fall from Charybdis to Scylla

Using the rest of the day, Alex completely changed the large mass of iron into magic iron. Running his craft magic in the walls, he crumbled them to free the spiky ball out of its confine. From the sight of those spikes, Alex mentally added hundreds of kilo to the initial mass, turning the nearly mass of two tons into more than three.

~~~

-What do we do, now?- Asked CS to Alex, as they observed the large mass of iron throning in the chamber.

'I was thinking to make some magic steel first, but even just cutting those spikes into chunks would take days and a lot of magic. With the thread of the other three lairs, I don't want to take the bet.'

-So, back to hunting then?-

'Yes. I have my bow back; I had already collected all the other sixty arrows from Josh. I have my newly forged throwing knives and re-forged my old set of six in sturdier material. I want to take down at least another lair before starting to craft something else. I also lack defence gears. Following how it goes with the next expedition, I will think about it.'

-Good for me. As long as you don't make a similar mistake I all for it.-

'Hum'

~~~

After having cleared the south and west trail, its only left Alex with the northern and eastern direction.

-Didn't the mission said that there were five?- Asked CS while he followed Alex thought.

The remark made him momently froze and re-read the mission. When he saw that CS was right, he cursed.

'I think I know what happens to the group of adventurers.' Though him ominously.

-What?! Why?! Didn't they return to Orario already?- Spluttered CS.

'No, they don't. Eina came this morning, telling me that they were still missing, three days after they should have been back. I only realise now, but the last time, I only face one hobgoblin. Every time we cleared the lair, I always found an equal number of variants left behind. If I found a hobgoblin...'

-...That means they're at least another two waiting in one, or two in different lairs.- Completed CS, not liking were Alex thoughts were leading them, but unable to found another explanation. -That bad, really bad. It has been ten days since the horde. Even with two lairs down, the goblin force's may not have been reduced much.- Worriedly said, CS.

'We know that the men work in another settlement fields south from here, not an hour of walk from Tiris.'

-This could spell significant damage. The guards had barely recovered if they were calls upon while you are away, it's not just one, but two settlements they would destroy.-

'Where do you think I should go first?'

-It's difficult to say, the hobgoblins didn't leave a trail, the grassland is too open, but if I were to choose, then north. The last lair was west, and I wouldn't put it past the monsters to come from the other side they attacked.-

'True, plus, they couldn't come from the south, someone would have caught and report their activity to Orario. Yes, I think your right, they must come from the north, at best I have two in three chance to hit a lair with a hobgoblin. Without three dens and down to one, I doubt the remaining hobgoblin would lead an attack.

~~~

Alex bolted trough the ironwood cluster, to another side, following trails let of the horde passage.

'The three hobgoblins had their lair just on the side of the others! Those fuckers had kept hidden in the magically strong area!'

Already knowing the pattern of the hidden dungeon, Alex looked for any noticeable area. He didn't found a waterfall or a cliff like the last time, but the suspiciously round depression immediatly attracted his attention.

'CS?'

-I would say meteor, the depression is too concentric and equal to be anything else, or a huge fight had broken there long ago, and some destructive spell had been unlashed.

~~~

The depression was a good fifteen meters deep. Extending on a good hundred metres of diameter what actually attracted Alex's gaze was the enormous tree sitting in its right middle. Even if fifteen meter low, the tree was towering above the other on a good forty metres, making it two times and half taller. Its height wasn't the only awing thing, as the tree was equally more than two times thicker too, around ten metres in diametres.

-That one big-ass tree.- Dryly commented CS, poorly hiding the awe in his voice. -Had to that the thing' full of un-processed magic steel ore? The monster must weight hundreds of tons!-

'Thinks rather in thousands. The 'general Sherman' weighted around 1250 tons for the same height and diameter in our previous world. This think is full of magical iron and should be around two times heavier. From Eruger words, this cluster of iron trees is rather young. The clusters around Orario are older, each taller and wider or around the same as this one.' Commented Alex absentmindedly, too busy to take all of the trees in is mind.

He lightly put a hand on the bark in his trance, feeling the smooth bark and lacking any feedback. This snapped him of his awe and made his furrow his brows. Sending a silver of craft magic, he does not delay to discover what was wrong.

'The tree dying.' Discover him sadly. 'Something is pumping all the magic that was nurturing him.' Then realised Alex, having a good idea of the culprit.

-And we know only one thing that could do that.-

'Dungeon core.' Responded Alex, his expression hardening.

Even if he successfully retrieving the core and cut the leeching effect, he knows the tree was gone. It pained him to discover that the tree was most likely the cluster's primogenitor. It was evident as not a single other ironwood tree was present in a forty-metre radius, only outside the depression.

~~~

Looking for the entrance of the dungeon had been child play. They didn't even need cores to guide them. Looking through the roots had been all they need. Hidden among the natural burrow made by various animals before the dungeon's apparition, a triangular hole just large enough to let a hobgoblin pass was nested there.

Another sign that Alex had been right was the splatter of blood and broken saddles on its side. The party had finally found the lair they were searching but seemed to have chewed more than they could, their horses paying the price. Alex stored the saddles and got rid of the blood splatters. While he knows that it would hinder any possible investigations, he wasn't about to leave another group of moron recklessly entering the Dungeon.

-Are you sure it a good idea?- Asked CS, nervous that any shreds of evidence vanished.

'Yes, can you imagine what will happen if someone or something constantly attacks the lair? They will react like a hornet nest. They will pour out of their hole and flood the surrounding, in search of humans. Even with the deterrent, we can't be sure they would avoid the settlement, or not attack another.'

Hearing Alex reasons, CS kept quiet and ready to warn him of any threats.

~~~

Sliding on the weathered stone after multiple passages of feet and strangeness that was the dungeon, Alex entered the lair.

Once again, the disposition of the dungeon was different. This one was an evident attempt to copy the surrounding area. The walls were made or covered with roots. Alex only needed to send a strand of craft magic in them to know that they were only an imitation. That was how Alex started to see the dungeon; the walls, made of some of the hardened material he knows, who would imitate it surrounding to blend in.

Unlike the past two lairs, the structure was different, made more with space between mangrove-like roots separation, rather than pathways and rooms. The place was without common measure for what the duo could see, way larger than the others. This did nothing to assure Alex.

-Their both here, isn't it?- Whispered CS, fearing that his voice could affect it surrounding.

'They do.' Alex responded grimly, an arrow long since nocked on his bow. Processing carefully in the first space, both witnessed an even more stressing sight. All around the room, larges roots were exiting from the walls, ceiling and floor. On them, whitened dark-purple buds. Each had a side shredded open to the outside.

The area alone was of the same size that the final chamber he found in his first lair, with hundreds of buds.

Even if the room was empty, it was already making Alex extremely nervous. To make things worst, the area was completely open on the surrounding others, and he had already counted six. All of those rooms had similar build than the one he was in, and only the buds' shade was different, older.

-There must be more than a hundred buds with just this room!- Screamed alarmingly CS, truly frightened with the sheer amount of possible goblins running deeper, unwilling to think that they may as well be other chambers too.

'I think we were wrong, CS. It wasn't lairs of even dungeon before; they were simple nests, breeding place.' As Alex spoke, the horrible truth started to sink in CS mind'. 'I-I think they all from here.' Stuttered Alex, his mind sinking in a quagmire of fear and anguish.