The cold breeze in the chamber sent a shiver down Adrian's spine, and as he scanned the room filled with endless gold, a voice broke the silence.

"Well, well, well… what have we here?"

Adrian froze, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword. His eyes darted around the room, searching for the source of the voice.

Suddenly, from the shadows, a small figure emerged—a goblin, no taller than his waist. Its wiry body shimmered like worn gold coins, its pointed ears twitching as it regarded him with a sly grin.

Its hair was a tangled mess of copper wire, and its long fingers danced over a nearby pile of treasure as though savoring its texture.

"Here for the riches, are we?" the goblin asked in a high-pitched voice that was full of mischief.

Before Adrian could respond, more goblins appeared from behind the piles of gold, their small eyes gleaming with avarice. They moved like shadows, their nimble fingers brushing over the treasures, and their laughter echoed in the room like the clinking of coins.

"No, I'm not here for riches," Adrian said firmly, his voice steady despite the strange creatures surrounding him. "I'm here to find the goddess of this temple."

The goblin closest to him chuckled, its long fingers plucking a golden crown from a nearby chest. "Oh, the goddess, eh? We know where she's resting," it said, placing the crown on Adrian's head without asking. "But why meet her when you could have this?" It cackled, the other goblins joining in, their laughter spreading like wildfire.

Adrian quickly removed the crown, tossing it aside. "I'm not interested in treasure."

"Not interested?" another goblin squealed, sliding up to him with a dazzling gold necklace in its hands. It draped the necklace over Adrian's shoulders, its eyes twinkling with excitement. "Everyone's interested in treasure! You're in Ava's temple, after all. It's what she's all about!"

Adrian batted the necklace away. "I said no."

The goblins, however, were relentless. One handed him a jeweled goblet, while another dangled a golden bracelet in front of his face. "You don't like gold?" one of them asked, genuinely perplexed. "Or maybe you're after something a bit more… precious."

Another goblin produced a shimmering gemstone the size of Adrian's fist, its surface gleaming with a hypnotic glow.

Adrian clenched his fists, his patience wearing thin. "Enough," he said sharply. "Are you going to show me the way, or are you just going to keep showing me trinkets?"

The goblins stopped in their tracks, blinking up at him as if they'd forgotten their original purpose. "Oh, alright, alright," the first goblin said with a wave of its hand, "if you insist."

They clambered onto Adrian, one hopping onto his shoulder, another onto his head, and yet another wrapping itself around his arm. "This way, this way!" they chimed in unison, pointing toward a dark passage at the far end of the room.

Their high-pitched voices overlapped as they gave him directions, though each seemed more interested in distracting him than guiding him properly.

As they journeyed through the winding corridors, the goblins chattered endlessly, their voices buzzing like flies in Adrian's ears.

"So, what would you do with all this gold?" one asked, its sharp teeth flashing in the dim light. "Buy a castle, perhaps? Or maybe a whole kingdom?"

Adrian didn't answer, focusing on navigating the increasingly convoluted hallways.

Another goblin leaned close to his ear, its breath hot against his skin. "Or maybe you're after something more… tempting. A goddess, perhaps?"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "I'm not here for riches or power. I'm here for answers."

The goblins giggled as though he'd just told the funniest joke. "Answers? In Ava's temple? Oh, you poor, silly human."

They reached the base of a grand staircase, its marble steps leading upward to a set of twin passages—one to the left, one to the right. The goblin on Adrian's head tapped its tiny hand against his temple. "To the right, to the right! That's where you'll find her."

Adrian, trusting them for lack of better options, took the right passage. They walked for a few minutes before Adrian found himself back at the base of the same staircase.

"What the—" Adrian stopped, staring in disbelief at the familiar steps. "We're back where we started."

The goblins looked undisturbed, even amused. "Oopsie! Our mistake. Let's try the left this time!" one said with a mischievous grin.

With a sigh, Adrian turned left, walking down a long, dark corridor that seemed to stretch on forever. But after several minutes, they were, once again, back at the base of the staircase.

Adrian groaned. "Do you goblins even know where you're going?"

The goblins erupted in laughter. "Of course we do! We know these halls like the back of our greedy little hands!"

Adrian stood at the base of the staircase, frustration gnawing at him as the mischievous goblins clambered over him, chattering and pointing in every direction. The small, wiry creatures with their pointed ears and tangled copper-like hair seemed to delight in confusing him.

Their gleaming eyes sparkled with mischief, as if guiding him through the temple was merely a game to them.

"Maybe the left this time?" one of the goblins suggested, dangling from Adrian's arm.

"No, no! Right's the way," another chittered, climbing onto Adrian's shoulder, pointing ahead as if the temple's twisting passages were a mere maze they could navigate on a whim.

Adrian sighed, rubbing his temples. "Can you lot just pick a direction that doesn't lead me back to the same damn staircase?"

"Patience, patience," one of the goblins cooed, as it leaped onto his back, its long fingers brushing against Adrian's pouch in what seemed like a casual motion.

Adrian, too focused on figuring out which way to go, didn't notice the goblin sneakily slipping his pouch from his belt.

As they continued down the path to the right, the goblins led him deeper into the temple. The walls around them grew darker, the air colder, and the eerie silence hung in the air like a blanket. Suddenly, one of the goblins stopped, its eyes gleaming with excitement as it pointed ahead.

"Look!" it whispered, pointing in a direction.

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