The eyeball seemed to draw Hunter in with its gaze, for he could not look away. It may have only been a cloth banner, but something about it drew his attention, and for a brief moment, he feared that he would be unable to take his eyes off of it. It was as if he were compelled to gaze upon this horrible visage for the rest of time. Eventually, however, he managed to break the stare with the banner, looking to his party.
Oddly, they were staring at it too, yet they didn't seem nearly as disturbed by it as he was. They looked to him, and Wizard tilted her head, looking him up and down.
"Do you recognize this symbol?" She asked him. "You keep staring at it like it's going to leap out at you."
Hunter grunted.
"It certainly feels like it wants too," Hunter said, only half-joking. "It does seem familiar, but I can't quite recall why that is such."
He didn't feel the need to lie about this particular issue. The symbol did seem familiar to him, though he couldn't remember a single detail about it. Hunter then decided to go with what felt right... and what felt right, was that this banner was signaling danger ahead. Hunter would be on his highest alert. He briefly considered telling the party to wait here while he scouted ahead, but quickly discarded the thought. They weren't likely to sit around out here even if he told them too.
Hunter himself wasn't going to leave either; for while the symbol deeply unnerved him, he simply could not bring himself to not go in. It was a compulsion on his part, he needed to enter. He rationalized that it was likely that, since the banner was familiar, he might recall something of his past by venturing within the depths of the cave. Though he could not completely deny the tugging he felt in his gut, urging him onwards into the unknown. The feeling frightened him, for he knew he would not disobey.
He noted the cow skull sitting above the banner, it's white bone dry. Hunter had been told that goblins would often steal livestock as well as human girls. He wondered as to why such creatures didn't have females of their own. It seemed an impossibility. They needed human women to copulate? That made no sense, for then how would the first goblin come about? These creatures origins were not natural. He was certain.
Hunter decided that before entry he would reiterate the formation he had told the party of earlier. No misunderstandings would be made.
"Stay on guard; I'll lead," Hunter said. "Wizard and Priestess will be in the middle, with me, Fighter, and Warrior on each flank. We'll guard you two from sudden attack." He nodded towards Priestess. "Have that light miracle at the ready, we'll start with torches but if those go out before we finish we'll need it. Fighter will guard the back flank, keep those tree kicking legs at the ready dear. You never know what might jump out of the dark."
Priestess nodded and Fighter shot a grin, flashing a thumbs up. Warrior raised a brow at Hunter, then turned to look at the mouth of the cave.
"Hunter, it's just a goblin cave. These torches should burn well after we finish this all up." Warrior explained.
It was a good point, though Warrior didn't seem to realize that there were other ways to put out a torch.
"It's just in case Warrior. Honestly, you could do with a little extra paranoia in your life." Hunter told him. "Not too much of course, wouldn't want you to think that every little granny walking down the street would want to poison you." Warrior frowned at Hunter, and Fighter shrugged. "Well, better safe than sorry yes? That's all I'm trying to say." Hunter said, returning his own shrug.
"Yeah, I guess." Warrior responded, turning towards the mouth of the cave.
They all did likewise, and Hunter lit a torch, holding it aloft in his left hand. Without meaning it, he looked back to the banner and sneered. The unsettled feeling did not leave him, but now he also wanted to set the damn thing ablaze. He did so, swiping the torch slowly under the banner until the cloth caught fire. The flames licked up towards the eye swiftly, and soon nothing but ash would remain.
"Why did you do that?" Wizard asked.
Hunter shrugged.
"Felt like it. The colors are atrocious. Oh, one second, can you hold this?" He asked Wizard, handing her the torch.
She took it with only brief hesitation, keeping it well away from her wide-brimmed hat. Hunter then folded his collar upwards and retied its laces to conceal his face once more. He had the feeling that goblin caves would be rank and foul-smelling, the leather would help mask that somewhat. His task complete, he took the torch from Wizard once more and started towards the entrance.
The sun was directly overhead, indicating to Hunter that they had plenty of time before the night came. He rolled his shoulders and craned his neck side to side. He took a deep breath, held, then released. Staring into the mouth of the cave, he was confronted by an unwelcome feeling.
Claustrophobia. He had felt it somewhat in the sewers, though he had mistaken it for fear of the rats. He wasn't afraid of rats; simply disgusted by them. The close walls of the sewer had been what made him uncomfortable, but there was still space enough to move around... to breathe.
This cave could get far more narrow than those sewers, so much harder to breathe... Hunter shook his head. In his remembrance of the war, he had been stuck in a narrow trench surrounded by other soldiers. Hunter hadn't felt claustrophobic then as a fresh-faced fifteen-year-old, at least as far as he could remember. Hunter reminded himself that he had more important things going on around him in that moment. Gunfire, screaming troops, his scary as hell commander shouting at him. He also supposed that it could have been mitigated by the open sky. Having so much fresh air to breathe was likely to have made Hunter feel better about the enclosed space.
