As Adrian fought his way through the horde of skeletons, he realized something was terribly wrong. No matter how many he cut down, they kept coming—relentlessly reassembling themselves.

One particularly determined skeleton, after having its skull lopped off, bent down, picked up its own head, and hurled it at Adrian like a projectile.

Adrian barely dodged, the skull whizzing past his ear and smashing into the wall behind him with a sickening thud. His heart pounded in his chest as more skeletons closed in on him, their rusted swords swinging with surprising force.

"Enough of this," Adrian growled, summoning his fiery chains. The heat radiating from his arms intensified as Medea's dark energy coursed through him, intertwining with the flames.

With a flick of his wrist, the chains shot forward, ensnaring two skeletons and yanking them to the ground. The impact shattered them into a pile of bones, but five more skeletons took their place as if they'd been waiting for their turn.

Adrian's frustration grew. It felt like he was being choked up here, trapped at the top of the staircase with no way out. His sword cut through the horde, but for every skeleton he destroyed, another seemed to rise, and their attacks grew more coordinated, as though they were learning.

"Time to change tactics," Adrian muttered, and in a sudden move, he shot his chains down to the ground. With a burst of fiery energy, they anchored into the stone, and Adrian used them to propel himself into the air, leaping over the skeletons entirely.

He soared high above them, landing at the base of the staircase in a roll to break his fall.

As he tumbled to the ground, something hard and cold slipped out of his cloak and clinked onto the stone floor. Adrian's breath caught as he turned to look.

It was the gold necklace—the one the goblins had slipped into his pocket earlier, stolen from the skeletons.

"Did those bastards set me up with this?" he muttered angrily, grabbing the necklace and holding it up. But before he could contemplate further, the skeletons that had been pursuing him turned, their hollow eyes fixing on the glinting piece of jewelry in his hand.

Adrian stood still, the realization dawning on him. "So this is what they've been after all along."

Testing his theory, he flung the necklace down the corridor, away from the staircase and himself. The skeletons charged after it, their bony feet scraping against the floor as they abandoned their attack on Adrian.

He leaped into the air again, just as the skeletons rushed past him, entirely focused on retrieving the necklace. As Adrian landed lightly on his feet, he watched in disbelief as one of the skeletons snatched up the gold chain.

Almost immediately, the other skeletons began to turn on it, fighting one another to take possession of the gleaming object.

"Well, that confirms it," Adrian said to himself, wiping the sweat from his brow.

He stood there for a moment, catching his breath as the clattering of bones and rusted swords filled the air, the skeletons tearing each other apart over the necklace.

Adrian exhaled in relief. With the immediate threat behind him, he turned to face the staircase ahead. "Now, what's my next step?" he asked aloud, gripping his sword tightly.

Just as he began to climb the stairs once more, a familiar cackling sound echoed through the passage. Adrian froze, his eyes narrowing. Pretending not to notice, he continued his ascent, but his senses were on high alert.

In his peripheral vision, he caught a glimpse of movement. A flash of gold.

Without hesitation, Adrian shot out one of his fiery chains, snaring the small, wiry creature hiding in the shadows. The goblin squeaked in alarm, flailing as it tried to free itself from the fiery grip.

As it struggled, several gold coins tumbled from its pockets, clinking onto the stone floor.

At the sound of the coins, three more goblins emerged from their hiding spots, their eyes wide with surprise. But before they could scurry away, Adrian's chains lashed out again, wrapping around their tiny bodies and pulling them toward him.

The goblins squirmed, their high-pitched voices squealing in protest. "Let us go! Let us go!" one of them cried, its long fingers scratching at the ground.

"Not until you start behaving," Adrian growled, tightening his grip on the chains. "And if you don't, I'll make sure you regret it."

The goblins immediately fell silent, their eyes wide with fear. They glanced at each other nervously, clearly aware that they were in no position to bargain.

Adrian narrowed his eyes, his voice low and dangerous. "Now, I want you to show me where the goddess is. No games, no tricks."

The goblins nodded furiously, their little heads bobbing up and down in unison. One of them, the ringleader from earlier, raised a trembling hand and pointed toward the far end of the hallway. "The goddess... she's that way. We'll take you there. We swear."

Adrian gave them a hard look, making sure they understood the gravity of the situation. "Lead the way. But if I sense even the slightest bit of deception, you'll wish you hadn't crossed me."

The goblins gulped, their previous mischief completely replaced by fear. They scurried ahead, leading Adrian through the dimly lit corridors. The journey was very quiet this time, the goblins keeping their heads low as they moved, clearly too terrified to try any tricks.

Adrian kept his eyes sharp, his fiery chains still flickering around him, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

As they walked, the air grew colder, and the walls seemed to close in, the stone damp and worn from centuries of neglect. The goblins led him deeper into the temple, down winding staircases and through narrow passageways, their eyes darting nervously with every step.

Finally, they stopped in front of a large, ornate door. The goblins huddled together, trembling as they gestured toward it.

"She's in there," one of them whispered, its voice barely audible. "The goddess herself."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.