After the troll left the room, we remained hidden for a few minutes, watching the goblins.
They were very different from the goblins we had encountered in the forest.
Each one had a specific task. Some worked the metal, others were in charge of shaping it and, when they finished, they handed the pieces to their companions so they could continue with the next step.
It was like contemplating a factory in full operation.
Although, of course... a rather deficient factory.
A good part of the material ended up being wasted during the process. When a piece came out defective, the goblins simply threw it into the furnaces to melt it down again and start from scratch.
"At least they have an idea of what they're doing."
It wasn't efficient production, but it couldn't be considered improvised work either. There was a manufacturing chain, divided tasks, and a procedure that everyone seemed to know.
That was more than enough to turn a horde of monsters into a considerable threat.
Fortunately, none of the goblins seemed to have noticed our presence.
I decided it was time to act.
"Finish them all. And do it without making noise."
Goliath nodded.
He took a step toward the room and the light of the furnaces projected his shadow onto the walls, stretching his silhouette until it looked like that of a titan.
The goblins barely had time to turn around when a flash of steel tore through the room.
One after another, their bodies collapsed like puppets whose strings had been cut. None of them even managed to let out a cry of alarm.
Goliath wiped his sword with a carefree movement and turned toward me with a radiant smile.
"Done, Master."
"Well done."
I came out of my hiding place and approached the furnaces.
I examined the pieces they had left on the tables. Some were so small they fit in the palm of my hand. At first glance, they looked like metal fragments with no particular use.
However, for someone who had spent decades leading armies and supervising weapons production, those pieces were quite revealing.
They weren't tools and didn't seem to be components of armor either.
"I see what you're trying to do."
I continued examining the room until I heard Goliath's voice behind me.
"Master, what is all this?"
I didn't answer immediately, I simply kept walking, which caused him to follow me with an increasingly curious expression.
Finally, I reached a wooden box sitting next to one of the work tables.
Inside I found several half assembled pieces and, beneath them, an object I recognized instantly. I took it out and handed it to Goliath.
"Here. This is what they were trying to manufacture."
Goliath received it with both hands.
He tilted his head to one side. Then to the other.
His eyes roamed over the object with almost childish curiosity.
It was a kind of elongated metal tube, with a hole inside and a rudimentary mechanism attached to one of its ends.
The surface was full of imperfections and some of its pieces didn't fit correctly.
Even so, its purpose was unmistakable.
"Uh... Master?"
"What's wrong?"
Goliath raised his gaze.
"I have no idea what this is. Do you know?"
I observed him for a few seconds, then looked at the weapon he held in his hands and looked at him again.
"Seriously...?, It's a firearm. Don't they exist in your world?"
"A firearm?"
Goliath examined the object again, apparently finding no relation between its appearance and my words.
I brought a hand to my chin.
"Maybe he comes from a technologically less developed era."
I didn't know the details of the world Goliath came from.
After all, magic and technology didn't always evolve at the same pace.
"It doesn't matter," I said finally. "Think of it as a kind of magic wand, except it doesn't need magic to work and practically anyone can learn to use it."
Goliath tilted his head again.
I stopped trying to explain it to him.
It was like trying to teach a caveman the principles of metallurgy.
I could spend hours talking about mechanisms, pressure, and combustion, but I would hardly get him to understand without first explaining a bunch of basic concepts.
Besides, that wasn't the important issue.
The truly worrying thing was that the troll was organizing the manufacture of firearms.
If he managed to perfect the process, he could equip hundreds of goblins with weaponry capable of compensating for their physical limitations.
And if he managed to produce them in sufficient quantities, that horde would stop being a simple nuisance and become a military force.
"Interesting..."
I examined the weapon again.
"The troll has the knowledge and the ability to direct production. If I manage to convince him to work with me, I could take advantage of all this."
The idea wasn't without appeal.
An army of goblins equipped with firearms could be useful, especially if I managed to improve their discipline and combat methods.
However, my gaze ended up drifting toward Goliath.
He was still contemplating the weapon with an expression of absolute bewilderment.
"Although..."
I sighed.
"I highly doubt he'd accept collaborating with a troll."
And, to be honest, I wasn't willing to risk losing Goliath for a dubious alliance either.
As much as it annoyed me to admit it, he was worth more than that horde of goblins armed with rudimentary rifles.
"Let's go," I ordered. "We didn't come all this way to stand around staring at a factory."
Goliath put the weapon back in the box and hurried to follow me.
We left the room and continued through the tunnel the troll had taken.
The cave extended much further than I had imagined. Its passages branched in several directions, but the recent footprints and the trail of smoke allowed us to follow the correct path.
It didn't take us long to find the first guards.
Unlike the goblins we had encountered in the forest, these were fully equipped.
They wore steel breastplates, arm protections, and daggers fastened at their waists. Some even carried small shields, though of rather crude manufacture.
They didn't look like simple scouts.
Judging by their equipment and the way they guarded the corridors, it was evident that they belonged to a unit tasked with protecting the facilities.
The goblins outside must have been the first line of surveillance, while these constituted a more important part of the nest's defense.
"So they're not just manufacturing weapons. They're also organizing their forces."
The situation was becoming more and more unpleasant.
However, I didn't have too much time to reflect.
One of the guards spotted us and opened his mouth to shout.
Goliath moved before he could alert his companions. His sword traced a swift arc and the goblin fell to the ground.
The others barely had time to react and within seconds, all of them had been cut down.
Goliath crouched beside one of the corpses and examined his equipment. Then he took one of the daggers and held it in front of his eyes.
"Master, can I keep this?"
I approached to inspect it.
The blade was made of considerably better steel than the weapons we had found in the village.
"Go ahead. It's better if you keep it."
"Thank you, Master!"
Goliath stored the dagger with a satisfied smile.
We continued advancing.
As we went deeper into the cave, the air became warmer and more humid.
The walls were covered in dark stains, and the smell of coal and hot metal gradually gave way to that sweet fragrance we had perceived upon entering.
"Master... I hear people's voices..."
Goliath's expression had changed completely. His face, normally adorned with a carefree smile, reflected a mixture of worry and bewilderment.
I frowned.
"What kind of voices?"
For an instant, I assumed he was referring to crying or screams of pain. However, Goliath's expression only became even more confused as he tried to distinguish what he was hearing.
He remained silent for a few seconds.
"..."
Finally, he turned his gaze back to me.
"They sound like... moans."
I didn't respond.
My brow furrowed, and we continued advancing toward that sweet fragrance.