Antchaser and Boarslayer’s team made their way through the village gate just as the bell for dinner rang. Communal meals had only been popular among the hunters before the bandits had arrived, and even then, only because they allowed the hunting parties to relax after a long day.

With the longhouse destroyed and every able hand working to rebuild the village, such meals had become more common. Even if it took the form of people waiting in line in front of a large pot most days. Nonetheless, it was an important time for the goblin villagers to gather and socialize. It was a small bit of normality at an otherwise stressful time.

It helped that the bandits took their own meal to the designated areas outside of the village walls, giving the goblins some time away from them.

Today was slightly different, however.

It had been three days since the capture of the Mossback troop. It was time for a celebration!

A long table had been set up in the middle of the village square, filled with various foods and treats. The spread couldn’t compare to what it might have once been in the past, but it was impressive, even still. After all, they were celebrating the completion of one of the major projects Alpha had assigned them. Ahead of schedule even!

Now that they had captured enough spirit beasts for the Dragon’s Garden, they could finally start redistributing people to address workforce gaps in other areas. Most of the goblins didn’t really understand everything they were doing, but those few in the know knew that time was running short. The more they could get done, the greater the chance the plan had to succeed. If they could pull this off, it could change everything for the village.

Technically, the treaties between the Deep and Halirosa covered all the peoples, tribes, and villages of the Deep Tunnels. In practice, only the largest and most important tribes ever had any say in what actually happened. If Antchaser’s village could actually negotiate a deal with not just the Adventurers’ Guild but Halirosa itself, their status on the social hierarchy would instantly skyrocket. Regardless of their small size.

Antchaser’s mind was filled with visions of the future even as he piled his wooden plate with various foods: roast boar, various spirit fruits, and even a few pickled river plants. Several of the ‘weeds’ pulled up by the bandits during their dredging had been identified as edible. Things such as a type of watercress and even wasabi — once cleaned and processed — added a much-needed variety to the goblins’ diets.

After piling his plate high, Antchaser approached the head table. At the table sat several goblins, including Boarslayer, the Elder, and several of the project managers. However, one oddity at the table was Dr. Maria, who sat to one side of Boarslayer. Many in the village didn’t look too thrilled to have an Adventurer at the table for what was quickly becoming Alpha’s — and thus the village’s — inner circle.

But the woman’s rather charismatic personality and seemingly genuine desire to help the sick and wounded had helped smother much of the lingering embers of resentment Bosco and his group brought about.

Dr. Maria smiled and waved Antchaser over. The goblin sat down on the doctor’s free side and returned the smile. On her other side, Boarslayer leaned forward, her mouth stuffed with roast meat. She stared down at his modest plate, then back up at him, and smirked, her eyes narrowing in humor. The muscled bound goblin took a large bite of her roast and turned back to her food, easily three times as packed as his own… or anyone else’s at the table, for that matter.

Antchaser rolled his eyes and dug into his own dinner. He promised himself he’d relish every bite. After so long, with so little, the village was finally starting to truly prosper. Even after the tragedy brought by the bandits . But today was a celebration! They could afford to spoil the villager a bit.

Good food and a merry atmosphere went a long way towards morale.

After he’d gotten the chance to eat some, Dr. Maria spoke up;

“So… about our Drake problem.”

Antchaser took another bite and paused before asking. “Is it getting bad?”

Boarslayer was the one to answer. “The dredging teams only finished half their quota done today, and the pest destroyed another dredger,” she said through a half-full mouth.

Antchaser sighed.

Across the table, Weaver, the older female goblin who had been put in charge of logistics and resources, pointed a drumstick at him. “The dredger itself isn’t too big of a loss, as long as you can request another from Lord Alpha. The bigger issue is this is the third time in as many days. It’s learning.”

Anchaser frowned. That was a problem. As a lesser dragon, the Mud Drake wasn’t sapient and wouldn’t become such until it was much stronger. Yet, that didn’t mean it was a stupid beast, either, far from it.

Dr. Maria tented her hand and rested her chin on top of them. “Mud Drakes are ambush predators by nature. They wait in muddy riverbanks for other large creatures to come for a drink, then drown them when they approach. It may see the dredging operations as disturbing its hunting grounds. Chasing away larger game, destroying the riverbank, and forcing it further downriver.”

“All the more reason we need to deal with it,” Antchaser said. “If we can’t at least stop it from disrupting operations, we’ll not make it time for the plan to work—not as well as we need it to. We only have a week left before the expedition party shows up. That’s including the time it’ll take them to make it to the cavern from the surface.”

“Yaaaaa, about that… Slight change of plans.”

Conversation at the table paused as every eye turned to look at the silver [Wasp] that had landed a large bird thigh held by Boarslayer.

Alpha turned to look at Antchaser. “I need you three to meet me in the Lab. Alternate options have presented themselves, and I need your input, especially about the state of Halirosa and the surrounding settlements.”

