Once back down on the kitchen floor, the goblins turned towards the double doors. Dizzy gently pushed one open and peeked through. The wide hallway went to another set of doors, but this time there was an archway to the right. A scraping sound could be heard coming from that direction. Holding his finger to his lips, Sergeant moved up the hall until he reached the arch. He took a quick peek, then darted across to the opposite side. He waved his hand at Dizzy, directing the other goblin to take up the position. Sneak held back with Kitty and YDB. Gwen crouched low, a growl in his throat. Dizzy shushed the cat before the orc came within earshot.

The goblins could hear Sisats moving boxes and bunks around in a room. The orc grunted and swore under his breath every few minutes, but continued to work. Dizzy and Sergeant took another peek inside.

Bunks lined the walls, facing out in two rows. At the foot of the bunks, Sisats had placed footlockers. The beds would provide cover for the goblins.

Dizzy made eye contact with Sergeant, then gestured to indicate that he would take one side, while Sergeant should take the other. Sneak, Kitty and YDB crouched down in the corridor.

When Sisats came walking up the center lane of the bunks, Dizzy moved to attack the orc from his left. Sergeant moved as well, trying to take the right. The goblin war cry rang out shrilly, but Sisats had been in too many battles to freeze at a sudden attack.

Dizzy went flying as the footlocker wielded by Sisats struck him square in the chest. The goblin was slammed back into the bunk he had attempted to ambush the orc from behind. Sergeant had better luck, slashing at the orc's now open side. Sisats yelped in pain as he tried to maneuver the improvised weapon back in front of himself. Sergeant slammed his sword into the footlocker, but could not knock it out of the orc's hands.

“Jacx! Jacx, get in here!” shouted the orc to an unseen ally. Dizzy scrambled across the floor on his hands and knees, getting behind the orc as he tried to escape Sergeant's wrath. An instant later, the orc fell over backward as the back of his legs hit Dizzy's body. Sergeant jumped into the air, bringing his sword down in a killing blow. The orc swung the footlocker desperately, knocking the goblin aside.

“Little bastard,” growled the orc as he tried to get to his feet. As Dizzy struggled to get out from under the orc, a feathered shaft slammed into the orc's throat. Kitty stood at the doorway, rapidly nocking another arrow. It wasn't needed. The orc fell back, clutching the arrow in its throat. He gurgled once, then moved no more.

Dizzy's head fell back as he gasped for breath. The orc had him pinned down with his dead weight. “Pull me out from under him,” he gasped. “Before Jacx gets here!”

YDB and Sergeant grabbed Dizzy by the arms while Kitty and Sneak stood guard. It took several hard pulls before the goblin had his legs free of the orc. Finally standing again, Dizzy looked at the orc that had nearly killed him for a moment.

“Any sign of this Jacx?” he asked Kitty as she peeked up the corridor.

“Doesn't look like it. He must not have heard the fight.” Kitty released the tension on her bow and sighed.

“We barely beat him, and he was only armed with a box,” she observed. Dizzy nodded. The orcs were too powerful to take in a fight, and the minotaur himself would be even tougher. They had gotten lucky with Sisats, but Jacx and Gunag would be better armed and probably better prepared. Stormhoof would be even tougher, and if Frump was right about Battelle being a wizard, the goblins could be in serious trouble.

“Right. So we have to be smarter than them,” said Dizzy. “Set up a trap, or pull them into an ambush they can't escape.” He looked around the room. If Jacx was patrolling somewhere in the fortress, they would have to hide Sisats' body before it was discovered.

Gwen had climbed to the top bunk and meowed once. As the goblins looked up, he knocked a blanket off and down to the floor.

“We'll cover the body,” said Kitty. “Make it look like he hasn't gotten to this room yet.” She shook out the blanket and handed the other end to YDB.

The goblins quickly threw it over the deceased Sisats, then began tossing junk onto the floor and moved the bunks around. Soon, the barracks room looked like it had never been used.

