Dungeon Master: It's a Magical World

[TimBaril]

As his eyes focused on an invisible screen in front of him, Thump made a satisfied nod. "Perfect." He pressed a button in the air, accepting the role of Manager. Tentatively, he pressed a hand to where the barrier across the doorway had been but encountered nothing. Smug, he stepped into the room. His hair flopped out of place as he did, and he instinctively swished it back into place. Then, with both hands on the bulge of his belly, he surveyed the room. That took about…three seconds. "Not much to it, is there?"

Kai awkwardly cleared his throat. He gave his grass bed the side eye. "It's a work in progress." Then he got excited. "But I have big ideas! I can expand the size of the room as I level up, right? The ceiling's a little low right now. I want to raise it up, then in that corner over there, I want to put one of those nets you can walk and lounge on, maybe a fun place to read or take a nap. Like you're a spider." He laughed. "I want to add another room for a proper bedroom. Maybe a bed sunken into the floor. Or one that's on a floating island and surrounded by water!" He tapped his lip in thought and frowned. "Actually, all that water might make me want to pee in the middle of the night."

Thump distractedly replied with, "Huh," but his attention was mostly on the console and screen.

Oblivious, Kai continued, "I was kind of thinking of my own apartment with a kitchen and stuff, but that seems like it would be kind of lonely. Maybe it would be nice to eat with the others, right? Like big, dungeon family dinners. Except sometimes they eat things I'm not really into, like people."

"Uh huh." Thump was only half-turned toward Kai now as he slowly drifted toward the console.

"Maybe like a snack area? And I'd love a library! Floor-to-ceiling shelves just stacked with wicked awesome books. I haven't seen any books yet, but I'm really curious to see what's out there. Maybe start a collection. Although if I keep them all in here, then nobody else can read them. That would suck. Can't have a proper library unless everyone has access, right? I don't think the kobolds read much. But they might like to learn!"

"Mmm." Thump was now at the console and began poking the controls.

Kai continued, happily rambling away, excited that he had someone to share with, "I love reading fantasy. Or I did. But if magic exists, do they even have a fantasy genre here, or is it just called contemp…counter…uh, like real life? Maybe fantasy books here are about guys in suits at an office all day, trying to make more money so they can marry a trophy wife, and the big bad dragon is just, like, the CEO of the company. And you slay him and take his hoard and his house. And his trophy wife becomes yours."

"Yes, that makes perfect sense." Thump seemed to be deep in the menus and options at this point.

Realizing that Thump wasn't interested in hearing about Kai's interior decorating plans, Kai tried not to feel bad at the lack of excitement and also turned to the console. A thought struck. A good one, so it didn't hurt. "Hey, maybe we should add Yellow Flowers as a manager too!"

Thump looked up, all his attention on Kai now. He seemed to give the notion serious thought, though he frowned too. "Well, that's an idea. That Yellow Flowers, she's something, isn't she? Wonderful person. Really wonderful. I love her. But I think it might be best to hold off for now. You don't want to grow the team in charge too fast. Too many chiefs and you end up spending more time talking than doing, and we really want to focus on good, effective progress right now. I think we should hang that idea on a stick and poke at it a little later."

"Poke? Stick?" Another example of local euphemisms throwing him for a loop. "Why would you…?" Asking about the expression would probably be weird. Maybe it was something everyone in this world knew. He shook his head, clearing the idea from his mind.

As Thump became highly engrossed in studying the console, Kai felt awkward just standing there. Thump wasn't asking questions or trying to engage in conversation. So Kai twiddled his thumbs for a bit, then decided to go touch grass. He took the back exit and went out into the forest.

It was easy to forget there was all that beautiful nature to be enjoyed when you were constantly in the dungeon. Kai wandered out into the forest and took some time to enjoy the sunlight on his smooth-but-bumpy green skin. He enjoyed the fresh air and the sounds of birds. The screech of a wyvern overhead was rather less peaceful. Recalling that he was prey now, he kept a wary red eye both on the surrounding forest and the sky above. And it's a good thing he did.

An insect the size of a pickup truck appeared in the distance. It was mottled green and brown, only its slow movement gave it away. The creature was cockroach-shaped, but with arms ending in crab-like pincers and a head like a stag beetle.

Kai watched it for almost a minute. His veins iced over with dread. Finally, his brain kicked back into gear. "Nope. Not staying out here anymore." He spun on his heel and retreated back into the dungeon.

Figuring he'd offer to help out where he could again, he went down to Floor 3 with the kobolds and the mine they were developing. He found Thump standing in the hall, his posture and tone commanding as he rapidly issued orders to everyone around him.

"Carry that over there. No, to the left. Fine. You, blue guy. I'd like to see shelves over there, ok? Good shelves. Tough ones. They have to hold rock, get me?"

"Yes, Chief."

"Good, go. You, Rockhead—"

"Rocky, great chief."