"Um... Hunter? Are we going in now? You're makin' me nervous." Fighter asked, casting a sidelong glance at him from the back of the formation.
Hunter frowned. He had done it again, got lost in his thoughts. He needed to focus.
"Yes. Just making sure we're perfectly ready." Hunter lied. He took a step forward, and the rest of the party followed in step.
Noting that everyone had their guards up, Hunter picked up the pace. He didn't go too fast, of course, wouldn't want to walk face-first into trouble without seeing it first. They entered the cave, the darkness settling over them as they passed the entrance. The stone beneath their feet was oddly moist, not like that of dew or bat waste... but something thicker. Each step threatened to make Hunter slide off into the darkness ahead. The cave mouth was wide on each side, likely it would narrow the further down into the bowels they went. Hunter frowned, noting that the slick layer of... something threatened to send him sliding down with its odd lubrication. There was an incline that headed downwards into the cave.
It wasn't too steep. Likely if the gray stone underfoot was dry Hunter would pay this incline no mind. However, if someone were to slip now, they would slide straight to the bottom. Hunter halted the party with a hand, and Warrior groaned in annoyance. It was a good thing Hunter was in the lead, for the rest of the party may have slipped on the wet stone. Hunter was blessed with amazing balance, so he had no trouble keeping his stance.
"Watch your footing, the ground here is slick." Hunter told them.
"Oh," Warrior said. "Kay then."
Hunter rolled his eyes behind his spectacles and continued forward slowly. He was ready to reach out to either side of him to catch someone losing balance, but fortunately, the party maintained their footing. Hunter looked to the gray stone, taking his gaze away from the darkness ahead. The slime that coated the stone was clear and translucent. It reflected the light of his torch, and indeed, he could see his own reflection in the muck. He looked up from the sludge, gave a silent gasp, and looked back at his reflection.
It was gone.
Could it be that he could only see his reflection when he wasn't trying to? Hunter shoved the thought aside. There would be more time for this later. For now, Hunter just wanted to figure out what the grime beneath his feet was.
It had no odor as far as he could tell through his raised collar. If it did have a smell, his companions made no note of it. What was this stuff? He shot a quick glance back at the party and saw they were looking at the slime as well. Their torches reflected off of the sludge, and Hunter stopped walking, noting the plop of his boot rising and falling onto the slime. The party halted.
"Any of you know what this grime is?" Hunter asked, not looking backward.
"I don't know what this crap is..." Fighter stated behind him. "looks gross though."
Warrior gagged.
"Whatever it is, it's like someone sick came in here and blew their snot all over everything." He stated, making Hunter cringe with disgust.
Wizard scoffed.
"Unpleasant description aside, it does seem to coat everything... look at the walls and ceiling." Wizard told them.
Indeed, Hunter followed suit, glancing upwards. The same slime reflected his torchlight back down upon him from the roof of the cave but didn't drip downwards. Perhaps it was adhesive of some kind? If it were, it would be harder to walk on would it not? He looked to the walls next, and indeed, they were coated just the same. It didn't appear to run downwards, whatever it was. It merely... was still. It acted akin to an undisturbed pond.
"Is this some kind of goblin excrement?" Hunter asked, lifting his foot experimentally.
He saw his bootprint in the sludge as he raised his foot, and frowned as it reformed almost immediately. There was no print anymore, it was as if no one had set foot there in the first place. This stuff couldn't be natural.
"No..." Wizard said, a slight quiver to her voice. She sounded queasy as she said the words. "Whatever this sludge is, it's not from goblins."
Hunter sighed.
"This is the right cave right?" Hunter asked the party.
They remained silent a moment. The silence seemed to pass for far too long in the overly slick cave, and Hunter was about to break the silence when Priestess piped up.
"It has to be..." She said, her tone betraying her nervousness. "The quest said it would be in this part of the forest... and that there weren't many caves over this way anyhow..."
Hunter let out a breath. The hairs on his neck were standing on end already. This was supposed to be a simple quest. However, he did not account for the slick wall boogers he'd have to contend with. Hunter considered arguing the point but decided against it. That heraldry outside meant something was in this cave, goblin or no.
And that compulsion to venture forward was still strong. There had to be something here that was linked to his past. Hunter was certain of this and though he didn't know as to why that was; he knew he wouldn't stop now. He was simply in too deep. Hunter almost laughed at the thought. He had barely taken a few steps past the mouth of the cave, he was anywhere but deep. Sunlight poured in from behind them, though it didn't reach as far as the light of the torches did.
