Kidnapped to Another World

Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Site of the Goblin Invasion; Gnome Warren Entrance

By now it's a half a day later of careful traveling with occasional, minor skirmishes...

The dwarves are still with us. I don't think they want us to go. Having a mage on your team is lucky, even if I'm not a dwarf.

I fear we are trapped in the ruins of the gnome warrens. We've gotten feverishly worried about it now searching everywhere we could. We do think that we won't run out of air though, but only because the whole warren system is laced with special moss plants that eat carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen. There are also small air tubes that lead to the surface that are so small only rats can fit in them, though we don't have the exact locations of each since the gnomes hadn't shared that with us. I think they'd only shared that much information with us so we didn't start a panic, since it's not easy for humans to live underground.

It's also horrifically amazing how the darkness of the warrens make it so hard to move around even though we'd spent several weeks here already. That plus, the cave-ins had changed some of the other tunnel layouts. It felt confusing even going thirty feet from where we'd used to be. Wondering if any second a pack of goblins would come around a corner and being ready for them, and all that together made our progressive much slower than we'd anticipated.

Every shadow seemed magnified and now I understood why not just kids are afraid of the dark.

But we could still run out of food and water at the same time since we didn't know we were going on an expedition when we got up this morning.

Our previous knowledge of learning how to process what remains of the moss plants in the tunnel system into food is also incomplete. The gnomes didn't find a lot of humans interested in learning that process either.

Even though I have this fear I reassure the other two that we'll all be OK in the end.

"It's OK, I don't have to live in fear anymore now that I've decided to be honest with my feelings," Asakura said. She's holding my hand, while my other hand is holding the light out. I've got my weapons ready to go hanging from my belt.

She gives me another squeeze of encouragement while holding my hand. When she can it seems she keeps trying to do this.

Wow I can't believe this is real! Finally good things are happening in my life!

Even if we have troubles after this I feel happy being able to be with someone gorgeous like Asakura!

But I'm conflicted because instinctively I want to hold a weapon in one hand, but my choices are two out of three on holding the light, the weapon, and her hand. Naturally I'd want to hold her hand more than the other two options.

We probably won't run into goblins for a bit right? I have to seize this opportunity and be a man.

"Thanks."

"You two sure like to show off how wonderful your lives together have gotten all the sudden don't you," Rina said dourly, tagging along closely. Is that really Rina speaking? She really sounds grumpy today. Considering we're being invaded, it's probably to be expected. Grumpy is better than despair though I think to myself.

I also realize I'm becoming desensitized to violence. A month ago if this event had happened we'd all be freaking out. Somehow we're calmer than we should be, since we're getting used to how violent this world is.