The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

After a few screams, the burly Yak frantically pulled on the rope, but only one goblin was dragged back.

The goblin had almost no intact skin left; its entire body was a bloody, mangled mess. The rope that had bound it was long since severed, but now it howled and thrashed on the ground in agony, desperately trying to get away from the stone doorway.

"This kind of damage... is it a trap?" Yak grumbled, then lopped off the goblin’s head with an angry swing of his axe.

"An acid trap? Those are the worst," Matel said, his brow furrowed.

He then tossed a torch into the stone chamber, standing outside the doorway and straining to see what was inside.

"It’s too dark. I can’t see much," Yak said, daring to poke his head in.

"Send a couple of Heavy Armor Warriors in to check it out," Qige, the Mage, suggested from behind.

Matel considered this for a moment before picking two Warriors in Iron Chest Armor. He had them take torches and enter the stone chamber. "Remember," he instructed, "stick to the edges and stay away from the center. Test the ground with every step, and watch your feet."

The two Warriors nodded grimly. Gripping their Longswords and torches, they slipped into the stone chamber, each taking one side as they began to explore.

They first checked the walls for arrow slits, then tapped the floor tiles with their Longswords. Seeing no issues, they advanced cautiously, one step at a time.

Matel and Yak leaned in, watching the two Warriors slowly feel their way along the walls. They didn’t seem to be in any danger.

"This is a big chamber," Matel said, his eyes fixed on the men inside. "It looks like the sides are safe."

"Then should we head in?" Yak asked, growing impatient.

Just as they spoke, a scream tore through the air. Yak’s eyes widened in disbelief. One of the Warriors had been enveloped by several objects that dropped from the ceiling, and white smoke billowed from his body. He turned to flee the chamber but collapsed after only a few steps. He managed to crawl a little further before his body went limp.

Hearing his companion’s scream, the other Warrior panicked and tried to retreat. He hadn’t gone far before he slipped on something slimy and fell. In horror, he saw his boot begin to emit white smoke with a corrosive HISS. He frantically tried to pull it off, but then two large, translucent gelatinous masses fell from the ceiling and landed right on him.

"There’s no saving them," Matel said, grabbing Yak to stop him from rushing into the chamber.

"If I’m not mistaken, that room is full of Slimes," Qige said grimly, stroking his chin.

"Slimes?" Yak spat. "Those damn things aren’t worth anything. If the whole place is full of them, does that mean we came all this way for nothing?"

"Not necessarily," Qige said thoughtfully, his gaze lifting to the chamber ceiling. "This is a puzzle posed by the master of this Relic. If we can’t deal with these Slimes, we can’t get any further."

"Slimes are covered in strong acid. If too many of us had gone in at once, even more would have died," Matel said, regretting his earlier haste.

"How about we find another way? Maybe look for a different entrance?" Yak suggested.

"A fascinating puzzle," Qige murmured, ignoring the other two. He thought for a moment, then smiled. "No need. The forest is too vast. This route is still our fastest option."

He then laid out his plan, much to Yak’s amazement.

"HUP!" With a grunt of effort, Yak hurled the headless goblin corpse he’d created earlier into the center of the stone chamber. It hit the ground with a wet thud, splattering blood everywhere.

He then tossed several torches to land around the body.

"Two Rangers, front and center," Matel called to the men behind him.

Emlyn and another human Ranger were called to the stone doorway.

"Shoot anything that gets near the corpse," Qige told the Rangers.

He then leaned against the wall, head tilted as he watched the chamber. ’I’ve solved your little puzzle,’ he thought. ’I hope you have a few more tricks up your sleeve.’

......

Emlyn stood beside the stone doorway, his concentration fixed on the headless goblin corpse. A moment ago, Yak had angrily kicked the severed head into the chamber after it.

When the trap was sprung, the other members of the party had started whispering amongst themselves, discussing just how dangerous this Relic was.

But they were all veteran Adventurers who lived and breathed danger. This was nothing new to them. In fact, many were excitedly discussing what treasures the Relic might hold.

WHOOSH! Emlyn loosed an Arrow. It pierced a Slime, which splattered strong acid across the floor, releasing a corrosive stench and a sharp HISS.

’It’s a good thing I came with the Brotherhood,’ he thought. ’If my own small party had stumbled upon this entrance and rushed in, we would’ve been wiped out for sure.’

He carefully scanned the torchlit area and muttered to himself, "It’s a real shame Lira and her friend didn’t come. You don’t get this kind of experience just from killing goblins."

WHOOSH! Another Arrow flew, striking a Slime. It dropped from the ceiling and splattered against the stone floor, splashing acid in all directions.

’This is way too dangerous. It’s worse than any acid trap I heard tales of back at the Ear-Cleaning Master Tavern. At least those don’t move.’ Emlyn tucked a strand of green hair behind his pointed ear and drew another Arrow.

’Still, doing it this way is perfectly safe. Luring them out with the scent of blood... a clever trick.’ He drew his bow again, loosing an Arrow into a Slime writhing on the floor.

After some time, Emlyn shook out his aching arm. "There are so many of them," he grumbled. "Just how many Slimes are in here?"

"Who the hell designed this room? Was the Heart Stealer mentioned in our briefing really this insane? What was he planning to do, keeping this many Slimes? Make pickles with their acid?"