"Alright, let's keep going. Don't slip, hold on to someone if you need too, but don't slip. If you do, you're going all the way down to the bottom." Hunter said. He heard an audible gulp from behind him, and Hunter didn't blame whoever made the sound.
What was at the bottom anyhow? He took more tentative steps forward. The party followed after him with a careful step; the sounds of their footprints almost silent on the slime. They continued on like that for a long while, their progress slowed by the need to be careful. Thankfully, the incline began to even out to a more flat surface. The sludge was still coating everything, albeit in a slightly thicker coat. The slime wasn't threatening to overtake their shoes of course. It barely reached the middle of his soles, but if it got deeper then this, there might be problems. Each step felt as if he were sinking into mud, and he resented the feeling.
Now that the terrain had finally flattened, Hunter breathed a sigh of relief. This was followed by the rest of the party doing the same. He turned back to them. They all seemed fine, their legs were a little shaky from the slippery walk down but other than that they were okay. Hunter looked back up the incline, noting that they hadn't actually traveled that far from the cave mouth. He could still see the sun's rays faintly, like the light at the end of a tunnel.
That was good. Likely it was still midday, and Hunter needed to know that there was a way out. Thankfully the cave hadn't narrowed too much on the trip down, but Hunter steeled himself for further spelunking. He turned his gaze to Priestess, who was looking at the slime curiously. She drew a line with the butt of her staff in the stuff. The sludge reformed almost as soon as the depression was made in it.
How bizarre... it didn't seem to flow or drip, but the slime reformed after being pressed by outside sources. Why was this? Hunter noted with a small gasp that the goo didn't stick to the bottom of Priestess' staff. It was wet, though no amount of slime coated the bottom. Everyone immediately spun about, looking for something to wack in response.
"No," Hunter said quickly. "Look at the bottom of your feet, what do you see?"
He received odd stares from his party, but they did as he asked lifting a foot up to inspect their shoes. They all gasped almost at the same time.
"It's almost dry!" Warrior shouted, the sound echoing down the cave.
"Be quiet you fool!" Hunter hissed. "You've likely just alerted the goblins with your loud mouth!"
Warrior's eyes widened, and he placed a hand over his open mouth, looking past Hunter and into the cave beyond. Hunter readied himself and turned forward; ready to bash the first head he saw emerge from the blackness. A few moments passed, though not a sound could be heard approaching. Hunter still did not lower his guard, for he knew that the slime could mask the sounds of approaching footfalls. He allowed another few moments to pass, the party tense behind him as he glared into the dark. Still nothing.
He leaned forward, waving his torch slowly to illuminate the path ahead. It didn't do much to help, for he barely moved, but nothing seemed to be ahead. Nothing was approaching him from the darkness. Hunter breathed a sigh of relief and turned his head back to Warrior.
"Inside voices boy." Hunter said curtly.
Hunter couldn't help feeling annoyed. It was so much so that he could barely think of naught else. Warrior could have still alerted the goblins, ruining any element of surprise they could have gained. Goblins weren't absolutely vacuous based on what he'd heard. They were still capable of thought. What if they were plotting an ambush even now?
Warrior nodded meekly, his frown showing his clenched teeth. Hunter shook his head at the younger man. Wizard was, oddly enough, squatting down to inspect the slime further. She swiped the surface with her index finger, leaving a trail in the sludge. It immediately popped back upwards, and Wizard frowned. She attempted again, this time trying to pinch some of it between her index finger and her thumb. Hunter tilted his head at Wizard as Priestess held a hand up to her mouth, the rings of her staff lightly jingling.
"What are..." She said. "What are you doing Wizard?"
Wizard ignored her, pinching some of the viscous material, hard. She then pulled, and Hunter nearly stumbled backward. The slime, if he could even call it such anymore, was yanked upwards. It looked similar to pinched skin being pulled. Hunter almost heaved with that comparison. What if this wasn't slime?
What if it was skin?
Wizard had a similar reaction and immediately released the translucent material. It flattened out almost as soon as it was freed from Wizard's grip, and much to Hunter's horror... the skin seemed to bruise. It was still translucent but now was a brown color. Wizard stood and placed a hand on her chest as she backed a step away with widened eyes.
"This is... this is flesh..." She said, her voice quavering.
Hunter's breathing quickened, and his head felt light. A primal fear was shooting up his spine, and the compulsion to go forth almost completely vanished. The party likewise, did not look as if they wanted to continue. They all glanced back up towards the mouth of the cave, the sunlight looking warm and inviting.
"Alright," Hunter said, steadying his voice. "I think that this is; in fact, the wrong cave. I want to leave."
Thankfully, no one objected, everyone, nodding their agreement. Hunter altered their formation. It was mostly the same, though Fighter now led towards the exit, whilst Hunter stayed in the back, ready for anything to jump forth from the shadows of the cave. They began trekking back towards the exit, Hunter holding his torch before him like a shield. The flesh beneath his feet reformed with each of his steps, and upon closer inspection, he noticed tiny pores in the translucent flesh.