"Whatever. Take this load or waste rock and build a pile over there, across the entrance, will you. We want to block it off, make it harder to access."

Rocky looked at the chunks of raw stone chipped from the new mine. "Heavy. My old…"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Rocky weakly bowed his head. "Yes, Chief."

The female goblin with red hair gingerly approached. She still looked like she was grieving. "Father—"

He only glanced at her, his tone sharpening as he replied, "What did I tell you?"

She took a breath as if calming herself. "Chief Thump, the pregnant mothers are working too much. Gabby and Jez are both way too late in their term—"

"They're fine. You let me worry about that. You have your own job, don't you."

"Father—"

He backhanded her. Not cruelly, not angrily, just an automatic reaction, like he'd been slapping a mosquito. She lurched under the blow but didn't fall. He just stared at her, waiting.

She straightened. "Chief Thump—"

He finally fully turned to her. "Enough backtalk. Do your job. Now." He pointed down the hall.

The young woman hesitated, maybe thinking about trying to argue, but quickly turned and marched away.

Kai felt his stomach turn sick. This was not the version of Thump he'd seen earlier. Thump seemed to have entirely taken control, and the change in attitude shockingly sudden. His friendliness and charm from before were gone. He wasn't working with people anymore; he was telling everyone what to do. Kai took a couple of breaths of his own to find his courage and stepped up.

Thump didn't even look Kai's way, just continued to throw orders around.

For some reason, it was scary, but feeling like this was really important for everyone's sake, Kai raised a hand and his voice, and spoke to Thump in a way he hoped others would hear, "Hey, look, I appreciate that you've got leadership experience. I think that will be a real asset to all of us. But I think we were doing pretty well, working more communally. I don't think we really need anyone that much in charge, right? It's not like we're under attack or something." He weakly chuckled.

Thump slowly turned his head toward Kai. He didn't smile. In fact, he seemed annoyed, even a little affronted that someone would challenge him. He took a moment to reply, and in that second or two, everyone else, kobold and goblin alike, who were working on Floor 3, slowed to listen. "I think that's fine if you live in a peaceful place. But we're in the wilds. Who knows what dangers could find us? We need to get this dungeon in fighting form as soon as possible."

Kai didn't like this. Thump was suddenly acting very much the sole chief in charge, and Kai had to consciously remind himself that the dungeon was actually his, not Thump's. "Sure, that's understandable. But a top-down, authority-driven society isn't what we were really going for, and I don't think that's what's best here. I think everyone would be a lot happier if we worked together more, rather than just following one person's orders."

"Oh? So you're saying my orders are bad?"

"No—"

"You're saying I'm stupid? I don't know what I'm doing?"

"That's not—"

Thump stepped closer, challenging Kai. "I'm a chief. I've been a chief a long time. A very good chief. How about you? How much leadership experience do you have?"

"Well, none, I guess, but—"

"Oh, so you're the expert. Even though you have no idea what you're doing. I see." Thump gestured to the other people, now all standing there, rapt at the conflict between the one who'd invited everyone into the dungeon, and the big, impressive leader who stood bigger and taller, who was stronger and more able. Thump's voice was flat as he said, "Go ahead then. You want to be in charge? You want to lead them all to their deaths, is that it?"

"No—"

Thump spoke right over him, "Go on, go ahead then. Kill everyone. I'm not staying, though. My family and I are leaving. I don't feel like dying here." Suddenly, his demeanor changed again, now disgusted and dismissive, and he gave every impression of being absolutely done with Kai and the dungeon.

All around, people's eyes widened, and someone gasped with worry.

Even Kai felt a surge of panic at the idea of Thump leaving. "Wait! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

Thump snorted. He spoke mockingly, "Sure. Just tell me I'm a bad leader. Ask me to die. That's all."

Kai was at a loss. He wasn't used to situations like this and didn't know how to handle it. Instinctively, he tried to back off, flustered. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm not very good at understanding or communicating sometimes."

Thump finally turned to meet Kai's eyes again. "So you're saying you want me to stay."

"Of course!"

"Well." Thump shrugged like he was undecided and had lost all enthusiasm for the dungeon. He looked away again. "We'll see."

Not wanting further conflict to drive Thump out of the dungeon and fearing he was somehow in the wrong, Kai excused himself, embarrassed in front of the goblins and kobolds watching him. He made himself scarce for a while.

An hour later, it was dinner time. People gathered, cooking and eating together on Floor 4 since Floor 3 was a mess from setting up the mine and barricades, and Floor 2 was cramped.

Kai, not wanting to eat alone, nervously approached Floor 4 from the back staircase. He stopped before entering. He wasn't looking forward to running into Thump again. The idea of arguing turned his stomach. Seeing only a few goblins and two kobolds caring for babies in the first room, entered, giving the others a smile that he was sure must have looked stupid. At the archway to the next room, he paused again.

