Chapter 31 - Finding the dungeon-Sarah POV (18 Jan 25)

They found the dungeon because the forest couldn't hide it.The stone tower rose above the canopy like a broken tooth, gray and weathered, its upper half collapsed long ago. Moss clung to its sides. Vines crawled up the stone, but nothing had managed to pull it down. A stone curtain wall surrounded it, but it was crumbling in spots, and half of it looked ready to collapse.Sarah slowed as soon as she saw it.Evan lifted a hand, halting the column.No one spoke. They just stared."So," Jace said quietly. "That's subtle.""Shut up," Mira muttered, but she was smiling too.They approached carefully. Soldiers fanned out first, shields up, eyes scanning the undergrowth. The second adventurer team mirrored them, spreading wider, quieter. Sarah stayed near the center, watching the ground, the trees, the air between them. The goblins had surprised them a few times already by hiding where she didn't think they could.The ruin sat in a shallow rise, stone foundations half-swallowed by roots. The tower wasn't the dungeon itself. That became clear once they circled it. The entrance yawned beneath the tower's shadow, a cracked archway descending into darkness.Theo peered into it, then leaned back. "Nope.""Nope," Mira agreed.Evan glanced at Sarah. "You aren't going in today.""Good," Jace said immediately. "I wasn't ready anyway.""Liar," Mira said. "You've been ready since breakfast.""Ready doesn't mean eager," he replied.Evan halted and said, "Alright, everyone, gather up. No delving today, here's the priority of work for the day."Theo and Jace just groaned. The rest of the day vanished into work.Rooms near the tower's entrance were cleared and reinforced. Broken stone was dragged into makeshift barricades. Doorways were narrowed. The Soldiers worked on building and fortifying a place to sleep.The Goblins scattered fast once they realized they'd been found, but not fast enough. The groups were larger here and common, but the teams had learned how to kill them.Sarah killed nine goblins herself before noon. Gravebound Resolve stirred once when Jace took a spear to his stomach, but one of the healing potions was able to save him.Two Hobgoblins burst from cover near a creek, spears leveled, armor better than anything the goblins had worn. Everyone was grinning by the time it was over. They had solid spearheads with decent hafts. Leather that could actually be reused.One of the adventurers from the other team—older, scarred, name Sarah couldn't remember—sat down hard afterward and laughed."Got something," he said, staring at nothing."Perk?" Evan asked."Yeah. " Uncommon," the man replied. "Footing. Less chance to slip, but it's better than the common one the goblins give you."Evan nodded. "That's useful.""Very." He said with a smile.They made camp as dusk crept in.They didn't bother hiding their campfire, and they made their first authentic meal since they stepped off. The meat was divided carefully. Fat was rendered where it could be. No one complained, and the mood was jovial amongst the group.By the time the watches were set, Sarah had gone over the plan four times.She went over it a fifth time anyway."Jace, you'll take the lead, and Mira, you'll be responsible for checking for traps. The dungeon is modeled after the basement of the tower, and it should be around 20 rooms."Jace nodded while Mira rechecked her straps. Theo didn't look up, too busy doodling in the dirt."Hobgoblins inside," Sarah continued. "Lots of goblins. That's all we know. Harold didn't remember traps, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. He also said goblins like to use ambushers, so expect that."Theo finally glanced up. "That's reassuring."She snorted. "You'll live, you're in the back.""Probably," he said, smiling.The fire burned down low, and the conversation drifted off. Everyone was tired from the constant movement.When they finally lay down, Sarah didn't sleep much. She listened to the forest breathe. To the distant creak of stone settling. To her own heartbeat, steady and patient.At some point, Sarah reached into her pack.The container Harold had given her felt heavier than it should have. She turned it once in her fingers, then uncorked it and drank.Warmth spread through her almost immediately. Not sharp or overwhelming. Just… there. Settling deep into muscle and bone, quiet and steady. But she could feel herself feeling more solid, more durable.She let out a slow breath and leaned back when suddenly Mira popped up."