Hunter almost gagged. Was that why it was so slick? Was this sweat they were slipping on? What kind of disgusting creature could exist as such? This didn't feel familiar at all. The banner outside did, but not this. Not this flesh. Suddenly, Fighter gasped, and Hunter wheeled on her, ready to jump forward and strike. That was when Hunter saw it.
The sunlight was gone.
The mouth of the cave was not merely blackness, however. Glowing red bone jutted up from the mouth of the cave, blocking all exit. The bone was uncannily similar to that of teeth, and that realization made Hunter grit his teeth from fear. The teeth were large, smooth, and layered over one another. The teeth were long and pointed, stabbing into the roof of the cave. The layering of teeth blocked the sunlight from entering in, and Hunter's jaw trembled slightly.
"No!" Hunter thought.
He had to be strong for the party. He couldn't give in to fear, for if he did, it could spell certain death for them all. Hunter took a deep calming breath. Teeth could be broken, and Hunter was certain he could chop a tree down with his bare hands if need be. Perhaps he could do the same to these cave teeth?
"I think I can get us out," Hunter said. "Let's get up there before anything comes up after us, but don't hurry. We can't afford someone to slip down. We need to stay together." Hunter said, forcing as much confidence into his voice as he could manage.
Fighter was breathing deeply, but quickly. It was clear that she was on edge. Priestess had her lips drawn to a line, and she clutched her staff tightly. Wizard was doing likewise, though she seemed to be on the brink of tears. Hunter frowned at this. She didn't seem the type to tear up... even in a situation such as this. Warrior's face was pale, and he looked ready to start hacking at the walls. Hunter didn't know what cleaving this flesh would do, but it could make this situation far worse for them.
"Everyone steady," Hunter said, the determination in his voice very real. "We'll be fine. I'll protect you all. I promise." And he meant it. He wouldn't allow anyone here to die in such a place.
This did little to ease Warrior, who still was gripping his sword with an iron grip. Had he not been wearing gloves, Warrior's whitened knuckles would be bare for all to see. Priestess actually did look relieved and smiled at Hunter. Wizard's eyes widened, and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, wetting the cloth. She did not meet Hunter's eyes but her stance was notably less shaky. Fighter was still breathing deeply, though it wasn't quite as rapid. Perhaps it was his delivery that calmed them, but Hunter did mean what he said.
They continued up until they reached the top once more. They all let out sighs of relief, and Hunter rounded the group, putting a hand on one of the teeth. He rubbed it, feeling that it was indeed, smooth bone. Wizard eyed him curiously, but everyone else kept their gaze glued to the cave below. While these did seem to be teeth, no gums lined their bottom, and the eerie red glow bathed everyone in an almost ethereal crimson glow. He wasn't sure as to why the cave mouth radiated a red glow, for no source could be seen by his naked eye. The glow didn't cast light farther than their torches did, but Hunter straightened his hand. If he delivered a strong enough chop, he may be able to chip the bone. If he was unable, then there were other things they could try. Wizard may have a way past these teeth, and if not, perhaps Warrior would lend Hunter his sword to use as a makeshift pry bar.
Hunter brought up his hand to swing upon the bone but was interrupted by a scream from behind.
He whirled, spotting the form of Priestess being dragged down into the darkness by some unseen thing. He heard a slicking crunch from somewhere down below in the cavernous depths. He spotted Priestess's bright blue eyes, almost out of sight, wide with fear and wet with tears. Hunter didn't hesitate and leapt down after the girl. No other thought was present in his head. He had to save her.
He promised.
The party shouted something after him, but he could not make out the words.
Hunter slid down after the screaming girl. Priestess shouted for Hunter to save her, and that's exactly what he planned to do. The sweat let him gain on the girl, his torchlight keeping her in his sight. Whatever was dragging her was faster than him, however, and she continued downwards, those blue eyes almost fading into the blackness completely.
That was when Hunter leaped, reaching forward with his right hand to catch Priestess by one of her flailing limbs. He flopped belly first onto the sweaty flesh and was a mere half a foot from grabbing Priestess's hand. Hunter still held his torch in his left hand, and the light allowed him to see what was dragging her.
A long, gangly arm stretched back into the blackness out of sight. The skin of the arm was a stony grey color, but the way it wriggled about bespoke of its biological nature. A clawed hand was dug in around Priestess's ankle, sharp black claws drawing blood as it dragged her further down. Hunter swiped an open hand at Priestess's arm and missed. Soon the terrain flattened out, and Hunter came to a roll. The path continued downwards, as did Priestess, who continued her screams.
