Two Kobold’s worked together to lift the castles gate. It was a grated, stone door, tied to ropes within the wall. They pulled the rope, lifting the door on the hidden winch mechanism inside, ever so slowly inching the gate upwards. At last, it reached the top, and one of the Kobolds nodded to Axel.

With Axel at the lead, six Kobold’s strode out of the gate, reaching a higher floor of the dungeon for the first time in their entire lives. “We move while still light. How much longer?” Axel asked Valleria, his voice a hissing growl.

The Kobolds weapons sat in cloth and fungiwood sheathes at their waists, bouncing with every step.

“The light doesn’t last long here. But we will have the basket of mushrooms to provide light for us!” She lifted it joyfully. The three Kobold’s that followed Valleria and Axel carried large, dark planks of fungiwood. Their faces were twisted in displeasure as they stepped through the muddy earth.

The Kobolds trek forward was mostly through ankle high mud, which Valleria had no problem with. Axel and Silver on the other hand looked distinctly uncomfortable, though all they carried were weapons. The other Kobolds were unable to do so while carrying fungiwood planks.

There was an awkward silence as their little journey continued, and each of them felt the burn of stares in their backs. In the distance, they could see Kobold’s gathering at the edge of their periphery, staring at these mysterious intruders.

“Its the clothes. And the wood.” Valleria said unprompted. “They’ve likely never seen untattered clothes. I hadn’t before I… fell. We must all seem like Clan Leaders to them.”

“Clan leaders. What they like?” Silver asked.

“I’ve only met the one. Raeph. Turned out to be a dick head. Cut off my hand.” Valleria said. “We’re at the edge of their territory now. See that group of Kobolds ahead? Thats them.”

At a place where the ceiling was near oppressive, nine Kobolds gathered. They were tall and strong, most likely guards of the clan. Silver and Mark paused as they got closer, but Valleria strode up, intimidated.

“I am Valleria, exile of clan Longtail. I come representing the Clan Below, bearing gifts for your treasure hall. I wish to speak with your clan lord.” Valleria said.

“Impossible. No exile has ever returned. You lie. Who sent you?” One of the guards, the oldest of the bunch, stepped forward and replied.

“Is true.” Axel replied, opening his hand and pointing at the castle in the distance. “His magnificence Alverost brings us up through the world. Brings us up from rats.”

The large Kobold sized Axel up, stepping forward and walking around him. He eyed the sickle like weapon in Axel’s hand warily, but he stood a full two heads higher. His long legs brought him in strides around Axel.

“Their clothes. No Kobold has cloth as fine as that. Not even the other clans treasure halls would have something like that.” One of the other guards spoke. The first guard, the large one, did a double take, before looking over the other Kobold’s. Then he nodded approvingly.

“I am Simon, leader of the guards of Clan Tinyfingers. What gifts do you bring to ask for meeting with our clan lord?”

“More lumber than you’ve ever seen. Unstained.” Valleria stepped around the bigger Kobold now, hands on her hips, looking up at him. “Food. And an offer of alliance.”

There was a moment where the two Kobolds stared at each other, Valleria up and Simon down, and then he broke away. “Four of you, follow me. The rest, keep watch of the border.”

Valleria followed him without prompting, waving the other Kobolds along. They stepped through streets of wood chips and squat, hobbled together buildings. Dried reed fiber could be seen here and there, tying wooden planks that otherwise had no business fitting together. Open door ways revealed Kobolds peering out at the party as they passed, several of which were emaciated.

Silver and Axel covered their noses with their free hands, but the Kobolds carrying great wooden planks could have no such luxury, forced to endure the smell of a city left to rot for hundreds of years.

Rainbow colored light danced in the ceiling above, visibly moving and covering the city in a soft light. It was more than enough to show them the way forward, though it made their shadows dance around them. In some places it was dimmer than others, especially noticeable in the city, and when it truly dimmed, the glow of the mushrooms in Valleria’s basket caught more than one curious look from the guards following them.