“Good enough,” said Sergeant at their handiwork.

Leaving the unfortunate Sisats under a blanket and a pile of footlockers, the goblins began to the room the way they had come in from.

“Which way now?” asked Kitty. Dizzy and Sergeant glanced back and forth along the hallway. While the goblins were considering their options, the floor suddenly began moving. This time they were ready. When the room stopped, there was a new, narrower, and longer corridor that had not been there before.

“As good as any,” shrugged Dizzy. The goblins took off single file, watching for any shifting walls. Nothing else moved, but there was a branching hallway to the left. Dizzy turned to explore it, Twenty feet down the new path the wall began to curve.

Dizzy continued down the corridor.

At the end was a room, with bookshelves lining the walls. Kitty’s jaw dropped.

“It’s… It’s the wizard’s library!” she exclaimed. “This is great! I can learn so much here!”

She ran into the library and began pawing through the books and scrolls. Soon she had a stack of reading material nearly as tall as herself.

“Can you take it with you to fight Stormhoof?” Sneak asked.

“I can’t just leave it here!” Kitty protested.

“We’ll come back for it. Or at least as much as we can, but for now we have other things to get done,” said Dizzy. Kitty looked like a child offered candy, then having it snatched away.

“Robbin,” said YDB. Kitty looked at YDB with confusion.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Tuition,” answered YDB.

“Oh, you mean pay Robbin for my magic tuition with these books?”

YDB nodded vigorously.

“That makes sense,” said Dizzy. “When we finish here, we can take a couple of books to show Robbin. He’ll have to teach you more spells if he wants access to these books. I doubt this Battelle will be willing to teach you anything.”

Kitty looked around one final time then nodded. She pulled a couple of scrolls down, read the titles, and tucked them into a pouch.

“Might come in handy,” she said.

The goblins and cat returned up the curved passage. At the intersection they turned left, to follow the long hall. The hall reached a closed door. As Dizzy reached for the handle, he paused. The door handle was made of metal and felt far colder than it should. Tugging it open, Dizzy and Sergeant looked into the room.

Inside were skinned and gutted sides of beef and venison, being kept stored in the cold room.

“We must be near the kitchen again,” said Kitty. Gwen paused at the door, unsure about entering. Behind them, the walls moved again. Their retreat would be cut off until they reshifted.

Dizzy moved into the chilled room and at the opposite end was another door. As he approached, the door opened. It was Jacx!

“What in the Abyss?” yelped Jacx, startled to find goblins. “What are you lot doing in there?”

Thinking fast, Dizzy answered, “Just getting some rabbit for tonight’s stew?”

“When did we get more goblin servants? Why wasn’t I informed?” He began to draw his sword when Gwen launched himself at the orc's face.

“Aaah! Get it off of me!” roared the orc as Gwen sank claws into his flesh. The cat refused to let go as Dizzy, Sergeant and Sneak charged at him. Dizzy slashed at Jacx’s hamstrings while Sergeant drove his sword into the orc’s belly. Sneak leaped onto the orc’s chest and tried to stab him in the throat.

Jacx finally got his weapon out of its sheath and grabbed Gwen with his free hand. The cat clawed at Jacx's eyes. The orc screamed in pain, and one eye dripped blood. He swung his sword at Sergeant who jumped back, leaving his sword jammed between two of the orc’s armor plates. Dizzy leaped up and grabbed the orc’s armor from the back, trying to climb high enough to cut his throat.

Jacx felt Dizzy on his back and rammed himself backward. Dizzy was slammed between the orc and a side of beef. The meat absorbed enough of the impact to prevent Dizzy from being crushed, but he dropped one of his swords. Sneak stabbed at Jacx's elbow but missed. Jacx yanked Sneak off his armor and threw him to the ground where he impacted with a sickening crunch.