Hunter growled in anger, baring his teeth like a rabid wolf as he lept once more on the sour flesh of the cave. Sliding down into the unexplored depths of the cavern. Again he saw Priestess's innocent blue eyes, glistening with tears as her shrieks echoed off the cave walls. The path narrowed, and Hunter suppressed the claustrophobia. There were more important matters than his fear to deal with.
Thankfully, it seemed that the creature had slowed its drag, and Priestess was now within arms reach of Hunter. He swiped, gripping her wrist with his right hand. This did nothing to stop the drag of the arm, which continued to pull them further down. Hunter soon lost grip of his torch, the flaming wood bouncing on the flesh behind him. What if it caught fire? The whole cave would go up in flames and everyone would die!
Hunter shook his head and pulled on Priestess's arm. She winced at the pain of his pull, but he needed to be able to dig his heels in if he was to have a chance of slowing this thing down. He quickly got into a crouch, still gripping the girl's wrist, and grabbed for her other arm with his now free hand. It was difficult, for he could not see a thing in this blackness. Thankfully it didn't take long to find the limb, and he dug his heels into the flesh below, feeling it scrape against the edge of his boots.
He heard the flesh under his heel tear with the friction, and indeed the arm did slow its pull. Unfortunately, that did not stop the pull entirely. They were going so fast that Hunter feared that he'd meet his end by way of face on rock. He needed to get to that arm, but how? It was all he could do to slow its drag. Hunter grit his teeth as Priestess wept, and Hunter was about to shout something, anything to calm the girl and let her know he was still with her.
That was when he felt a sharp pain in his ankle, and he was ripped away from Priestess in a sudden jerk. The force of the pull must have dislocated Priestess's shoulders, for a loud pop and a cry of pain could be heard as he was pulled away into the darkness. Hunter grit his teeth as he realized that he was being dragged the opposite direction of Priestess, for her cries soon faded to nothing.
Hunter growled, his rage coming to a bubble, and his fear completely forgotten. He lashed out with his leg, his foot colliding with the hand of his captor. He heard bone shatter beneath the blow, but the grip did not waver. He kicked again, and again as he was pulled top speed through the depths. The flesh beneath him was slick with sweat, the lubrication easily adding to his momentum. Then, suddenly, he felt his feet collide with something thick, yet malleable. It felt like he had kicked an entire vat of semi-frozen jelly. Then his legs were absorbed by the gelatinous mass, the hand of the creature still gripping his ankle. It seemed to be trying to drag him through the viscous stuff. Soon enough, his entire being was engulfed by not only the blackness but by a smothering soft sticky something. It was all around him, and Hunter attempted to lash out.
He couldn't move, and that was when the fear returned, in force.
He couldn't breathe.
He felt as if he were encased in warm flesh, and it seemed to flex around him, hardening at his every movement to keep him in place. He struggled, his lungs burning for breath. Hunter wanted to scream, but he needed to keep as much air in him as possible. Adrenaline pumping throughout his system, he continued his struggle. Hunter held his breath for seemingly so long that his lungs seemed ready to burn out of his chest.
"The dream isn't with me anymore!" He thought suddenly.
What the bloody hell did that mean!?
Fuzz
He struggled, feeling that this would indeed be his final death if he allowed it. Final death?
Fuzz
His movements gradually slowed with his struggling... If he allowed it...
Wait.
If he allowed it!
Whatever was around him was tensing against his every movement to hold him still. Was this some part of its digestion? If so, it was likely trying to either get him to pass out or suffocate him completely. If he stopped struggling, would it take him somewhere else? Hunter knew that it'd be pointless to keep struggling now, for his movements were now weak from lack of air. He decided to try it, hopefully, this would work.
Hunter stilled, playing the corpse while still holding his breath. How long had he been struggling? It felt like an eternity. He was close to bursting that was for certain. Soon he would be left gasping for air that wasn't there. The tensing of flesh around him ceased after only a second of his stillness. A few more seconds passed, each one feeling like a minute due to his choked mind. More seconds... and then he felt himself being shifted along by the undulating flesh all around him. The sticky moist flesh coated him in a fine layer of something viscous. His breath gave, and he began gasping for air...
Only to find it. He took in a huge lungful of it and was shocked. The burning pain in his chest subsided considerably. How was this possible? Hunter then felt the urge to smack himself in the face. His upturned collar had created a small pocket of air for him to breathe. Style saved his life. He noticed then that the sharp pain in his ankle was gone, replaced by a burning throb. The hand must have released him soon after dragging him into this disgusting thing.
