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  [Marrok]

  At last!

  At last the group had come out of the dungeon, not even pausing in their exit as they left immediately, sprinted down the mountainside, carrying an injured party member.

  Good riddance, Marrok thought, relieved they were gone.

  Good, Marrok thought to himself once more, watching them as they went, they wouldn’t be back for some time. But to make sure he watched for a few moments longer.

  When the group was out of sight and then some, Marrok turned to his brothers and led the goblins towards the dungeon.

  “It’s our turn now” he said, addressing them, to hoots of joy. Impatience had set in and it had been hard keeping them occupied whilst they waited.

  “They’ve gone and left the dungeon to us, be careful and let’s go,” Marrok continued.

  It was their turn at last, and he would make the most of it. As they descended to the entrance he began speaking softly to the others as he tried to prep them for the first few floors, up to the rainforest - after which they had bailed last time. Of course, he had been talking about the dungeon for a while now, but it was important to hammer home the point, especially about the swamp and how that had killed their brethren.

  He was determined not to lose anyone this time but nor would he take it safe, he wouldn’t grow if they did that and nor would his brothers. That was the whole point of this dungeoneering: to grow strong enough to take the fight to the human filth.

  Entering the dungeon once more he progressed down the stairs and onto the first floor, showing the new members how to deal with the trees and watching as they chopped them down like firewood.

  Pleased there were no accident, the goblins quickly progressed down to the wolves and after slaughtering all the wolves and cats down into the swamp once more.

  “Wow”

  “Urgh, I hate this.”

  “Geez, you weren’t exaggerating then!” the newbies called out as they jumped down the waterfall. Splashing out onto the sandbar afterwards and shaking out the water from their boots.

  “Great, just as I was hoping” another said, but Marrok wasn’t paying attention, eager to spot the big lizards once again.

  The swamp looked the same, which was a relief, though it was expected. Marrok didn’t know much about dungeons but he knew they should be roughly the same, and filled with loot. Getting stronger and getting richer was the plan.

  As the goblins moved through the swamp, Marrok pointed to the fish they could see and took the goblins round the water pools where possible. Though, of course it was not always so.

  In the rare cases they had to forge the water pools, the fish with the sharp teeth took pot shots at them, slicing them up and letting blood pour into the water. It sapped the goblins, and though their bodies were durable capable of taking some the most horrendous injuries and keep fighting, the blood loss and lack of enemy to kill sapped their spirits just as well.

  At least killing the big lizards had made up for it and, even though it was not so much of a challenge anymore: having experienced them once had taken most of the challenge away, Marrok knew they were getting better. Clearing the swamp felt routine and soon they progressed down to the rainforest once more.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Though Marrok knew the kobolds were not real, in the sense of a neighbouring tribe in his territory, he felt compelled to eradicate them, decades of warring between the two races had resulted in unceasing bloodlust and rage at the sight of the scaly bastards. The rest of his brethren felt similarly, and even the unflappable Forroll was seething in anger, crowing victoriously as she bashed in the head of one of their young.

  Slaughtering the village was euphoric and the goblins took a moment to rest in the now conquered village.

  “Rest up lads, the forest is free of the kobold plague and we can rest in their village, sleeping in their beds whilst they lie mouldering on the floor.” He yelled out, pleased at the sycophantic cheering they gave back.

  As they set about getting a fire going and cooking some meat, kobold of course, Marrok took Forroll to bed, relieving their tension in the chieftain’s hut.

  Forroll was enthusiastic, knowing she was his chosen now and Marrok was happy with his choice. She was magnificent, vicious, clever and beautiful.

  In the morning, or what he considered to be morning, when he woke up, Marrok assembled the group and they scoured the forest for more treasure. Finding nothing it was time to move on, collecting all their gear they left the floor and descended the stairs to whatever awaited below.

  At the bottom of the stairs, the goblins crowded around the doorway as Marrok held them back, they wanted to charge right in as they always did but he held them back, fearing the unknown. Not in the sense of being afraid, he wasn’t scared of injury or death, but more in the sense of being scared of missing crucial details of traps or danger that he could have prepared for.

  That aspect of his personality had been the reason for his success over other chiefs and goblins, it was why he had won all his duels and had a tally that far surpassed the others. He knew that proper observation and planning would shore up your weaknesses and maximise your strengths. Something that was also present in Forroll and that he was trying to impart to his tribesmen. Unfortunately, the younger ones were not inclined to listen.

