I stood on a promontory overlooking a wide cavern where a large temple carved into the rock sat illuminated by a red glow that seemed to emanate from the natural rock walls themselves. The teleportation had been instantaneous and I blinked several times to adjust to both the new lighting and my new location. My first thought was that I was almost certainly alone, for the temple was silent and the only sounds I could hear were the shifting of loose stones beneath my feet.

  Next was whether or not I was actually looking at a temple to begin with, for it was like no temple I had ever seen before. I made my way down a slight incline, slipping and sliding while occasionally falling backward onto my rear. Dexterity, as with other needs, would have to be a future priority I decided after a particularly sharp stone dug into my left buttock. The closer I drew to the temple, the greater the red light became and an increase in the overall temperature of the cavern. Gone was the cool, damp air I had felt upon first arriving to find it now replaced by a comfortable warmth. I held out a hand over one of the glowing rocks and verified that this was indeed from where the heat was coming.

  “If this is the Temple the Dwarves created for the Gods, then I must be inside Stonefire Mountain,” I mused. If so, that meant I was far to the Southeast of Ordheim near the Orecrest Archipelego and the famous port of Khaf-Mir-Dun, the second largest city of the Dwarven Oligarchy. Yet, where were all the Dwarves?

  The Temple doors were shut, but I was in no rush, especially as my eyes were drawn to the marvelous carvings of bearded figures that seemed almost alive and melded into the stone. I stopped and stood before the temple doors, trying to take it all in. It all looked so real. The dwarves held hammers, axes or pickaxes and all of them stood gazing upward at the central figure I identified as Ara with his arms spread outward as if to embrace them all. I moved closer and saw that small, glittering fragments of gemstones traced paths from Ara’s hands onto the Dwarves. A colorful blessing of them and their work.

  “Incredible,” I breathed. Even at a whisper, my words echoed about the cavern.

  I was looking at a fortune in rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds, but the thought of defacing such a work of art never once crossed my mind. Instead, I put my hands upon the stone doors and pushed. I may as well have been trying to push open the gates of Nephilim. They didn’t budge.

  “So what now?” The doors had neither latch, nor handle. One could only just barely make out the seam where the stone doors would split open down the middle, so precise were they fashioned. Then I heard a noise off to the side. A dislodged stone or the scrape of a boot upon the gravel. I turned and beheld a small creature that looked like a cross between a reptile and a ferret standing upright. It had a long jaw studded with sharp teeth, red tinged scales and was dressed in a motley collection of rags and scavenged bits of armor. What concerned me the most was the small halberd it brandished in my direction.

  “Gar nag deet torough!” The creature gingerly stepped forward and in the reddish glow of the stones I finally identified it from memory. A Kobold.

  “Easy there, now,” I put up my hands in a show of non-aggression. I quickly tried to recall everything I could remember about Kobolds. Typically found underground. Yes. Small in stature with a reptilian countenance. Checks out. Cowardly and cautious unless found in large groups. Okay.

  “I mean you no harm, little one.” I backed away, hoping the Kobold might lower its weapon when it saw I wasn’t looking for a fight.

  “Gar nag deet torough! Es bel gorog kek!”

  Brandishing its halberd the kobold screamed at me in its own tongue and I took another step back in alarm. It responded by taking a step forward in my direction and I felt it time to act before things escalated further.

  I directed a finger at the kobold and cast Minor Cube of Confusion. In the exact same instant it leapt forward, the point of its halberd pointed directly at my chest. My spell went off first and a glowing blue cube appeared before the kobold, rotating in its mesmerizing pattern to capture the creature’s attention.

  I breathed a sigh of relief as the spell took hold and the kobold stopped short in its leap to lower its weapon and stare open mouthed at the cube. I gripped my staff in both hands. I let out a breath and lifted the weapon over my head.

  “Light, forgive me.” I brought the staff down with all my strength and cracked the kobold upon its skull. It was like splitting open a melon. The kobold’s head caved in completely and it dropped to the ground dead as my spell wore off. My arms shook. My forehead was drenched in sweat and not from the cavern’s humidity. I had killed before being killed, I realized that. Yet, this was different from my experience in the Spiral of Ara dungeon when I had defeated the Imps and other Infernals. Those had been creatures of Hell, pure evil. Could I compare this tiny creature to them?

  “Well, that wasn’t all that hard.” It had been fairly easy, actually. Then again, Kobolds were not known to be difficult opponents. I knelt down and examined the kobold’s corpse.

  You have been awarded experience!

  Do you wish to loot [Kobold Scavenger]?

  With a sigh, I acknowledged I did and received the following items.

  You have 6 copper, 1 Kobold Halberd {Poor Quality} and 1 Map Fragment.