…Was that from your brother?!"Sarah turned her head. Mira was watching her, chin propped on her arm, eyes sharp in the firelight."Yeah," Sarah said, laughing. "Sort of."Mira frowned. "Sort of?""It's complicated," Sarah said.Mira shifted closer anyway. "What does it do?"Sarah thought for a second. "Makes me stronger, tougher, and faster."Mira's eyes widened. "Oh."Then, immediately, "I want one."Sarah snorted quietly. "Of course you do.""I'm serious," Mira said. "When we get back. You should tell him I want one. I don't even need to be that strong."Sarah smiled faintly, then the smile faded.Mira stared into the fire for a moment, then said, much quieter, "That spear earlier. When Jace got hit."Sarah's jaw tightened. "Yeah...I know.""The way he screamed," Mira continued. "I know he lived. I know we have crap armour, but that spear went right through it. But for a second I thought—" She stopped, swallowing. "It scared me. That was one of the first times one of us really took a hit like that. Like...Jace had died before, but it was instant. This time, he screamed."Sarah didn't answer right away. She shifted closer and bumped Mira's shoulder with her own."He's loud," Sarah said softly. "Always has been."Mira huffed a weak laugh. "That's not what I meant.""I know, we'll be ok tomorrow," Sarah said.They sat like that for a while, listening to the fire crackle, the forest breathe.Mira glanced at her again. "You okay?"Sarah nodded. "Yeah. I am now."Mira leaned back. "Good. Because if you get any stronger without telling me, I'm gonna be mad."Sarah smiled in the dark. There were perks to her brother being the Lord, but now she had to play her part. Harold needed her to conquer this dungeon. And honestly, she really wanted the perk for killing the boss. Harold had said most of the best ones were from killing dungeon bosses. ​The first sign was the noise of many things moving over stone.The soldier on watch stiffened, knuckles whitening around his spear. He leaned forward, peering through the narrow choke they'd built from fallen stone and shattered masonry.The darkness pressed close.Then something shrieked.A goblin slammed into the barricade, claws scrabbling against stone. Another followed, then another, bodies piling up as they tried to force themselves through the gap. Breathe. Listen. "CONTACT!" the soldier roared. "Form up!"The room snapped awake.Sarah rolled off her bedroll and was moving before her boots were entirely on. Mira nearly tripped over her own pack, cursing under her breath as she scrambled into position. Jace grabbed his shield with a hiss, pain flashing across his face, but he made it to the line."Doorway!" Evan shouted. "Everyone to the choke!"Most of the soldiers were already there, led by Carter, who was making sure the shields were locked and the looted spears were angled low through the narrowed opening. Torches flared as goblins poured out of the dark hallway beyond, screaming, shoving each other forward. They were armed with short swords, some had shields, and not a lick of armor on any of them.Stone scraped.The first goblin wedged itself halfway through the gap, ribs crushed as a spear punched into its chest. It died there, blocking the opening just long enough for another to climb over it.A hobgoblin's roar echoed down the corridor."Taller one!" someone yelled.The hobgoblin forced its way forward, spear thrusting through the gap hard enough to rattle the stones they'd stacked. The impact drove the shield line back a step."Hold!" Carter barked. "Brace!"Sarah was already there.She weaved between two soldiers as they braced their shields, and she prepared to thrust forward.A shield slipped.She stepped in, cutting low, then high, opening the hobgoblin's thigh. It howled, stumbling back, dragging two goblins down with it."Close that gap!" Cater thundered.Mira screamed and stabbed, the spear shaking in her hands as it punched into something small and screaming. "I got one!""Again!" Theo yelled. "Do it again!"The hallway became a slaughterhouse. Goblins surged forward, bodies piling as shrieks turned to panicked chittering when they were funneled into death one by one. The floor was slippery with blood, threatening to undermine steady footing. On occasion, a loose stone dislodged under the weight of pressing bodies and fell, adding chaos to the battle as adventurers skillfully dodged falling debris while holding the line. Hobgoblins at the back forced more goblins forward. Blood slicked the stone, mixing with the mud and making every step a test of balance. The smell was copper and rot and smoke.A goblin squeezed through low, crawling on the ground to get under the shields, his blade flashing.Jace caught it on his shield and went down with a grunt.Theo was on it instantly. A downward strike, and the goblin went still.Jace sucked in a breath. "I'm up. That sucked."He barely finished the sentence before the pressure came back.Heavier this time.The goblins didn't scream as much. They were being pushed.Stone scraped as bodies slammed forward in a coordinated shove. The barricade shuddered, shields rattling as the soldiers braced instinctively."Hold!" Carter barked. "This is it—brace!"A hobgoblin shoulder rammed into the opening, broad enough that it filled the gap almost completely. For a split second, the line wavered as the sheer force of the impact sent a ripple of doubt through the shield-bearers' ranks. One soldier, eyes wide with fear, hesitated, his grip loosening on his shield. Sarah felt the flicker of uncertainty but steeled herself, recalling the relentless training and the stakes at hand. A second hobgoblin loomed behind, then a third, forcing the smaller goblins ahead of them like living battering rams."Shields!" Evan shouted.They locked tighter, boots digging into stone. Sarah felt the impact run through the line, through her arms, into her spine. The doorway groaned. One of the stacked blocks shifted, grinding against its neighbor.Mira screamed something unintelligible and