Kitty had one of her new scrolls out and quickly chanted the words. Water gushed out of her hands and flowed across the floor. A puddle formed under the orc’s feet as he slammed Dizzy into the slab of meat for a second time. His feet shot out from under him and he collapsed to the ground. Dizzy stabbed him in the neck as fast as he could, once, twice, thrice. The orc staggered, then went down. Blood pooled with the water on the floor.

Dizzy panted as he shoved the orc’s body over. He groaned as he breathed in and out. At least one rib was cracked, maybe more. Sergeant helped Dizzy to his feet and examined Dizzy’s chest carefully with his fingers.

“Yep, busted. Sleep and breathing are going to be tough for a while,” he advised Dizzy. He moved to check on Sneak, falling to his knees when he saw his skull. It was dented in the back and goblin blood flowed, mixing with orcish.

“No! Sneak!” wailed the warrior.

Kitty ran up and pulled a small jar of salve from her pack. She looked over Sneak, and slowly returned it to the pouch. YDB and Gwen took guard duty at the door Jacx had entered through. Kitty checked Dizzy's wounds and took out the salve for a second time to rub over his ribs. The pain slowly subsided.

“I’ll be okay. One more orc to go, plus finding the tribe, Battelle, and Stormhoof.” The goblin winced as he rose to his feet. “Twice we've almost lost. We won’t be getting a third. We’ll have to find a better way to take the rest down.”

He staggered to the door, but Sergeant pulled him back.

“YDB and I will take point for a while. You rest while we explore. I’ll be wanting the next orc’s blood for my friend laying over there,” he said. Dizzy nodded as YDB passed him to join Sergeant at the front.

“Now you don’t be talking my ears off,” warned Sergeant. YDB nodded.

With Sergeant and YDB leading, Dizzy was helped along by Kitty. “What was that spell all about?” asked Dizzy.

“It was the first one I grabbed. I didn’t know what it would do, I just said the words and hoped for the best,” she answered.

“Yeah, that seems to be our tactic. Hope for the best,” said Dizzy. He winced again as they walked along. Gwen padded along in their wake.

The narrow hallway Jacx had come through opened into another wide corridor. Double doors were at both ends, one led to the kitchen, while the other led away. Sergeant paused at the doors leading away.

“This looks like…” he paused, then opened them. As he entered, he spotted a familiar archway. It was the room where they had taken down Sisats. The corridor in the niche was different though, and that was enough to pique his interest. A short way down was a small passage leading into another room, this one with laboratory equipment like on Granny Rags’ boat. On a blackboard, someone had drawn a map of the local area, with arrows showing planned routes. Notes were written in a clean, smoothly flowing script.

“Stormhoof’s battle plans once the rest of his troops arrive,” explained to Sergeant after a few minutes of study. Beyond the lab was another spiral staircase. Sergeant looked up and saw the room above was clear. Gwen bolted up the steps and disappeared.

“Gwen! Get back here!” called out Dizzy, but Sergeant waved it off.

“Let’s take a little rest for Dizzy,” he suggested. Rather than argue, Dizzy sat down carefully at one of the workbenches and massaged his ribs. The bruising was already turning into an angry black and blue. While Dizzy rested, YDB poked around the lab, and suddenly grinned.

“Boom,” he said, and gathered up supplies from the workbenches. He had found enough materials to make another bomb or two. He set to work.

A clatter of footsteps came from above. At the top of the stairs stood a black-haired elven figure.

“Hey, what are you doing in my lab?” shouted the elf as he ran down. “You had better not have touched anything!”

He suddenly slowed, realizing these goblins were not the cowering servant goblins he was used to seeing. YDB looked up from where he was mixing the elf’s chemicals.

Sergeant rose, his sword at the ready. “Wait, you’re not...” began the elf. He suddenly made a gesture with his hands and shouted a word. A beam of light shot from his palm and struck Sergeant squarely in the chest. The goblin warrior fell backward, dropping his sword.

“It’s the wizard,” shouted Kitty, as she backpedaled to the cover of the door. Dizzy and YDB moved forward to engage the elf.

