Inside the Boss Lair

The goblin crashed against the wall with a huge thump, laying down on the ground with its neck broken. Alex covered his ears with both hands and waited. They all exchanged glances, Val'Tar seeming more distressed about the situation.

She released a loud sigh out of her lungs,

"Oh, I thought the mineral would—"

The explosion was as loud as the previous one, but Alex was prepared this time. Everything happened in a couple of seconds. The blue light illuminated the room until it was almost white to the eye. The young man looked to the other side to avoid it. No rocks flew towards Alex this time, his position safer than the previous one, but he almost fell to the ground with the impact.

When the light faded away, he looked at the wooden door on the opposite side of the cave, which was… intact.

Not a single scratch on it.

Val'Tar looked to the door with awe.

"Oh, thanks to the Goddess! We are safe—" The door cracked open with a slow and squeak sound.

"What's wrong with your mouth?" Alex asked, irritation with the absurd situation mounting on him. The dark elf simply shrugged and turned to leave the dungeon, and as soon as she twisted her body, the door slammed open.

Alex heard a loud growling from inside as if a large creature was just waking up after being distressed by a lowly being. The young man looked to his feet and saw the red mist covering his body. He felt powerful. He thought he could handle whatever was inside that room.

It was like he had somehow gotten stronger after fighting the three goblins before.

Before he could give the steps himself, a strong wind current pulled them to the door. It was as if a hurricane had been summoned inside the dungeon. Angry and powerful, a living wind pulling them to its heart and the meeting of the beast after the door.

Alex heard Val'Tar and Tina shouting, but while the latter grabbed her pickaxe with strength in one hand, the other tried to hold onto the ground with her big fingernails carved into the rocky ground. Everything she could muster was broken nails and tears on her face.

As they got thrown into the door, Alex held the edges of it, and soon Tina did the same. She was visibly scared but had determination stamped on her face.

"We can do it!" Alex shouted at the top of his lungs, and she nodded while swallowing her fear. "On the three, you let it go! One, two—" Val'Tar flew through the door, falling inside it. "Three!"

They released their grip at the same time, and darkness engulfed them.

Val'Tar scream could be heard from the distance. The dark elf kept going deeper and deeper into the room as Alex counted the seconds. They fell for at least thirty seconds on the place until the wind was extinguished, and they plummeted to the ground.

"Tina," Alex called for the girl while inspecting the dark surroundings with his pickaxe in his right hand, slowly so as not to hurt any of the women if he touched them with the tool. "Can you follow my voice? Val'Tar! Come to my direction!" He said clearly and soundly, trying not to shout. Feeling that it was better not to test the creature's hearing inside the room.

"I'm here," Tina replied, and Alex felt her hand touching his arm. She pressed him with force. "are you okay?" she asked, her voice failing in the middle of the sentence.

"Yes, I'm fine. Do you have something to make light?"

"I don't think so," she replied, and he heard her searching in her pockets, "we actually have!" she said, pulling the yellow ore from her pocket. Suddenly, her face was illuminated by the intense yellow light reminiscent of an incandescent lamp.

He searched for his inside pocket, and when he grabbed his yellow ore, it shone bright, too. Their surroundings were now visible. They were still inside a cave, just like before. Nothing distinguished this place from the other corridors outside the room besides Val'Tar's unconscious body on the ground ten steps further and the increasing bestial sounds coming from the end of the cave, still not illuminated.

"We are doomed. A dungeon officer inside a monster lair? And if it's the boss one? Oh, we are doomed!" Tina whispered in a fast motion, despair mixing with anxiety in her tone. Sweat was dripping from her forehead.

"It's best that she is here. She saw everything and will witness that we had no fault."

Tina took a couple of seconds to consider what Alex had just said and nodded slowly,

"I can see your point. You're right. Let's guarantee Val'Tar's safety, then."

"Are you reading my thoughts?" Alex asked quietly, and she smirked but didn't reply. They walked towards the woman on the ground. Alex took the front without realizing it, his steps naturally faster.

"Wait for me," Tina muttered behind him, and when they reached Val'Tar, Alex grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. Her body was considerably lower than he thought. If Alex would be honest, the thought of being unable to carry her didn't cross his mind. He just knew he could handle her weight. Tina looked impressed. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Just illuminate the way. Help me find the door. Let's get her out of here."

She replied affirmably, and they started walking. Not long after, they found the wooden door, which was locked, just as Alex feared. No handle and no signal of a breach.

"Just as I feared," Tina replied. "We are inside the boss lair."

"And we can only leave if we kill it, right?"

"Yes, but I thought this "monster thing" was stupid, as you always say. Since when do you know dungeon rules?" She asked, raising her brows.

"I work on one. I'm near you all the time. I hear things. I'm not stupid." It was just half-lie. The truth was that even though he was not a total nerd, Alex was familiar with RPG terms and watched many cartoons back in the day. Her features softened as if she had bought his answer. "What can we expect here? More green bastards?" He pressed further.

"A bigger green bastard," she replied, smirking, "if the records are right, a Hobgoblin is the boss of this dungeon. A bloodlust one, but as you know, you can't trust records about dungeons."

"Yes, I know." He didn't know shit, but she did. She seemed to know 'a lot' about dungeons and monsters, and looking at her face, Alex realized… she was excited to fight the creature. "You actually want to kill it, right?"

She blushed instantly, facing the ground. It was a sufficient answer for Alex.

"Okay, so let's kill it. Anything I need to know?"

"Not much… basically a goblin, but bigger and with more horns around the body. Some use them as weapons."

"Right," Alex replied, gripping his pickaxe with his right hand. On the other, he held the bright yellow orb. "Let's find it."

Tina ensured Val'Tar was safe, sitting her on the ground with her back to the wooden door and following Alex. They didn't need too much time to find the monster. In reality, it had found them.

First, they heard the grunts of the creature, the sound of drool being smacked in a big mouth. A labored breath filled the room. It was like hearing an evil giant pig hungry and desperate for human meat, or— in that case, elf meat.

Alex looked over his shoulder and saw Tina with a resolute expression. Still, glancing over her hands, he saw them shaking.

"Breathe deeply, hold your feet on the ground, and ensure your shots are worth it." He said, repeating words he had heard in his police training. Alex was ready to face adversity. Not particularly a giant goblin, but general adversity.

The steps increased their pace, and soon they could see the monster's silhouette running towards them, alternating between regular running and running on all fours. Green glimmering skin, covered in sweat, a tattered clothe covering its intimacy and nothing else. Its bulging body was close to 1,70 meters, with massive biceps and an evil ugly face. 

Horns left its front above the brows and in all its arms, some flat on the point, others looking sharp as knives. The scariest part about the monster was the massive bone exiting its hands. Right in the middle of his knuckles, a big, white, relucent bone posed deathly sharp.

"Shit…" Alex muttered, but felt energy crossing over his body. The red mist flowed through his skin. That would be a real challenge, but he didn't despair. Alex traded the weight from one leg to the other, pumping up his blood as he used to do before a boxing session. He felt the speed in his veins. The young man couldn't see the Devil's Hand but somehow knew it was there with him. It held his nerves in check and helped him, strengthening him, and he reveled in it.

And then the monster struck.