Slowly but surely, the two of them made it halfway across the shaft.
The ventilation tunnel was narrow enough that every movement felt deliberate, every shift of weight calculated. Metal pressed against their backs and chests, cold and slightly damp, and the air inside carried the faint tang of rust mixed with something older and far less pleasant. Progress was slow, measured in inches rather than steps. Each time they advanced, it was with careful, sliding motions, elbows tucked in, knees barely lifting, bodies scraping softly along the metal surface.
Every now and then, the shaft passed over an open vent.
Through those openings, Kael caught glimpses of what waited below.
The goblins were still there.
They were too busy ripping and shredding their former companion apart to notice anything above them. Several of them had pinned the body down while others tore into it with crude blades and bare hands, laughing and shrieking in their guttural language. Bits of flesh were tossed aside carelessly, trampled underfoot, or snatched up by others who fought over scraps like animals.
Some had already begun roasting pieces of meat over black, smoke-choked flames. The fires burned strangely, thick plumes of dark smoke curling upward from what looked like burning tires, rubber, and whatever other refuse they had scavenged. The smell rose through the vents in heavy waves. Burnt fat. Melted flesh. Chemical smoke that stung the nose and clung to the throat.
The goblins ate with ecstatic abandon.
They tore into the meat with wanton relish, greasy hands smearing their faces as they chewed noisily, completely enthralled by the strange, fume-filled flavor. Whatever disgust or hesitation a human might have felt simply did not exist for them. They savored it, fighting each other for better pieces, shrieking in triumph whenever someone managed to steal a bite from another's grasp.
Kael forced himself not to linger on the sight.
Once he crossed over one of the vents, he turned his head slightly, craning his neck as much as the tight confines allowed. Through the narrow shaft behind him, he was barely able to see John. The man's body looked awkwardly contorted, shoulders hunched, arms sliding forward in an uncomfortable rhythm as he tried to mimic Kael's movements. Sweat glistened faintly on his face, and his breathing was shallow, controlled but strained.
When John reached the next vent, unlike Kael who had already moved beyond it, his weight shifted wrong. Unlike Kael who moved up and above the vent, John trusted his own weight too little and the vent door too much.
The metal beneath him let out a sound.
It wasn't loud. Not a clang or a bang. Just a subtle scrape, a faint metallic complaint that echoed down into the parking lot below.
But it was enough.
Almost instantly, the noise below changed.
The constant babble of goblin voices dulled, thinning out until only one or two could still be heard shouting or muttering gibberish far away. The rest went quiet. Too quiet. Kael felt it before he fully processed it. That sudden, unnatural stillness that only came when predators sensed something was off.
Below them, goblin heads turned.
Kael raised a hand immediately, fingers splayed, making a sharp, urgent motion for John to go over the vent instead of across it. His gesture was slow but unmistakable. Do not put weight on it. Do not touch it.
John nodded, swallowing hard.
He moved carefully, placing one hand beyond the vent, then the other, inching forward with agonizing slowness. His movements were stiff, overly cautious, his body trembling slightly as he tried to slide his weight away from the open grate.
Kael's face drained of color.
He knew it would make noise.
And it did.
The metal hatch gave way completely, tearing loose from its final screw and dropping straight down. The sound was sharp and final, a loud, unmistakable crash that echoed through the parking lot like a bell tolling in the dark.
Kael froze mid-motion.
They had already passed the vent. They could not see what the goblins were doing beneath them, and that made it worse. Far worse. They could not afford to make another sound. Not a scrape. Not a breath too loud. If the goblins realized there were enemies crawling above them, nothing would stop them from hunting the source down.
Kael raised his hand again, this time holding it clenched in a tight fist.
Stop.
John froze instantly, his face several shades paler than before, eyes wide and fixed on Kael as if waiting for instructions or absolution.
Kael listened.
Not just with his ears.
His focus shifted sharply to the mini-map hovering at the edge of his vision. Red dots were moving now, circling, converging toward the area directly beneath the fallen hatch. They clustered and spread, restless and probing.
And then he heard it.
A sound that made his stomach tighten.
Sniffing.
Loud. Wet. Nasal.
Once.
Twice.
Then more joined in, overlapping, dozens of goblins drawing in deep breaths, their noses working overtime as they tasted the air.
The silence shattered.
Howling erupted below, sharp and excited. Shouts followed, shrill and eager. A couple of the more enthusiastic goblins hurled their weapons toward the vent up high.
One of them completely missed and landed scarily close to another goblin's feet who grumbled what felt like a curse in a goblin tongue.
While the other one landed his weapon squarely right in front of Kael's face.
