Just as the core settled into a steady glow, and Adair whispered, "We're going to get stronger. Both of us." Ebb nodded. A soft noise came from the tunnel stones shifting, distant footsteps.
Adair froze. Ebb pressed close. The fire's light flickered. The air felt thin.
A figure began to enter. A gruff looking man with a grizzly beard wrapped in travel leathers, light linen shirt, boots worn at the soles. He carried a satchel and gloves, and his gaze swept the chamber. He paused near the entrance, glancing at the sword cleaver by Ebb, the armor on the floor, the faint scent of damp blood.
Adair leaned into shadow. Ebb moved back softly.
Adair's heart pounded so hard he feared it would echo off the stone. A human. Armed. Alone? Maybe, but what if others followed? Was this a scout? A wanderer? His thoughts spun. He had no plan. No hiding spot deep enough. Could they fight and win? Would the man scream if they struck him? Would others come? Blood rushed in his ears. His fingers itched toward his blade, but his legs refused to move. He was not ready. He wasn't sure if he could kill someone who looked like him.
The man stepped toward the core. His voice was quiet and curious.
"I was mapping the Beast Plains. I followed rumors of ancient walls and tunnels. I did not expect a dungeon or such strong magic inside." The intruder whispered to himself.
He studied the core with wide eyes. But he did not know.
"Treasure is common here. But something like this... I have never seen it."
Adair did not breathe. Ebb did not twitch.
The man moved closer to the center of the room. He bent and brushed a fingertip across the stone floor near the core. His cold finger trembled slightly.
Adair watched the man step closer to the core, eyes wide with wonder. His grip on the stone in his hand loosened. If the man just looked, just admired it they could let him go. No harm done. Not everyone in this world had to be an enemy. Not everyone needed to bleed. As long as he didn't touch it. As long as he didn't try to take it. That was the line. The core was theirs. Their lifeline. If he crossed that line, Adair knew he wouldn't have a choice.
But as soon as Adair turned to communicate that with Ebb, Ebb leapt from the darkness. He swung his cleaver in a wide arc.
The man jerked back and drew his sword in lightning speed.
The blade caught Ebb's cleaver as it descended. Sparks flashed. Ebb stumbled, wincing, but kept his balance. The sword sliced at Ebb's side. The human pulled back just in time. The blade nicked flesh. A line of red spread across Ebb's ribs. Ebb gasped, crouching, one hand pressed to his side.
"Damn it!" Adair exclaimed as he rushed forward, he couldn't help but to come to Ebb's aid but he didn't want to fight this man.
Adair charged. He swung his short sword low at the man's knee. The spear like blade struck bone. The man staggered but kept both feet under him.
They circled each other, each eyeing the other to find an opening, but it was clear the man had more experience. The man lurched forward with his long sword and sung it down towards Adair, Adair hastily raised his blade up to block the attack but misjudged and received a deep cut to his pointer finger. Adair retaliated with a horizontal slash while closing the distance between them.
The man rained down heavy blows onto Adair which Adair chose to dodge as blocking them made him arms feel like they were slowly breaking. He continued on the defensive until the blood coming from the adventurers leg splashed onto Adair in their heated clash and as more blood entered the air Adair felt faster, more powerful, he was gaining an edge.
Adair pressed the attack with a series of stabs but they were deflected one by one. The man's parry's rang off Adair's sword. Each strike echoed on stone. They battled for dominance, each of them gritting their teeth and fighting through injuries.
Ebb regained his balance. He snatched his cleaver free and ran at the pair, jumping into the air before he slashed at the man's forearm while he was distracted with Adair's onslaught. A loud metal clang echoed. The man cried out, dropping his sword.
Adair pressed forward. He drove his sword into the man's thigh. Metal bit deep and flesh parted. The man collapsed to one knee and reached out, trembling.
Adair stood over him. "Stay still."
The man grabbed Ebb's injured shoulder with one hand. Blood dripped from between trembling fingers.
"Please, I meant no harm," he rasped. "I come to record tunnels. I never knew…"
His voice ended in a cough.
Adair glanced at Ebb. Blood dripped from red eyes, but Ebb nodded sharply.
The man froze. He held his gaze and tried to stand.
Adair stood over the man, chest heaving, blood hot in his veins. The sword wound across Ebb's side still bled, and the goblin crouched low nearby, holding it with trembling fingers. The human had done that. A single swing without hesitation.