Thump was at the far end of the room. He and Rush were alone in the corner, talking in hushed tones. Thump was bent over and had his hand on Rush's shoulder, his manner direct. They whispered back and forth, Thump breaking out his charming smile more than once before grinning, gripping Rush's shoulder tightly, and then patting him a couple of times. It was the same kind of intense, personal attention he'd given Kai before.

Thump moved into the next room. Kai could just see him wave to another kobold and pull him aside for another private conversation with shoulder poking, a wink, and a friendly air. There were plenty of people, and the rooms were small; Thump could easily have addressed lots of people if he'd wanted to. Why was he having these little side dialogues? Because he was trying to control the narrative? Win people over one by one, saying whatever he had to in order to get them on his side?

Rush saw Kai and came over. "Kai."

Kai suddenly choked up, almost unable to respond. Had Rush been turned against him? Kai had been feeling like they were becoming friends, so this might hurt. "Hey."

Rush's expression grew dark and uncertain. "Strange." He glanced over his shoulder at Thump.

Kai looked too. "Thump?" The hobgoblin was still actively working on the kobold in the other room.

"Yes. Strange. Talk of you. Of him. Say he is good chief. Not you. Want us help." Rush gritted his teeth and hissed. Then he looked resigned. "He is big. Very strong. More than us. More than all us together. Maybe everyone want him to be chief." He gave Kai an apologetic look, and he seemed sincere.

Kai soured, finally understanding what was going on. Thump was taking power. He was quietly trying to get people on his side so the next time Kai tried to object, Thump could count on support while Kai had none.

Thump's behaviour this whole time hadn't been genuine. Kai had just been caught up in an act, a victim of manipulative charm. A sleezy politician making you feel cared about and valued when they were really only out to use you to get what they wanted. Thump didn't want to be a part of the dungeon; he wanted to be in charge of it. Thump and Thump alone. Even if Kai was the owner, Thump was going to try to get everyone on his side and effectively take charge. Probably bully Kai into becoming a minion. If Kai continued to be spineless and let that happen.

Kai had made a very big mistake. He'd trusted Thump too quickly. But now, it seemed like Thump wasn't someone to trust at all. Kai needed to act, even if it meant angering Thump or causing him to leave the dungeon. He hardened his resolve. "I need to fix this." He ignored Rush's confusion and turned to race back upstairs. He needed to revoke Thump's manager role as soon as possible.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thump look up. He saw Kai. His hand rose, and he snapped his fingers.

A goblin seemingly stepped out of the wall. It was the first time that Kai had seen that particular goblin. He knew it because the goblin was male and dressed in shimmery gray cloth armour like a rogue or ninja. It must have had a camouflage effect, or the goblin had a skill. He'd remained hidden until choosing to reveal himself. The goblin rogue calmly stepped between Kai and the stairs, cutting Kai off. The rogue wasn't nearly as big as Thump, but he was easily twice Kai's size.

Kai whirled. Could he make it past Thump instead? He had to get up to the Admin Room.

But Thump was already marching back into the room, his orange hair falling into disarray but for once ignored, and he had a hard look in his eyes.

 

[TimBaril]

Vance



Vance, Feckle, and Peckle tromped through the forest…quietly. Nervously, one might say. On tiptoes and with a rather twitchy disposition, one might think.

Something snapped in the distance.

Vance's head whipped around, his eyes wild. He hissed, "Monster check!"

Feckle and Peckle were already back to back, heads bobbing and darting this way and that like a bird.

"I see nothing!"

"Where? Where is it? Bloody Mary, help me! I don't wanna die!"

The trio stood with chests heaving, on a knife-edge of panic, not that Vance would ever admit that he was that scared. They stayed frozen and extra wary for a good two minutes before they were ready to believe that a fresh death wasn't descending on them.

Vance was the first to relax. "It's fine. Fine. Totally fine. Just the wind. Probably."

Feckle anxiously nodded from behind his kite shield, but his eyes continued to survey the nearby forest. Thankfully, they were now in a region where the trees were old and the undergrowth sparse, making it more difficult for anything to sneak up on them.

Peckle gulped, the last to lower his guard even a little. He was very aware of being the weakest one in the group. "Guess we know why they told us to stay the fuck out of this forest."

Feckle rapidly nodded his head. "We're stupid. We're so stupid. We never should have come here. We are so low level."

Vance sourly growled, "Oh, shut it. We're alive, aren't we?"

Peckle shivered. "Only because you have so many healing potions."

"I'd have more if I hadn't brought you two along. You two owe me big time."

Feckle was pale. He'd been pale since after the goblin raid. "The minute I levelled up and got danger sense, it hasn't stopped going off! It's been screaming in my head this entire time!"

Vance arched a brow at him, not entirely as calm as he was pretending to be. "Still?"