The axe tore through the metal with ease, and then slid off, revealing Kael's face to the goblins below.
A wide predatory smile crept up the goblin's face as he saw Kael stuck inside the shaft.
Without hesitation, the goblins rushed toward the base of the ventilation system, drawn by the possibility of fresh meat alone, their footsteps pounding against concrete as they surged forward.
"Fuck, we've been made!" Kael hissed.
He did not wait for agreement.
He turned and moved, pushing himself forward as fast as the shaft allowed. There was no time to waste, no room for caution now. The careful stealth was gone. Survival meant speed. Thankfully, he was in the lead. A small, ugly part of his mind noted that if they caught up, John would be the first thing they grabbed.
Behind them, the noise intensified.
Metal scraped. Claws struck the shaft. Goblins screamed and shrieked as more of them joined the chase, the sound of bodies piling into the ventilation entrance echoing violently.
"Why are you making so much noise!" John shouted from behind him, panic breaking through his restraint.
"To excite them more," Kael shot back. "They'll pack themselves into that vent trying to get the first bite. Now move!"
He pushed harder, muscles burning as he propelled himself forward. Ahead, the shaft ended at another hatch, this one set into the wall of what looked like the first floor of the black building they had been aiming for all along.
Kael slammed his hands against it.
It did not budge.
Bolted shut. Normal methods will not make it open or break.
The vent was aluminum, dented and aged, but still solid enough to resist brute force. There was no time to pry it carefully. Kael dragged his legs beneath him in the cramped space, planting both feet against the narrow walls of the shaft. He tucked his knees in as much as the enclosure allowed, then kicked forward with everything he had.
The vent tore free in a single, violent motion.
It flew outward, smashing into the nearest wall with a hollow crash.
Kael squeezed himself forward and dropped down immediately, boots hitting solid ground as he rolled to his feet and scanned the room. John followed seconds later, tumbling out awkwardly and landing face-first on the floor with a grunt.
They were in what looked like an office.
Shelves lined the walls, sagging under the weight of old, rotting books and scattered papers. Desks sat overturned or half-buried under debris. Dust coated everything. And somehow, impossibly, the lights were still on. Fluorescent bulbs flickered weakly overhead, casting a pale, sickly glow across the room.
"Help me!" Kael barked, there was no time to be impressed with the new area. They were still being chased and hunted.
He grabbed a heavy desk and began dragging it toward the vent. John scrambled to his feet, instantly understanding, and rushed to assist. Together they shoved furniture into place. Desks. Chairs. Filing cabinets. Even armfuls of books were piled up, anything they could get their hands on to block the opening.
Just as they finished, the sound came.
Wood being hacked at.
The blows were weak, clumsy, but persistent.
The room filled with echoes of goblins shouting and howling on the other side. From Kael's perspective, the red dots on the map were packed so tightly together that it was clear they could barely maneuver.
"Good," Kael muttered, catching his breath. "They're packed like sardines. Quite the shame though."
"Shame?" John asked incredulously. "We survived. What's the shame in that?"
Kael shrugged. "Ah, no. Just saying if I had another gasoline bottle, I'd have cooked them in there."
He did not mention the spare bottle tucked safely in his bag. Better to always keep a trump card hidden.
John snorted. "Fair enough. Let's ignore that and figure out what this hidden piece is about."
Kael frowned slightly. "You've mentioned this hidden piece a few times now, but I still don't understand how you came to that conclusion."
John leaned against a desk, breathing heavily. "Since you died on the first floor, you wouldn't get it. In the normal tower, you start noticing patterns. Awkward buildings like this one that stand tall among destruction are always special. Sometimes it's a monster breed. Sometimes it's a design. Sometimes it's a mark on a wall. Any of it can be a hidden piece."
"So this is a possibility," Kael said. "Not a certainty."
"Most of the time," John admitted. "But landmarks like this? They're usually a guarantee."
"And where is it?" Kael asked.
John shrugged. "That's what we need to figure out."
They moved deeper into the building.
Outside the office, a wide hall opened up, strange and unsettling. Every door. Every window. Barricaded shut behind heavy steel shutters.
Kael approached one and placed his hand against it.
A notification appeared.
[You cannot proceed further. Limited Area]
"Damn," Kael muttered. "This place is fully locked."
"Yeah," John said. "That confirms it. This is special."
As John stepped back, a steel wall slammed down behind them, cutting off their only exit.
John's voice spiked. "The fuck! That's our only way out!"
Kael exhaled slowly. "With the goblins outside, this is actually better. Let's find another way."
His gaze lifted toward the stairwell.
"Looks like we're going up."