There was surprisingly little wind, despite how high up we were. It made the risk of falling ever so slightly less of a concern. Not that I think any of us would, but you can never be too careful.

  Wardi leapt ahead, testing the grounds each time he had reached the next little segments for us to follow onto. Occasionally a little piece of the hill would crumble as we jumped or landed. “

  “So far so good.” Is what I wanted to say, I’m not being the one to jinx us right now, however.

  “Is there anything of note up here?” Lucy asked curiously looking around hoping something would catch her eye.

  “It’s a pretty dud location. Lucky for us, it’s one of a very small number that lacks any life in general. So, there we do have that useful piece of information to work with.” Wardi joked.

  It felt like I was playing some sort of platform game for one of those old 15-bit consoles back in early days of my youth. Wow now I feel old I thought.

  The deeper in we were, it seemed a hundred or so more columns of boring grey rock appeared. this was slowly turning into a bit of a maze, but it was better than risking a scrap out in the open.

  Luckily this became more of a running segment for us as we sprinted along the winding plain looking crevasses. Wardi was marking the pillars as we passed through to stop us from getting lost. Slashing an Arrow in quick succession. Clanging and chinking could be heard each time his blade connected with the toughness of the terrain.

  Wardi had stopped abruptly. He held is hand out telling us to wait.

  “What’s up man?” I whispered to him. He put his finger to his mouth to say shush, pointing his finger towards the corner and began making weird gestures with his hands.

  “None of us speak military lingo man just whisper it.” I replied to him

  “There’s something up here.” he said after shaking his head at me.

  We crept in closer trying to hear or see whatever it was that made him stop us on the hill adventure. Eventually a shadow was cast from the light up on the pillar of stone in front of us. It grew AND REALLY GREW before a Gobhead appeared before us.

  “Why is a Gobhead up here?!” whispered Rhua angrily. Readying her sword to give it a swift thrashing.

  “Ennybudee ere? Pleece, I dun wanna fite” it said out loud.

  A Gobhead not looking to instantly start charging recklessly that’s a first I thought.

  Wardi unleashed the bosh and walked forward beckoning us behind him. “I’ll be the judge of that, state your name, and why you’re here.” Coldness in his voice as he said it.

  “Am Davo, mi gal Brini nd kid Lozza ar der too, we ran ye, fram da colunny in da west. Big fite hapun wiv slave roberz.”

  The scales of Librata reacted, the Gobhead words rang true. He asked it another question

  “You said a lot of things just now that we haven’t heard news of, what are the slave roberz.” He asked a little calmer this time.

  The Gobhead was scared hearing the name again and quivered into a little ball. “No wun nose em, dey jus appeered wun day nd took ova in fortee wun.

  “I remember reading about the Mandems in the creature compendium, but now that he’s mentioned it, you hardly ever see Gobheads and I’ve never seen the Mandems ever in my life.” Wardi said to us.

  It wasn’t something anything of us were particularly interested in talking about I thought.

  The scales reacted again to ring true. Wardi decided to end the little trial having heard enough. The scales granted the Gobhead a buff to cooking it seemed since he started randomly trying to make food in the middle of our chat.

  The Gobhead gal made an appearance her head wobbling as she made her way towards us and spoke. “Dem slave robers follo kisar or sumtin, neva sen ems tho, they got nests high up, if we dun do wot dey ask dey hurt us from da nests! But da bighead, he mayde a powaful frend.” She said and began to cry.

  Lucy showed some compassion to the Gobhead, probably the first time anyone that wasn’t one did so. And she sobbed loudly snottily and barely managing to stand upright as she did so.

  “What’s a bighead Davo?” asking him, he was hyper focused on flash frying some random stinking meat chunks he had on his person.

  “Loike da boss of Gobheads, az a supa big ed, chosun by da Gobdess erself.” He never looked up once as he perfectly cooked his meat rare medium rare.

