Chapter 1: The Tunnels

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…had I killed the bastard that day, none of this would be happening. I curse and curse again the day I called him brother, for had I not done that, I could have forced my hand to smother his life. Now my doubt has condemned us all, condemned the Empire and condemned the world…

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“Spears in front.” Attalus commanded and five legionnaires left their squad and stepped ahead, wielding their weapons. The youngsters tried to stay focused, but it was impossible in their current situation, and their twisting and grimacing faces gave away their thoughts, to Attalus’ amusement and disappointment.

He had been lecturing them for the best part of two months and most of them still could not maintain the proper conduct of a legionnaire, though it was good to see the brats get a good taste of a dirty situation.

He still resented that his father put him in charge of their training, saying that it was part of his duty. Screw that. Because of them he had been away from a real fight for two whole months. At this rate he would not be able to gather enough funds to participate in the next demon hunting in Liberwell’s dungeon. What a waste of time. He thought.

They turned around the corner and the way forward was cut off by an old cave in, foul water flowed through the gaps in the debris, But they found what they came for.

“Quick, bitch. It hurts, bitch. Fast.” Under the light of a crooked candle, they saw the fleeing hobgoblin smacking the head of two goblins that did their utmost to bandage its wounds. Nearby were other two goblins fidgeting their feet and holding their heads in worry.

“Yes, boss.” A goblin bowed constantly after it finished wrapping a dirty cloth around its boss’ arm—a poor job it was.

Attalus mood improved and he grinned, letting out a laugh that alerted the demons. He dashed forward with his weapon drawn and and slashed at the surprised hobgoblin.

The greenish creature picked its rusty hatchet to block the swift sword, but only managed to deflect it to its shoulder. The hobgoblin squealed and fell on his rear trying to step back.

Attalus clicked his tongue and took another step forward. With a quick motion of his arm, the hobgoblin’s head flew off and its lifeless body slumped on the dirty ground, spurting purplish blood.

He grunted and his grin vanished. “Disappointing.” His mood soured.

The other goblins flinched back and picked their weapons after seeing their boss die. Their weapons trembled under the glare of the fierce human and they pushed each other forward trying not to be the next headless goblin.

“Finish them.” Attalus sheathed his weapon and went behind the legionnaires. The goblins didn’t try to stop him.

The young legionnaires stepped forward, their spears pointing at the cowering goblins. Though the goblins were not the only ones shivering in fear. The five youngsters held their spears a bit too far away from their bodies to keep the goblins at bay and fidgeted their fingers so much that it looked like the spears were musical instruments rather than weapons.

“For gods’ sake.” Attalus rolled his eyes. “Their weapons wouldn’t cut even an apple, let alone five fully armored snobby mommy boys. Get moving on or you‘ll fight weaponless next time.”

The five young legionnaires looked at each other for a moment—a fatal mistake against foes fighting for their lives, Attalus thought—and breathed deeply. Slowly, they advanced while poking at the four goblins holding their rusty hatchets and daggers in a futile attempt of resistance. The goblins kept on retreating until they knocked their backs against the wall of debris and could not retreat any further.

“Go.” They heard their captain yell from behind and they lunged their weapons at the goblins at the same time, as practiced during the drills.

In an instant the four goblins had one or two new seeping holes on their torsos and the legionnaires quickly retreated their weapons and thrust them again to try to make more holes in them.

Two goblins got two new holes, one of them through its neck, while the other two blocked the oncoming spears and charged in a maddened rush towards two of the young legionnaires.

The two stepped back to avoid the green vermin and struck with the pole of their spears trying to make them stop, which never occurred.

The other three legionnaires also threw scared slashes at the goblins, but none of them connected properly and while in pain, the two goblins got close enough to hit the two young legionnaires squarely on their chests. But as their captain said, their weapons wouldn’t cut through their armors any time soon.

The pair let out trembling grunts and two arrows came flying from behind them, injuring the goblins and making them stop, giving enough time for the other three legionnaires to desperately stab to death the three remaining goblins.

“That was sad.” Attalus shook his head. “That bunch were one of the most malnourished goblins I’ve ever seen and they got two of you? Imagine that they held proper weapons that could cut through the legionnaire armor, what then? We’d probably have two dead nobles to bring back to their families in disgrace.

“But cap-” One of the two who were struck tried to defend himself but was cut off before he could continue.

“I don’t want your lousy excuses, I want you to get moving and butcher the crystals off the dead goblins. Now.”

“Yes, captain.” The young legionnaires answered through their teeth. Cutting open the dead dirty demons was not something they were particularly fond of. Even less when they had no idea where the crystals were and had to cut the goblins all around their bodies.

“Only you two will do it this time.” Attalus looked at legionnaires who were struck. “The others at least did a somewhat proper job, especially you Bellamy,” He turned his gaze to the legionnaire that killed the first goblin. “Nice job.” He nodded at him.

