Adair woke to the low hum of the core, steady as a heartbeat. The faint scent of stone dust hung in the air, mixed with the sharper tang of iron from yesterday's blood. He sat up on the stone bench and stretched, feeling the stiff pull in his arms and shoulders from the fight with the human explorer. Across the room Ebb was curled on the platform, snoring softly with his cleaver resting against his side.
Adair nudged him with his boot. "Up. We need food."
Ebb blinked awake, his yellow eyes catching the faint glow of the core. He rubbed his face with one hand and gave a groggy nod. "Rabbits?"
"Rabbits," Adair confirmed. "And maybe something bigger if we are lucky."
They stepped out of the dungeon into the damp morning air. The forest was still in shadow, the light barely breaking through the canopy above. The ground was soft from dew, muffling their steps. They moved in silence, scanning for tracks or droppings. Ebb crouched low, sniffing, while Adair kept his hand near the hilt of his sword.
They began their hunt when they saw two rabbits in a clearing just outside the dungeon, Ebb crept forward first, his bare feet silent on the damp soil. Adair mirrored his path on the opposite side, keeping the rabbits between them. The air was still, the only sound the faint rustle of leaves overhead. One of the rabbits raised its head, nose twitching.
Adair froze.
Ebb did not. In a burst of motion, the hobgoblin lunged, his hands closing around the nearest rabbit before it could bolt. The other darted away into the underbrush, but Ebb's prize kicked wildly in his grip.
Adair was already moving in, drawing his knife. One quick cut, and the animal stilled. Ebb grinned, holding it up by its ears like a trophy. Adair gave a short nod.
"Good. We can drain it when we get back," he said.
Ebb's stomach growled loudly in answer, and Adair almost smiled until the sound of distant voices drifted through the trees.
The sound of voices stopped them cold.
They froze behind a cluster of brambles, lowering themselves to the ground. Through the gaps in the leaves, Adair saw them: three figures moving along the edge of the forest, dressed in travel gear and armed. One wore heavy plated armor with a large tower shield slung over his back. Another, a lean man in leather, carried a bow strung and ready. The last was a woman with twin short swords hanging at her hips.
Adair was sure they were adventurers like the explorer.
Adair motioned for Ebb to stay silent, and they listened.
The ranger spoke first. "The guild says he was last seen somewhere in these woods. Took an F class retrieval request for him."
The girl with the twin swords frowned. "F class? For a missing person? Does that make sense to you Rial?"
"They think he got turned around in these hills. Would have been back days ago if he were alive, but if he is here then Grai will spot him with his [Eagle Eye] skill" the man with the tower shield grunted, gesturing towards the archer.
Adair felt his jaw tighten. They were talking about the man from yesterday. The one Ebb had killed. These people were looking for him.
Grai kicked at a patch of mud. "Even if we find him, he is probably dead. This place is crawling with beasts."
Adair leaned back against the tree, mind racing. He had no idea what this "quest" or "guild" was, but the meaning was clear enough. More people would come if these three made it back with word. If they were already this close, they might stumble across the dungeon on their own. But if he led them there on his terms, maybe they could catch them off guard and keep the upper hand.
He whispered to Ebb, "Follow me when I run. Stay close but keep quiet."
Then, taking a deep breath, Adair stepped out from behind the trees, making just enough noise to be noticed. The ranger's eyes caught him immediately.
"You there! Stop!"
Adair glanced at them, widened his eyes as if startled, and turned to run. He made sure his steps were heavy enough to leave a trail.
Rial's shout followed. "After him!"
He darted back toward the dungeon entrance. The forest blurred around him, his breath sharp in his chest, he was running faster than he ever had and the adventurers were still gaining ground on him. He finally made it back, the moment he reached the mouth of the dungeon he climbed quickly into the crawlspace tunnel above the chamber, pressing himself flat in the shadows where the vents opened over the main room.
Only a few seconds later boots thundered on stone as the adventurers entered. Their eyes swept the chamber and the glow of the core.
One by one they crept further and further in.
"What is this place?" the fighter muttered, stepping towards the core. They looked to the edge of the chamber and saw the bloodless and mostly eaten corpse of the man they were looking for.
They all stepped back at the sight, and that was when Ebb moved to attack from the entrance.
With a roar, he charged from the entrance, cleaver raised. The tanker Rial, stepped to meet him, shield slamming forward to intercept the blow. Steel rang against steel. The fighter moved to flank Ebb, her blades flashing.
From above, Adair dropped into the fray. His sword struck low, pinning the ranger Grai's, foot to the stone floor. The man cried out and stumbled back, loosing an arrow that flew wide.
The chamber erupted into chaos. Ebb swung in heavy arcs, forcing the tanker to brace and push back with the shield. Adair pressed the ranger hard, driving him toward the wall with quick jabs. The fighter tried to break away to help, but Ebb stepped into her path, cleaver whistling past her chest and forcing her to retreat.
The tanker roared, shoving Ebb back with his shield before lunging forward in a heavy bash that rattled the goblin's teeth. The fighter seized the opening, slashing across Ebb's arm and drawing a deep line of red.
Adair saw it and felt a rush of heat in his veins. He feinted left, then impaled his sword into the ranger's side. The man gasped, dropped his bow, and crumpled. Adair twisted the blade free and let him fall still.
The tanker's head snapped toward the sound. "Dammit, Evelyn pull back!"
The fighter moved to cover the tanker's retreat, slashing at Ebb to keep him from pursuing. Together they backed toward the tunnel, then vanished into the forest beyond.