Dizzy swung his sword at the elf’s knees, trying to force him back. YDB pulled out his last prepared bomb and fire starter, dropping it to the floor and stomping on it to get a flame. He crouched and tipped the fuse of the bomb into the fire. When he stood, he tossed the bomb past Dizzy and the elf.

“Gunag! Sisats! I’m being attacked! Jacx!” shouted the elf, calling for help. Dizzy knew that two of the three warriors would never be coming, but he didn’t tell that the elf. Leaping forward, he stabbed at the elf’s groin, hoping the male would want to protect his wedding gear. The elf jumped away, his back bumping into a workbench.

“Lord Stormhoof!” he shouted, then stepped forward with another spell prepared. A cone of clashing colors fanned out from his hands, spraying across Dizzy’s face. The goblin screamed in pain as the bright lights filled his eyes.

KABOOM! YDB’s bomb detonated behind the elf and knocked him face down to the floor. Dizzy had been holding his sword before him, and the elf slammed down hard onto the blade. He screamed in agony, and the spell collapsed on itself before Dizzy was blinded.

Kitty had a scroll in her hands, reading the words slowly but surely. The elf heard the words of magic and screamed. An instant later, the spell was triggered. The same spell Battelle had previously cast on Sergeant flew from Kitty’s hands as the scroll burst into flames and vanished. The elf wizard collapsed to the ground, his strength fleeing his body.

Dizzy began pushing the elf off of himself as YDB ran forward to help free his friend. Kitty darted back into the room and stood over Battelle. Another spell was forming in her hands.

“Don’t move,” she warned him. “Granny Rags taught me more magic, and this spell makes acid. I don’t want to use it, but I will!”

Battelle shook his head in fear.

“No, please! I won’t fight you anymore!” he pleaded. “I can’t anyways.”

“How long will Sergeant be out like that?” asked Dizzy as he stood over Battelle. He wiped the wizard’s blood off of his sword with the wizard’s robes.

“Not long, not long at all! Just a minute or two. Long enough to be captured or killed, as Lord Stormhoof decrees,” answered the elf.

“That means he’ll be up at the same time or even sooner,” said Kitty. “Magic comes both from the scroll and the user, according to Granny. He’s more powerful than me, so my spell won’t hold him as long.”

“Long enough for me to do this,” said Dizzy. The goblin knelt and undid the wizard’s robe belt. Dizzy quickly tied the wizard’s hands together, then his wrists to his ankles. Just as he finished, the elf began to struggle. He stopped when Dizzy pressed his sword to his neck.

“Now, I should kill you, just to be sure,” said the goblin. “So tell me why I shouldn’t.”

The elf blanched at the threat. Before he could croak out an answer, Sergeant groaned and tried to sit up.

“Hang on, Sergeant,” said Kitty as she rushed to his side.

“Oh, my head,” moaned the goblin. He glared at the elf. “I hate magic,” he growled.

“I won’t,” began the elf, but Dizzy reached down and shoved a rolled-up scrap of cloth into the elf’s mouth.

“You’re right. You won’t. I’m putting that in your mouth for now, but I’m going to want more information. If you cooperate, I’ll leave you here and come back for you later. If you give me any trouble, any at all...” Dizzy paused, and let the elf’s imagination fill in the rest.

“Now, we’ve already killed three orcs, and know there is only one left, plus Stormhoof himself.” Dizzy paused to let that information sink in. “Gunag is the only orc left, and he’s working on something for Stormhoof. We need to take him down. You know this place, what can we use against him?”

Dizzy pulled the gag from Battelle’s mouth.

“Well, there is one thing that will kill Gunag,” began the elf. “This fortress has some siege weapons we’ve been bringing in. No catapults, but we do have ballistae.” He grinned. “I never liked him. He was even ruder than Isaar, and that took some doing.”

Battelle began to explain the layout of the outer rings, and the locations of the weapons. Kitty took notes and made drawings. A plan was forming in Dizzy’s mind. It was a good plan, and Gunag would never know what hit him.