The warm golden light from before faded into an oppressive gloom. The air was thick, heavy with the stench of rot and decay. A sudden draft blew through the cavern, carrying with it a faint but unmistakable sound—gnawing, chewing, and the occasional unsettling crunch of bones snapping.
Lucius held his breath. "Something's not right," he murmured, gripping his sword tighter. His words felt too loud in the suffocating darkness, where shadows seemed to writhe along the walls.
Caelum's dragon-kin arm flickered with a dim firelight, casting twisted, jagged shapes on the uneven stone. "Whatever it is, it smells like death in here," he muttered, nose wrinkling in disgust.
The cavern before them opened wide, jagged stalactites hanging like fangs from the ceiling. The only light came from strange, luminescent fungi scattered sporadically across the walls, their pale glow revealing glimpses of something disturbing.
Bones. Hundreds of them.
They were scattered across the cavern floor, some gnawed clean, others splintered and broken. Rib cages, femurs, skulls—all of them human or beast-like, arranged in grotesque displays that told of sadistic play.
Then they saw the first goblin.
It was hunched over, its grotesque figure illuminated by the faint fungi light. Its skin was a mottled gray-green, slick with sweat and grime, and its limbs were gangly, too long for its small body. The goblin was chewing on what looked like a severed arm, the skin still clinging to the bones, half-shredded by its jagged teeth. The thing grinned, revealing sharp, broken fangs slick with fresh blood, and it didn't seem startled by their presence.
Instead, it cackled—a sound so vile and shrill it chilled them to their bones. The goblin clutched the arm to its chest like a prized possession and scampered away into the darkness, its uneven gait making a soft pitter-patter as it vanished into the gloom.
Kairos clenched his fists. "I don't like this," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Stay close."
As they ventured deeper, the cavern walls seemed to close in around them, the bone-crunching sounds growing louder. The group stopped dead in their tracks as the cavern opened into a vast underground hall, filled with the stuff of nightmares.
Dozens of goblins—smaller ones like the first they had seen—scurried about, gnawing on bones, tearing at flesh, and playing with their macabre trophies. Some had taken skulls and hollowed them out to use as grotesque cups, filling them with what could only be fresh blood. Others wore necklaces strung with teeth, their yellowed eyes gleaming with sick amusement as they threw bones at one another in twisted games.
At the center of it all stood something far worse. A hobgoblin.
Towering over the smaller creatures, it was grotesque in every way imaginable. Its leathery skin was stretched tight over its hulking frame, patches of mangy hair clinging to its head. Its mouth, filled with jagged teeth, was smeared with gore, and in one massive hand, it held a spiked club fashioned from the bones of past victims. Its eyes, small and beady, gleamed with sadistic intelligence as it surveyed its domain.
The hobgoblin barked a guttural order, and instantly, the smaller goblins turned to face the intruders, their wide, hungry grins revealing rotting teeth. They moved with unnerving speed, their bony claws scraping the ground as they rushed toward the group, the high-pitched screeches filling the cavern.
"Get ready!" Kairos shouted, his voice sharp with urgency.
Lucius was the first to react, swinging his sword in a wide arc and cleaving through the nearest goblin. Its body crumpled to the ground, but the others showed no fear. They came on in waves, clawing at the group with reckless abandon. Aella unleashed a powerful gust of wind, sending several goblins flying into the walls, their frail bodies shattering like twigs against the stone.
But for every goblin they killed, more appeared, emerging from the shadowy recesses of the cavern, drawn by the smell of fresh blood.
"We're getting swarmed!" Caelum shouted, his arm blazing with fire as he swung at the creatures, torching several of them where they stood. But even the flames couldn't stop the relentless tide.
The hobgoblin watched, biding its time, as if relishing the carnage. It raised its massive club and slammed it into the ground, sending a shockwave through the cavern that knocked the group off balance. The goblins seized the opportunity, pouncing on Lucius, clawing at his armor.
Kairos, with his sword glowing with celestial light, sliced through the goblins with precision, his breath coming in sharp gasps. But even he was tiring, the endless onslaught of the creatures pushing him to his limits.
In the middle of the chaos, a chilling realization struck him. These goblins didn't just kill—they played with their victims. They took pleasure in every scream, every drop of blood, and every snapped bone.
"We need to get out of here," Kairos gasped, his heart racing. "This isn't a fight we can win!"
But the exit was blocked by the hobgoblin, its grotesque form looming over them, its beady eyes locking onto Kairos with malevolent glee.
"You'll make fine tools for my collection," it rasped, its voice thick with cruelty. It raised its club, the bones embedded in it glistening with fresh blood.
Kairos knew they had to make a move. "Lucius, Caelum—take down the hobgoblin! The rest of us will hold off the goblins!"
With a roar, Lucius charged, his sword glowing as he brought it down toward the hobgoblin. The hulking creature swung its club to meet him, the impact sending shockwaves through the ground. Caelum followed with a blast of fire, his dragon-kin arm igniting with intense heat as he struck.
The smaller goblins pressed closer. Aella and Remus fought back-to-back, Aella's wind magic slicing through the creatures while Remus slowed time just enough to dodge their frenzied attacks.
But the hobgoblin was relentless, shrugging off blows that would have felled a lesser beast. It swung its club with brutal force, aiming to crush Lucius beneath it.
Kairos saw the opening. Gathering all his strength, he summoned his celestial energy and leaped into the air, his sword raised high. With a shout, he brought the blade down, the celestial light cleaving through the hobgoblin's club and sinking deep into its flesh.
The creature let out a deafening roar as it staggered back, blood pouring from the wound. Lucius and Caelum pressed the attack, their combined strength finally bringing the beast to its knees.
With one final strike, Kairos drove his sword into the hobgoblin's heart. The creature let out a gurgling scream before collapsing in a heap, its body twitching before going still.
The remaining goblins, seeing their leader fall, screeched in terror and scattered, retreating into the dark corners of the cavern.
Panting, bruised, and bloodied, the group stood in the eerie silence that followed.
"Is it... over?" Aella asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"For now," Kairos replied, his sword still glowing faintly. But the stench of death still hung in the air, and he knew this place held more horrors yet to be uncovered.