Antchaser shared a look between Dr. Maria and Boarslayer, then nodded. “Understood, sir. We’ll come right away.”

Alpha’s [Wasp] wiggled. “No rush. Finish your meal, but don’t dawdle. The more time we have to speak, the better. Elder and Weaver, I’ll likely keep them for some time. Please see that the appropriate people are made aware,” he said.

“Yes sir,” came the response from the two goblins. The Elder may have been the official leader of the village and the one with the most pull out of anyone at the table, but even the ancient goblin understood who was really in charge.

Some might have argued they had only exchanged one tyrant for another, but four centuries of life had taught the Elder that who wore the proverbial crown rarely mattered. What mattered was how the people benefited from it. And even he could not deny that the village had done nothing but grow from the Dungeon Core’s control. Even if only a few of them understood most of what the Core wanted.

Alpha turned back to Antchaser. “Good. See you soon.”

Everyone at the table nodded. Boarslayer shrugged, then bit into the bird thigh, swallowing flesh, bone, and [Wasp] whole. 

—————————————————————

Two hours later, Antchaser, Dr. Maria, and Boarslayer stood under a blind by the cavern wall, watching a line of Demon Ants march up the wall toward the colony entrance far above. None of them made a sound. Theoretically, it was perfectly safe where they were, but it was still unnerving to be so close to the colony, especially when their hunting parties were out and about.

It had recently been discovered that the ant colony was also attached to several neighboring caverns. This helped to explain why the ant’s presence was so light in the goblin’s cavern, despite both the colony and the cavern being so large. But that didn’t make them any less dangerous if they discovered you in their territory.

As the rest of the ants returned to the colony, one of them broke off and made its way toward the blind. The occupants tensed until a tendril extended from the ant’s head and flashed green at the tip, signaling that it was one of the ants controlled by Alpha.

Boarslayer walked forward and pushed the door of the blind open for the ant. Once inside, the ant approached the nearby stone wall and extended another tendril into the solid stone. After a moment, there was a click, and part of the wall slid back and to the side, revealing a long, well-lit tunnel. The ant made their way down the tunnel at a rapid pace, leaving the two goblins and human woman to make their own way. When the last of them crossed the threshold, the hidden door slid silently shut behind them.

A few minutes of walking later, they approached a small platform with a long tunnel stretching to either end. The group stopped at the edge of the platform and waited.

As they did, Dr. Maria spoke. “I’ve been wondering… Does the Dun — ahem — Mr. Alpha often seek your council like this? Testing our knowledge, I can understand, given how dependent on crafting and various esoteric wisdoms his Inheritance seems dependent on. Yet, at times, his questions seem… strange. As if he doesn’t understand some of the more basic, fundamental things that should be obvious.”

Antchaser opened his mouth to answer but paused. She had a point. He wanted to argue it, but it did feel strange that Alpha would test them on a theoretically complicated subject like how a certain array structure interacted with various others. Only to turn around and ask a basic question even a child might know, such as how Spirit Energy moved through various types of mediums.

It was Boarslayer who answered, though. “Of course he would,” she scoffed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He’s been trapped down here for how many centuries? You’re a doctor, Maria. More than most, you should be aware of how quickly information and understanding can change. Why wouldn’t he want to confirm that what we know hadn’t deviated too far?”

Antchaser raised a brow at Boarslayer’s unusually well-spoken response… and the rather casual way she addressed the doctor. When had these two grown so close?

Dr. Maria nodded thoughtfully. “That’s possible. In the two weeks I have worked for him, Mr. Alpha has shown me wonders and concepts in the field of medicine I would have never thought possible before. Things even I can only explain as miracles. Yet even so, I can’t help but wonder why. Why does he do any of this? It’s so outside of how Dungeon Cores typically operate that I find myself wondering what the end goal is.”

Boarslayer shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. I’m just paid to hit things.”

Annnnd there was the Boarslayer he knew. Antchaser sighed. She wasn’t even paid! She did it for fun!

Before Antchaser could give his own two coppers, there was a rush of wind, and a large, egg-shaped metal object rushed out of the side tunnel. It slowed and came to a silent stop in front of the platform the three of them stood on. There was a click, and the sides of the egg slid up, revealing a rather spacious compartment with several seats.

Antchaser took a step toward the vehicle. “Enough chatter, let’s go see wha—woah!”

A large hand grabbed Antchaser’s collar and pulled him aside. “Ladies first!” Boarslayer said.

Dr. Maria chuckled and walked into the cabin, followed by Boarslayer. Antchaser sighed and shook his head, then stepped inside at last. The door slid back down, and, with a slight jerk, they accelerated forward. It would only take them a few minutes to reach the Lab.

It may not have been a lot, but it was a precious few moments of peace, allowing him time to think and reflect.

Sometimes I miss having free time…