Just their clothes alone caught curious looks from every other Kobold. Silver looked around ruefully. Several of the Kobold’s seemed to be emaciated and malnourished, much smaller than they should have been.

“They weak.” Axel said aloud.

“The Tinyfingers clan has seen better days.” Simon replied. “But we’re still strong inside.”

With another turn, the procession of Kobolds and the guards surrounding them reached an opening in the street. A building of much finer wood than those around it. It sat squat in a town ram shackle town square, and Simon knocked harshly on the door. “Simon returns to Clan Lord Zeek.”

“Enter.”

Simon pushed open the door, leading the way inside.

“I introduce Valleria of the Clan Below, who brings gifts.”

“The Clan Below?” The old, hunched Kobold slowly rose from where he was bent over on the ground, turning with a groan. “Simon, I may be old, but I don’t think I forgot a clan.” He spoke low and slow, his half sized fingers flexing repeatedly as he walked towards the procession of Kobolds.

Around him was an array of treasure; barely wood drenched lumber, various metals, weapons and sheathes, piles of cloth and rags, and where he stepped away from a single gem in the center of it all that shone with a strange light.

Zeek waved the Kobolds carrying lumber forward, who dropped it to the ground.

“Fascinating.” Zeek spoke, digging a nail into the fungi wood. “Fascinating indeed… and all of this just for a gift.” Zeek stood straight, looking at Valleria. “What do you want?”

“What?” Valleria asked, taken aback.

“Silver.” Axel replied.

Zeek nodded. “And the basket?”

“Food. And light.” Silver replied, grabbing it from Valleria’s hands and handing it over to Zeek. Simon jerked up at Silver approaching him, but Zeek waved him down, taking the basket. Zeek stared inside.

“This is… food? Mushrooms?” Zeek asked, leaning back.

Silver replied with a nod.

“That glow?”

Silver nodded again.

“You. Eat a piece.” Zeek held the basket out to Valleria, who happily reached inside the basket and ripped into one of the glowing fungi. “Not poisonous then. At least as far as you know.”

Zeek turned, putting his hands back behind his back and pacing the hall.

There was a tense silence as everyone in the room stared at Zeek.

“How much of this can you produce?”

“Endless. Enough mushrooms to cover the city.” Axel spoke, his voice a raspy hiss.

“The entire territory of the Clan Below is filled with mushrooms.” Valleria nodded an affirmation.

“As long as Valleria returns alive and you bring with you five more baskets, I’ll trade you all the silver we have left. You can consider this the start of an official alliance between our clans.” Zeek’s eyes wandered to the weapon in Axel’s hand. “Perhaps you will have more to trade with us as well.

Before any of them could reply, the door to the Clan Hall burst open, and a Kobold entered, panting. Zeeks neck spun on a pivot. “Clan Bighorn…” he panted. “Is on the move!”

“Explain yourself.”

The Kobold looked between Zeek and Valleria’s group. “Their soldiers are have surrounded the structure that appeared today! The war has begun.”

“What!” Silver jumped forward.

“They may be attacking it now.”

“Slow down! What war?” Valleria asked.

Zeek sighed. “The tensions between the clans have been escalating for days. Clan Blighteye seems to have gotten hold of a new source of resources and have turtled up inside their city. Whats more is that they’ve somehow secured enough lumber to wall off their entire city. On the other side, our scouts report that clan Bighorn have been demonstrating serious physical changes. We don’t know if they got some new source of food, or something else is happening.” Zeek eyed the shining gem that sat isolated from the rest of his horde.

“We have to head back.” Axel spun, turning. “Defend castle.”

Silver nodded. “We go.”

“Wait.” Zeek said. “Simon, take the guards you brought and follow them. Make sure they return to the Clan Below safely.”

“Yes, clan lord!” Simon shouted before following the other Kobolds out of the door.