The Dungeon Inn - English

B01C32 - Confirmation

One day when we all gathered again in the evening, a group was missing.

"Where is Mario's squad?"

"I don't know, we went with him to the usual spot and then split up."

"Let's give him some more time."

Aron went outside to the entrance and kept a lookout. Night fell and when it was too dark to see anything, he came back inside.

"What about 'They're just goblins'?"

"Hey, you don't know the reason yet. The Doom Forest doesn't have its name for nothing."

"Not sure which I prefer. Tomorrow we'll definitely follow their tracks and see what's going on."

The adventurers placed a guard at the door that night so that Mario's party could come in if they were still alive and returned. Unfortunately, this was not the case and Aron took the supply team with him on the search so that they were prepared with three groups against the possible dangers.

They returned at lunchtime.

"Marco, it looks like my suspicions have been confirmed and we are apparently looking for a goblin nest. We were able to find the battle site of Mario's troop and the tracks indicate goblins of different sizes. I'll head to Wachstadt with my group and wash their heads. If they had listened to us, we could have prevented this. Too much time has passed and we can no longer control the situation. I will ensure that they understand the seriousness of the situation and demand support from the city. This is no longer something the guild should handle alone, we need help from the prince! You should keep an eye on the forest while we are away, but do not enter it. We tried to cover our tracks and hope that the goblins hadn't noticed, that there were more people there. If we're lucky, they'll even think that Mario's squad killed your visitor. Then they won't look for you anymore, when they did that. If you discover anything, be sure to inform the guild so that we stay up to date."

Aron warned the other squads for a while and then left the cave cursing. During his absence the mood was tense. The adventurers feared an attack, because we might have drawn attention to ourselves with Mario's squad. If that happened and they attacked with full force, there was a big risk, that they would take us by surprise.

Luckily everything remained calm, until Aron returned with reinforcements. He entered the cave with several in full plate armor.

"Commander Konrad, this is Marco. He runs the Rising Sun Inn, which is this cave, and he has a contract going on with the Adventurers Guild. Marco, this is Commander Konrad, who was sent by the prince to get the situation under control."

"So, I've heard a lot about you. For good cooperation."

"Also."

"My boys are setting up camp outside. Aron has made sure that we come in large numbers, but that brings certain problems with it. Such a small army has to be supplied and organized. Of course, as commander, I take care of the latter, but others have to take care of the supply. We have the city deliver something to us every day, but now in the summer storage is difficult. How do you do this here?"

"We have a cooler cave further down, we store everything perishable there so that it lasts longer."

"Very good, then we have one less problem. I will inform the porters to bring everything down."

"Just to be safe, do you mean just in this cave or up to the cold chamber?"

"To the cold room of course, why bring it here, when there's a better place deeper."

"Unfortunately I can't allow that. I live down here with my companions and one of them still has to recover from the last events. The side cave has been taboo so far, I can lift that for once, but the cooling chamber is non-negotiable."

"Commander Konrad, I think you still remember the visit that the prince recently ordered. This is one of the things Marco refers to."

"I see, I'll tell them to keep contact to a minimum."

"I'm sorry, but I have to insist, that you don't go deeper than the side cave."

"You do realize, that by removing the threat, we are also doing you a favor?"

"Yes. Bruno, Sven and myself will ensure, that transport to and from the cooling chamber is not a problem."

"Three men should be enough. If it's that important to you, that's fine by me. Hopefully we won't be here for that long. Then next topic. What about water? Where is the nearest source?"

"There's one in the side cave."

"We can use it, or do you hate that too?"

"No, you can help yourself."

"Good. When I look so around, here's what we're doing. We'll set up treatment for the injured in that cave over there. The cave here is used for preparing meals. The side cave is too narrow to use for anything. Is there anything else we should know before I leave?"

"No, I think that's all."

The commander went back upstairs with his entourage and Aron's squad had me prepare some food for them and talked about their trip.

"You should go out and see how crowded your little valley is."

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I'd rather be down here in the cool."

"Hah, I wonder if I'll live to see the day, when you come out of your cave. Do you really think, that isolating Sarah like that down there, is such a good idea? She should go back outside at some point."

"I don't want to put any pressure on her. When she's ready to step outside again, she'll do so. Some wounds take a little longer to heal."

"It's true, each of us has a burden to carry. Then let's hope she gets over it soon and can help you out here again."

It was good that Aron and the commander didn't insist on gaining access to the cold chamber. It was hard for me to tell them, that Sarah had her summer nap and that's why a pillar of ice was there. Waking her up and moving her wouldn't make sense either, since she was the very reason for the coolness.