I opened the door and left the room, and the skeleton, with the now empty hole in its forehead where the cursed jewel used to be, gladdened me, because at least I could leave something troublesome behind—something I've rarely had the chance to do recently. I was tired. I missed my bed. But I knew at this rate I would be here three days, and the thought only added to my exhaustion.
But what could I do? As I turned a corner, I jumped back into cover when I saw three goblins. Peeking around again, I realized they were just sitting around a barrel playing cards. My heart nearly leapt into my throat when one yelled, "Ha! Take that, shitheads—full house!" At that, my heart calmed as I listened to the gambling that followed.
"I'm going to have grey hairs before I'm twenty at this rate," I muttered. I peeked around the corner, waiting for the goblin facing me to look away. The moment it looked down at its cards, I darted to the opposite end of the hallway.
But as I reached the other side, the wood bent underfoot. I froze as it groaned, and then I heard a goblin's voice.
"Hey, what was that?"
"Sit down, shit-for-brains. You're not getting out of paying me that easily."
With that, a breath of relief escaped me.