Feckle paused and seemed to be listening to something only he could hear. Both his brows rose slightly. "Actually, either I'm getting used to it, or maybe it's gone down slightly?" He allowed his shield arm to relax somewhat, though he remained fairly tense. "It feels like, 'Run, you moron, run!' and not so much, 'You're already fucked!'"

Vance, however, took that as a good sign. "See? We're getting close to the edge of the forest again."

Peckle darkly muttered, "Hopefully."

Vance gave him an annoyed look. "You got a problem?"

Peckle's stress levels had gone so high that he was past caring about how subservient he should be around Vance. He pointed an accusing finger. "You said you knew which way the goblins had fled. Said you could track them. Said we were going in the right direction. Right before trees nearly ate us. Fruckin' trees!! Treants are supposed to be fictional!"

Feckle shook his head in disbelief. "Treants, man. The mouths on them…"

Peckle continued, "And then you told us to run, and we followed you. Right into a nest of leaf monsters—"

Feckle interjected, "Katiedudes."

Vance rolled his eyes. "Giant katydids." Then he, too, shivered.

Normally, katydids were nocturnal insects about the size of the leaves they imitated, and they had long stick-like legs. They were utterly harmless and quite cute. But here, some of the trees were quite large, and some of the leaves were rather broad, the size of dinner plates. They'd passed a trio of such trees, marvelling at their nature. Then Peckle had taken a leak against the trunk of one and somehow startled a few, which then caused hundreds of the insects to emerge from their daily slumber in full self-defence mode.

And these katydids' wings weren't just shaped like blades; they were blades. So when the startled insects began flitting from one tree to the next in panic, it filled the air with a storm of death. The trio of adventurers had all nearly lost their heads before ducking and running while only their armor had kept them alive. Only Vance's stock of healing potions had kept them from bleeding out.

Peckle was far from finished. "And then the mantis things. Mantises the size of bloody horses! Who punch so lightnin' quick you can't even see them damn arms movin'!" He was so shaken that his language skills were suffering, the legacy of a poorer upbringing that he usually tried to suppress.

Vance half-shrugged. Even he had to allow that the mantises had been bad. He'd been arrogant enough to try to fight one and nearly lost an arm before he could be within reach. They were far, far above Vance in terms of speed and power. Only the fact that the mantises walked so slowly had allowed them to flee for their lives — again.

Feckle shook his head. "I don't know how we managed to kill those goblins or how something so weak was living out here. But everything else is an insane gold rank threat or worse." He hunched his wide shoulders as he continuously checked the surroundings. "We gotta get out of here. I can't believe we're not dead yet."

Vance nodded, silently feeling the same but not wanting to look weak, but saying it out loud. "We're close. These woods look like the kind of forest where we came in. I don't think we'll have to spend another night out here."

Peckle nodded so fast, his neck might snap. "Th-th-the mothmen! We're not going through that again! Nope. Fruck no."

They'd come in the moonless night while sleeping rough. The mothmen were moths the size of swans, with wing spans wider than arm's reach. They were speckled brown and gray, and the dust they gave off made victims sleepy and lethargic. Their humanoid bodies had four arms, each ending in a needle-like point. They were very light but strong, so high-level that they were too strong for the three rookies to damage. Worst of all, they had super long, slithering tongues that they tried to send up your nose or into your ear to feed, worming all over your face as they tried to invade, wanting to suck the fluids out of your body.

All three shuddered at the same time.

Then Feckle's head sharply rose. He wildly looked around, raising his shield high again and gripping his axe hard. "Danger sense is up. Danger sense is back up!!"

Vance and Peckle jumped into defensive stances, Vance with both blade and rondel at the ready, Peckle knocking an arrow, ready to draw.

It came over a rise in the distance, maybe fifty meters away. Low and flat, it was an armoured tank two meters wide and at least eight long. The head was shaped like an arrowhead, the body a series of overlapping chitin plates, much like a trilobite beetle but far, far larger. But this one had nasty ridges along the sides with sicle-shaped hooks, and beady eyes that stared right at the trio of idiot humans like they were prey.

Peckle gulped at the sight of it. "Did…that thing just grin? It did. It's fruckin' grinning at us!"

They ran. They ran fast. The trilobite monster rolled over the landscape and wove in between trees with the skill of a centipede.

Thankfully, the beetle didn't seem big on long chases, and soon tired. Good thing, too, because running in chainmail was the worst. Vance was light on his feet thanks to his enchanted leather armour, but the other two laboured like beasts of burden in the summer sun. They eventually collapsed to their hands and knees, chests heaving great gulps of air.

Vance looked down at the pair with a measure of disdain. Actually, that's how he looked at them most of the time. This time it was because he knew he'd have been better off on this trip without the pair. They were just too much of a liability. Without them, he could have been sneaking around the forest and avoiding trouble altogether. At least, that's what he told himself, and he was arrogant enough to believe it.