  The items all went directly into my Inventory, but with a thought I dropped the Halberd and left it where it lay. I had no use for such a weapon. The Map Fragment I willed into my hand and I examined it with some interest. It showed a poorly done sketch of the outside of the temple with an arrow pointing around the left side of the Temple facing the doors. There was also a drawing of a particularly tall stalagmite jutting up from the cavern floor. Whatever the significance was, I saw no reason not to check it out.

  With a last lingering look at the Kobold’s corpse, I started walking in the direction the arrow on the map indicated. I decided it didn’t matter if the Kobold has been as evil as the Infernals or not. It had meant me harm and I had no desire to die to violence here or anywhere else for that matter. I had to fight back. I needed to fight back if I hoped to survive and gain power. There could be no hesitation and no regrets on the path the Gods had set for me.

  You have gained +25 Faction with Wik.

  Wik Faction: 0 (Neutral)

  Finally out of the negatives with Wik. I’m beginning to see that attitude or perhaps my state of mind has something to do with how I gain Faction points. That makes sense, as the Gods can see into our souls. Time to take a closer look at that.

  Lore: Gaining Divine Faction points enables the Faith Seeker the means to access greater spells, skills and abilities that fall within the purview of the Divine Entity they have established a connection with. Displays of Faith, Intuition, Courage and other parallel attributes will be judged and awarded by the Purgos System directly.

  “Wait, does that mean that the Gods are not the ones granting me the Faction gains, but this Purgos System is?

  Advanced Lore: Greater Faction gains will lead to Ascendancy paths, which are also determined by the Purgos System. Any Divine Entity can directly intervene in a Faith Seeker’s path should they display an aptitude for System Integration.

  So what is this Purgos System, then? I’ve heard it mentioned before.

  Lore: Information on this is currently unavailable. Connection cannot be established.

  That was a lot to take in. I closed the soul windows with a thought. I would think on it later. Terms he was unfamiliar with like Ascendancy, for example, were not an immediate concern. For now, it seemed I was at the mercy of this so-called ‘Purgos System’ who decided if my actions were worthy of the Gods’ notice or not.

  There was no time to dwell upon it. Where there was one Kobold, there was bound to be more and I had no wish to be overwhelmed by a group of them. The Map fragment led me along the left side of the temple. Red light made eerie shadows that my imagination changed into Kobolds lurking in wait to ambush me. I silently prayed for strength and was rewarded when I made a discovery.

  A large stalactite had been incorporated into the left side of the temple and expertly shaped by the Dwarves into a tower. However, I was certain they had not included the gaping hole I found dug into its base. I crept silently forward and gazed down into the hole’s dark depths. A small wooden ladder, big enough for a Kobold I realized, disappeared down into the darkness. The tunneling creatures had made their own entrance into the Temple and like it or not it was my way inside too.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Ord save me, I don’t want to do this, but I will,” I murmured. “Is that not a display of courage worthy of notice, great Purgos System? I suppose not.” I shook my head when after a few moments a soul window failed to open. “I shall have to seek greater danger still to impress you, is that it, Great Ord?” I grunted as I lowered myself into the hole and tested the first rung of the ladder. It groaned in protest at my weight and I returned my staff to my Inventory so that it would not impede my descent. “I merely wish to point out that I possess little in the way of knowing what you want of me, but I wonder now if the other Gods could perhaps discuss amongst themselves a safer way I might accomplish their goals?”

  The descent took less time than expected and when I reached the bottom I then had to kneel down and crawl on all fours along a tunnel that was mercifully lit by more of the red stones. If it had been in total darkness within such a small space I don’t know that I could have done it. My weakness to the claustrophobic nature of the situation would have been more than I could bear. However, the tunnel eventually curved left then dropped into a wider tunnel where I was able to stand again. A few more minutes of walking toward sounds I couldn’t identify placed me into an even wider cavern lit even more brightly than the cavern above.

  “Gods save me,” I groaned. I had found the rest of the Kobolds. The sounds I had heard were hundreds of the creatures going about their lives. They had constructed a miniature city created from what looked like scavenged materials taken from the temple above. I saw tents fashioned from torn drapery and carpets which still bore holy symbology, though faded and covered in filth. Golden candelabras had been repurposed into tent poles. Here and there were bits of holy scripture ripped from their bindings and now used for what I assumed was bedding. I quickly crouched behind a tent to hide myself. One of the tent flaps was open and peering inside I discerned the Kobolds had been here a long time, such was the level of filth and stench emanating from within.

  Monk’s Faith Test Challenges

  1) Gain access to the Inner Sanctum, defeat the Guardian and discover what it guards.

  2) Locate the false idol the Kobolds have adopted as their God and destroy it.

  Successfully complete [1] of the tasks before time runs out.

  Reward: +100 Faction to {Faction Choice}.

  Failure: -100 Faction to {Random Choice}.

  Successfully complete [2] of the tasks before time runs out.

