It was impossible to tell what time it was as the mist was even thicker over the swamp than over the rest of the isle. Skharr hefted his bow again before he focused his attention on the path they would have to follow.
At least it was straight as if even the people who had built it were afraid of getting lost in the bog. He held his bow a little tighter and retained an arrow in hand and ready to draw at the slightest provocation.
Even so, it didn't seem as though they would need it. The lizardfolk had committed whatever forces they had to the first attack, and if the others had only now begun to converge on their location, it gave the two of them the chance to continue toward their destination.
A short while later, Skharr noticed something rising ahead of them through the mist. It resembled a large mound like the kind the folk in the north used as a burial ground for their dead kings.
The closer they got, the larger it seemed to get. The ground rose as well and moved them out of the bog and directly to the entrance in the side of the mound, which was about the size of a hill at this point.
"I've never been to a dungeon," Brahgen commented as they approached the darkened doorway. "And yet, oddly enough, that is exactly what I pictured one would look like."
"There was one that looked like a castle built directly into the side of the mountain," Skharr told him, raised his bow, and aimed an arrow at the door, expecting something to come through it out of the darkness.
When nothing did, he scowled deeply. It felt almost like it had been a little too easy.
"Is that what they usually look like?" the dwarf insisted.
"No. One was a tower that appeared out of thin air. Another was buried in the ground, hidden by tunnels and protected by a dragon. I’ve seen a temple as well. There was even one that was merely a trapdoor into the earth, although it had already been cleared for the most part when we reached it."
Still, the boy’s assumption was understandable. It was more or less what one might expect a dungeon to look like if all he'd heard about them were stories and legends.
"Well, there’s no point in simply standing here while we wait for something to happen," Skharr muttered. "We might as well find out what awaits us inside."
It was clear that nothing would emerge from the dungeon to attack them and as they had taken the contract, they would need to act. It occurred to him that he had accepted it without discussing the matter with the dwarf. Brahgen had essentially joined him by default, although he likely needed the coin as well. Starting a new life was not a cheap endeavor.
He moved into the darkened door, took a torch from his pack, and handed it to his companion. The youth was keen enough to know it was his job to light it to illuminate their progress through the darkened tunnel that led them unmistakably downward.
How the original creators had managed to make the dungeon without having it flooded by the swamp all around them was a question he felt needed asking. At the same time, he was reminded of how powerful the hags were to use their magic to keep the fog in place and the water from seeping in through the tunnels and this, in turn, begged the question of exactly what they were capable of when pushed.
Skharr was certain that they knew they were there and could harass them at any moment. Why they hadn't mounted a greater resistance to their arrival nagged at the back of his mind, but they wouldn’t learn anything if they lingered in the swamp, where more of the lizards would inevitably find them.
They pushed in deeper and the tunnels began to resemble what Skharr had seen in other dungeons. Instead of merely a passage dug into the ground, the stone around them displayed signs of skilled craftsmanship. Most of the figurines and other carved details on the walls were gone, corroded or worn away, but the evidence of the craftsmanship was still there.
Before too long, he raised his hand, drew a deep breath, and pointed at the torch. Brahgen shook his head.
"Put the light out," the barbarian whispered. "I can smell more of the creatures ahead."
It was interesting that the dwarf hastened to do as he was told and didn’t even question how he could smell the lizardfolk. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have, but the deeper they walked into the subterranean stronghold, the less he'd smelled of the bog they'd left behind.
A waft of swamp stench had caught him when he least expected it and intimated beyond a doubt that the monsters lurked somewhere ahead of them. The tunnel was plunged into absolute darkness, and Skharr could hear Brahgen inching forward using the wall to guide himself. He had good instincts but so did most dwarves when they were underground.
It wasn't long, however, until fumbling through the darkness was no longer necessary. Lights flickered in the distance, which told him that fires had been lit. The dwarf saw them too and they both proceeded down the narrow tunnel at a slower pace, careful to not make a sound.
Soft screeches and growls issued from inside a chamber that opened out from the tunnel they had traversed. As expected, numerous campfires burned inside and small rivulets of murky water ran through the area.
At least a dozen of the creatures were gathered in circles around the fires while they cooked food and chattered amongst themselves. It didn't look like they lived in the area or at least hadn’t for long. If Skharr had to guess, he would have said that this was a guard camp with soldiers stationed there to protect something.
He had a feeling he knew what they were guarding and adjusted his bow to ready it for use. The beasts didn't look like they expected any kind of attack and if he intended to do so, now was the time.
"All right," the barbarian whispered and hunkered close to his companion to make sure he could hear him. "You hide under those rocks and stay low and out of sight. I can eliminate a few of them with my bow and when the rest rush, wait for them to focus on me and attack them from behind, understood?"
Brahgen's eyes were wide but he nodded and carefully and skillfully maneuvered himself to a small group of rocks. There was always the possibility that the monsters would be able to attack him there, of course, and it would be up to the large warrior to defend him and give him time to retreat.
Risks were being taken by both of them at this point.
Skharr nodded and tried to convince himself that his plan was a good one. Tactical decisions would always be second-guessed and not least by those who made the decisions, but in the end, there wasn't much even a brilliant tactician could do with an army of two.
His first task was to lower his pack without making any noise and he followed this by placing his sheathed sword carefully on the floor in front of him with the quiver next to it. He then took five arrows from the quiver and placed them carefully within reach at his feet. With three more held in his free hand, he drew a deep breath and selected his targets. There would be no time for him to choose when the fighting started.
He took a few seconds to estimate where the monsters would move to after his first shot before he placed one of the arrows to the string, drew it slowly and carefully, and watched the creatures intently for any sign that they'd heard him.
There was none, fortunately, and he focused on a target farther away and closer to the fires. It appeared to be tasting what must surely be a massive swamp rat being cooked over the open flames.
It stood about twenty paces away. While it wasn’t the longest shot he would ever take, Skharr knew that speed would have to complement accuracy in this.