Chương 26: Here's What's Going On

"You're not going to kill me?" Freddie asked.

"Why would I do that?" I said, burying my head in my hands. I'd brought Freddie to my office inside the tower, hoping separating him from the goblins would calm him down.

"You're the first human I've had a chance to sit down and talk to since getting here."

"But y-you killed Raymond! I saw his cloak!" I winced. Was Stick holding onto a dead man's cloak as a souvenir?

"Was that the musically inclined fellow?" Freddie nodded.

"Our bard." I clenched my fist, exhaling. More amends to pay. More problems I've caused. More horrors I'll never be able to make up for." The goblins killed him when I first arrived. I…I can't bring him back. I'm sorry. The perpetual cycle of abuse between goblins and humanity—""Abuse?" Freddie said.

"They're evil! There is a reason they live out in the Wilds and not in cities like proper folk!" I raised my hands.

"Hey now, let's not get judgmental. There is nothing wrong with—""Eating people!?"

"We're working on the eating people part." I said. My nails dug into my palms. What the hell was I saying?

"There is a lot of work to be done. The goblins seem to respect and listen to me. There is a reason they didn't immediately start chomping down on you when you ran into the street. They're all under strict orders to welcome any humans or adventurers with open arms."

"And the skeletons?"

"Those are mine. They obey me to a fault." Freddie stood.

"If you don't mean any harm, am I free to go?"

"Sure. You're not a prisoner here. But I would like to at least continue this discussion. Perhaps I can give you a tour of the town before you leave?" The man gulped.

"To what end?"

"To show you that peace is possible. That's all." Freddie let out a deep sigh, and nodded.

"My companions are outside. I told them to leave if I was not back in half an hour, but knowing them, they're probably still waiting. I should let them know I'm safe." As we left the tower, the goblins outside met us with smiles and waves. Stick's people rushed around the village with buckets of water, planks of wood, and an air of productivity. They'd taken to the restored village rather quickly, and now worked tirelessly to add on the finishing touches. Grelgo's faction was not as friendly.

They licked their lips, their stomachs grumbling as we passed them.

"Don't mind them," I whispered.

"They'll come around." We met Stick at the central fountain. Before the tower rose, a statue dedicated to me had been the village's centerpiece. No longer. Clear blue water flowed over the multi-tiered surface of the fountain, gathering below in a gray basin. A plaque sat at the base, engraved by my own two hands. To those who have been lost. Freddie's gaze never left the forest in the distance.

"Your friends?" I said.

"Gone."

"You can go and find them, if you want." Freddie shook his head.

"No, I'll have to catch up with them later. They should have been waiting."

"I could send out trackers to find them—""No. They'd just take that as an act of aggression." Freddie turned to the fountain, frowning. He had been so eager to see them. What changed? I let out a deep sigh.

"The whole point of this town was to show people that we aren't here to fight."

"You're fighting an uphill battle, Travis." Don't I know it? I waved him forward, and began my first official tour of Carrion's Rest. The construction took two days and nights. Slower than I had wanted, but deep down I was thankful for the chance to let my body and core recover. The skeletons still worked in the woods beyond the tower. More trees were felled; an old quarry had been uncovered. They worked as a well-oiled machine, not a single bony-hand idle over the last 48 hours.

Even with all the new materials brought in, not a single stone from the rubble went unused or wasted during the reconstruction. We walked down the main road. I'd designed the town based off of the multitudes of video games I'd played in my life. Old wooden signs hung down from the various shops, announcing their purpose. A bakery, an armory, a general store, an inn. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The inn was my favorite, and I brought Freddie there first.

The two-story building featured a sign with an overflowing cup, the words "Travis's Tankard" scrawled beneath. I pushed the door open and breathed in the sweet smell of hops. The inside was all polished wood flooring and a thick oak bar running across the back. A single chair had been constructed thus far, and a set of two skeletons worked in the back corner of the room preparing a new set of benches. I'd found the biggest goblin I could find, a particularly hairy fellow named Armpit, and put him behind the bar.

Despite being one of Grelgo's men, he was more than happy to take the role. The goblin did exactly as we had practiced. He stood behind the counter, rubbing a clean glass with a cloth rag.

"Armpit! Give us a sample of your finest beer!" I said. The goblin grinned, showing off too many rows of rotten teeth.

"Aye aye, sir. One mug, coming right up." He grabbed a tankard and poured hard and fast, overflowing the mug and spilling it all over the floor. He set it down on the counter and smiled.

"Order up, boss."

"We'll work on your pouring technique some other time," I said, looking down at the thick head of foam. I handed it to Freddie.

"Well? Have a sip!" The adventurer brought it to his lips, having to slurp past the foam, and smiled.

"Not bad!"

