”Gremlins. What have I done to anger the gods to allow me to be captured by gremlins,” Dizzy grumbled silently to himself. He looked around, wondering how Gwen and Sneak had managed to escape. He, YDB, Kitty, and Sergeant had been placed into a cage that was now sitting in the middle of the gremlin village.

Outside, the gremlins capered about. Gremlins had the same small, skinny body and large head as the goblins, as well as the same big ears and mouthful of sharp teeth. Unlike goblins, they stood only two feet tall, and their weapons were even more primitive and rustic. Spears made of charred wood, stone axes, and lumpy clubs were all they had. Armor was unknown to the gremlins, who wore only loincloths, although a few had bark shields.

As Dizzy watched, three of the largest gremlins sauntered up to the cage as if they had just slain a dragon.

“What do you think you were doing, trespassing in our territory? Trying to get the jump on us, trying to make us your slaves?” accused the center gremlin.

“You know better than that, Mog,” growled Sergeant. “Gremlins are the most useless slaves ever,”

Mog whirled upon hearing his name. “Sergeant?” He cackled in delight. “Sergeant! I managed to take Sergeant the goblin prisoner! I WILL be the King Under the Cliffs!”

“Hah! You’d be lucky to be the King inside the Latrine if I get out of here!” threatened Sergeant.

“That’s a mighty big if, Sergeant,” taunted Mog. He looked at the two gremlins flanking him. “Let’s feed ‘em to the Bug. It’ll make a great show!”

The two gremlins laughed and called to the surrounding gremlins, “Get up here! We’re going to feed them to the Bug!”

“The Bug, the Bug! Time to feed the Bug” shouted the gremlins. Soon they were chanting, “The Bug! The Bug! Let’s feed them to the Bug!”

“Uh, what’s the Bug?” asked Dizzy. Sergeant glared at him for a moment, then answered.

“It’s a huge bug. Duh,” replied Sergeant. He looked somewhat annoyed, but not worried. “Looks kind of like a praying mantis, but it is red instead of green or brown. It got stuck down here, and the gremlins keep it fed.”

“What do they feed it?”

“Adventurers mostly. Humans, elves, halflings, that lot. Heroes looking for treasure. With the Domed Fortress nearby, there are always would-be heroes looking to score. But when they can’t catch a human, they sometimes catch a goblin. Almost had me a few years ago, but I slipped their trap.”

“Yeah? How did you do that? Maybe we can do it again,” suggested Kitty.

“Not likely. Their trap was for me to either fight the Bug or marry one of the gremlin females. And here she comes now,” answered Sergeant glumly.

A small gremlin woman waddled up to the cage. She was nearly as big around as she was tall, and she was pleased to see Sergeant.

“Ah, Husband-to-Be. So good to see you again Darling, after you left me at the altar. Do you know how foolish you made me look?”

“I told your father I already had a mate. She’s the jealous type, Gimelda. You two wouldn’t have gotten along.”

“You don’t know that! Nobody knows that because you escaped from the grooms’ quarters less than an hour before our wedding ceremony!” The little gremlin woman seethed. “Well, you won’t escape this time! The Bug is extra hungry, and no one has ever escaped the Pit!” She laughed.

“Please, Gimelda,” said Kitty. “You shouldn’t marry a goblin who doesn’t want to marry you. It’s just not worth the effort.”

“Ha! What would you know about something like that? Have you ever been married?”

“No, but my mom and dad were. Daddy never wanted to get married, and mom made him miserable. That’s why he left and never came back.”

“Oh, cry me a river,” snorted Gimelda. “He left because you were a whiny little brat!” The gremlin woman stomped away as best she could. Being only two feet tall and weighing less than thirty pounds, she couldn’t even make as much noise as a petulant two-year-old.

With Gimelda gone, most of the gremlins came and hoisted the cage up onto their tiny shoulders. It took nearly thirty of them to lift the four goblins and the cage. After a few stumbles, they got the cage moving in one direction. They began chanting again, “The Bug, the Bug, time to feed the Bug!” Dizzy held onto the bars and stared into the darkness where the gremlins were taking them. There was no sign of Gwen or Sneak. He looked at Sergeant, hoping the big goblin warrior had a plan. Sergeant’s face was blank. Dizzy watched the path the gremlins were taking them.

