left shoulder.