Reincarnated as a random race, of course I got goblin.

Chapter 11 - Consequences

A few moments earlier
???'s POV

"Here it is! It's down here!" Safyr the Minars hollers down the hallway. Lentil of the Beast Folk is shouldering me as we hobble towards Safyr. Tersa the Human is taking rear guard. 
My name is Valena, an Ayvin. Just moments before, we were beset by rats. An abnormal amount of them, too. Just as I thought I'd die to them, something, someone, saved my life before running after the rats. 

Lentil wanted us to retreat, but Safyr has his Minars code to follow. Something about helping those that help others? I was still pretty out of it when he and Lentil were arguing. 
Tersa just wants to know what species of Monster it is. It breathes fire, casts healing magic, and apparently has an Unique Skill reserved for Goblin Shamans. But Goblins can't breathe fire, can they?

At this point I'm just along for the ride. 
As we make it to the top of the stairs, I catch a glimpse of the mystery Monster faltering. It's smacked to the ground by the Boss, before being enveloped by it. 
"Ah! It got it!" Safyr makes a motion to run down to help. "Stop you fool! It'll just swallow up you too!" Tersa is struggling to hold back the fuming Minars. 

"Wait, something is happening?" Lentil seems unsure. 
As we watch in horror, the Rat King seems to shrink rapidly, and a thick black-blue substance is slowly overtaking it.
"Viscous Body? Was that its plan all along? get close and then devour it?" Tersa is rummaging in her bag for her notebook. 

As the Rat King is no more, the mystery Monster reaches upwards towards something invisible in the middle of the room.
"What's it doing? Is there something there?" Safyr removes his goggles to get a better look in the dark. "Oh sweet Mother, it's going for the Heart!" He turns to us, white as a sheet. "ITS WHAT?"

Tersa grabs Safyrs hand and rushes down towards the Monster. "I'm sorry for this, Valena, this is gonna get bumpy." Lentil swoops me into a bridal hold and rushes down after the others. 
Why?
Simple.

If the Dungeon Heart ceases to be, the Dungeon ceases to be. Anything not close to the Heart at the time of its death will be killed as the Dungeon vanishes, the decay of hundreds of years making its mark all at once. 
It's incredibly risky, but it is a sanctioned method of Monster control. If a Dungeon appears in or near settled land, a specialized group of Hunters are sent to destroy it. 

We get as close to the mass as we dare, just as a blinding light envelops all. When I can finally see again, we're standing in a forest clearing, a few peculiarly shaped rocks all that remains of the Abandoned Keep. 

Before us lay the unconscious body of, uh. I'm not sure? It looks sort of like an Imp, but without the gem on its forehead, and it has wings. A Winged Imp? But its fur is too long and also the wrong color. 
Replacing his goggles, Safyr bends over and scoops it into his arms. Its limbs dangle limply at its side. "Did it survive?" Tersa walks over to investigate it. "Its still breathing, but it seems to be afflicted with a Curse and multiple Witherings."
"What do we do with it? It's clearly an EXRare or Unique, I've never seen anything like it." Lentil sets me down. Although the Monster healed me, I'm still covered in wounds, and rough movements make them open up and bleed.

"We take it with us. It's gonna die if we leave it, and we owe it our lives." Safyr states. Minars are proud people who live by strict codes of honor. He stares at Lentil with a challenging glare in his eyes. Lentil shrugs. "If you carry it, fine. We should still be able to make it out of here in time."

"Well then, lets not tarry." Safyr gives a satisfied huff before shifting the monster into a better position and walking ahead. Tersa takes over shouldering me for a bit. Slowly, we make our way back onto the road where our carriage waits. The Hornhest at the front gives a delighted whinny as she sees us.