  “Come on Marrok, lets go!” they whined at him.

  “Best get right to it I say” another commented.

  He signed, they were right, there was nothing to see of the floor from here.

  Striding out, the goblins rushed passed him eager for a fight, the restless energy of the morning and the less than enthusing fights of the previous day, along with all the waiting outside of the dungeon had worn their patience thin.

  Luckily it seemed the room was trap free as they wandered around, and still lived.

  “Hey, what’s up with this?”

  “There’s nothing to kill.”

  “Is it not finished you think?”

  “Must be, this must be where the other group turned back.”

  “Yeah, bunch of weaklings, we should have killed them.”

  “Ripped them apart I say.”

  “ENOUGH!” Marrok roared at them, “there is something here, bunch up and let’s find it,” he commanded, waiting for them to gather on him.

  As they did he felt a rumble, leaves fell from the trees around the clearing and drifted across his vision.

  A section of the ground grew darker and he looked at it confused. Then it occurred to him, looking up his eyes widened in surprise.

  “Back!” he shouted jumping backwards and hastily retreating to the edges.

  With a crashing boom, something heavy landed in the middle of the clearing, dust billowing upwards and obscuring the details, only a vaguely humanoid shadow visible, though far, far, larger than any human he had seen before.

  As the dust cleared, Marrok saw the beast in more detail, and grinned, this was it, what he had been hoping for. At last, a real fight. A pure fight against a tough opponent.

  Similar sentiments echoed across the chamber from all the goblins.

  “Bunch up!” he yelled. Drawing the goblins to him as he circled off to the left, banging his weapons together to draw the ire of the beast.

  It worked and as the beast turned, arrows fired from behind him, peppering the monster and enraging it. He banged his weapons harder and yelled at it.

  “Come at me you great ugly brute!”

  It charged and Marrok dodged left, rolling out of the way and slashing at its legs as it passed him by.

  Forroll, from behind him did the same, before skirting across the clearing to the opposite side where she kept firing arrows at the creature.

  Taking the opportunity, the goblins on its back attacked, slashing and beating on the creature before skipping back as it turned, swiping its club like hands at them.

  Withdrawing, the goblins grouped around Marrok as they had planned and the ones with ranged weapons kept firing, chipping away at the creature and distracting it. Arrows littered its, tangled in its thick fur and stuck out of the flesh at odd angles, hurting it, unfortunately none had blinded it as he had hoped.

  The goblins kited the beast around the clearing until they ran out of arrows, at which point they split into two groups, Marrok, Forroll, Lorg and Blathr in one group, and Brey, Janus, Shull and Krik in the other.

  Separated, they approached on opposite sides of the creature and then fanned out slightly so that the beast was covered front and back by two groups, Marrok led his group into attracting its attention, making a racket and taunting it. When it charged, they retreated circling out to the left and Marrok yelled out “attack!”

  Hearing the command, Brey’s group charged forward also circling left to stay behind it as they hacked at the creature, dancing back when it whirled on them.

  “Retreat” Marrok yelled, at that point Brey’s group backtracked drawing the beast on and Marrok took his group forward attacking the back of the beast.

  This way and that way they pulled the beast, retreating and advancing as they slowly beat it down.

  Eventually, it stumbled, its legs slashed and hacked apart such that the bone was showing as the sandy clearing, now painted red in its blood gave way under its enormous weight.

  Feet sliding, Marrok sensed weakness and charged.

  “All charge, kill it!” he yelled as he ran forwards, going for the head.

  The goblins all charged as one, attacking like a swarm of bees, a frenzied ferine swarm that launched themselves at the beast slashing and hacking.

  It was over in a matter of seconds as they pounced, tearing it apart. The beast flailed around, its death throes futile against the goblins.

  With a wet crunch they heard a cut off yelp but ignored it, entranced by the bloodshed.

  When all was said and done, Marrok stepped back, the head of the beast cracked open and his hatchet buried in its brain the final blow required to silence the monster.

  His adrenalin was pumping and he revelled in the feeling of besting death.

  “Yaaaaaahhhhhhhh!” he roared out, echoed by his tribe.