Heroes Without A Plan
Chapter Eleven: Final Boss

The heroes were on the run, searching for their friend through the loathsome goblin base. Misery was about to engulf them as they lost any remaining shreds of hope when they heard a small cry coming from an alley. Running as fast as they could, they turned the corner and saw not Pire, but an open door that seemed to drop forever.

Dismayed, they started to turn back, but before they did, they heard it again, a small whimper.

“C’mon! I think he’s down here!” Mike told them.

“You sure? It could be anything! “Alyssa had no desire to go down into the darkness but Mike’s attempt at persuasion worked and soon she agreed to descend the darkened stairs.

When all light suddenly vanished as they descended, Eliot proposed that he try a short spell. A fire spell to light their way.

“Wait, you can do that?” Alyssa asked, wondering just how powerful the wizard could be.

“Well, I’ve had a shot at it before.”

Murmuring to himself, Eliot raised his scepter slightly. The trio had paused on their way down the stairs in anticipation of Eliot’s action. After two unsuccessful attempts, a faint glow of amber light washed over the stairs. With the passage illuminated, the heroes could see its length. As they looked down, there seemed to be no end, only more darkness.

Alyssa continued, but not unhesitatingly. She knew, however, that Mike had an instinct for the matter, and their time together had taught her that Mike’s instincts were almost always right.

It took them an agonizing five minutes to reach the bottom of the flight. The room the heroes had been waiting for led through an archway.

Eliot rubbed his eyes in disbelief while Alyssa held her breath. Pire with a dead rat underneath him was the first thing the heroes had seen. But the second, more substantial thing they saw stopped Mike before he could approach. Pire had evidently just led the heroes to the goblin base below. All the goblins that had been absent from the surface were here, and now they knew why.

Through the dim light, the group could see what must have been the goblins’ plan all along. Mounted on a large ring in the center of the room was a weapon that made the heroes’ skin crawl. They weren’t sure how, but the goblins had created a giant metal dragon that looked like it could kill everyone on the planet if left unchecked.

They were all stunned, not knowing what to say or do. The goblins were so busy putting the finishing touches on their weapons that they hadn’t noticed their arrival.

“We don’t have to fightthat, right?” Alyssa commented.

“Maybe it’s not ready yet?”

When Pire saw Mike, he ran up to him and jumped like a puppy. Mike quickly gave Pire a tight embrace. They had no idea what to do next.

“Are we gonna fight?” Alyssa asked.

“No! There are too many, we wouldn’t stand a chance!” Eliot argued. They all agreed and turned back the way they came.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other plans. Distracted, Pire saw two goblins carrying a large device. Intrigued, the white beast followed them. Mike realized what was happening and tried to pull Pire back, but it was too late.

The heroes seemed to be drawn into the finale sooner than they wished. The two goblins had spotted them and took off to tell the others. The heroes soon realized that it would be futile to stop them, so they made a run for it instead. But that soon proved useless, for before they could take two steps, an ear of corn shot over Elliot’s head. The only thing to do now was fight.

The goblins were only distracted for a minute by the sight of the real dragon, and soon the trio was under attack. There were tons of them, coming from all sides, and the stairs soon seemed like a false escape to the heroes.

The goblins had looked for a dragon to tame and help them in battle, but soon realized that dragons weren’t to be messed with, so they built their own. But seeing Pire, they thought they had a new chance.

But Mike wasn’t about to allow that. He cut off a goblin’s hand before it could touch his dragon. The wizard, meanwhile, was tired of being protected by his two companions. With all his confidence, he tried the fire spell he’d been practicing but was too scared to use. It was a complicated spell, and Agatha had told him before they left to be careful when he tried to use it. But he was too determined to be afraid.

He waved his scepter at the group of goblins approaching Pire, summoned all his power, and unleashed it. Instantly, they turned to dust in a blinding inferno. At his sight, Alyssa and Mike were in a similar state of awe. And he couldn’t help but blush at his own victory.

Pire drew much inspiration from Eliot’s flame. As the heroes fought on, Pire tried repeatedly. And for just a minute, the room fell silent as another explosion came from the battlefield. But not from Eliot. It was from a mouth. Mike held his breath as he watched his friend shoot the monstrous blizzard from his mouth,

The dragon then vanquished another goblin, apparently practicing his ice breath. The heroes soon realized that rushing headlong into a dangerous base would not end well. But for whom it might not end well was another matter. After all, the heroes were vastly outnumbered. But they had already defeated quite a few.

As a goblin ran toward the hulking metallic monster, Alyssa’s heart leapt out of her chest. She knew this was going to be bad. She ran to Eliot, who was in the middle of annihilating another group with a fiery beam so brilliant it stung her eyes.

Alyssa yelled, making him turn around.

“Alyssa? Are you okay?” Elliot’s voice was hasty. As the rogue told him about the goblin, Elliot’s face grew pale.

Everyone froze as the goblin’s voice echoed throughout the underground base. It had turned on some sort of loudspeaker and began to speak in a language the heroes could not understand.

As they looked up, the other fifty or so goblins halted their attack on the heroes. They all stumbled to regain their balance as the ground began to rumble and shake throughout the base. The three nearly cried, their stomachs in knots as they watched the beast’s eyes turn an ominous crimson. A sign that it had awakened, and now it was up to them to bring it down.