Mason, an unhappy Calypsa, and the rest of the players followed 'Pliny’ up a winding path from the undead cavern. Blake soon had to dissolve two of his larger constructs, then three, with only one able to squeeze itself through the narrow passages.
"Not exactly how we'd like to start a fight," Mason grumbled. "Will we have ti to get ready? Or will your tunnel take us straight to the 'big bosses'?"
"Yes, ti. Hidden rooms and hidden tunnels. Not to worry, humans, not to worry."
Mason went ahead and kept on worrying. At least in the confined space he figured he could hole up the others as he ran out and took on the worst of things. Unless the goblins started dropping in bombs. Or napalm. Or God only knew what else.
But they followed on for now, moving through the winding passages in relative silence, until the rock and dirt again transford into sothing more tallic. The walls had little whorls and symbols that seed vaguely familiar. Mason glanced back at Blake at the sa ti his brother spoke.
"Makers."
"At least now it makes sense that they're 'secret'," Mason whispered, then raised his voice for their guide. "Why are there so many secret tunnels? Why don't the goblins know about these?"
Pliny shrugged. "Ancient. Built before. Didn't find until I was locked in tunnels."
Even if the creature was lying now, the chance of finding more prestige classes was far too much opportunity to ignore. Mason turned to Becky and Annie.
"We're looking for so kind of ancient room. Or there might be colors or symbols with your affinity. If you see sothing like that, let us know."
Becky nodded, and Annie...stared sowhat blankly.
Mason and the others walked on, the only sounds their own breathing and echoing footsteps bouncing around the tal and stone. More burrowed tunnels left the corridors in other directions, so small as before, but so...considerably larger.
"What made all these tunnels?" Mason asked, and their guide shrugged.
"Don't know such things. Many other things, yes, but not this."
The creature's voice had changed, almost pinched, and Mason exchanged a look with Blake. Then he grabbed the undead goblin and spun him around.
"Lie to again, Pliny, and I'll rip you in half. What made these tunnels, and are they still alive? Still here?"
The goblin cringed, its red eyes rolling slightly in their sockets. "Did not lie. Did not see tunnels dug." Mason glared and the creature covered its face. "But...maybe...slimy worms? And...hairy crawlers. See...sotis. Yes, sotis."
Blake groaned and slapped his forehead.
"Hairy crawlers. I knew he reminded of sothing. Gollum. I bet Shelob's out here sowhere. RoboGod really needs to work on its originality."
"English," Mason said, and his brother rolled his eyes.
"It's a giant spider from Lord of the Rings. No big deal. We've killed plenty worse."
Mason let out a breath and released the goblin. "Let guess," he said. "You'd always wanted to explore these tunnels more but couldn't until a certain giant spider got dealt with."
Their guide tapped its skeletal fingers together as it glanced side to side. "Yes, maybe, human is very clever. But also revenge!" It jabbed one finger in the air. "Did not lie," it whined. "Found big bosses. Secret way. Did not lie."
"Is he an engineer or a lawyer," Mason muttered, then gestured for the creature to keep moving. "Move. Quickly. I'm not interested in your spider. Let's hope it's not interested in us."
* * *
The spider was interested.
Not far from the corridor they'd stopped in, Mason heard a gentle, rhythmic tapping of sothing with many legs. They stopped to listen, then moved on, and the tapping beca scraping and skittering. It sped up and got sporadic, then the sound vanished altogether.
"It's sowhere in the walls," he whispered, angry at the situation, though he knew it was just part of the ga. "And it slled us. But at least it's not a fucking snake."
"Think I'd rather a snake," Becky said as she clutched her disc in one hand, and Mason's arm in the other. "It's all them eyes." She shivered. "And the way it feels when they're on your skin."
"Don't worry there," Blake said. "I expect if the post-apocalyptic version touches you it will feel completely different. And much worse."
"Blake," Mason warned, rubbing a hand on Becky's back. "Let's keep moving, but I want to see all these ancient tunnels," he said to their guide, hoping the thing would just watch and decide against the risk. Of course, knowing how this damn new world was, he didn't hope very seriously.
The tunnels, at least, opened up a bit. They soon entered into a larger cavern, not so different than the one Mason had found in the Devourer's lair with Carl, if a miniature version. Their half dead goblin guide seed as amazed as Becky and Annie, staring out into the gloom with wide, almost child-like eyes.
"Maker hall," it whispered, and Mason and Blake exchanged another look.
"You know about the Makers?" Mason asked, and the goblin turned. and blinked.
"Pliny is engineer. Tier three. Inventor genius. Of course he knows. What do stupid...why do humans know?"
"We've found them before." Mason moved into the cavern to inspect, not seeing anything so obvious as a door. "What use are they to goblins?"
"What use he says." Pliny shook his head and muttered as he walked out and stared. "Secrets of world? Secrets of existence!" Pliny’s's horrible teeth spread in a giant smile. "With such secrets, who knows what power? What inventions?"
Mason had the disturbing thought that humans weren't the only ones who could find prestige classes. In fact he was beginning to wonder if the 'ga' was being played by more than just humans. Were goblins in the sa kind of race against the 'system'? Could a creature like Pliny 'win'?
The disturbing line of thinking was interrupted by the renewed sounds of skittering feet not far from the entrance to the hall. Mason gestured a warning to the others, then searched the walls for any sign of holes or tunnels. He soon found several.
"Keep your eyes open," he said mostly to Calypsa. Streak was growling low in his throat but that wasn't exactly surprising. Mason held his bow for now, Endless Quiver at the ready despite knowing it would drain so mana.
Blake was mostly right—it was hard to see how a big spider was going to be too much of a threat. At least compared to an army of orcs, or a worm the size of a condo. But then even the hint of such a thought brought a terrible, self-jinx-like feeling to Mason's gut. Who the hell knew what sort of powers creatures might have in the later phases of the ga?
It was that thought in his head when the darkness vaguely shimred in front of him. He didn't wait to consider what he'd seen, to look more closely, or to stop and ask questions. He just put a Power Shot straight through it.
The darkness pulsed when struck, blinking with fur and limbs as sothing like dark water swirled towards a circular drain.
"Navi!" Blake called. And the little floating orb intoned in its ridiculous, vaguely childish voice.
"Summoning Portal, Master. I can't tell the power level, but from the size I think it's reasonably..."
"There's more!" Mason called, pointing to two more circles opening in a triangular position around the players. He didn't bother to chastise himself for wondering what a single spider could do. Not that he even knew for sure it was the spider.
He loosed a few more arrows at the portal ahead but had no idea if it was doing anything. Blake started channeling a spell, and Becky, Calypsa, and hopefully Annie readied themselves for whatever ca out.
Long, almost white claws ca first, apparently attached to a thin arm of pale flesh. Mason sunk an arrow into it, and heard a screech before the arm jut forward with more speed. A rounded, almost bulbous creature with spindly limbs and an eyeless head erged, its huge mouth like a venus fly trap.
"Oh shit I think that's basically an ettercap," Blake said, his hands still filling with magic. "Real deep dive right there. D&D classic."
Mason was about to ask what the hell an ettercap was, then he realized he didn't care. It was about to die. He activated Hunter’s Mark, clicked for Streak, summoned his Claws, and charged.
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