Overlord: The Wandering Sorcerer Chapter 4 — The Goblin Cave
The darkness swallowed them almost immediately.
Momonga took the first few steps slowly.
The entrance behind them still allowed enough light to see by, but after only a few dozen meters the natural light disappeared.
Nabe walked beside him.
Neither spoke.
Momonga cast a small light spell.
A pale sphere appeared above his hand, illuminating the tunnel.
Nabe glanced at it.
“You could simply use Dark Vision.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Momonga considered the question.
“Because I like having a light.”
Nabe stared at him.
He could almost hear her wondering whether he had become strange.
Perhaps he had.
The tunnel descended gradually.
The smell changed.
Damp stone.
Earth.
Smoke.
And something unpleasant.
Momonga stopped.
“Blood.”
Nabe nodded.
“Fresh.”
They continued.
The first goblin appeared around a corner.
It was standing guard.
The creature froze when it saw them.
Momonga froze too.
For a moment, the two stared at one another.
The goblin raised its spear.
Momonga sighed.
“I suppose diplomacy isn’t going to work.”
The goblin screamed.
More voices answered from deeper inside.
Nabe drew her sword.
“Permission?”
Momonga raised one hand.
“Wait.”
He stepped forward.
The goblin trembled.
Momonga slowly raised his hand.
“Hello.”
The goblin stared.
Momonga tried again.
“We’re adventurers.”
The goblin screamed louder.
Momonga lowered his hand.
“That went badly.”
Nabe moved.
One strike.
The goblin’s spear fell to the ground.
Nabe caught the creature before it hit the stone.
She looked at Momonga.
“Alive.”
“Good.”
Momonga crouched.
“Can you understand me?”
The goblin stared at him in terror.
Momonga tried several languages.
Human.
Dwarven.
Elven.
Then a few dialects he remembered from YGGDRASIL.
Nothing.
Finally, the goblin whispered something.
Momonga tilted his head.
“What did it say?”
Nabe answered.
“It wants to know if we are demons.”
Momonga looked at the goblin.
“No.”
He pointed at himself.
“Adventurer.”
Then at Nabe.
“Adventurer.”
The goblin’s expression remained terrified.
Momonga sighed.
“Let it go.”
Nabe released it.
The goblin immediately ran.
Momonga watched it disappear.
“We probably should have tied it up.”
“Why?”
“For information.”
Nabe looked at him.
“You could simply use magic.”
Momonga paused.
“Right.”
He smiled.
“Still learning.”
The screaming started less than a minute later.
Dozens of goblins came rushing through the tunnel.
Momonga stepped backward.
“Now.”
Nabe disappeared.
She reappeared in the middle of the group.
A burst of magic filled the tunnel.
The goblins were thrown backward.
Several weapons shattered.
Momonga raised his hand.
He deliberately chose a spell far below his normal combat capacity.
“Magic Arrow.”
Bolts of magical energy struck the ground around the goblins.
Not one died.
Momonga nodded.
“Good.”
Nabe looked at him.
“You deliberately missed.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to see what they can do.”
The goblins charged again.
Momonga stepped aside.
One swung a crude axe.
He caught it with one hand.
The goblin stared at him.
Momonga gently pushed.
The goblin flew backward.
“Interesting.”
He watched them carefully.
They were weak.
Extremely weak.
But they fought as a group.
They shouted to each other.
They protected their wounded.
Several attempted to surround Nabe.
Nabe cut through them without killing them.
Momonga raised an eyebrow.
“You are holding back too.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you instructed me to.”
Momonga smiled.
“Good.”
Eventually the goblins stopped attacking.
They retreated deeper into the cave.
Momonga didn’t follow immediately.
Instead, he examined the floor.
“Why are they running?”
“They are afraid.”
“I know.”
He pointed toward the tunnel.
“But they aren’t retreating randomly.”
Nabe looked.
The goblins had formed a defensive line farther inside.
“They are protecting something.”
“Exactly.”
Momonga stood.
“Let’s find out what.”
The deeper they went, the stranger the cave became.
The goblin settlement was larger than expected.
There were crude wooden structures.
Storage areas.
Sleeping quarters.
A place where food was prepared.
Even a small shrine.
Momonga stopped in front of it.
“That’s unusual.”
Nabe examined the crude idol.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“I do not know.”
