They had slept horribly once again, but what could they expect from a prison cell? The only thing in the room apart from them were the three empty sacks of grain they slept on. The rough fabric had made their skin itchy, and in the rare cases they managed to fall asleep in the damp chill of the dungeon the goblins made sure that their rest was short. At least on this morning the three of them did not wake up to the never-ending yelling of the older goblin. William was willing to risk everything to grab the old creature through the bars if he woke them up with a bucket of water one more time. William stood and began pacing, a routine that had kept him sane for the past two weeks. . At first, the three adventurers tried to plan an escape plan, but this proved to be useless and William did his best to ignore the magician and archer while he walked in circles around the cell. He was starting to notice the lack of food in his ever-shrinking stomach, the only one unaffected by it was Lyra who could sustain herself with magic. Apparently, she could not get them out with magic, so that skill would just prolong their suffering.

  “Will you stop moving and listen for a second?” Sasha asked, she was leaning into one of the cell’s corners covering her growling stomach with her hands, “The goblins haven’t come to bother us yet, maybe they’ve gone out and we can escape.”

  “Oh really? Even without the goblins, we are still trapped in this cell!” William yelled back, “And even if we got out there is still an entire dungeon we would have to find our way through while unarmed!”

  “I can’t do anything about the weapons, but I think I could lead us back the way the goblins took us. I made sure to remember every time we turned and counted the steps we took,” Lyra said while staring at the scratches she had drawn on the wall, “We could try to push the bars open, they are as rusty as your hair.”

  The conversation stopped instantly when they heard steps approaching. William sat down, turning away from the bars, feigning disinterest . Lyra stood up with her back against the wall covering her scribbles. The steps grew closer, they saw a growing shadow in the torchlight followed by the sound of heavy breathing. The steps came to a halt behind William, he turned around expecting to be drenched in cold water but nothing happened.

  The creature standing beyond the cell was a goblin but not their usual warden. This goblin seemed younger, his back was also crooked but not due to old age but rather the heavy load on his back. “Hello, what do you want?” William asked.

  The goblin looked at William and then turned its head towards the wall behind it. “Oh, are you asking me?” the goblin said pointing at itself.

  “You see anyone else around?” William said looking into the hallway, “Why are you stopping here? You got something for us?”

  “Just taking breakz, I’m carrying some heavy stuff,” the goblin said putting down the multitude of sacks on its back.

  Sasha looked at Lyra and whispered something inaudible to anyone else in the room, the mage shrugged and Sasha asked, “You need any help with that? We could help you carry that?”

  “Really? Thatz nice of you,” the goblin answered and pointed at some of the larger sacks, “carry thez, very helpful.” The prisoners did not react and simply looked at the bars keeping them trapped.

  “Oh youz stuck in room?” the goblin said as if just realising who he was talking to, “that makez thiz difficult…” the goblin seemed to think about the situation for far too long.

  “Maybe if you get the keys for the room we can come out and help you,” William said finally catching on, standing up he pointed at himself and his companions, “we can carry these sacks for you. We’re quite strong you know.”

  “Mmmh I don’tz know,” the goblin took a step away from the cell, “why youz in the cell? Only prisonerz in cell…”

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  Before the goblin could reach the conclusion to his thoughts Sasha interjected, “We lost the keys!”

  The goblin seemed to think for a moment before coming closer and touching the jail bars, “lost keyz? That makez senz, stupid humanz forget a lot,” the goblin said before turning towards the hallway, “I getz keys and you help!” he scampered into the hallway.

  The adventurers looked at each other before William burst into laughter, “I can’t believe that worked!”

  “Shhhh” the girls said, “He might still be close enough to hear us,” The three of them were now standing next to the cell door waiting for the goblin to return.

  “What do we do with the goblin once we are out?” asked William, “I’d feel kinda bad for killing him.”

  “He might know an exit that we can use,” said Lyra, “perhaps we can convince him to lead us out. I’m sure we can come up with something to offer in exchange.”

  Their discussion came to a halt with the return of the goblin. He ran towards them, keys clinking with every step. The goblin approached their cell door and started trying each key on the crude metal ring he held until finally one opened the door with a loud click. The rusty door swung open and the adventurers were able to leave their cell for the first time in weeks. They looked in both directions of the hallway to find them empty. “Where is everyone?” Sasha asked the goblin.

  “They preparz for raid, back soon. Theyz help carry loot once theyz back.”

  “Impressive, you managed to loot all of this,” William said pointing at the heavy sacks.

  “No no no, I carriez it. I no loot,” the goblin looked at the floor while scratching his head, “C’mon, we carriez. Not have all day.”

  The adventurers picked up one of the sacks each lessening the burden on the goblins back. The loot digging into their backs as the flung it across their shoulders. “Do you not get any of the loot?” Sasha asked.

  “I getz thiz,” the goblin said before pulling out a half-eaten rat from his trousers, “full dayz ration!”

  William looked at the goblin, tears forming in his eyes before he went to his knees to see the goblin eye to eye, “You don’t have to live likes this buddy, I tell you something. You show us how to get out of here and we’ll get you some proper food, we can find you a job with a proper wage.”

  “Whatz wagez?”

  “It’s money you would get for doing a job. For example, if I hire you to carry these sacks, you’d get some of the money for doing the work.” Lyra replied, her hands on her knees as she leaned closer to the goblin.

  “I get moneyz for carrying thingz?”

  “Yes of course, or anything else you can do. You just have to tell us how to get out of here.” William said hopeful that the goblin understood the benefits of being paid.

  The goblin scratched its head and started mumbling to itself, “I don’tz know, I don’tz know. I shouldz stay,” the goblin said before continuing, “but shinies, and foodz, not look at nice foodz of other goblins. Eatz nice foodz,” the goblin tried to convince itself. Meanwhile, the adventurers looked towards the end of the hallway illuminated by torchlight and recognised their backpacks and weapons leaning against a wall next to a number of various crates and sacks overflowing with loot. William ran towards the backpack leaving his companions and the goblin behind. He rummaged inside of his own pack filling the floor with his spare clothing before pulling out a small leather satchel. William returned to the group and squatted down to meet the goblin face-to-face once again.

  “Listen buddy, you get us out and you can keep all of this,” William said offering the clinking leather satchel to the goblin. Green hands removed it from his grasp immediately before opening it up and staring inside. The goblins eyes lit up as he looked up at William again.

  “For mez? I bringz out. Yez, followz,” the goblin said. It dropped the sack it was carrying on the floor causing a plume of dust to erupt causing them all to cough. The goblin started walking in the opposite direction while beckoning them to follow. The adventurers ran to their packs picking up everything they could find along with some of the goblin treasures, sure that their small act of vengeance would infuriate at least a couple of the green creatures. They caught up with the goblin again who was walking through the dungeons while clutching the leather satchel to its chest. They walked past the throne room, empty but for two stone golems that stared intently at the adventurers but seemed to do nothing more after the goblin told them to leave them alone.

  The group made their way to a long staircase at the end of the throne room which the goblin assured would lead them to freedom. As they climbed the many steps William asked, “If you are going to work with us we should introduce ourselves to one another, don’t you think?”

  The goblin abruptly stopped its ascend, “Ok,” it said, “Helloz, introduction is done,” it then continued the climb up.

  William rubbed his forehead as he continued to move upwards, “Perhaps I didn’t express myself properly. What’s your name?”

  “Oh, namez, yez. Namez Glol,” Glol said, “Glol rich goblin nowz,” the goblin said while making the coin purse he now held jingle.