Vance sheathed his weapons and got walking again. "Come on. This whole expedition has been a waste. The sooner we get out of here, the better." He was really annoyed.

Feckle picked himself up, dusted off his knees, and then helped Peckle to his feet as well. As they hurried and caught up to Vance, the trio walking a double-time pace, Feckle tried to cheer him up. "We didn't bag any non-green goblins. But we did find goblins. And we did see one that wasn't totally green."

Peckle agreeably added, "Yeah. It was, like, brown-green. That proves the theory, right?"

Vance scowled. "No. Because who's going to believe us without proof?" He reached into the magic bag on his waist and pulled out a string of fresh goblin heads, still dripping blood. They really only needed the ears, but he planned on piling these up at the Adventurers Guild to make an impact. He studied them yet again, though he'd already gone over them twice. His tone was full of disgust, "Not a single one is anything but common green. Boring."

One of the heads, male or female, they couldn't tell and couldn't care less, fell off the string and bounced on the ground. Feckle accidentally kicked it and sent it rolling across the forest floor.

Peckle laughed and somehow found the energy to chase after it. He danced with the head, bouncing it between his feet. "Look. Football." He clumsily played with the macabre 'ball' and then passed to Feckle.

Feckle, who was a keeper in the sport, flicked the head up with one foot and then tried to juggle it. He managed to bounce the head off his knees three times before the imperfect sphere went flying. He let out a laughing groan. "Ohhh. That was terrible."

Vance wasn't one to miss an opportunity to show off. He was, after all, a well-known striker, and showing off was the reason most strikers became strikers. He went after the head, caught it between both feet, then expertly flipped it up behind his back and over his head. Watching it closely as it came down in front of him, he caught it on his foot and proceeded to juggle much better than Feckle had.

Peckle laughed and clapped at the sight. "Yeah! That's sick. Sick!"

Proudly, Vance skillfully passed the ball to Feckle. "Psh. Easy."

Feckle caught it on his foot, then tried much harder to juggle. This time, he got up to eight bounces before passing to Peckle.

Peckle had more eagerness than skill. He repeatedly tried but couldn't even bounce the goblin head more than twice before losing it. "Bleh. I suck. It's not round enough."

Vance smirked. "You can't juggle a football much either."

"Can so! I've been getting better."

Feckle praised, "Yeah, you have. You'd been working hard at it." He always backed up his best friend.

Peckle nodded once with appreciation. "Yeah, I have." He tried to kick the head up into his hands with his feet and failed several times. Finally, he gave up and just picked the thing up. Kept in stasis, the head hadn't been able to rot, so it was still quite fresh. Peckle grabbed the dead goblin's jaw and worked it, mimicking a squeaky voice, "Look at me! I'm a football. I little, ugly football who smells like doodoo and looks like ass." He cackled. Then he made an underhanded throw to Feckle.

Feckle caught the head. He examined the face. "These things sure are weird-looking. Kind of elven but like the ugliest baby elves ever. Gross." He handed it back over to Vance, and the trio resumed their journey while Vance stuffed the head in his bag.

Peckle mused aloud, "You think they're related to elves, then? Maybe they were elves, but like, midget versions, and the elves who are all about being perfect and pretty all the time didn't want any small folk around, so they cast them out, and the small folk became goblins?"

Feckle mulled it over with a frown. "Hmm. But why are they green?"

"Cuz the forest is green?"

"So they became green over time."

Peckle jumped into a whole new theory. "Or maybe the elves did some kind of magical experiment on babies that turned them green and stunted their growth. And they kept them in cells, but they escaped one day into the forest, and now they live wild."

Vance snapped, "Don't drop your guard. We're not out of the woods yet."

Both Feckle and Peckle instantly grew more serious and leaped into monster checks.

Vance could have said something snarky about their elf-goblin theories, but kept silent. Nobody knew where goblins came from; it was assumed they were just another monster. But no sense in laughing even at such outlandish theories in case they turned out to be true. There were, after all, a bunch of elves living nearby.

They trekked in silence for some time. Which turned out to be fortunate for them. It would turn out to be very unfortunate for everyone else.

As they walked, everyone always on high alert, Vance was the first to spot movement in the distance. He held up a hand. The others froze. Then all three slowly lowered themselves and crouched.

There was a hill in the forest, not far away. A monster had appeared, one that was a very distinctive green. It seemed to come out of the hill and then go into some nearby bushes. Not long after, the creature returned to the hill and vanished.

Vance's frown and worry melted into a greedy smile. "Found you."

Feckle spoke as he stared at the spot where the goblin had gone. "Another lair, you think? Or is it the ones that escaped?"

Vance licked his lips. "Oh, I hope it's the big one. The brownish one. I want that thing so bad." He drew his weapons. "Let's find out, shall we? Feckle, at my side while I check for traps. Peckle, watch our backs. Make sure nothing sneaks up behind us."

