Theonix didn't even bother checking what he had received as loot until he was a safe distance away from the gremlin underlings. A safe distance was where he couldn't hear their feet padding towards him anymore. He felt like a coward for fleeing, but that last battle had nearly cost him his life, and he wanted to be better prepared before he faced the enemy again.

You have received the following items:

Coal

Uses: Combustion Material

Sell Price: 7 Silver

Mine Water

Uses: Drink. Restores 90 Stamina over 90 Seconds

Sell Price: 1 Copper

Quest Update: You Know the Drill – 7 of 12 coal mined.

Mulling over everything that had happened during that last melee, Theonix walked at a leisurely pace. Screw the time. He kept feeling like he needed to hurry up, yet everything in The Realm seemed to be telling him to slow down. Theonix decided to take The Realm's cue.

What had gone wrong? Perhaps it had been attempting to use Stun in the first place. The few seconds it had taken to activate the ability had given the weaker gremlin underling a chance to attack. At the time, he had thought that disabling the stronger one should be his priority. Theonix hadn't even seen the other gremlin underling as a threat. And to be honest, it really hadn't been. Sure, it had evaded his first attack and dealt a little damage, but in the grand scheme of things, it had been relatively easy to kill.

His second attempt at stunning the stronger foe with Bash had been more successful. It had allowed him to finish off the weaker of the two. Taking that swing at the more powerful gremling underling as it was recovering was when everything really started to go to shit. No matter how Theonix spun it, he couldn't find the error in his battle strategy, only in his ignorance and bad luck. How could he have predicted that the gremlin underling would be able to make it back to its feet so quickly after it had rolled? Or that it would be able to cling to him with such strength?

The only mistake Theonix could see that was blatantly his was not immediately trying to pin the gremlin underling down by the wrists. Now that he thought about it, perhaps it would have been smarter to go for his Worn Battle Hammer. But with his back turned, the monster could have jumped onto him and slit his throat. No, he definitely didn't see a smooth end to that battle no matter what choice he had made.

Theonix walked until he came to another fork in the mine. This time, light streamed down both paths. Rygn must have stopped to fill both combustion boxes. That was a bit unlucky considering that Theonix now had no idea which way his uncle had gone.

"Just my luck," he grumbled under his breath, his eyes moving from left to right.

Moldings wrap and gremlins bite.

A good wench keeps ya up all night.

In tha rock, we like ta mine.

This choice will end up just fine.

Theonix chanted as he pointed to a different path for each syllable. It was a poem he had learned at a tavern while playing a drinking game, but he figured it would work just as well in this situation. By the end, his finger was leaning to the right.

“Guess this one’s it.” He took a deep breath, hoping he’d chosen the correct path.

About eight minutes in, Theonix heard a sound in the distance that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. At first, he had thought he had gone the right way. All had seemed clear. But now he was questioning himself. More than that, he was questioning if he should turn around.

Gremlins of some variety were coming. Theonix could avoid them by retreating, but that didn’t mean he’d be able to avoid the next batch that entered the mine. When he really thought about it, no direction was safe. Whether Theonix wanted to or not, he’d have to face them again eventually. Running now could lead to being caught between two groups of gremlins later. It wasn’t worth the risk. He needed to dwarf up and face the threat head-on.

Every mistake that Theonix had made raced through his mind as he readied his hammer and waited for his attackers to come into view. A quick check of his stats told him that he wasn’t quite battle-ready. Theonix set his hammer down and rested the handle against his knee, then dug into his bag for potions. Already, he felt like he had made a grave mistake by not being prepared.

By the time Theonix was able to double fist a Potion of Minor Stamina and a Potion of Minor Healing, the two gremlin underlings were in view and racing toward him. Shit. He still only had 110 Stamina. How could he have been such an idiot as to not think he'd engage in combat again before he reached his uncle? This was a noob mistake.

Tossing the empty vials aside before they had a chance to disintegrate, Theonix took back up his weapon. He was barely able to Analyze both gremlin underlings before they reached him. It was the same setup as before, with the weaker foe on his left and the equally matched one on his right.

The time wasted drinking the potions immediately put him at a disadvantage. Both gremlin underlings were on Theonix before he was able to ready his weapon. Instead, he had to use the handle to block against the stronger monster's incoming swing. The weaker foe flanked his left side, immediately swiping at him as soon as it was within range. Though not a talented jumper, Theonix was somehow able to dodge the blow with a quick leap to his right, putting both of his enemies in front of him again.

His heels dug into the dirt, and he used the momentum to lift his Worn Battle Hammer and swing it at a wide arch to the left. By some miracle, he caught the stronger foe off guard, hitting it on the side of the head and sending it flying into the other gremlin underling. Both monsters fell over, and Theonix wasn't about to let them right themselves again. Using Rupture and a powerful overhead swing, he tried to kill two birds with one stone. The gremlin underlings were stacked, though the weaker one's head was out of range. If he was able to hit hard enough, he might be able to damage its internal organs.

The stronger monster looked up just as the face of Theonix's hammer was descending on its skull. It made a feeble attempt to escape the blow, but blindly placing its hand on its comrade, the hand just rolled off, leaving it helpless. Theonix's weapon came down with a sickening thud, but not before the weaker of the two gremlin underlings was able to scramble out of the way. Well, mostly. Its left foot was caught under the weight of its friend's crashing head, and it screamed in agony as its bones were crushed.

Defeated Level 4 Gremlin Underling. 64XP rewarded.

Quest Update: Rid Ponoisle Mines of Gremlins – 11 of 12 Gremlins slain.

Theonix immediately pushed the notifications away and turned his attention to the gremlin underling that was busy forcing itself up onto its one good foot. It looked afraid, and that made Theonix's chest swell with confidence. He would show no mercy. This was his moment—the moment when he did everything right.

Letting out a victory cry, he put all of his weight into his next swing, pulling his hammer to the right with such force that the gremlin underling's body exploded when it hit the wall. The sack of now lifeless bones and flesh peeled off and fell, leaving a sizeable red splatter behind. Blood dripped down the wall, rejoining the corpse it had come from.

Defeated Level 3 Gremlin Underling. 48XP rewarded.

Quest Update: Rid Ponoisle Mines of Gremlins – 12 of 12 Gremlins slain.

Theonix's eyes danced from body to body, taking in the carnage around him. His chest heaved as he caught his breath. Perhaps he had been a bit overzealous again, but there had been no folly in it, so he wasn't going to chastise himself. For the first time ever, he had engaged in battle with two foes and come out on the other end without sustaining a single injury. It was an incredible feeling, especially when his opponents, combined, had been stronger than he was.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to celebrate. More footsteps could be heard in the distance, but these did not belong to gremlin whelps or underlings. Theonix could tell that these footsteps belonged to something much bigger.