Hiroshi and Elias moved deeper into the cave system, past the chamber where they'd found the three guards.
The tunnels continued branching, some sloping down, others level. The air got warmer the further they went, and the smell changed. The accumulated scent of many living things in close quarters.
They'd been walking for maybe fifteen minutes when the tunnel began to widen. The walls changed too, from rough natural stone to something that looked almost shaped. The ceiling rose higher, and ahead they could hear sounds.
Elias held up a hand and they stopped.
The sounds were clearer now. Goblin voices.
Hiroshi and Elias moved forward carefully until the tunnel opened into something neither of them had expected.
A massive chamber. Easily a hundred feet across, with a ceiling that stretched up into darkness beyond the reach of the firelight below. And it wasn't just a cave anymore.
It was a village.
Structures lined the chamber walls. Crude buildings built from stone and scavenged wood, yes, but actual buildings with doors and windows and roofs.
Platforms connected by rope bridges spanned between different levels where the natural rock formations created terraces. Storage areas were carved into alcoves. A large communal fire pit sat in the center with several goblins working around it, cooking.
And goblins. Dozens of them. Maybe sixty, maybe more.
Hiroshi watched from the tunnel entrance, trying to process what he was seeing. Goblin families sitting together outside their homes. Females tending children. Elderly goblins working on tools or repairing equipment. Young ones running between the buildings playing some kind of game.
This wasn't a temporary camp.
This was a settlement. A community.
Elias stood beside him, expression unreadable. "Well. This changes things."
"It's a goblin village." Hiroshi said quietly. "Actually goblin village."
"Looks like it has been here a long time, based on how established this is."
Warriors were present too. They carried weapons and wore better equipment than the civilians. But even they seemed relaxed. Several sat together sharpening blades and talking.
Others ate near the central fire.
Hiroshi's mind was working through the implications. Everything he'd read about goblins in the bestiary painted them as simple monsters. Temporary groups that formed, attacked, and dispersed. Nothing about permanent settlements. Nothing about families or communities.
But here it was. Right in front of him.
"Does this change the mission?" Hiroshi asked.
Elias was quiet for a moment. "They still attacked the caravan. Still took prisoners. Still have people tied up in these caves. Having families doesn't erase that."
"I know. But..."
"But they're not just mindless monsters. I know." Elias scanned the village carefully. "Doesn't mean we can just walk away. Those guards are still captive. The merchant is still captive. We still need to complete the retrieval."
Hiroshi nodded. He knew Elias was right. But something about this felt different now. More complicated.
A group of goblin children ran past below their position, chasing each other and laughing. One of them tripped and fell. An older goblin—maybe a parent—helped it up and said something that made the child laugh.
Monsters didn't do that.
"There," Elias said, pointing across the chamber. "That larger structure against the far wall. See the two guards?"
Hiroshi looked. A building separate from the others, slightly better constructed. Two goblin warriors stood at the entrance, alert and armed.
"That's probably where they're keeping the merchant," Elias continued. "Separate from the other prisoners. Different location, different guards. He's either more valuable or they have specific plans for him."
"Can we reach it?"
"Not without going through the village. And not without being seen by at least half the population here." Elias pulled back from the entrance slightly. "We need a different approach. Or a distraction."
A sound drew their attention. Chanting. Multiple voices speaking in rhythm, coming from somewhere below.
The goblins in the village noticed it too. Several stopped what they were doing and looked toward a tunnel on the far side of the chamber. The chanting grew louder, more voices joining.
"What is that?" Hiroshi asked.
"Ritual magic. Shamanic probably." Elias's expression darkened. "Nothing good."
Goblin warriors began moving toward the tunnel the chanting was coming from. Several of the civilians followed them, curiosity or obligation pulling them along.
The two guards at the larger structure looked at each other. One said something. The other nodded. They both left their posts and headed toward the tunnel with the others.
"They're being called," Elias said. "Whatever's happening down there, it's pulling their attention."
More goblins filed into the tunnel. The village population was thinning noticeably. Maybe twenty remained in the main chamber now, mostly elderly and children.
"This is our window," Hiroshi said.
"Probably our only one." Elias checked the chamber one more time. "We move fast. Grab the merchant. Get back to the other prisoners. Extract everyone together before the ritual finishes and they all come back."
"Agreed."
They moved down from the tunnel entrance, keeping to the shadows along the chamber wall. The remaining goblins were distracted, focused on the tunnel entrance where the chanting echoed up. Nobody looked their way.
They crossed the village floor quickly, passing between buildings, avoiding the open areas.
They reached the larger structure. Hiroshi tested the door. He pushed it open slowly.
Inside was a single room, better furnished than what he'd glimpsed of the other Buildings. Sleeping pallets. Storage chests. Crude furniture. And tied to a wooden post near the far wall, the merchant from the caravan.
Baros looked up when they entered, eyes going wide. "Who…"
"Rescue party," Elias said quickly, moving to cut the ropes binding him. "Stay quiet. We're getting you out."
"My guards...the others..."
"We found them. They're alive." Elias finished cutting the ropes and Baros nearly collapsed. Elias caught him and supported his weight. "Can you walk?"
"Yes. I think so."
"We need to move fast." Elias helped him to the door. "Stay close."
They left the structure. The village was even emptier now. The chanting from below had intensified, and more goblins had gone to see or participate. Maybe fifteen remained in the main chamber, scattered and distracted.
Hiroshi led the way back across the open ground, Elias supporting Baros. They were halfway to the tunnel when Hiroshi heard a sound behind them.
A small voice. High pitched. Surprised.
He turned.
A goblin child stood near one of the buildings, maybe five or six in human years. It held a wooden toy in one hand and stared at them with wide eyes. The three humans. The armed strangers. Moving through its village.
The child's mouth opened.
Hiroshi's hand went to his sword. His Fighter Instinct screamed at him. Threat. Alarm. Stop it before it...
The child screamed.
Every remaining goblin in the chamber turned toward them immediately. The elderly ones scrambled for weapons. A female grabbed her children and pulled them toward a building. Two warriors who'd stayed behind drew crude swords and started running toward the humans.
"Move!" Elias shouted.
They ran for the tunnel entrance, Baros stumbling between them. The two goblin warriors were closing fast, shouting in their guttural language. More were emerging from buildings. The alarm was spreading.
Hiroshi reached the tunnel first and turned, sword drawn. The first warrior was ten feet away, closing fast, blade raised.
Hiroshi's Dodge skill read the attack trajectory. He stepped inside the goblin's swing, let the blade pass over his shoulder, and drove his sword into the creature's chest. It fell.
The second warrior came immediately after. Hiroshi blocked its first strike, countered with a slash that caught it across the arm, then finished it with a thrust to the throat.
Two down. But more were coming. He could hear them shouting, rallying. And from the tunnel below, the chanting had stopped. Which meant everyone down there was about to come up and find out what the alarm was about.
"Go!" Hiroshi shouted at Elias. "Get him to the others!"
Elias didn't argue. He pulled Baros into the tunnel and they disappeared into the darkness.
Hiroshi stood at the entrance, facing the village. Eight goblins were advancing now, warriors and armed civilians both. Behind them, more were gathering.
He had maybe thirty seconds before he'd be overwhelmed.
He turned and ran after Elias, following the tunnel back the way they'd come. Behind him, the goblins gave chase, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls.
This extraction was falling apart fast.