Adair's breath came heavy in the sudden quiet. Ebb was hunched over, clutching his bleeding arm, but still on his feet. "You okay Ebb?" he asked
"Me okay." responded the hobgoblin
They had only managed to kill one and even worse they let the other two escape. Adair pondered going after them but with Ebb injured he decided to cut their losses and use the time they had before the adventurers came back with reinforcements.
They lifted up the archers body and dragged it to the core. Warmth and a strange hum filled the chamber as the crystal pulsed.
"Human blood received," the core's voice said. "Sufficient essence to create. Recommend reinforcement."
Adair looked at Ebb, then at the core. "Reinforcement?"
The core rang out "Yes. Blood Essence supports one full creation and evolution."
Ebb tilted his head. "Brother?"
Adair nodded once. "Brother."
The air thickened with the core's energy. Blood from the ranger's body seemed to lift and dissolve into red mist, drawn into the crystal. It pulsed faster, the light deepening to crimson.
From the far side of the chamber, stone cracked. A shape began to form first a hunched silhouette, then limbs, then skin that glistened as if freshly formed. Within moments another hobgoblin stood there, taller than Ebb, his frame leaner but his eyes sharper. His skin was the same deep red, but his gaze was keen and assessing.
The core's voice came again. "Designation required."
Adair studied the new hobgoblin and decided on a name. "Abe."
The creature straightened. "Abe," he repeated, the word rolling easily from his tongue.
Like Ebb, he wore black tunic and pants as well as a chest plate, but his movements were more deliberate. Adair could feel something different about him. More alert. More precise.
Abe's eyes lingered on Adair for only a moment before shifting to Ebb. Something passed between the two hobgoblins, a silent understanding that they were kin. Adair placed a cleaver in Abe's hand.
Abe's eyes flicked between them, studying their faces. "You are… Adair?" he asked slowly, voice rough but clear.
Adair nodded. "Yeah. And this is Ebb. He's your brother now, I guess."
Ebb grinned wide, showing his canines. "Brother," he said proudly, thumping his chest.
Abe tilted his head, then gave a small nod. "Abe," he said simply.
Adair smirked faintly. "Good. Now that we know each other's names, we need to prepare and be on the same page before they come back or lead others here."
Ebb gripped his cleaver eagerly. "Fight!" Abe's lips curled in a faint smile at the idea.
Adair couldn't help but laugh "You two definitely seem like brothers. Lets spar."
They began cautiously. Ebb moved in first, swinging heavy and fast, and Abe barely managed to meet the blow. The impact shook his arms, and he stumbled a step back. Adair watched closely, studying their movements. He was not a teacher. All he knew of fighting came from instinct, a few days of desperate survival, and watching others in the heat of battle. Still, he could see when something worked and when it failed.
They took turns testing each other. Ebb's strength was obvious. His blows were wide and punishing, but his guard left openings. Abe's strikes were cleaner, but they lacked the power to break through without exploiting a mistake. Adair joined in after a few exchanges, moving clumsily at first, learning the weight and rhythm of his sword against theirs.
There were no formal lessons. They learned by failing. A poor block left bruises on their arms. A slow step left them off balance and easy to push back. They adjusted quickly, changing how they stood, how they moved their weapons, until the same mistake was not made twice.
Time slipped by without them noticing. The sound of steel meeting steel filled the chamber, each strike ringing off the stone walls. Sometimes Ebb and Abe would turn on Adair together, forcing him to dodge and weave, searching for a way to keep them both at bay. Other times Adair and Ebb pressed Abe into a corner, testing how he reacted under pressure.
There were no winners in these bouts, only moments of surprise when someone landed a solid strike or managed to avoid one by inches. They stopped only when they were too tired to lift their weapons, then rested briefly before starting again.
By what must have been late afternoon, all three were slick with sweat and breathing hard. Adair's arms ached, but his movements had grown more certain. Ebb's wild swings had become more controlled, and Abe's precision had started to find its mark. They were not skilled yet, not by any measure, but there was a rough coordination forming between them.
When they finally let the weapons rest for the night, they sat together in the chamber, tired but satisfied. In a single day, they had gone from strangers to something closer to a unit, each of them learning from the other without a word of instruction.
By the time they stopped, sweat shone on their skin and the chamber's air was heavy with the metallic scent of effort.
Adair sat back on the stone bench, running his tongue over his teeth.
He froze.
The fangs felt sharper. Longer. When he pressed them together he could feel their edges catch slightly.
He exhaled slowly, staring at the faint reflection in the core's glow. The hobgoblins wrestled each other on the other side of the cavern.
"Core what's happening to me." Adair said
The core glowed "You're regular consumption of blood is enhancing your racial traits."
"Enhancing racial traits?" Adair said puzzled.
"Yes, you just like Ebb and Adair have the capacity to evolve in your species tree." The core replied
Adair smirked at the idea of evolving, "What will I evolve into then?"
"Insufficient Blood Essence to answer." The core sounded before dimming into dormancy
As the light in the chamber dimmed to a faint glow from the core, Adair went to the living quarters and sat on one of the stone benches, his sword resting across his knees. Abe and Ebb were already settling in, their breathing slowing as exhaustion claimed them. The day's events weighed heavy on him. The adventurers' attack had been too close. Their dungeon was no longer a secret, and that meant danger could come at any time.
He glanced at the crawlspace above the main chamber, the new vents in the stone. They had the beginnings of defenses, but they were not enough. Not yet.
"We need to take turns on watch from now on," Adair said quietly, his voice firm. "If someone comes, we need to know before they're inside."
Ebb gave a sleepy nod. Abe spoke "Adair is smart."
Adair pat him on the head and rose, moving to the tunnel's edge. The forest night beyond was cool and still, but every rustle of leaves set his nerves on edge. He tightened his grip on his sword.
"I'll take first shift," he murmured, settling into the shadows, listening to the dark.