He kept his breathing short, there was no telling when he would be able to get out of this thing. Hunter grew frustrated at the slowness of his decent, or at least what he thought was a descent. The undulating flesh around him seemed to open up for him as he was being shifted downwards into further depths of the cave, but this seemed to last forever. Priestess was likely in a similar situation, and she had no pocket of air to breathe. Hunter grit his teeth, he had promised to save her, and he would. Hopefully, this would eventually take him somewhere where he could move.
More time passed, and he found himself worrying after the rest of his party. They were still at the top of the cave, at least that was what he hoped. It could be that they had been dragged into the darkness by other cave arms, and were suffering the same fate as he and Priestess. Hunter grit his teeth with frustration. It was foolish to dive after Priestess alone, but Hunter didn't even think about what he was doing at the time. She had been in danger and Hunter merely reacted.
If he had stayed, perhaps they could have coordinated a better rescue. There was no point in thinking of this now. The milk had already been spilled; hopefully, he could clean it up before it spoiled. He just wished they would stay at the top of the cave, but he doubted it. They were terrified yes, but he didn't believe that they'd leave Hunter and Priestess behind. If they could even leave in the first place.
He was drawn out of his musings when he felt the shifting mass of flesh disappear from beneath him, and then, all around him as he plummeted into the darkness. He flipped in the air for a couple of seconds before he collided against the 'ground'. His face rebounded off of soft squishy flesh, but he stowed away his disgust. The soft landing had likely spared him from breaking something. Hunter groaned, and pushed himself up off of the flesh, slipping and falling back down once more.
Wherever he was, everything was slick. The stink was only barely tolerable like he'd been dumped into a mound of half-rotten meat. His lack of vision was irritating, but at this very moment, he was more concerned with just getting on his feet. He slipped again and again as his frustration continued to build. He couldn't seem to get a grip on anything to help him gain footing, and he could do little more than sit straight up. Occasionally his fingers would find purchase in holes. As he tried to pull on those holes for leverage however, they would tear apart beneath his hands.
The wetness he felt now was more like oil, and trying to move in an oily flesh cave was proving to be his match. He flailed in anger, trying to dig his fingers into the expanse of flesh around him. As soon as he moved in that manner, the ground beneath him began to sink. The hair on the back of Hunter's neck stood on end as he desperately tried to claw his way back up. It encased everything beneath his knees by the time he found a handhold. Jabbing his thumb up and through soft squishy meat, he hooked the digit on some harder material within the flesh. Hunter gripped with all of his fingers, and he hoisted himself upwards, pulling himself out by a few inches.
That red glow then returned, coming from no source yet illuminating the entire room.
Seeing what lay around him made Hunter's jaw quake.
It was indeed flesh as he had thought, but it was all an aggressive bright red color. Whether that was due to the illumination of the light or if it was its actual color mattered little. What truly mattered, was the faces. Twisted, horrible faces glared at him with eyeless sockets. They seemed melded with the flesh, jaws agape with chopped off tongues and empty gums. Hunter then realized that the holes he was trying to find purchase in earlier... were the empty eye sockets and open jaws of the faces. Indeed, he saw the damage he had wrought upon his handholds. They were almost torn in half in some places, mangled to the point where they barely resembled anything that was once human. They were caked with an oily thick red fluid that looked to resemble blood, and he noticed that his own outfit was now drenched in the same material.
He saw several different kinds of faces, men, women, the elderly... and most horrifically of all, the children. All eyeless, yet seeming to glare at him with hate. There were so many everywhere, on the undulating walls, the floor and...
Hunter looked up hesitantly at the only handhold that didn't give beneath his grip and nearly released. Looking down on him was the face of a little boy. He couldn't have been more than eight years of age. His skin was flaked and cracked, and only mildly coated in the red sludge that was smeared over everything below. However, the boy still had his eyes. At least he had one of them now. His right eye was now gouged out by Hunter's thumb, which was now hooked underneath the boy's brow to keep his grip. The left eye, however, seemed to stare at him with horror, the green hue glistening with tears.
Immediately after Hunter noticed the tears, the boy screamed. Hunter let out a scream as well, letting go of the boys head with a wet bloody pop. He then felt the flesh suck him downwards, and Hunter immediately sunk to his chest. He looked up to see several other dry cracked faces above him, their eyes all staring at him with fear. Then they too started to weep. The wide expanse of the cavernous flesh cave began to drip with tears. It looked akin to a rainfall and the salty liquid meshed with the red oily fluid of the eyeless flesh expanse. Tears pattered off of his suit as he was sucked downwards up to his neck.
And he was still screaming, panic overtaking his senses as he began to flail. The flesh squeezed around him, and he could feel the faces press up against him as he was dragged beneath the surface. Then he was back in the darkness.
...
...
...