Soon, the narrow tunnel they had been traveling down widened into a large round cave. The tunnel opened onto a ledge, and someone had carved tiers to act as seats. Dizzy surmised it must have also been the dwarves who had built the goblin town where Sergeant and Morell lived in with their families. The gremlins were unlikely to have worked the stone. The pit below was about fifty feet in diameter, with a broken-off stalactite rising out of the center. As Dizzy looked down, he could see a huge creature running back and forth, hissing up at the gremlins.

“The Bug, the Bug! Time to feed the Bug!” chanted the gremlins. A wooden bridge was pushed out over the pit until it reached the platform created by the stalactite. Below, the Bug rushed around in circles, anticipating a meal. The gremlins sat the cage down on the bridge and unfastened the door. A few prods in the back with a spear convinced the four goblins to exit and cross the bridge to the center of the pit.

“Wait!” cried out Dizzy. “What did we ever do to you? Besides Sergeant, I mean?” He wasn’t above throwing someone else to the wolves if it protected his friends.

“It doesn’t matter what you did!” shouted Gimelda. “You were with Sergeant, you share his fate! It will be entertaining for us!” The gremlins cheered wildly.

“At least give us back our weapons! If we can fight longer, won’t it be more fun for your people?” pleaded Dizzy.

Gimelda thought about it for a moment, then looked at Mog. “What do you think?”

“If we give them their weapons now, they will just stab at us to try and escape.”

“Hmm. You’re right. But I want the show to last longer than the last one did.”

The spurned gremlin picked up the goblins’ weapons and packs. She walked over the edge of the pit and chucked all the items down. There was a clatter as the items slid and rolled their way to a stop.

“You may have your weapons if the Bug doesn’t get them first!” She laughed and returned to her seat. With a signal, the gremlins pulled the bridge back and settled in to watch the show.

Dizzy looked down with the rest of his friends. The stalactite was worn smooth on all sides. Below, the Bug paced about. Suddenly it charged up the side of the stalactite.

“Jump!” shouted Sergeant. The four goblins sprang away and slid down the slippery surface into the pit.

“Quick! Find the weapons!” shouted Dizzy, eyes darting to the sides of the stalactite. He wasn’t sure which way the Bug would come from. Kitty ran and scooped up her bow, then tossed YDB his bomb bag. Sergeant snatched up his sword, then kicked Dizzy’s harness in his direction. Dizzy ran past it as the Bug charged at him.

Kitty nocked her bow and fired. The shaft stuck out of the Bug’s chitin just behind its neck but didn’t seem to bother it. The Bug lashed out at Dizzy with a single-minded fury, but the little goblin rolled to one side at the last instant.

Sergeant slashed at the side of the Bug, a line of green ichor appearing on its thorax. The monster hissed in pain. Dizzy rolled out of the Bug’s way again and sprinted for his swords while YDB snatched up his bomb bag. Above them, the crowd roared.

As Dizzy swooped up his blades as he looked around for a way to escape. The bowl-shaped pit they were in didn’t have any ladders or steps carved into the sides, probably to make sure the Bug didn’t escape. It was smooth all the way around. A pool of water formed at the deepest point, debris floating in places. His examination was cut short when Kitty shouted a warning. He sprang forward without even looking and the Bug slammed its claws into the ground behind him. Whirling, Dizzy faced the beast. The crowd of gremlins chanted in delight. “Bug, Bug, Bug, Bug!” The little goblin slashed at the praying mantis’ jaws. His right-hand sword bounced off, but he was able to hit the flexible joint with the left. The Bug reared up and away from Dizzy.

As the Bug recoiled, Sergeant struck again at the beast’s abdomen. Dizzy ran to the opposite side, slashing at the Bug with his swords. More blood flew. Dizzy kept looking for a way out. He splashed through the puddle at the bottom of the pit, trying to put the stalactite between himself and the Bug for a moment. His foot slipped, and he landed with a huge splash. The gremlins above roared with laughter.

“Dizzy! Get out of there!” screamed Kitty. Dizzy glanced to his left as he scrambled out of the water. YDB had his bomb bag open, with a bomb in his hand, but didn’t have any firestarters out. Dizzy needed to buy YDB a little more time.

