The goblin sentry sat on its rock, completely unaware it was being watched.
Hiroshi and Elias crouched behind the tree trunk, studying the creature's movements. Or lack of movements. The goblin had been picking its teeth with a twig for the past ten minutes, occasionally scratching itself, showing no indication it was actually guarding anything.
The cave entrance was about forty feet from their position. Dark opening in the rocky outcropping, maybe eight feet tall and wide enough for a cart to pass through. No other goblins visible outside, just the one sentry.
"How do you want to handle it?" Elias asked quietly.
Hiroshi studied the terrain between their position and the cave. Mostly open ground with a few scattered rocks. No good cover for a direct approach. But there was a cluster of boulders to the left that would put them within twenty feet of the sentry's position.
"Circle left," Hiroshi said. "Use those boulders for cover. Get close before it notices."
"And then?"
"Take it down quietly. No noise to alert anyone inside."
Elias nodded. "You take point. I'll follow."
They moved slowly, keeping low, using the trees for cover as long as possible. The forest floor was covered in fallen leaves that would crunch underfoot if they weren't careful. Hiroshi placed each step deliberately, testing the ground before putting his full weight down.
His Stealth wasn't a developed skill yet, but his Fighter Instinct helped him understand how to move without drawing attention. Small adjustments in posture, controlling his breathing, being aware of sight lines.
They reached the boulder cluster without incident. The goblin was still on its rock, now staring at nothing in particular, completely oblivious.
Hiroshi drew his sword slowly, the metal sliding from the sheath with barely a whisper of sound.
Twenty feet. That was the gap they had to cross.
Hiroshi waited, watching the goblin's attention drift. When its head turned away to look at something to its right, he moved.
Fast but controlled. No running, that would make noise. Quick walking steps, closing the distance in seconds.
The goblin started to turn back.
Hiroshi's Fighter Instinct calculated the timing perfectly. He covered the last few feet in a rush, sword coming up, and drove the blade through the goblin's back between its shoulder blades.
The creature's mouth opened but no sound came out. The sword had punched through its lung. It tried to stand, tried to raise its spear, but Hiroshi twisted the blade and the goblin went limp.
He lowered it to the ground quietly, withdrew his sword, and wiped the blade clean on the goblin's crude clothing.
Elias appeared beside him, checking the cave entrance. "Clean kill."
Hiroshi sheathed his sword and looked at the dark opening. From here he could see maybe ten feet into the tunnel before it curved out of sight. Firelight flickered somewhere deeper inside, painting orange light on the stone walls.
"Ready?" Elias asked.
"Yes."
They entered the cave.
The temperature dropped immediately. The air smelled like smoke and something organic, unwashed bodies maybe. The tunnel was rough stone, natural formation rather than carved, with a ceiling that varied between seven and nine feet high.
They moved slowly, Hiroshi in front, Elias behind. The tunnel curved right, then left, descending gradually. The firelight grew brighter ahead, and voices became audible. Goblin voices, speaking in their guttural language.
Hiroshi couldn't understand the words but the tone was clear enough.
The tunnel opened into a larger space ahead. Hiroshi stopped at the edge and pressed himself against the wall, peering around the corner carefully.
The chamber was big. Maybe forty feet across, with a ceiling that stretched up into darkness. Fire pit in the center with actual flames, not just coals. And goblins. Lots of goblins.
Hiroshi counted quickly. Twenty visible from this angle. Probably more in the parts of the chamber he couldn't see. They sat in groups around the fire, some eating, some talking, some working on crude equipment.
And there, tied to a wooden post near the far wall, was a man.
Middle aged, balding, wearing merchant's clothes that were torn and dirty. His face was bruised and one eye was swollen shut. But he was alive, head hanging forward but chest rising and falling with breath.
The merchant from the caravan.
Near him, stacked against the wall, were crates. Wooden boxes and canvas sacks, the cargo that had been taken.
Hiroshi pulled back and gestured for Elias to look.
Elias took his position, spent thirty seconds studying the chamber, then retreated back down the tunnel. They moved away from the opening until the voices faded enough to speak quietly.
"Twenty goblins in the main chamber," Elias said. "Merchant's alive. Two guards watching him directly, rest are scattered."
"Can we reach him?"
"Not without fighting through most of them." Elias frowned. "And we don't know if there are more goblins in other chambers. This could be the main group or just part of a larger nest."
"So we need to scout more."
"Yes. Find out how many total, look for other exits, see if there are more captives." Elias glanced back toward the main chamber. "The merchant's alive now, but if we try a rescue without knowing the full situation, we could get him killed."
Hiroshi nodded. It made sense. Rushing in blind was stupid.
They retreated further down the tunnel, back toward the entrance, and found a side passage they'd passed earlier. It branched off to the left, narrower than the main tunnel, with no light visible.
Elias pulled out a small oil lamp from his pack and lit it with a tinderbox. The flame cast a weak circle of light that pushed back the darkness just enough to see by.
They followed the side passage. It twisted and turned, sometimes widening, sometimes narrowing to the point where they had to move single file. The air got colder the further they went.
After maybe five minutes of careful walking, they found another chamber. Smaller than the main one, with no fire. Just darkness and the faint echo of water dripping somewhere.
Elias raised the lamp higher.
Three more people were tied up in this chamber. Two men and a woman, all wearing the practical clothing of caravan guards. They were in worse shape than the merchant. More bruises, more blood. One of the men had his leg bent at a wrong angle.
But they were alive.
The woman's head lifted as the lamplight reached her. Her eyes widened and she started to say something.
Hiroshi moved quickly and put his hand over her mouth. "Quiet," he whispered. "We're here to help. But you need to stay silent."
She nodded, eyes still wide but understanding.
Hiroshi removed his hand and moved to check the others. The man with the broken leg was unconscious. The third guard was awake but barely, face pale from what looked like infection setting into a wound on his shoulder.
"Can you walk?" Elias asked the woman quietly.
"Yes," she whispered. "But Mar can't." She gestured to the man with the broken leg. "And Tomas is sick."
"How many goblins?" Hiroshi asked.
"I don't know. Twenty? Thirty? They kept bringing us down different tunnels, I couldn't keep track." She looked at them both. "Are you here to get us out?"
"Working on it," Elias said. "But we need more information first. Is there anyone else? Other prisoners?"
"Just the merchant. They kept him separate from us." The woman's voice was hoarse. "They've been arguing about something. The goblins. Like they're waiting for orders."
"Orders from who?"
"I don't know." She coughed, the sound dry and painful. "Please. We need to get out of here before they come back."
Hiroshi and Elias exchanged looks.
"We'll come back for you," Elias said. "But we need to scout the rest of the cave first. Make sure we know what we're dealing with."
"How long?"
"Few hours. Maybe less." Elias pulled out his water skin and handed it to her. "Drink. Share it with the others. Stay quiet. We'll return."
The woman took the water skin with shaking hands. "Thank you."
They left the chamber and continued exploring the side passage. It led them deeper into the cave system, past more branches and side tunnels. The place was bigger than it had appeared from the outside. Not just a simple cave but a network of passages that had been used by goblins for a very long time.