The cavern expanded into a massive chamber with multiple intersecting tunnels as I finally caught sight of my destination.

Fort Erkaed.

It was a tall square tower made out of obsidian-colored bricks that was located right against the rock wall. It had a view of all the branching tunnels that split out from this central chamber. It rose up dozens of feet, giving it strategic aerial oversight of the area, and nearly touching the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. With its flank covered and a clear overview of the landscape, it was no wonder it purportedly had been able to repel large-scale monster attacks in the past.

Oh, well, it was time for me to bring it down.

Sure, knowing the fact that there were dozens of Dark Elf soldiers waiting inside Fort Erkaed made me feel a little nervous. And sure, spotting the ballistae-like weapons aiming down from the crenellations atop the tower made me feel like I stood no chance. And lastly, sure, seeing the giant red-skinned man standing guard at its gates made me feel like turning around, bouncing away, and returning to Korukh.

When you considered that I was nothing more than a gooey blob with a few arms more than the average person, you might think that I stood no chance. But I came here for a reason, and I wasn’t going to back down.

I promised Fissyah that I would bring down the person in charge of her suffering, didn’t I? And I definitely told Fissyah to wait in Korukh for my return, right?

So… why was Fissyah here?!

I could only watch the patrol as they marched up to Fort Erkaed, carrying a bound little Goblin girl with them. I rubbed my eyes a few times (even if I didn’t have any eyes) to make sure I was not imagining things. Green, unusually small even for a Goblin, and desperately struggling even if she wasn’t able to fight back?

Yeah, that’s totally her.

Also, how was she already here? I could’ve sworn she said it took hours to arrive at Fort Erkaed— it felt like it hadn’t even been that long since I left. I ascribed that to how fast I moved, but I also kind of got lost too. So, had it really been hours? I hoped not, because one advantage I had right now was that it was supposedly ‘nighttime’ for the Goblins. If the Dark Elves adhered to the same schedule, most of them would be asleep right now.

The patrol saluted the red-skinned giant standing at the gates, and he let them pass without a problem. The portcullis shut behind them. There was no one that I could see standing on the battlements, so the ballistae were left unmanned. All I had to get through to enter Fort Erkaed was that absolute unit of a man.

[Ogre - Level 13 (Combat Power: 294)]

Or that absolute unit of a woman. I wasn't going to assume his and-or her gender. I was looking to get past them, not offend them. They were pretty big though, over ten feet tall, and probably dumb, so I could probably sneak past them, right?

I flattened my body as much as I could so that I looked like a puddle on the ground and squirmed my way over to the tower fortress. The Ogre frowned as I tried to scooch around them.

“Hey, you there, Slime. What are you doing?” I paused, and they loomed over me. “I’m talking to you.”

“M-me…?” I asked, making my voice as small as possible.

“Who else would I be talking to?”

“I, uhm, don’t know. Definitely not me though, because I’m not a Slime.”

They folded their large arms across their chest. “Then what are you?”

“I’m a… puddle.”

“A talking puddle,” they said in a flat voice.

“Yes.”

“And what if I don’t believe that?”

I produced two appendages and made them shrug. “Well, sorry Mrs Ogre, but I don’t know what to tell you. I’m just a talking, walking puddle of purple goo.”

Their eyes narrowed. “Mrs? Did you just call me a Mrs?”

“Uhm… I mean, Mr Ogre?” I corrected myself, but they were still upset.

“I. Am. Not. Married!” the Ogre bellowed, hefting a giant battle-axe into the air. “I. Am. A. Ms!”

She swung for me, and I hopped to the side. Her attack left an actual mark on the ground, sending a cloud of dust up into the air. Her strength far outmatched my own, but as she heaved her weapon once more, I noticed one thing— she was slow.

I easily evaded her follow-up strikes, pretty much bouncing around her as she gave chase like a kid who was trying to catch their ball. She took a step back, panting, but raised her battle-axe once more.

“Come here, you monster!”

Her shouts were drawing too much attention. I needed to end this as quickly as possible— and as quietly as possible. The bladed edge of her battle-axe shone, overcome with some kind of Skill, but before she could even swing it down, I was already climbing up her legs and onto her back.

The Ogre stumbled back, dropping her weapon as she tried to pry me off her. “What are you doing? Get off m—”

She couldn't finish. I wrapped my body around her neck and mouth, cutting off her airflow and preventing her from screaming for help. The Ogre collapsed against the gates and thrashed about as she choked for air. I heard the footsteps of a dozen Dark Elf soldiers rushing down a stairwell as she slowly passed out.

“Second Lieutenant!” they shouted.

I immediately peeled myself off her, crawling down the back of her armor. I wasn’t the smallest blob in the world. As much as I’d like to try, I probably wouldn’t be able to hide in the inside of a Dark Elf or Goblin’s shirt without being caught. However, the Ogre was massive. I took advantage of that fact and hid myself on her as Fort Erkaed’s soldiers rushed her to the healing bay.

“Who attacked her?”

“We need to find the perpetrator!”

“Squads 3, 5, 6, and 8, spread out and search the area!”