“Hey! Over here! I’m right here!” shouted Dizzy. The Bug whipped its head around and locked sparkling eyes on Dizzy. An instant later, it snapped its head forward, but Dizzy had anticipated the strike and splashed to the right. The Bug slammed its head into the stalactite pillar, knocking a chunk of stone away. As Dizzy ran, the water level seemed to be going down.

“Catch!’ shouted YDB. Dizzy instinctively snatched the bomb out of the air and saw that the fuse was already burning. His eyes bulged as he spun to face the Bug again.

Kitty fired another arrow, this one striking the Bug in its multifaceted eye. Sergeant slashed at the Bug’s side again and was kicked in the chest for his efforts. His sword clanged to the ground as he flew backward.

The Bug snatched at Dizzy and caught the goblin around the waist. Dizzy held onto the bomb with all his strength as the Bug brought him up to bite. With a shove, Dizzy jammed the explosive in the monster’s mouth. The Bug flung its head aside to clear the object. It flew across the pit and landed with a splash near the stalactite, the fuse staying above the water. An instant later it detonated. The water surged back, then flowed faster as the drainage cracks spread.

Startled by the explosion, the Bug dropped Dizzy. The goblin slashed at the monster’s leg, once, twice. The thinner leg snapped off, and the Bug toppled to its left side. Above, the crowd of gremlins was nearly beside itself in excitement.

“Dizzy, run!” shouted Kitty. Her hands blurred as she cast a spell, a glob of greenish acid flying from her palm. It struck the Bug in one of its eyes, partially blinding the beast.

“YDB! Bomb!” shouted Dizzy as he watched the water fully drain away. A small tunnel had to be behind the cracks, allowing excess water to slowly recede. Dizzy knew if they could widen it enough, they might be able to escape. YDB lit and tossed a second bomb to Dizzy, who then threw it at the cracked wall. Dizzy ran to keep the Bug distracted while the fuse burned.

KABOOM! The second bomb blew open the mouth of the tunnel. Dizzy pulled Sergeant to his feet and pointed the way.

“Down there! It’s our only chance!” The big goblin snatched up his sword and raced towards the hole in the floor. Above, the gremlins screeched as their entertainment began escaping.

“Stop them! Stop them!” shouted Gimelda as Sergeant dove into the water-slicked tunnel. Kitty ran across the floor of the pit and slid feet first into the hole.

The Bug flailed at its eyes, trying to clear them of the burning acid. YDB rolled a bomb under the Bug’s abdomen as he ran after Sergeant and Kitty. Dizzy threw himself to the ground as it went off, ripping the Bug open. The monster flopped forward on its destroyed underbelly.

Staggering, Dizzy came up to his feet. The Bug weakly swiped at him. Dizzy looked up at Gimelda, gave her the one-fingered salute, and ran for the tunnel. The gremlins roared in excitement and anger, some furious that their pet was gone, others cheering for the unexpected outcome. Gimelda looked as if she was about to burst a blood vessel. The Bug slowly slashed at the air with its claws. It was surely dying, but not quite dead. None of the gremlins were willing to try to get past the Bug and pursue the fleeing goblins.

A moment later, Gwen flashed past the gremlins and bolted down the tunnel after Dizzy. Behind the cat raced Sneak. The small goblin grinned as he caught up with the rest.

“Sorry about not getting caught,” he said impishly to Sergeant. “I figured I might be more use free. Looks like you didn’t need my help after all.”

Sergeant cuffed the small goblin on the head but didn’t say anything. The little goblin didn’t hide his grin.

“YDB! How many bombs do you have left,” panted Dizzy as the five goblins slowed their rushing escape? Everyone stopped and looked around in the darkness. Kitty had cast her Light spell on her bow’s feather again, giving them just enough light to move through the narrow passage.

“One,” replied YDB. He held it up to offer to Dizzy.

“Put it away for now. I was hoping you had more.” Dizzy looked back up the way they had come. The gremlins weren’t following them, as far as he could tell.

Looking at Sergeant, Dizzy asked, “Any ideas?”

Before answering, Sergeant sniffed the air. He crouched down and gathered up some dust on his fingertips, then carefully let it fall. There was a faint breeze coming from further up the tunnel.

