24.2ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ/sᴛʀᴀᴛᴏᴛʜʀᴀx

Opal grabbed the Kobold's chain and they slipped down into the jungle. They didn't take the road but slunk through the dark shadowy jungle following the wall of the cavern. Ahead Rain saw the two guards, this time from the side and close up. They were on a slight rise but not far from the edge of the foliage they hid under.

"You need to kill them both quick, can't let them get inside and call the alarm."

Rain nodded his agreement and set his feet, half crouched and ready.

Opal watched until they seemed particularly distracted, both talking to each other and looking away from where they hid, and then she dropped the hand she was holding up.

Rain moved. His feet drove down into the soil so hard it compressed beneath them. He exploded out of the foliage like a demonic shadow, his paws came down on the Lamia-goblin's shoulders and his jaws snapped shut on his neck like a bear trap instantly severing his spine. He rode the falling corpse to the ground and keeping his momentum fell on the second guard as they started to scream holding their spear up to try to defend themselves. Rain jabbed him in the gut ending the scream in a gargle then he grabbed his head and forcefully twisted, snapping his neck. The Human-goblin flopped to the ground dead.

Opal emerged from the foliage with the Kobold and slunk up by the side of the round tunnel to look in. After a moment she sighed in relief.

"No ones coming, looks like that scream wasn't heard, there's still no one there. Here, let's take them inside."

Each grabbed a guard by the arms and they dragged them through the short two meter tunnel. On the other side trees and bushes grew up close and they found a tree surrounded with dense foliage a little away from the entrance. To the Kobold's horror he was tied to the tree with the two half goblins either side of him. He gave the two corpses a wide eyed look.

"Y-you're just going to leave me here?! With these??"

"Yup!" said Opal brightly.

They returned to the tunnel. On this end of the tunnel was a massive thick stone disc to one side. Pegs were driven through a section of the disc with which ropes had been attached and left to dangle.

"This is the main door thing. They all heave on the ropes and pull the disc over the entrance blocking it off when they need to defend from other monsters or levelers or monster tribes."

Rain examined the disc and then stepped to one side and set his shoulder against it. He then heaved. His feet slid against the ground as he strained, but after a moment the disc began to ever so slowly move, inch by inch, then picking up speed it rolled over the entrance sealing it off. Opal drew her cutlass and then hacked all of the ropes attached to the pegs until there was nothing remaining. While Opal was doing that Rain found a wedge-shaped rock and together with another rock he hammered it under one side of the disc using his abundance of strength, ensuring it was nigh impossible to remove.

Opal gave him a thumbs up and they dashed off into the jungle. She led them around the perimeter until they came across a hole in the ground.

"Uh, got any ideas?"

Rain scratched his chin and frowned looking around, he then looked at a nearby tree growing next to the cavern wall. He moved up to it and tried pushing the trunk but to no avail. He then tried wrapping his arms around it and heaving, it moved, but only a little. Frustrated he climbed between the tree and the wall and pulled up his feet against the bark, then using the wall as leverage he shoved outward with all his might. He snarled and pushed himself to the limit. The tree cracked, and then with a groan it began to fall, finally crashing down over the hole and blocking it with its trunk. He couldn't have imagined doing something like this when he had first stumbled ashore on the great lake starving and soaked, he'd come a long way, his strength outpacing even his size.

Opal jumped around the trunk trying to see if she could slip down any gap. She could not and gave Rain the nod before they moved on. They were about to leave when a Goblin dashed out of the jungle.

"H-hey what was that noise? Wait, what is that monster you got with you!?"

Opal froze before quickly shifting disposition and making placating gestures.

"I was coming back with a new nice monster for the tribe to breed with and this tree fell on the hole I came in through just as I was getting out!"

"Uhh, really? Huh. Lucky you didn't get squashed… Wait why are you so clean apart from your face?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's embarrassing but if you must know I tripped and fell in a lake, I've only just got around to reapplying some nice dirt."

The Goblin eyed her suspiciously.

"I… don't know, that sounds kinda- ghurk!"

Opal stabbed him in the neck. Several times. Then dragged his body under a bush.

"Did that Goblin really just find the fact that you are clean more suspicious than the fact you have a monster like me with you?" said Rain in disbelief.

"You wouldn't get it. It's a Gobbo thing."

She grabbed his paw and pulled him back into the jungle. They quickly found the second escape tunnel. This one was more easily blocked with a nice nearby pile of rocks, they shoved and heaved them into the hole filling the bottom of it.

Soon enough they were on the way to the third potential escape route having yet to see another Goblin. That luck abruptly came to an end however as the final escape tunnel was right next to a camp of Half-Goblins.