Goblin Slayer approached the mouth of the goblin cave. He was likely too late already to save this party. It had been easy enough to follow their trail, and yet his delays getting here would likely end in their deaths. As he drew closer to the entrance, he noticed the jutting bone sticking up out of the earth in front of the cave. It resembled pointed teeth, like that of an angler fish. Goblin Slayer stopped in his tracks, looking to the ground in front of the cave. Indeed, the trail did lead into the cave, likely before these teeth closed them in. Was this really a goblin cave?
He looked to the right, spotting a pile of ash that only now began blowing away in the wind. What had they set on fire? Goblin Slayer approached the pile of ash, noticing that as the pile blew away, the skull of a cow was exposed. Had they set the banner aflame before entering the cave? If so, then that meant that this was, in fact, a goblin cave. This animal skull meant that a shaman was among them.
He placed a hand on the teeth. It was hard, yes, but no harder than that of normal teeth. Goblin Slayer pulled a hammer from his belt. The steelhead reflected the sunlight from overhead. This tool was only meant for some in-the-field maintenance for his armor, but it would do for this. He raised the hammer and smashed it's flat head against the closest tooth, feeling the bone crack beneath the blow. He examined the damage. Indeed, a spiderwebbed crack was present in the bone. It was small, and substantial work would need to be done to get through.
He raised the hammer overhead once more and smashed it in the same exact location. The spiderwebbed crack spread from the blow, and a third strike shattered that section. Blood seeped from the area, and Goblin Slayer paused. What was this cave? Had the goblins found a way to live in a mimic? He'd never heard of mimics growing to this size, and if it were a mimic, it would have attacked him back by now. Goblin Slayer shoved those thoughts aside and swung once more.
He repeated this until he had a small hole he could reach his hand through. The hole was at height with his chest, and he leaned down, peering into the cave using the light of the sun. Three terrified looking porcelain rank adventurers stared back at him in the red glow of the cave.
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Hunter felt himself fall once more, this time his collision with the ground was not so soft. He broke his fall with outstretched arms, the palms of his hands throbbing with pain. The red glow overhead illuminated the dark cavern he found himself in. Thankfully, the ground beneath him was normal everyday stone. Not an ounce of flesh on it whatsoever. The ceiling where he fell out of, however, was still that fleshy undulating mass. It hadn't taken it long to shift him through its disgusting musculature, and Hunter took a deep calming breath. The faces above horrified him to the point of near hysteria, and he had been suffocating once more before he remembered to play dead.
His leather collar had saved him again as well. The pocket of air being a welcome mouthful. He stood on shaky legs, breathing slowly as he scanned the rest of the cavern. His spectacles had been occluded by the viscous red material above, and he took them off. The dark tint would only make seeing everything more difficult. He packed them away in his satchel with the potions and attempted again to scan his environment.
The fleshy ceiling was about ten feet above him. Hunter despised the close proximity of the mass but was thankful that he was out of its embrace. The space around him was wide and open, as opposed to the enclosed madness above. The air was cool here as well, contrasting the musky warmth of the face chamber. The red glow seemed to only illuminate about thirty feet of this room around him. Any further than that was sheer darkness. He could see no walls anywhere around him, just the stone ground and the flesh ceiling.
They contrasted one another, the stone unmoving and cold while the ceiling pulsed and writhed while emanating the unsettling warmth of its life. He realized then, that Priestess could be in here with him. If she had gone through the same ordeal he had, it would have deposited her in this chamber. He thought of shouting out her name but was interrupted by the sound of cackling. It sounded as if an old woman with a throat full of wet snot just won a hand at cards. The cackling didn't come from just one source however, for soon out of the darkness ahead, tiny green creatures emerged.
Hunter realized then, that these must be the goblins they had come searching for. Had they been the ones to assemble the wretched flesh above? It didn't seem likely, for how could one create such a thing as that? Hunter felt as if he had seen such done before, but the fog occluded the memories.
The things had long hooked noses, and few of them didn't have disgusting warts popping up from their green skin. Yellow eyes contrasted the red glow, the rectangular pupils looking like that of a goats. They were small in stature and pot-bellied; wearing only a simple brown rag loincloth to preserve their modesty. More poured out of the darkness, multiplying from ten to thirty. The ones closest to him held nets and rope, while the ones in the back held large heavy ended wooden clubs.
Whatever these things had planned for him, they wanted to capture him alive first. Hunter wouldn't have it. Suppressing the shock from his earlier trauma, he darted forward, catching the first goblin by surprise as he chopped the thing's neck. It cracked easily beneath his force, and it died with a scream of surprise.
Likely they thought he would stand still after all that. Why? Perhaps the process of being digested by the living cave was expected to leave the victim traumatized for easy capturing? It almost worked, but Hunter recovered from such horrors quickly. He lashed out with a leg, caving in the chest of another nearby goblin as it fell beneath his blow, spitting up blood. He jump-stepped forth into the hoard, dodging thrown nets as he picked up a goblin by the throat.