Momonga stared.
That answer bothered him.
Nabe knew an enormous amount about the New World.
If even she couldn’t identify something…
He touched the idol.
Nothing happened.
No magic.
No trap.
Just a crude wooden carving.
“Maybe it’s nothing.”
They continued.
Then they heard voices.
Not goblins.
Humans.
Momonga stopped.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes.”
They moved quietly.
The tunnel opened into a large chamber.
Several goblins stood around a fire.
And beside them were three human prisoners.
Two men.
One woman.
They were injured.
Momonga’s expression changed.
Nabe immediately noticed.
“Shall I eliminate the goblins?”
“Yes.”
This time, Momonga did not ask her to hold back.
Nabe moved.
The battle lasted seconds.
When it was over, the chamber was silent.
Momonga approached the prisoners.
“It’s all right.”
The woman recoiled.
“Stay back!”
Momonga stopped.
“I won’t hurt you.”
She stared at his skeletal face.
“You’re undead!”
“Yes.”
Her fear increased.
Momonga sighed.
“This is going to be difficult.”
Nabe walked toward him.
“Perhaps we should leave them.”
Momonga shook his head.
“No.”
He knelt several meters away.
“We’re adventurers.”
One of the men laughed bitterly.
“Adventurers?”
“Yes.”
“You look like a monster.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
The man stared.
Then, despite his injuries, he laughed.
It was a strange sound.
More exhausted than amused.
Momonga stood.
“Can you walk?”
“Maybe.”
“Good.”
He turned toward Nabe.
“Help them.”
Nabe immediately began tending to their wounds.
Momonga watched.
She was surprisingly gentle.
He hadn’t expected that.
“You’ve done this before?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Nazarick.”
Momonga smiled.
“Of course.”
The woman watched Nabe.
“She’s… a maid?”
“Yes.”
“She fights like that?”
“Yes.”
The woman looked confused.
Momonga decided not to explain.
The prisoners told them what had happened.
They were traveling merchants.
Their caravan had been attacked.
The goblins had taken several people.
The others had been killed.
Momonga listened carefully.
“How many goblins were there?”
“At least fifty.”
Momonga frowned.
“Fifty?”
The man nodded.
“But these aren’t normal goblins.”
“Why?”
“They’re organized.”
Momonga looked toward the deeper tunnels.
That confirmed his suspicion.
Something was controlling them.
“Did you see their leader?”
The prisoners shook their heads.
“No.”
Momonga stood.
“Then we still have work to do.”
Nabe looked at him.
“You intend to continue?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Momonga looked at the prisoners.
“Because there may be more captives.”
Nabe nodded.
“Understood.”
One of the men stared at Momonga.
“Why are you helping us?”
Momonga paused.
He could have given many answers.
Because it was the right thing to do.
Because they were innocent.
Because he needed information.
Because he wanted to understand this world.
But the simplest answer was probably the truest.
“Because we were there.”
The man looked at him.
Momonga continued.
“If we had arrived an hour later, you might have died.”
He looked toward the darkness.
“So we’re going to see if anyone else is still alive.”
The deepest chamber was guarded.
Not by goblins.
By orcs.
Five of them.
They were much larger.
Better equipped.
And significantly more disciplined.
Momonga stopped.
“These are not normal monsters.”
Nabe nodded.
“They are stronger than the goblins.”
“How strong?”
“Approximately level twelve.”
Momonga’s eyes narrowed.
That was low by YGGDRASIL standards.
But it was still significantly above ordinary goblins.
“Interesting.”
One of the orcs shouted.
The others raised weapons.
Momonga stepped forward.
“I’ll handle this.”
Nabe looked at him.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
The first orc charged.
Momonga waited.
The axe swung toward his head.
He caught it.
The orc’s eyes widened.
Momonga twisted.
The weapon broke.
Then he struck the orc in the chest.
The creature flew across the chamber.
The remaining four charged together.
Momonga smiled.
For the first time since arriving in the New World, he allowed himself to fight without worrying about revealing too much.
He moved.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
The orcs fell.
Alive.
Barely.
Momonga looked at his hands.
He had enjoyed that.
More than he wanted to admit.
“Nabe.”
“Yes?”
“That was fun.”
She looked at him.
“I noticed.”
Behind the orcs was another chamber.
And there they found the rest of the prisoners.