Adair stared at the man who now whimpered at his feet, crawling backward, begging for his life with wide, tear-filled eyes. It made Adair sick. The fear only came when the man's life was on the line. Not when he was dealing the blow.
If the roles had been reversed, if Ebb had been the one begging, this man would have run him through. No questions. No kindness. Just blood in the dirt.
Adair clenched his fists. The trembling in his arms turned to resolve.
"You wouldn't have spared him," Adair said, voice low and cold.
The man sobbed something, he did not listen.
Adair stepped aside and looked at Ebb.
The goblin understood.
Ebb walked up to the man and began to hack at him without mercy, screams filled the dungeon and Adair felt sick to his stomach watching, but he was coming to accept this as the way this world works, kill or be killed.
When Ebb finished Adair touched his side. "You good?"
Ebb nodded. "Ebb... hurt."
Ebb whimpered softly, pain swirling in his breath.
Adair winced and then looked at the core, pulsing calmly.
The core shivered, Adair and Ebb turned to face it. A deeper hum filled the chamber.
The voice came: "Human blood is rare, potent. It accelerates growth. Higher complexity of creation possible. Unlocks new room templates. Creature evolution. Language interface."
Adair looked at Ebb.
Then he asked quietly: "Teach me about this land. The Beast Plains is what the man called it, is that where we are?"
The crystal glowed. Then it spoke.
"Yes, The Beast Plains comprise a peninsula. Rocks and grass meet the sea on north, east, and south. Only to the west lies civilization, the Kingdom of Vitalheart. Its borders fortified by stone walls and cliffs. Inside the plains, Beast Tribes wage war over territory. Cities are riven by constant conflict, magic and blade both guide the outcome."
Adair paused. "Tell me about Vitalheart."
The light twisted. The voice replied: "Insufficient level for information requested"
Adair closed his eyes of course he couldn't know. He breathed in deep.
Looking at Ebb, he rose to his feet.
To the core: "Create defenses."
Adair decided no one was going to hurt Ebb that easily ever again.
Stone inside the room shook. Walls shifted inward. A second chamber sprang to life beyond the main room. Shelves carved into walls, bench built from stone. Fire pit pushed back. Space deepened.
Above the entrance, stone cracks formed. A crawlspace opened. Vents aligned to hang above tunnel entry. Making dropping stones or surprise elements possible.
Shapes formed in the floor between them. Two steel chest plates rose. One small. One large. Plates warm and shaped, fit to bodies.
Ebb tested his armor. It fit. The tunic and pants that had been baggy now settled to his shapely body. He stood taller in it, broader and stronger.
Adair took a moment to look at how Ebb had transformed since his creation.
Ebb's skin had darkened to a deep red, smooth but tough like cured leather. His limbs were longer now, muscles more defined beneath the black fabric that matched Adair's. The tunic hugged his chest tightly, and the pants stopped just above his ankles, no longer dragging behind him. His eyes glowed yellow with slit-like red pupils that flicked with every movement, always alert. When he bared his teeth, large canines poking over his lower lip he looked like something born for battle. The black cleaver he carried rested on his shoulder, the blade wide and jagged, forged from the blood-soaked floor by the core itself. Ebb had come a long way, Adiar focused his attention to the new armor.
Adair touched his plate gently. It was heavy and cold.
The vents overhead opened slightly. A faint draft pushed down stone dust.
Ebb tilted his head.
Adair laid a hand on his shoulder. "We will build onto this place. We will stand our ground."
They stepped into the new living quarters at the back of the chambers. Stone walls clean. A platform where Ebb sat now, breathing steady.
Adair walked to the new benches and placed his sword across them.
They looked at each other across empty space.
Adair knelt beside Ebb. He pressed his hand to the goblin's steel armor. "You did good."
Ebb smiled wide up towards Adair. "I help."
Adair nodded slowly.
He reached out to the air, near the core. "We need to prepare. But we need time and blood."
The core pulsed. Warmth spread across the room.
"But for now, we need rest. Get some sleep Ebb tomorrow we can begin working on something I think will be a big help.
Ebb nodded grinning "Big help like Ebb."
Adair stretched across the bench "Sure buddy, whatever you say." and they both drifted off to sleep.