Fortunately, among the odds and ends Straum had collected over the ages were a wide variety of sacks, pouches, and backpacks. Jig found himself lugging a small sack full of gold coins. He had tried to carry a larger bag, but that nearly destroyed his newly repaired spine. Gold was heavy.

He knew Barius was angry at him for not carrying more, but goblins weren’t known for their strength. Had the sack been any heavier, Jig would have ended up with his knees jammed through his shoulders. He did tuck a jeweled dagger into his belt, though, and he shoved a few rings onto his fingers.

“I hope nobody tries to stop us,” he muttered. If they were attacked, he planned to throw his gold away and hope the enemy stopped to snatch up the coins. It should work, if Barius’s greed was any example. Jig’s life was a lot more important than gold. Besides, he could always come back for more.

They made it unscathed. They found occasional footprints, but nobody saw any other sign of Straum’s children. Perhaps they had already left. Jig hoped so. They had saved his life, but he would still feel more comfortable if he never encountered another one.

Lugging their gold up the ladders was a chore, but with more of Darnak’s rope, they eventually managed to pass the treasure up through the ceiling.

There they ran into two hobgoblin sentries. But the hobgoblins fled as soon as they spotted Darnak and Barius.

“Good to have a reputation, eh?” Darnak said.

The time they spent traveling gave Jig a chance to think. More than anything, he wanted to lie down and sleep for a week. A month would be better, but he’d settle for a week. That should be enough time for the aches and bruises to begin to heal. After that he wanted a real meal. A huge helping of stuffed lizard-fish, with those dumplings Golaka made from rats for dessert.

But thinking of home reminded him that, without the rod’s magic, Golaka’s cauldron would swiftly run dry. They could still manage. Probably. With Straum dead, there would be an influx of adventurers to prey upon. Enough to feed the entire lair? He hoped so.

Jig knew he was lying to himself. Barius would return, and he would bring an army to help him. They would march through the tunnels and kill anything that got in their way. They would gut Straum’s lair, and Jig wouldn’t put it past them to wipe out the goblins and the rest of the monsters out of sheer spite.