I silently listened to their panicked chatter as they carried the Ogre further inside the tower. Not only that, it seemed like dozens of Dark Elf soldiers were now leaving the fortress to find the one responsible for this. Good.

Honestly, I hadn’t been entirely sure if I could’ve dealt with the whole of Fort Erkaed. My main goal when I left Korukh had been to find out more information about the Overworld, and to kill Captain Rioke. While those two objectives of mine hadn’t changed, I had a new goal now: get Fissyah the heck out of here.

Completing that task would also let me scout the area and evaluate my enemies. It was like killing two birds with one stone; I was always going to sneak into Fort Erkaed to assess the threat here before making any moves for Rioke’s life.

After much heaving and panting, the Dark Elf soldiers laid the unconscious Ogre onto a large bed and exited the room.

“Holy roots, I think I might’ve pulled a muscle from carrying her.”

“Seriously, why are Ogres so damn heavy?”

“Don’t let Second Lieutenant Aisha hear that or she’ll sit on you.”

Wow, those guys sure sounded like jerks. They definitely were also pretty unimportant if they were left with carrying duty. I crawled out of the Ogre’s armor and slid through the floor of the healing bay. The Healer, or doctor, or whatever, wasn’t here right now, which allowed me to roam freely out of the room.

I glanced to the left, hearing the echoes of those jerk Dark Elves fade away. Then I headed down the opposite direction. I didn’t want to attract any more attention to myself, especially not while inside of Fort Erkaed. I avoided as much fighting as I could.

I quite literally hugged the walls as I made my way down the spiraling corridors of the tower, although I didn’t really know where to go. I eventually found myself at the armory— if the two half-naked Dark Elves walking around was any indication.

“...and so, there I was, right? Grotrik in one arm, and Phirenre in the other. They were all over me, man. I’m telling you.”

“Sure they were.”

“I had just saved the day, you know? I killed three Mushroom Critters, all by myself. I was the hero of Malrton! Of course they’d be fawning for me. Anyway, they—”

“Look, you’ve told me this story at least a dozen times, and each time, the names keep changing. Just stop pretending. It doesn’t make you appear any cooler. It’s embarrassing.”

I sidled up behind them, listening to their bickering for a moment longer as they grabbed their armor. They began to suit up, semi-distracted, and I took that opportunity to butt into the conversation.

“Hey guys,” I said in my deepest voice possible. “How’s it hanging, bros? My homies? My dudes?”

“The usual,” the bored Dark Elf answered as he adjusted his boots. “Cibsacu here somehow still thinks he can convince anyone that his fake stories are actually true.”

Cibsacu rolled his eyes as he struggled to work the strap of his helmet. “You’re the only one who doesn’t trust me, Phigilvel.”

“No way.”

“Yes, it’s true.”

I glanced between the two as they didn’t once look my way. I was planning on attacking them and interrogating them after, but I had a better plan now.

“Well, I believe you, Cibsacu. Don’t listen to Phigilvel. He’s just jealous.”

“See? I told you everyone else believes my stories!”

“Seriously? That’s ridiculous.”

Cibsacu brightened as Phigilvel groaned.

“Only an idiot would believe that.”

“Maybe you’re the idiot, huh? Ever thought about that?”

“Yeah, well, anyways,” I quickly cut them off before they could continue arguing, “I need some help, Cibsacu. Do you know where they took our latest prisoner? Little Goblin girl. Came in about half an hour ago?”

“Huh? Her?” Cibsacu grabbed a sword from a rack and inspected it. “They threw her into the interrogation room.”

“Right, and that’s… where again?” I asked, hoping neither Dark Elves turned around.

They didn’t.

“Fourth floor— the central room with the double doors,” Phigilvel snorted. “See that? The only person who believes in your story doesn’t even know her way around the tower.”

“What? It’s a maze sometimes. I get lost too.”

I slipped away as they continued to argue.

“You only get lost because you’re an idiot as well.”

“Now you’re just being rude— wait a minute.”

It took a while before they even realized I was gone. And that they hadn’t even once gotten a look at my face.

“...was that a girl?”

I made my way up to the fourth floor. This tower only had five or six floors at most, so I had to climb a few flights of stairs until I got there. The fourth floor was, fortunately, emptier than the others. It seemed mostly like a place for administrative duties, which apparently included interrogations and torture.

But there were no soldiers running about here. Those that usually frequented this floor must have been asleep, and the night guards were mostly away hunting for a monster that wasn’t out there. I arrived at the central room, pushing open the double doors to find a large circular room with a single chair in the middle.

Fissyah sat on the chair, chained up and battered. Blood dripped down from her lips as she glared up at a Dark Elf standing over her. He was dressed in a different uniform from all the other Dark Elves in Fort Erkaed, and he was relatively strong too.

[Dark Elf - Level 13 (Combat Power: 250)]

Turning around, he lowered a whip and faced me with a frown.

“Huh? Who are—”

[Arc Shot]. I loosed the purple projectile before he could even fully meet my gaze. It went straight through his head and through the brick wall at the back of the room.

“I’m Violet,” I said as he dropped dead. “And you’re hurting my friend.”