"Great! I guess it's an old goblin recipe. I wasn't sure about it myself, but after a sample, I didn't think it was half bad either. Once people start showing up, we might be able to bring in an actual brewmaster!"

"It seems like you've really gotten this place figured out. I'm sorry I was so put off at first. You do strike quite the…imposing figure."

"Yeah, well, the look kind of chose me. I didn't want to end up like this." Freddie finished the beer, and we went back out into the town. Besides the shops, a few homes had been reconstructed. Most of the goblins, save for Stick's people, were less interested in these buildings, preferring to pitch tents on the back side of the tower. Each home was laid out the same. They were not much bigger than a single-bedroom apartment. A small living area with some space for a bed and a kitchen.

Hopefully people wouldn't need much more than this if their focus was on climbing the tower.

"Wow! It's huge!"

"I promise you, it's not," I rubbed my chin. Like the inn, the furniture was still being worked on.

"This place is nicer than the home I grew up in. How much are you selling them for?"

"Selling…?" I paused, chewing on the words. I hadn't considered that in the slightest.

"Uh, I guess they're on the house, no pun intended. I'm not really sure how money works here. You're welcome to stay in this one for as long as you'd like." Freddie stuck out his hand, and I shook it.

"For an evil looking overlord, you're really not half bad."

"Wow! Thanks!" I said, and then smiled.

"I know you need to get back to your companions, but before you go, do you want to check out the tower? Grelgo has been preparing for a raid on the tenth floor. You want in?" He looked down at his belt, frowning.

"All I have is this dagger. I'm more of a bowman, but I'd be happy to observe. The dungeon was why we all decided to come out here to begin with."

"Oh, we have bows!" We made a pit stop by the smithy where a pair of goblins had been working all morning at an impromptu forge. We didn't have a fletcher in a city yet, an oversight on my part, but they did bring in a stack of bows and crossbows from Grelgo's supplies. Freddie tested the string on one and frowned.

"It'll do." With the resounding words of confidence, we entered the tower. [I do not trust him,] Karen said. [His eyes are sketchy.] Do you blame him? He's the only human here besides me, and we are personally responsible for the death of someone in his party. [Even more reason for him to betray you. Just like Grelgo. You invite people in with open arms, and it is only going to bite you in the ass.] I rolled my eyes, and turned towards Grelgo.

He sat in the living area of the tower—the gnarly mace he found the other night resting across his lap.

"I'm going to show Freddie around. Are you ready?"

"Excellent, excellent!" The ugly goblin hopped to his feet.

"Just when I was getting bored. We spent some time up there clearing out the first few rooms, but this is a gnarly one." I slapped Freddie on the back.

"Hope you're ready for a challenge." The archer looked at his rickety bow and gave a half nod, and we approached the stairs. Making our way to the tenth floor was more than a workout. As the floors grew in number, the time to climb them would increase exponentially. Perhaps I could convince Karen to install an elevator at some point. Once we had the dungeon essence to spare. The tenth floor was close to a full-on departure from the catacombs before.

Engraved pillars stood in the corners of each room, giving the tombs the appearance of a palatial estate. Six marble coffins, three on either side, lined the room. Above them, standing atop plinths, were statues depicting those buried. They raised swords, maces, axes, and bows. And from the clatter of bones and matching weapons on the floor, Grelgo's men had already defeated them. Something shook up ahead, and Freddie and I jumped.

"What the hell was that?" Grelgo rubbed his hands.

"My boys and I brought in some tools to help clear some of the way. Dynamite." [The amount of damage they're doing with those damned things is unbelievable. Tell them to stop.] I rounded the corner into the next room. The walls were stained black with gunpowder, coffins split, bones pulverized. Two goblins covered in burns laughed manically, sitting on the floor and pulling out another stick of dynamite. I snatched it from them.

"Enough. You can't use this here, you don't know what kind of ramifications it could have."

"The ramifications?" Grelgo snapped.

"The ramifications are that none of my men get killed going through this place." [And they destroy our undead in the process.]"No more," I said. Grelgo scowled and grabbed the stick from me.

"Then you send your men in first." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine." I raised my hand, tugging at the connections of the three skeletons I had raised the day prior. They approached from behind, wielding woodsman axes. The skeletons had each worn a different helmet when I raised them, each topped with a different ornament pointing out the top, and I named them as such. Spike, Horn, and Nub.

"Go on," I ordered. In unison, they marched off into the next room, and I followed behind. The dungeon forked from there—the maze beginning in earnest.

"Follow the left path," I said.

"We will snake our way around." Despite demanding I go first, Grelgo led Patch and a few of his others down the opposite path, leaving Freddie and I to ourselves.

"That Grelgo guy," Freddie said, swallowing.

"You trust him?" An explosion rattled.

"Not a bit."