Alive.
Most of them were injured, but alive.
Momonga exhaled.
“Good.”
Nabe began freeing them.
Then something moved in the darkness.
Momonga turned.
A voice spoke.
Not a goblin.
Not an orc.
Human.
“You’re very strong.”
Momonga froze.
Nabe drew her sword.
A man stepped from the shadows.
He was tall.
Muscular.
Dressed in armor that looked too good for a goblin cave.
His face was hidden behind a helmet.
Momonga immediately became cautious.
“Who are you?”
The man laughed.
“That’s my question.”
He raised a sword.
“Who are you?”
Momonga examined him.
His presence was strange.
Not overwhelmingly powerful.
But far stronger than the creatures they had encountered.
Nabe moved in front of Momonga.
The man looked at her.
“You’re strong too.”
Nabe’s expression became cold.
“Leave.”
The man smiled.
“I don’t think I will.”
Momonga raised his hand.
“Nabe.”
She stopped.
Momonga stepped forward.
“Let me talk.”
The man tilted his head.
“You really are strange.”
“People tell me that.”
“You don’t smell like a human.”
“I’m not.”
The man stared.
Then laughed.
“At least you’re honest.”
Momonga looked at his sword.
“Are you responsible for these monsters?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I was investigating them.”
Momonga paused.
“So were we.”
The man lowered his sword slightly.
“Adventurers?”
“Yes.”
“What rank?”
Momonga hesitated.
“Copper.”
The man stared.
Then laughed so hard that he had to lower his sword.
“Copper?”
Momonga’s emotions were suppressed, but somewhere inside him his dignity suffered a catastrophic wound.
“Yes.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
The man looked at Nabe.
“And her?”
“Copper.”
He laughed again.
Momonga decided he already disliked this man.
Then the man removed his helmet.
And Momonga froze.
He knew that face.
Not personally.
But from YGGDRASIL.
From the memories of the players.
From old discussions.
From history.
A name surfaced in his mind.
A name that should not have existed here.
Momonga stared.
The man smiled.
“You’ve heard of me?”
Momonga said nothing.
Because suddenly, the cave no longer mattered.
The goblins no longer mattered.
The prisoners no longer mattered.
There was only one thought in his mind.
Another player.
Or perhaps…
Something even more dangerous.
The man extended his hand.
“My name is Gazef Stronoff.”
Momonga blinked.
He almost laughed.
Of course.
Not a player.
Just a man.
A very famous man.
And Momonga had nearly had a heart attack.
Nabe leaned toward him.
“You recognize him.”
“Yes.”
“From where?”
“Stories.”
Gazef looked between them.
“Have we met before?”
Momonga smiled.
“No.”
And for the first time since entering the New World, he was very glad that his face was a skull.
Because if he had been human, Gazef would have seen exactly how relieved he was.
The legendary warrior was not a player.
But if Gazef was here…
Then Momonga had learned something much more important.
The people of this world were not simply background characters.
They had their own legends.
Their own heroes.
Their own history.
And Momonga suddenly wanted to know all of it.
Outside the cave, the sun was beginning to rise.
Mommon and Nabe stood beside the rescued prisoners.
Gazef had already departed.
The quest was complete.
They had earned their first reward.
A modest amount of money.
Enough for food.
Enough for a room.
Enough to register for another quest.
Momonga held the small pouch in his hand.
He weighed it.
“Not bad.”
Nabe looked toward the city.
“What will we do now?”
Momonga looked at E-Rantel.
Then at the road stretching beyond it.
Then at the horizon.
He smiled.
“Now?”
He clipped his copper adventurer plate back onto his cloak.
“We find out what kind of adventurer Mommon is going to be.”
Nabe nodded.
“Then I will follow you.”
Momonga looked at her.
“No.”
Narbe’s eyes widened slightly.
Momonga smiled.
“You’ll walk beside me.”
For a moment, Nabe said nothing.
Then she nodded.
“Understood.”
The two began walking toward E-Rantel.
Neither knew it yet, but their arrival had already begun to change the course of the New World.
Not through conquest.
Not through war.
Not through an army.
But through two adventurers walking down an ordinary road.
And somewhere far behind them, in the forest, the small red-hooded figure watched until they disappeared.
Then the figure whispered a name.
“Mommon…”
And smiled.