“Nope. But we can’t go back. The gremlins won’t come down here to fight us, but they can easily kill us if we pop our heads back out. But there’s fresh air up ahead. Maybe we’ll find something.”

With no other choice, the goblins continued single file down the tunnel. Water splashed as they trudged along. Finally, the tunnel opened. Sergeant had been in the lead when he stumbled forward and landed in a pool of water. Sputtering, he came to the surface and banged his head on a bucket.

“What the…” he stammered. Looking up, Sergeant saw the cave rose into the darkness. High above, a faint glimmer of light twinkled. The bucket and a bit of rope floated in the water. Rubbing his head, Sergeant held out a hand to Dizzy.

“Looks like we’re here,” he said.

“Here where?” asked Kitty.

“The Domed Fortress. This must be the well they use to get water,” said Sergeant.

He was right. The well the goblins found themselves in was directly under the Domed Fortress. The goblins spread along a ledge circling the well, all looking up. The bucket remained floating in the water, bobbing gently. A set of stairs spiraled up along the wall, but the wood looked rotted and was missing in several places.

“Looks risky to climb,” said Kitty.

“For us, maybe. But not for Gwen,” said Dizzy. The cat sat at the edge of the well, licking his paw. He looked up at Dizzy, then returned to clean himself.

“They must lower a bucket on a rope to get water, right?” said Dizzy. “They must have lost that one somehow. I’m sure there’s another one up above us. If Gwen could knock the bucket into the well, we could climb up the rope.”

Kitty stared at Dizzy.

“I know Gwen’s a smart cat, but how do you intend to tell him?” she said.

Gwen stopped licking his paw, stood, stretched as only a cat can, and then bounded for the steps. He trotted up the broken bits of wood, clearing the gaps easily. As he neared the top, he froze in place. The goblins stared up at the well opening. Voices could be heard.

“He wants to be called Lord Stormhoof now,” came a goblin’s voice.

“I guess he’s promoted himself above captain,” said another. Dizzy strained his ears to see if he could recognize the speakers.

Gwen crouched down with his hackles rising. The goblins above were lifting something. A moment later, a bucket dropped into the well and fell to the water with a splash.

“Missed,” said one of the two voices.

“We’re not betting on hitting that bucket anymore. We lost the first one and broke the second. If we go back asking for a third, we’ll lose our heads,” said the other voice. After a second or two, the bucket began to rise from the surface, water dripping and splashing out. Soon a goblin’s hand reached over and pulled it away. Splashing and pouring sounds indicated the goblins were filling a second bucket. The bucket fell and rose three more times, then finally stayed up on top. Dizzy could hear the goblins pick up the buckets they had just filled and leave the good room. A door slammed from high above.

“Was that one of our tribe?” asked Kitty.

“Maybe. Kind of sounded like Egg Stealer,” replied Dizzy.

“Egg Stealer?” asked Sergeant.

“Yeah, he was good at that. When we’d raid a farm, he always headed for the chicken coops. He could steal dozens of eggs, and never crack a one,” answered Dizzy.

Peering up at Gwen, Kitty waved her hand forward. The cat paused, then climbed the rest of the way up. Leaping onto the well’s sill wall, the cat bumped his nose against the bucket. He batted it with a paw, then hit it with a bit more force. The bucket fell quickly, striking the floating bucket below with a “clunk.” Dizzy looked up at Gwen, who looked down with a smug look only a cat could muster.

“Hope the rope is tied to the well up there,” said Sergeant as he tested whether it would hold his weight. The rope unspooled a bit more, then stopped. Two strong tugs later the goblin warrior was satisfied.

“I’ll go up first, then pull you up one at a time,” he said. Bracing his feet against the side of the well, Sergeant quickly climbed the rope and pulled himself over the sill. After a moment, he shook the rope. Dizzy put one foot into the bucket and tugged on the rope. Sergeant reeled him up and helped him over the wall. The smaller goblin took up a guard position next to the door while Sergeant brought up Kitty, Sneak, and finally YDB.

Just as YDB came up out of the well, the door opened and the two goblins from before stepped into the room. They were so busy talking with one another that they didn’t notice that the room wasn’t empty until Dizzy shut the door behind them.

“What?” asked one of the goblins as Dizzy raised his fingers to his lips.