stabbed again and again, her spear bouncing off something until Sarah shoved her blade through the hobgoblin's forearm.It howled, but didn't fall.Another hobgoblin leaned over its back and thrust blindly through the gap. The spear scraped a shield rim and punched into the stone wall beside Sarah's head with a crack."Pull it!" someone yelled.Theo grabbed the shaft, yanking hard. The hobgoblin on the other end wasn't ready for it. It stumbled forward just enough.Carter took the opening.He stepped into the gap, and a silver sheen covered his blade as he shoved it up and into the hobgoblin's head.It convulsed, then collapsed forward.The body jammed sideways in the choke.The second hobgoblin slammed into it, snarling, trying to climb over its dying kin. Goblins piled behind it, shrieking as they were crushed between stone and muscle."Spears forward!" Carter shouted. "Don't let them clear it!"They didn't.Spears punched down. Blades flashed. Blood poured into the doorway until the floor ran slick and the goblins started slipping over their own dead.The second hobgoblin took a spear through the eye and dropped, further blocking the doorway.Silence didn't come right away.There was breathing. Groaning. The wet sound of something dying slowly beyond the stones.Then the pressure was gone.No more shoves. No more screams.Just the torchlight flickering over a doorway packed solid with bodies.Carter kept his shield up for another complete count before lowering it. "Well, that was a rush."Evan wiped blood off his cheek with a shaking hand. "Yeah. Hopefully that won't be a habit."Sarah leaned back, legs trembling now that the pull had eased.Mira stared at the barricade. "They planned that."Sarah nodded. "Yeah, those hobgoblins are dangerous."Cater started moving around and checking his people for injuries. On one, he pulled a vial out and tipped it down his throat, then guided him to a clean section of the floor to rest. Evan saw Carter working the line and started doing the same for the adventurers."Anyone hurt?" he called. "Anyone get any perks from that?"There was a beat. Then voices."Bruised.""Shield arm's gonna hate me tomorrow.""I'm good. Mostly."Theo rolled his ankle once to test it. "Got something. Same as before. Surefooted again, just the better version from the Hobgoblins."Evan nodded. "Figures. Anyone else?"Jace raised a hand sheepishly. "Uh. Yeah. Same one."Mira snorted. "You need it."Jace scowled. "Hey, I went down once.""Exactly," Theo said. "And we all saw."A couple more got perks they hadn't gotten from the goblins, but they had just about gotten all the perks they could get from simple goblins. Then Mira went quiet.Sarah turned. "Mira?"Mira blinked like she was coming back from somewhere far away. "I didn't get that one."Evan stepped closer. "Read it."She swallowed and glanced down again."It's called Battle Caller. Rare."That stopped the room.She read carefully."When fighting as part of a group, the verbal commands and callouts I give carry increased clarity and authority. Allies who respond gain improved reaction timing and coordination for a short duration."Theo stared. "Those hobgoblins did control the fight from the rear."Mira nodded slowly. "I guess I'm gonna be our shotcaller now."Evan let out a quiet breath. "That perk will make you very useful."Jace grinned despite himself. "So you're officially allowed to boss us around now."Mira shot him a look. "I was already doing that."Carter glanced over from the choke. "That perk is a responsibility; you should come work with us during our drills," he said calmly. "I think you would really benefit from the experience."Mira nodded, serious now. "I get it."Sarah squeezed her shoulder. "That one's big. We'll work it into how we fight."Mira exhaled. "Good. Because that shove almost broke us."Evan clapped his hands once. "Alright. Perks noted. Jace—"Jace straightened. "Yes?""Try not to test that footing perk again tonight."A few quiet laughs slipped out, short and tired, just enough to bleed off the tension.Evan turned back toward the barricade and Carter, his expression settling into something more focused. "That was a probe," Evan said. "They wanted to see if we'd fold." Carter studied the bodies jammed into the stone choke. The way they'd piled wasn't random. Someone had pushed them there. Carter gave a short nod in agreement. "We didn't," he said, his eyes tracing over the scene. "This position needs work; if we tighten our defenses, we'll hold out. But what will they try next?"He glanced back at Mira."And it sounds like they are," he added, "if she pulled something like that."Carter didn't argue. He just gave a short nod and quietly doubled the watch, spacing soldiers and adventurers in overlapping pairs. He sent out a pair to gather as many spears and swords as they could gather and take all the leather armour the hobgoblins had. It was better than anything they were already wearing.No one complained about wearing the bloody armor from the hobgoblins.The group settled back down where they could, armor loosened but never entirely off. Sleep came in fragments. The kind that left you half-aware of every sound, every shift of shadow beyond the torchlight.The ruin stayed quiet.But no one believed it was done with them yet.