  Reward: +100 Faction with all Light and Shadow Faction.

  BONUS CHALLENGES

  Destroy the Kobolds who have desecrated the Temple. +100 Faction Wik

  Seal the Kobolds off from the Temple so that they may no longer defile it. +50 Faction Mir.

  Convert the Kobolds to the Light. +200 Faction all Light Pantheon deities.

  My eyes scanned over the large soul window that had nearly made me jump out of my boots. I really needed to find a way to manage them better. I was constantly being caught by surprise and if that happened at an inopportune moment I would be in trouble. There was a time and place to look over their messages and hiding from hundreds of Kobolds in a Kobold camp was neither the time nor the place.

  Well, at least now I know what I’m supposed to do here. The only question was how to go about it? One thing was for certain, I needed to get past these creatures and into the Temple. I would figure out the rest as I went.

  I used the tents as cover and it was likely divine providence or pure dumb luck I wasn’t discovered. In truth, most of the tents near the cavern wall were empty. Following the sounds of the Kobolds themselves, most seemed to be near the center of their ramshackle city where the closer I came, the more uneasy I felt. There was a familiar scent that grew stronger the closer I crept forward until peeking from behind one of the tents, I saw a great mass of kobolds leaping and chittering around a large central stone of some sort.

  No, that’s not a stone. More like a crystal? A large, purple crystal was set upon a dais in the center of the kobold gathering. A kobold dressed in robes and waving a staff topped with a smaller version of the purple crystal jabbered and spat as he yelled in his unintelligible tongue at the gathering. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, save that getting caught here would mean a painful death, I was certain. Before I turned to leave, I focused upon the larger of the crystals and activated my Lore Sight.

  Lore: Felshard of Limbus (Inactive). This shard, once activated, will release the highly concentrated toxin Atrax Infernum or Shadowmurk. Slow acting, its duration is based upon a combination of the victim’s CON and Poison/Disease Resistances. Results are: Madness and/or Mutations (Randomly generated). There is currently no known cure. Only Infernal creatures or those blessed by Infernal powers are immune.

  So, that’s what a Fel Shard is. It was as large as one of the statues in the Chapel I had just left. It looked heavy too, with jagged points of purple crystals stabbing outward with varying lengths and thicknesses. It may have been inactive, but I could feel a pulse pushing outward from the Felshard that with each wave made me feel nauseous and weak.

  If this is an inactive Felshard, I have no desire to be near it when it becomes active. C’mon Lore Sight, give me more! How much time do I have? As if in answer, another soul window opened before me, but not the one I was hoping for.

  You have entered a Tier II (Inactive) Shadowmurk, Sector BD0002 (Stonefire Mountain Temple). WARNING! Felshard located! Contact Administrator! Shadowmurk Mutation time increased by 25%. 3 hours, 22 Minutes, 54 Seconds remaining. Exit Sector BD0002 immediately or risk permanent mutation! Mutation will be randomly determined from Blight Map Sector list.

  Only 3 hours until I’m permanently infected!? Ord, Mir, Cel guide me! What should I do?

  I crouched behind the tent and pondered my next move. Panicking would solve nothing and I refused to succumb to the temptation. Be strong. I would find a way. If there was any way out of this, I would find it within the dungeon. If I failed, I would merely be kicked from the challenge and lose out on any rewards, but the Shadowmurk sickness would likely remain. I couldn’t take the chance that it would. I opened my quest log and reread the challenges before me.

  Okay, obviously the ‘false idol’ I’m looking for is the Felshard. These Kobolds all certainly seem quite taken with the bloody thing. I wonder what that one with the staff is saying? Is he their Priest or some sort of Shaman? Let’s see.

  Name: K’Bargan’kek the Unfathomable

  Level: 9

  Class: Fel Shaman

  Lore: This Kobold has spent the last decade attempting to break into the inner sanctum of the Temple above. The location of the Fel Shard was revealed to him in a vision and now he draws close to finally activating its power.

  Advanced Lore: K’Bargan’kek will use the activated Fel Shard to mutate the Kobolds of his tribe, infusing them with Infernal powers that he believes will finally allow him to break into the Temple’s inner most chambers. The rest of the tribe do not know his plan. They believe the Fel Shard to be a shiny, magic rock that will provide them with more food.

  Interesting. He’s tricking his own people? I wonder how they would feel if they knew what his plan really was? Also, what’s with that Class? A Fel Shaman?

  Try as he might, Lore Sight would reveal nothing about the Fel Shaman class, but at least now Lore Sight was advanced enough that he could actually see an enemy’s class.

  Not only is he four levels higher than me, but he’s surrounded by his entire tribe. Taking him on is out of the question, but that isn’t the challenge, is it? I’d like to destroy that crystal for good, but I doubt any of the magic I currently have could so much as scratch it.