Both silently nodded. Together, they crept through the oak forest toward the hill. They took it nice and slow, Vance keeping trees between them and their destination to help obscure them from anyone watching. Soon enough, they were at the edge of the hill, and there was no sign they'd been seen yet. They circled to where the goblin had been sighted.

Vance puzzled over the area. There was a distinct trail from the side of the hill to the group of bushes, but no cave or door that he could see. Even when he put a hand on the soil and grasses, pushing and pawing at it, trying to locate an opening.

Peckle whispered from the bushes, "Latrine." He wrinkled his nose, pinching it to block the smell. He flinched as a fly flew by his face.

Feckle also studied the place the goblin had gone. "Where'd it go?"

Vance became more aggressive in his search but still came up with nothing. He looked around. "I don't see an entrance. Either really well hidden or magic, maybe. Come on. Let's go around and see if there's another." He gestured to the right.

The trio quietly circled the hill, softly placing each step, always on the alert. Goblins were supposed to live in warrens and often laid traps everywhere. It was strange that the group encountered none. That led Vance to suspect that perhaps this wasn't an established lair, and that somehow the fleeing goblins had found a place to hide here. But where?

Then they came around the far side of the hill.

Vance grinned. "A cave."

Feckle and Peckle exchanged a smile and then fist bumped.

Vance took a deep breath, trying not to let his excitement get the better of him. "Feckle, how's that danger sense?"

Feckle considered. "I don't think it's changed much?"

"As bad as that armoured centipede thing?"

"Nah. Less. Still screaming like we should run, though."

Vance fairly tingled with anticipation. "We're going in. I'll go first to spot traps. Feckle, get ready to switch if we're attacked."

"Got it." Feckle hefted his shield and drew his axe.

"Peckle, that bow probably won't be very useful in tunnels."

Peckle looked disappointed. He shrugged. "Yeah. Fair. Got my long knife though. See how much room we got inside."

Vance could barely contain himself. If that off-green goblin was here, Vance was going to take his entire corpse back to the city and show the world. He'd be famous. Spinning his dagger in his hand, he stepped forward. "Let's go."

 

[TimBaril]

Kai



Kai jogged forward and tried to get around Thump, but Thump simply stepped in his way, using his bulk to block the archway between rooms. Kai tried to smile up at the large hobgoblin. "Hey. Sorry, just need to squeeze past." He tried to do just that.

But Thump wouldn't budge. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Oh, just need to check something upstairs. And, um, use the toilet."

Thumps brows rose. He gestured to one of the new toilets that had just been installed. "There's one right there."

Kai felt dumb and got flustered. "I…wanna use the one outside. I know, crazy. I guess I just like my privacy, and these don't have any yet. Excuse me." He tried to push his way past. But it was like trying to move a fridge. Thump wasn't going anywhere.

In fact, Thump barely seemed to notice the effort of Kai pathetically trying to reach past Thump's knee, his body caught between Thump and the archway. Thump blithely continued, "Ah, I can understand. There is more fresh air out there. We'll still have to work on the toilets in here. Find a better system."

"Right. Anyway, if I could just get past…"

Thump looked down and gave him an easy smile, totally fake of course, so that it felt more like a shark grinning down at his prey.

Kai's struggles weakened. He felt his stomach sinking. There was also this odd feeling stealing over him. He was also aware of how everyone else in the room was highly aware of the confrontation and was now staring: the female kobolds and goblins caring for babies, as well as Rush and the goblin rogue.

We spend our entire childhood with adults looking over us: parents and extended family, teachers, police. Everyone who is an adult is taller and possesses authority over us. They know more, they're wiser, and they're generally the boss of us. We get in the habit of listening when they speak and doing what they tell us to. We generally grow out of this feeling once we reach adulthood and can look other adults in the eye.

But that feeling we had as a child remains deeply entrenched, waiting. We might experience it again when confronted with someone bigger and taller than us, like meeting someone really tall or famous. It just kicks in, out of nowhere, and suddenly we're a kid again in their presence. We become more insecure, we look up to them as a natural authority figure, and it's easy to fall under their spell.

Kai hadn't really realized it, but this had been happening to him, and it was part of why Thump had charmed him so easily. Despite his loss of trust in Thump, as Kai stood at the much taller and bigger hobgoblin's feet, that sense of inferiority and weakness grew. Which is why, instead of putting up a fight, he was reacting weakly.

Thump bent over and used one of his large hands to effortlessly sweep Kai backwards into the room. He spoke loudly as he ushered Kai to the far side of the room, "You know, I respect you, Kai, I really do. Your enthusiasm and dedication to this community are admirable. That's part of why I felt so honored when you put your faith in me and asked me to be the leader of this dungeon."

His words shocked Kai. He hadn't made Thump leader. But he was too stunned and too busy being ushered through the room that he couldn't find his voice to object.