The creatures were very light and very weak. With a squeeze of his hand, the goblin's throat was crushed, and as he was moving, he threw the thing back towards an oncoming net. The dead goblin stopped the net midflight as it wrapped around its small form, dropping to a roll. Hunter dodged a goblin trying to smack his knees and retorted with a strong slap. The blow snapped the neck and it dropped its weapon to the ground.
He dodged and weaved like that for what seemed like ages; avoiding the goblins clumsy attempts to hurt him. Soon the goblins had abandoned their nets. They had been wrapping each other up in them every time Hunter dodged away. It seemed that with every movement, two or three goblins dropped dead beneath his blows. As much as it pained him to say it... it truly did feel as if he were fighting five-year-olds. He felt no thrill from fighting these things.
And he desperately wanted to feel that rush. Hunter needed it to distract him from the horrors he witnessed above. It did not come, and soon, every goblin that had come for him lay dead and broken at his feet. Bones jutted from snapped arms and legs, and faces lay caved in. Puddles of blood ran like tiny rivers on the rough uneven stone. Hunter took a deep calming breath as he surveyed the carnage. He wasn't sure as to how much time had passed, but from a quick guess, he had been fighting for about three minutes.
That was hardly much time at all outside of combat. However, three minutes of fighting felt far longer than it really was. He counted the bodies quickly and realized that about a hundred of the things lay dead. His party had told him that only twenty goblins lived within this cave, yet a small army of the things had been waiting here for him. His eyes widened.
What if they had reached Priestess?
He shouted for the girl, his voice echoing through the cavern back to him. No response cave, not from Priestess or any other goblins waiting in the dark. He stepped over the carcasses at his feet and continued to shout for her. Still no response. HUnter searched through the darkness, the ever-present flesh shifting above him. It's presence unnerved him, but there was little he could do about that.
He made a mental note to return to this place with gasoline. Lots of gasoline. Ten minutes of walking in a straight line finally lead him to a wall. The stone of the ground met the flesh of the wall halfway. The red tendrils groped downwards; as if they wanted to spread their influence further down. Hunter frowned at the disgusting sight, but he'd seen worse today alone. He followed the wall to the right, staying a good few feet from the wall in case the tendrils attempted to wrap around him.
It wasn't long until he saw the faint white glow of something ahead. He quickened his pace, eager to find out what the source of the light could be. This took him away from following the wall as he made a beeline for that light. He encountered more goblins along the way, yet these did not attack him. Indeed, they seemed to not even notice him. Their heads were completely covered by brown bloody cloth. It looked as if they had slipped a potato sack over their faces, and they muttered to themselves in a strange dialect.
He killed them as he passed, seeing no reason to let the things live. Hunter soon was standing before the source of the light, and his eyes widened upon recognizing it. A glowing barrier of white fog stopped his path. He could make out the vague outline of something just past the fog gate; something massive. Somehow, Hunter knew that this fog was the very same one that muddled his mind.
He placed a hand against it. The fog gave resistance to his touch but parted for him as he pressed harder. Soon, he had completely passed through the fog, and what waited for him past it made him pause his step. A massive goblin stood across from him by about fifty feet. It was easily ten feet tall, with arms wide as trees and legs like boulders. Its dark green skin was covered with yellow goat-like eyes. The eyes covered the beast head to toe, and they blinked in unison. Hunter then knew the reason for the mad goblins wandering outside of this chamber.
The red glow now illuminated the entire room, the fog beneath him darkening to resemble that of a rain cloud. The ceiling was no longer pure flesh, but stone with writhing ropy red tendrils reaching back into the darkness behind the massive goblin. Hunter couldn't see any walls besides that of the archway behind him, and the floor was concealed by a puddle of pale fluid.
It came up to his ankles and was thankfully only as thick as water. The big many-eyed goblin wore nothing other than a large loincloth, and all of its eyes turned on him as it ground its sharp teeth. That was when Hunter heard the bell once more, loud in his ears. He did not flinch at the noise, and he ignored the whispers, instead focusing on the fight ahead.
Memories revealed by the bell offered themselves forward, no longer restrained by the fog. Hunter ignored them. He couldn't be reminiscing right now, he'd have time for that after the fight. He realized then, that he knew the title of this goblin, though he knew not how that could be.
The goblin took a step forward, holding something familiar in its grasp. Hunter's eyes widened as he pointed a finger at the weapon. A massive white square stone hammer head with ancient texts engraved into its sides contrasted against the darkness. The hilt of the sword Hunter somehow knew could be drawn was engulfed by the monsters huge hand, and Hunter growled.
"That's mine!"
The goblin brought the Kirkhammer to bear, and Hunter dashed forwards, ready to battle:
Morg: Guardian of the First Eye