Life in a new Kingdom

Sounds of chanting echoed as we went deeper into the tunnel. The chanting was spoken by the goblins, but I couldn't piece any of it together. Nana placed her hand on my shoulder. Her grip was tight, which meant something serious.

"They are preparing the ritual!" My eyes grew wide when the words escaped her lips.

"Is that why they are chanting?"

"There is no other reason it isn't. We need to hurry, NOW!" Grabbing my arm, she lifts me over her shoulder and sprints toward the chanting. With the obnoxious chanting being louder than our footsteps, any attempt at stealth was a waste.

Holding on tightly, she leaped between each passage and soon brought us to a vast view of an underground city. The structures were clearly older than any of the goblins here; they must have found this place abandoned and made it their central hub for gatherings. The city wasn't massive, but it was impressive, even though it was here in the first place. In the middle sat an open square where all the goblins converged together on their knees, performing the chants.

"Nana, is that?"

"Yes, that is surely a ritual gathering. Thankfully, it takes a long time to prepare; I don't see any of the survivors." Scanning across the way, Nana looks down to see that it is a one-way trip down into the city. We were unfortunate that we entered this way without having anything to help us get back up this way.

"No matter what, we are going to have to run down another tunnel to escape, which means we won't know where it takes us," I say with a long sigh. The thought of it already spells trouble.

"And if the survivors are unable to move on their own, then our chances of survival are pretty small."

"Even for you?"

"These creatures, these goblins, are enhanced by wicked magic. They are much bigger, stronger, and intelligent than they normally are. If I have to keep you safe along with the others, one bad attack defenseless can make me meet my end." Nana was serious. I know she is strong—much stronger than I think I can credit her—but she is restricted in these spaces. But she shouldn't need to worry about me, as I thought.

"I can handle myself around these things. I was trained by one of the best Knights in the Scarlet Order."

"I will have to watch after you anyways."

"Nana, I can do just fine! I may still be a kid, but I am not weak. If my training with Eckhart over the last year isn't proof, then I have failed myself. But these creatures are still simple; I can handle my own weight."

"I just don't want to... Just don't do anything reckless."

"Aren't you supposed to evaluate me?"

"More or less. But that is beside the point; the situation has changed."

"I know it has; I am well aware. We need to find wherever they are holding the survivors. We are wasting time debating." I ignore any warnings from Nana and, jump down the side of the cliff, and roll onto stable ground. The hundreds of goblins too focused on preparing the ritual wouldn't take notice.

"Damn it!" Frustrated by my actions, Nana joins me and grabs my arm. "Stay here; I can find them on my own."

"I am Lord Caleb Aris, and I am also responsible for this happening to the people I trained. This is my mission as much as it is yours. Stop fighting me on this, and let's do what we came here to do." I brush my arm away and face her, my eyes sharper than ever as I hold my position.

"If you die-"

"I won't, trust me."

"Still-"

"Listen to yourself. Stop acting this way! Everyone told me how great of a fighter you are in the guild, especially Juila. I want to believe them, but right now, you are more concerned about me and not the ones who need our help." Nana closes her eye and grips her fists tightly.

*

A memory of Liethel hits her deeply. The young boy she cared for. His lifeless face haunting her dreams. His white hair was stained with blood as his body was impaled by a Demon's blade. His lifeless eyes were empty like a doll. She opens her eye to look at Caleb. His hair was just about the same color and length as that day. The depths of her fears and horrors caused her to grow weak when it came to this. Always holding a close demeanor to help her cope with such loss, she pushed others away. Now, suddenly, she was reminded of the life that Liethel held within Caleb. They were too similar for her not to notice. But it wasn't the boy she once knew and loved. This was a boy, a child, a lord, who, by his own strength, could make it here and fight alongside her. Something she never trained or guided Liethel, thinking she was all he needed to live with her. Until the day she couldn't protect him he was left defenseless as he was killed in cold blood.

But not this time.

No.

This time was different. She knew that.

This time, she can trust her life with this boy. Caleb was truly strong and maybe stronger than she could imagine. His eyes were filled with life but also sadness. Upon looking at Caleb, she felt something inside her resonate. He was just like her. He held on to some dark secrets, painful memories, and even hatred deep inside. Yet he still had a look of life still present, unlike her, who longed for death, but she refused to die a pointless death. The memory of Liethel would fade once she took her last breath, and she was afraid of forgetting him forever. Looking at Caleb now, she sees he is right. She can't hold onto the past forever and letting it hold her back. Seeing Liethel in Caleb was just something she forced upon herself. Something to connect to, but it was just hopeless wishing. Nana took a deep breath before looking at Caleb again. The vision of Liethel in her head was gone; all that was left was a boy who was willing to fight and die for the people they needed to save. A smile formed on her face as a weight was removed from her heart.

"You are something else, Caleb."

"Nana?"

"And you're perfectly right. I can't allow myself to be distracted. We do this now, and fast. There are two other entrances besides the one we came through. It seems the one in front of us is probably where their leader resides, which means our exit and supposedly where they would keep any prisoners locked up."

"And we don't have to fight them if we can escape undetected?"

"No, we need to do something about their numbers. We can't fight them head on but we could something to the mass that has gathered here if we can find a way."

"Well, if we had to, we could drop parts of the top onto them, but the chances of that are slim."

"I don't expect any of us to do that feat without a mage. The next best thing is trapping them in here until they starve."

"Any ideas how we do that?"

"The supports on some of these walls can cause a large portion to cave in if I can do enough damage." She looks around for a moment and spots a large aperture that is clearly old with age. "That could be very nice to cause some damage."

"Well, it is a plan. Let's first confirm of the survivors before anything."

"Right." Nana takes her sword, places it over her shoulder, and quickly leads the way toward the side. Caleb follows behind, hoping that they can make it on time without setting off the whole nest.