As they neared the private stairwell, Thump motioned with his head, signalling the rogue.

Without missing a beat, the rogue put a firm hand on Rush's shoulder while also sharply waving at the women to get out of the room. Rush, looking confused, allowed himself to be escorted to the next room. The women hurriedly picked up their babies and hastened after. In seconds, Thump and Kai were alone.

Kai eyed the stairs. He had to get to the Admin Room.

Thump guided Kai with a firm hand of his own and placed himself in front of the exit. Kai wasn't going to be able to make a run for it. He continued to smile, though with everyone else gone, it was less charming and had taken on a harder edge. His voice did too, "Kai, I think it would be a bad idea right now to elevate too many opinions regarding the leadership of this place. The dungeon is new, the community fragile. I think it's important that we have a unifying and strong voice at the top."

"Ok…"

"Now, I recognize that you originally came into possession of the dungeon, so I get that maybe you feel especially attached to it right now, maybe responsible."

Kai did! It was his dungeon.

"But the thing is, the dungeon has grown. There are others living here now. A lot of us. It was one thing looking after yourself, that's fine, and you should be proud. But now, I think maybe that's a little too much responsibility to put on your shoulders. Especially when you have no leadership experience."

Kai wanted to protest, but it was like the hobgoblin was in his head. And in the darkest places, bringing up Kai's fears.

"Now you know I'm a full chief. I have a lot of command and leadership experience. My tribe looks up to me, and there are people back home who were so sad to see me leave. Begged me to stay, to rise up the ranks and really lead the goblin people, begged me. It was touching, but I had to go. Had to forge a new path. Of course, it makes sense that you'd recognize that. But I think we have a misunderstanding. When you asked me to become the leader of the dungeon, I did not ask for help running it. I did not mean to set that expectation."

"But…it's my dungeon."

"It was. It's not anymore. It's our dungeon. All of ours. The kobolds, the goblins, even those little slimes you have. You can't be trying to hold onto control like that; it's selfish."

Kai's brain hit a bump in the road at that. It's true that there was a community here now. Was he being selfish by wanting to stay in control, for wanting to remove Thump?

"That being said, the dungeon is young. And so are you! I think there's plenty of time to grow into more of a role — we can all grow. But I hardly know you. Let me get to know you, get to know what you're capable of. Let me learn to trust you. I mean this respectfully, and I hope you can see that, because I like you, Kai, I really do, and I want us to have a long, profitable relationship." He renewed his smile. "Please share how you feel about this."

Kai's brain seemed not to be working right. He was confused. It would be good to talk this out with others, but he was alone with Thump. Somehow, he'd allowed himself to be isolated, which he saw as a red flag. "Maybe we could have this conversation with the others involved? Get more voices heard about who should be leader?" He glanced over at the archway and saw that it was packed with people watching but probably too far away to hear.

Thump grew serious and thoughtfully nodded. "You know, I've been speaking to people, lots of people, about this very thing, about leadership. I didn't want to bring it up publicly, you understand, for your sake. I was thinking about you. I didn't want you put on the spot or feeling embarrassed. Because the truth is, I'm very popular. Everyone understands what I bring to the battlefield; they see the ideas I have; they know how effective I am. They can see that I'm a real leader and they want that, they know it's what's best for them. I didn't want you to hear that in public, to feel blindsided. Because they like you, Kai, most people like you. Nobody wants to hurt your feelings. Almost no one.

Kai thoughts spun. Was Thump really doing this for Kai's sake? And what did he mean most people? Some people didn't like him? Who? He'd just met the goblins. Did some of the kobolds not like Kai? Had he done something wrong? Offended someone? It couldn't be Yellow Flower, could it? Or Rush? He was filled with doubt.

"Basically, what I'm saying is, that even though everyone wants me to be the leader of the dungeon, I don't want you to feel that everyone's against you. Don't believe that. They want you to stay. I want you to stay. So I'm asking you if, even if you're not leader, if you'd like to continue living in the dungeon with us."

Kai shook his head in disbelief. "Of course I want to keep living here."

"Good! Good. That's wonderful. So happy to hear that. Because there will always be a place for you here, as long as you're on board with what's best for everyone."

"Yeah, I want what's best for everyone!"

He beamed at Kai, seeming genuinely happy. "That's good to hear." He clapped Kai on the back. "I'm glad we talked. This is good. See? We're a great team. You keep growing, and I know you're going to take on more responsibility in the future. Be a real leader one day. I believe in you."

Kai was too fraught with emotion to answer. He felt strangely thankful to have the big hobgoblin's approval. And he felt guilty about wanting to be in control of the dungeon. Maybe he'd been selfish without realizing it.

Thump turned and guided Kai back into the room. "Let's get back to work. So much to do—"

An alarm went off in Kai's head. He jerked in surprise. "Invaders!"

