Goblinsbane Ch. 03: Dungeon Crawl

The skeleton spasmed but didn't stop moving, so Eredwal repeated the hammer blow once more. This time, the entire skull broke apart. Pieces of skull, teeth, and the remnants of a jaw flew across the floor in multiple directions. Maka, who stood nearby, jumped out of the way as the jaw skidded toward her. Sister Sabine didn't flinch as teeth bounced off of her shins.

With its head now gone, the skeleton finally stopped moving.

Eredwal breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on his hammer. Kassus appeared beside Sabine, blood trickling from his temple down to the curly, black hairs of his beard. The Bashaan Twins, who appeared to be shaken but fine, stood nearby as well.

"Is anyone hurt?" Sabine asked, breathing heavily. She was doubled over, one hand on her knee, the other hand holding the Morning Star. At the moment, she didn't have the strength to pick it up, so the mace's head touched the floor.

"We're unhurt, Sister; thank you," Maka said as Kassus eased one of Sabine's arms over his shoulders to help her stand straighter. The wizard took the priestess's other arm and put it over her shoulders. "What about you? You look like you've gotten the wind knocked out of you."

Sabine offered her a grateful smile. "I'm fine. I just need some rest." The light of the Morning Star drew her attention to it. She wondered what other surprises the artifact had in store for her.

"What was that thing doing here?!" Akam asked. "It was way too powerful to be in the Fallen Fort of Falo Forest!"

"I don't know," Eredwal answered as he examined the skeleton's arm - the one still attached to its torso. Specifically, he inspected the bangle on its wrist.

Without warning, he raised his hammer up and then sent it crashing down, pulverizing the bones of its hand. He then stomped on the hand a few times until it detached from the rest of the arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kassus asked.

Eredwal tugged the bangle off the skeleton's wrist. "These are special. I'm taking them." The others could tell right away that what he said was true, for the bangle shrank from extra large orc-sized to human-sized before their eyes. Eredwal smashed the bones of the other arm to get the bangle off that one, too.

He removed his gloves, then snapped one of the jewelry pieces onto his left wrist. Sister Sabine was too tired to use her divine sight to identify how the matching bangles were enchanted or determine if they were cursed, which concerned her.

"Don't you want to identify them first? It could be tainted by necromancy."

"I already know what they are," he said as he snapped the other bangle onto his right wrist. Once he wore both of the matching pair, he closed his eyes and took a breath. "Yeah. I definitely know what these are."

"Well? What are they?" Akam stared at the jewelry and their wearer, curiously.

Maka used her abilities to determine what they were. "What they are are quite powerful. And don't worry, Sister, I detect no necromantic taint."

Eredwal's gaze flicked between the twins. "You guys cool with me taking these?"

"It's fine, Goblinsbane," Akam said. "You got the killing blow, after all."

"It was Sister Sabine who did most of the heavy lifting on that one, actually," Eredwal pointed out. "But something tells me she wouldn't be interested in these." He admired how the bangles looked on him before he slipped his gloves back on.

"They look like women's jewelry," Kassus said.

"That's fine," Eredwal replied. "I've always been in touch with my feminine side.

"All right, people, let's get out of here before something else big and nasty appears out of nowhere." Eredwal walked to the chest. "Akam, help Sister Sabine. Kassus, I need your help with this. Maka, cover the front."

Akam traded places with Kassus and eased Sabine's arm over his shoulder. With his help, Sabine walked toward the secret passage that lead to the outside.

Eredwal picked up one side of the treasure chest while Kassus picked up the other. They hauled the booty to the exit.

Maka retrieved her wand and the necromancer's staff, then jogged to the front of the group. She was ready to use her magic to kick the ass of anything unfortunate enough to get in their way.

Together, the five adventurers finally left the Fallen Fort of Falo Forest, each one richer and somehow more powerful than when they entered.