  “I’ve never heard of a bighead or a Gobdess either, have any of you?” Everyone shook their heads, and I thought to myself it’s probably just Serilia and they don’t know any different.

  Horace piped them “WHAT are you going to do, there’s NOT MUCH food up here pals.” Davo stopped cooking for a moment the sictics caught him off guard, but he quickly resumed his cooking.

  “I got supplies, we ar gud fo a bit. You lot shud wotch owt tho, dey av a way to da colunny neer eer, jus by Grindo Town.” Said Davo. Standing up and bringing the food over to his gobgal. He kept a smaller piece in his hand presumably for his kid.

  “Thanks for the heads up.” Rhua said to him. Before turning to us and continuing to talk. “Do you think it’s safe to get to the town? I was hoping we have a chance to rest properly instead of out in the wilds.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “I think we should pass by but not enter it, watch from afar. If it seems normal, then we could head in. Sound like a plan?” Wardi said. Everyone except lucy nodded still focusing on Brini. I overheard her say she was sorry to hear about the difficult time and it made the Gobhead head wobble and smile at her.

  We quickly returned to the running gang chronicles and aimed towards the direction of Grindo Town. Not paying attention, resulted in near enough all but Wardi and Rhua to take at least a scratch or two.

  “Should have picked something a meatier class!” shouted Rhua who had to get rescued by Wardi as she slipped and nearly fell desperate to meet the maker again.

  “Will you lot stop testing me today!” Wardi grunted as he pulled Rhua back up. She had gone bright red from embarrassment and was giving off a powerful warning energy.

  We must have climbed, ran, and jumped for nearly three maybe four hours across this bloody place. Grindo town was finally within viewing distance though. And as quickly as my happiness seeing a bit of colour to the world again appeared, so did the rising level of pain, as a robed figure perched atop one of the pillars caught me by surprise

  Along with the dozen or so other robed figures spread out around us.

  “Do you think it’s the one’s thingy mentioned.” I asked. A slice across my face trickled blood, I was ready and raring for a worthwhile scrap.

  Wardi using his scanning skill to look around said “Well they’re not purple but the only way we’re finding out is if we lose or kick their assess and find out for ourselves” Smirking at the thought.

  Rhua had begun unleashing her shielding abilities and Lucy backed her up with protective arts. Horace couldn’t contain himself and unleashed the turret even higher than those above us.

  “No, robed fools. I have the high GROUND NOW!” he cackled.

  A group had tried to sneak up on us and I caught the sounds of footsteps last minute. I still had a few Graniter legs from our brief time in Green-top-pass and decided may as well have a go with these. Pulling a set of arms out and raining a thick stone hammer fist downwards at the robed idiot in front of me.

  He dropped to his knees, and I threw the other arm into his friend that came running up behind him. I could hear the loud crunching sounds as it shattered their shoulders. One of them passed out from the pain whilst the other screamed and rolled around.

  Lucy had herself a 1v1 duel with the lone arts user in the enemy group. the fighting was much more intense than anything else going on. Each time the opposing element connected they caused a huge blow back, rumbling the stones around us. Lucy was toying, testing. Wanting to gauge for herself how far she had progressed.

  During all this fighting I realised something…where the heck did Wardi step off to? After Horace began the shelling, he had disappeared off somewhere else.

  I switched to a morning star; I pulled from my inventory. Spiky and blunt damage for twice the fun I thought to myself as I drove the weapon straight into the kneecaps of the last fool in the group I was facing, and her scream pierced my ears. I said to her -

  “You stay there.” She needed to know we mean business right now.

  Rhua slashed in a wide arc, connecting to three foes at once. The blade whirled in rapid motion from her side to the sky tearing across the leg, waist and chest of the foes facing her. A shield bash sending them flying backwards against the stone knocked them down for good.

  Lucy had also claimed victory on her end as the mage flew back, beaten by pair of earthen fists that flew at him.