Thump was instantly serious. "Invaders?" He evidently hadn't received the same kind of alert.

Kai nodded in horror. "I can't… There's an alarm and a buzzing going on in my head. It's really serious!" He looked up at Thump with wide eyes. "Something or someone really dangerous is in the dungeon!" He wouldn't be able to tell more until he got back to the Admin Room.

Thump marched to the archway, still escorting Kai. They paused in the archway and looked out. It seemed like just about everyone had gathered in the other Floor 4 rooms, likely drawn by the conversation between Thump and Kai. Many quiet conversations stilled at the sight of them.

Rush noticed the worry on Kai's face first. "What wrong? Problem?"

Kai blurted out, "Enemies in the dungeon! Danger! We need to get ready!"

Kobolds and goblins were two species that were used to being preyed on by bigger and stronger things. So when someone called out danger, they didn't sit around questioning it. That kind of thing got you dead, fast. Instead, they reacted more like birds. At the first hint of trouble, they took off.

Dungeon residents raced past Thump and Kai, going for the door to the private rooms. Only residents could go there, and they'd be safe. Or they should have been. Except when two goblin mothers tried to open the secret door, it remained a solid wall. Anxiety shot up all around the room.

Kai took a step toward the door but hesitated, expecting Thump to restrain him. But Thump made no effort at all to do so. So Kai ran to the secret door. He, too, tried to open it and found it locked shut. But why?

Yellow Flower came up, worry etched into her dragonic features. She gestured at the door. "Why?"

Kai struggled to answer, "I, I don't know. It should be open to us." He grasped for ideas. "Maybe it locked after enemies got into the dungeon. So we can't just escape."

She was confused and pleaded, "But…"

Kai could only shake his head. "I'm sorry. I don't get it. I don't know why it's like this."

Thump's lips pressed together. He seemed disappointed. "You see? This is what happens when someone without experience tries to be in charge; mistakes are made."

All eyes turned on Kai.

Kai felt a stab of guilt like a cold knife in his belly. Was this his fault? Was he going to get everyone killed?

Thump continued, "What's done is done. No sense worrying over it or pointing fingers." He raised his voice, and it was filled with the tone of command. "Everyone, listen up! Stay calm. Enemies are upon us. We are in danger. But I am here. As your new Dungeon Master, I bring a lot of experience, and I know that if we come together, we can survive this. Some of us may die. I'm sorry for that; the dungeon wasn't set up properly before I came. It's too late to change that."

A few people cast betrayed looks Kai's way.

His heart began picking up speed. He'd screwed up. Badly.

Thump raised a hand. "Women and children will hole up here. Warriors, anyone who can hold a weapon, form a wall. I am your Dungeon Master, and I will lead you through this. Have faith in me, and you will survive!"

Everyone sprang back into motion. Mothers bundled up babies and small children who were beginning to sense the turmoil around them and cry and wail in worry. Warriors dashed about, trying to find weapons.

Thump marched towards the stairs going up to the third floor. He had a very brave and heroic look to him. At the stairs, he turned back. "Everyone, make your stand here. I will see what we face. I might be able to handle it on my own. If not, I will need your help. There are traps, and they're going to throw the enemy off. We need to be there to take advantage of that. I shall return when I have more information.

Kai ran over to Thump. "I'll go to. Maybe I can get to the Admin Room from a different floor."

Thump shook his head and frowned. "We can't risk both of us going. There's no telling what's up there. I need you here, helping keep the others calm. If I fall, you'll get your chance to be a leader sooner than expected." Without waiting for a response, he dashed up the stairs, moving quite fast considering his fat belly.

Kai watched him go, still in a state of confusion and guilt. He strode back to the others. On Floor 4, the four rooms were in a row, like cars on a train. The women and children were in the furthest, the warriors in the second last, filling the archway and ready to sacrifice even their lives. Kobolds and goblins, side by side.

With no fighting experience, Kai felt even more useless. He had no leadership experience, no fighting experience. What the heck had he been thinking, trying to be the Dungeon Master? He probably wasn't going to be much use defending these people either.

He looked down at his hands. He did have some pretty big claws. And sharp teeth. And he was fast. He felt a surge of pride. He wasn't completely useless. He might be small now, but he could do his part. He needed to stop getting so down on himself and believe in himself more. He joined the ranks of the warriors, finding a spot next to Rush.

The kobold gave him a serious nod, as if recognizing him as a comrade.

Kai felt elated by the gesture. He didn't know what was coming, but he would fight. Then he blinked.

He was no longer in the dungeon. He was in the forest above, standing on grass with oak trees towering overhead, and the sun beaming down. He wildly looked in all directions, disturbed and confused. "What the—?"

He spotted the hill and the entrance to the cave in the distance. He stared at them. Very gradually, pieces in his mind started to tumble together into dawning realization. His eyes slowly widened. "Did I just get kicked from the dungeon?"