  His best course of action was still to try and find a way into the Temple and find the Guardian. Basic reasoning led to the conclusion it was likely a Dwarf, but even that felt strange to assume. Dwarves respected, but did not worship the Gods. Rather, they held their Ancestors in the highest esteem, feeling they still watched over and guided their favored descendants. Shrines were kept to provide offerings to their legendary heroes.

  I’ll focus on entering the Temple for now and come back here later.

  Something shifted within the tent and I froze. I risked a peek through a tear in the fabric and saw a kobold passed out on a pile of rags. There was a large jug lying next to the creature, thick globs of what looked like syrup or honey dripped onto the floor.

  Why are you skipping your boss’ big speech? You’re not drunk on that stuff by any chance, are you?

  I took a deep breath and slipped into the tent. The kobold didn’t move and continued to lie upon its belly with its tail curled around it. This kobold was a bit bigger than the others, I noticed as I drew closer. Its snout wasn’t as pronounced and it was wider around its middle. Its scales were also a duller brownish color rather than reddish like the others.

  Kobold Harvester

  Level: 3

  I was curious as to what the Kobold spent its day harvesting, but if it was the honey it had gorged itself upon it had clearly helped itself to more than it was supposed to. Moving aside some of the rags in the tent I discovered several more of the jars of honey the kobold had supposedly stashed here for its personal use.

  Firebeetle Honey

  Lore: Made by the subterranean Firebeetle, this honey is more savory than sweet. Highly prized for its fiery flavor it is also highly flammable.

  Advanced Lore: If not properly handled, a thimble full of Firebeetle honey is enough to burn down a small house as it cannot be extinguished by water. Water only makes it burn more. Try it with Salmon on Rice.

  “Hmm.” Well that gave me an idea. It wasn’t an idea that I was particularly proud of or that I wanted to do, but the Fel Shaman and his horde were not about to repent their blasphemy in worshipping an evil idol either. First, I needed to test something. There were ten jars of honey stored about the tent and one by one I put them into my Inventory. One of my unanswered questions was how big a space I had to store things, but it seemed that ten jars of honey wasn’t any issue. The honey had an interesting smell if not necessarily appetizing and I didn’t feel bad about stealing it, but I could’t help but wonder what else of value I might find.

  You gain +50 Faction with Sul.

  I scratched my nose and grinned. It seemed the God of Thieves approved of my larceny. Well he should, I have never stolen anything in my life! I looked over at the slumbering Harvester. 50 Faction was a lot. What else might Sul reward me with if I took more? Should I try to search the little lizard? I didn’t have the Pick-Pocket skill, but perhaps since it was unconscious I might get away with it?

  Gently, I lifted one corner of the kobold’s ragged coat. I could smell the sharp, acrid smell of the honey on its breath mingled with other, unmentionable things. It continued to slumber as I slowly searched it for valuables.

  You have looted 4 copper coins from a Kobold Harvester.

  You have looted 1 Amethyst gem from a Kobold Harvester.

  You gain +25 Faction with Sul.

  Achievement Unlocked! They Didn’t Need it Anyway

  For successfully looting a creature while it lived and without the necessary skill you are awarded: 2 Green Nodes and 1 *Blue Node.

  *Blue nodes unlock Tier II spells.

  I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from crying out in surprise. An Achievement! My first achievement and it awarded me with more node points!

  Okay, time to go. I felt I had stretched my Luck far enough and it was time to find another place to hold up while I did something about the Nodes I had to spend. I would need all the advantages I could get to enter the Temple.

  Outside, the Fel Shaman had stopped speaking and was now facing the shard with its arms outstretched towards the now softly glowing crystal. He was chanting a rhythmic dirge. The assembled Kobolds were prostrate on the ground chanting in unison in time with their leader. The sound of it made my stomach churn in disgust.

  They are trying to awaken it. I need to stop this.

  Crouching low, I darted behind other tents, but had to watch my step due to the kobold’s being haphazard in how they had laid out their camps. Tripping would have certainly given me away. Yet, I maintained my footing and I eventually reached the edge of the camp closest to the cavern wall. Blessedly, the tents here were empty and I increased my pace as I searched for whatever entrance the Kobolds had created to enter the Temple.

  When I finally found the entrance I realized it was anything but Kobold made. An even and well made staircase chiseled from the cavern rock and lit by burning torches set at regular intervals wound upwards like a corkscrew into the ceiling above. A few dozen Kobolds moved upwards with empty arms, but dozens more made the trip downwards with arms laden with metal goblets that glistened with jewels, cloth sewn with holy symbology and other trinkets and goods looted from the Temple’s coffers.

  I just have to sneak past a small army of Kobold Scavengers, that’s all. Ord guide me, how do I do this?

  I found a tent to rest while I made my plans. First things first, I had nodes points to spend.