  “Been a while since I see you use that one Luce, nice going.” I said to her

  “Thank you! I wanted to give them a good thumping hee-hee.” She jumped around with excitement.

  “Anyone seen him?” I asked, seemed nobody did as they shook their heads.

  “Been here the whole time.” Wardi said smiling sadistically from above.

  “Alright then Mr fights away from the group all the time.”

  “There was way more of em than we realised, another dozen or so up top ready to tag the tired ones out. “ Wardi said so proud of himself.

  “New record?” Rhua asked him as she put her sword away in its holder.

  “19.” That’s beaten my last record of 16!” Wardi was feeling accomplished at his new solo vs x number of foes record.

  “Kept one to have a little chat with what’s your name eejit?”

  “Fuck off” she spat at my shoe and Horace pressed the bolt of the crossbow into her face. Rhua however was not having that as a response and threw a heavy punch into the woman’s stomach.

  UGH she winced aloud rolling to her side and Rhua repeated her punch this time aiming for her sides.

  She began weeping a little at the pain, this was harsh even for Rhua. Reasonable response though, they would have killed us without hesitation.

  “As the last flake falls” she said. She shook violently, glowing a dark and evil green.

  “That is not good, we should move now!” Said Lucy scared of what may happened next.

  Too late for me however, Wardi managed to throw himself at Horace and took him out the way, but she blew up collapsing the ground. The barriers Rhua had set up were still active and stopped me taking any damage luckily. I probably would have had my legs blown off from that blast.

  I reequipped my dart javelin as I was free falling and it connected into the wall stopping me not far from the bottom. Looking around it appeared within the rock itself life was growing …inwards?

  “I’m fine” I shouted back at everyone.

  “Yeah, we heard the dart impact and a lack of screaming.” said Rhua.

  I dropped down to the ground it was only three or so meters, my boots would be strong enough for it.

  I noticed that a strong vibrant red grass was growing along the walls eventually appearing in an archway like appearance. Connecting to a blue green stone carving into the rockface. It was a sort of cave painting.

  “Hey Lucy you should come down here.” I said to her.

  “Do I have to she said, it’s a bit far and I don’t like heights.” She replied.

  “There’s something I need your help with so, pretty please with a crank jay on top?” I replied to her

  I heard her huffing and Wardi prepped rope for her to come. Shuffling downwards I could see her feet flopping around as she did so.

  “I hate rope activities.” She said shaking her hands from the burning sensation. It quickly stopped when she saw what I was talking about.

  “Oh…ok yes this is cool!” she was excited examining the paintings, I couldn’t understand any of it myself, but I noticed one or two familiar things such as The Colossi’s Eagle and Lipatua.

  “if I understand the painting correctly, this is the remnants of a roamer vessel, the one’s that the colossi used to leave their home world. She began glowing colours of the elements, and it swirled around slowly, calmly. It took a very great power to bring them here. I can feel traces of it, it’s one filled with sadness, whoever willed this to happen did it knowing it was a one-way trip.”

  “That’s sad, seems many have ended up taken refuge on Maliterr, sorry, they arrived when it was Malicore didn’t they.” I felt a little stupid forgetting it was this whole other world before.

  “Yeah, but it’s nice to finally see something of their home world. It’s been out here this whole time; I’d love to come back and spend some time checking more of it out.”

  “I’m sure we can, let’s get out of here for now though there’s no telling if there’s more of them around.”

  We climbed back up the rope, and the other’s pulled us up, it took barely any time with their combined strength for us to be back up on the surface again. Wardi didn’t waste any time storing the rope and getting going again.

  Following behind him stepping over the only conscious member of the gang rolling around moaning from a shattered shoulder

  “It’s just a STONES THROW away now.” piped Horace.

  “I give that one a Horace / 10. Good effort lad.” He smiled at my response. Next stop Grindo Town I wonder what that lass meant in her words, As the last flake falls, never heard that saying before. I thought as we descended the steps on the other side of Sharps Point.