“Thanks captain.” The young legionnaire struck his chest with his right fist and said with enthusiasm.

“Not so loud. We don’t want to attract too many demons at once.”

“Yes captain.” Bellamy said with the same enthusiasm but in a lower voice.

“Boot-licker.” One of the two tasked with the goblin butchering muttered under his breath, but only when their captain had walked far enough.

Bellamy managed to hear it, but decided to ignore the resentful comment and followed the captain and the rest of the group.

After a short rest Attalus continued leading his group of recruits, making them fight against all the small groups of goblin they encountered, and as the number of goblins grew, he eventually made the two whole squads of legionnaires join the fray. After the wake up call from the first fight, they young legionnaires committed no mistakes—at least not big ones—and thankfully for them, no hobgoblin or other similar creature appeared to mess things up for a while.

They spent the best part of an hour wiping small parties of goblins until the next complication appeared.

“Pinkfaces!” A goblin hidden behind a small pile of rubble sprang up from his hiding place and darted towards the dark corridors, turning around a corner just in time to avoid an arrow flying towards its back. He kept screaming ‘Pinkfaces’ continuously, the echoes sounding for a long time.

“Get in formation, quickly. Shields up. Prepare the bows.” Attalus said. “We don’t know what’s coming.” He drew his sword and stood in front of his men. He doubted that they could handle the full impact of anything stronger than a goblin.

The young legionnaires spent the next few minutes in a tortuous calm waiting for the enemy, while Attalus set his gaze on the corridor like a predator waiting for its prey, his heart beating faster by the minute and exploding to a frenzied beat when he heard a multitude of steps approaching from the darkness.

A group of over thirty goblins came charging at them from around the corner, with two of the hugest hobgoblins Attalus had ever seen leading from the front. The pair were as tall as a small man and broad with muscles and fat. They looked more like a pair of miniature orcs.

Attalus raised his arm while giving orders to his legionnaires and pointed his bracelet at the two hobgoblins.

Hobgoblin | Combatant | Danger: 2

【Level 18】

Hobgoblin | Combatant | Danger: 2

【Level 19】

So that’s why they were so huge. They were almost at the level limit of their species and probably about to evolve into orcs. Attalus could handle an orc—even two if he incurred some loss—but the two hobgoblins with their band of goblins were twice as dangerous as any pair of normal orcs. With how many goblins accompanied them, he knew he’d eventually get tired from repelling their weak attacks and his ability to quickly finish the hobgoblins would diminish.

If that was not enough, instead of fighting alongside his regular companions, he had to look after these noble recruits. He didn't even bother to call them legionnaires anymore. He was mad at their weakness and at his own stupidity for letting the situation get to that point.

He didn't know at what moment he forgot the most basic teachings of the instructors at the academy. You can count with a single hand the things more important than scouting ahead in unknown places, they always said, and he always nodded seriously, promising to not get overconfident. Which, incidentally, was one of the few things more important than scouting, and also what drove him to the current situation.

He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath to clear his head. It was not the moment for self-reflection. He had to get them all out and alive of that place—in a single piece if possible.

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“Quick.” Kancil whispered as they rushed towards their hiding spot. He just saw how Gurgh and Geth’s band began to gather like crazy just a moment after they were on their way out of their territory.

He and the others had been stealing from them for weeks without getting caught and only a few close calls. The pair of bosses were extremely stupid in comparison to the bosses of other territories and maintained a loose security around their supplies, but it seemed that they were not so stupid as to not realize eventually that the missing food could not always be their minion’s doing.

Since the group had been reduced to only the four of them their scavenging and stealing trips had been more successful than ever, but he was not happy about it. Just as the others died, it would be their turn eventually.

He always wondered why he still lived, why did he have to endure such a tortuous life when ending it himself would end all the pain. Others had done it before, and as far as he knew, it went well for them. Their pain had stopped at the very least. But no matter how often he thought about killing himself, he never even tried. The thirst for revenge fueled his determination to keep living.

There were people outside that owed him dearly, and he refused to die without making them pay. He also had the recurring feeling that he couldn’t die there, that there was a greater purpose waiting for him.

It would be for the best if he finds out that purpose quickly, because after being discovered by Gurgh and Geth, it would be hard to find another safe food source. They probably wont last more than a week with the little food they managed to steal this time—assuming that they are not found out before escaping.

They turned around the corner and Kancil stopped to push the others behind a big piece of crumbled wall. The splashing sound of hurried footsteps resounded through the corridor ahead of them and began to grow louder and closer. Kancil’s heart began to beat like crazy and his back quivered. No matter how long he had been living such life, it was hard to face life-threatening dangers and not get scared, but he had to gather his wits and think of something.

He brought his face closer to his companions and nudged each one slightly on the arm to get their attention and see if any of them had an idea, but their faces said everything for them.

Miles breathed heavily and his eyes darted everywhere, looking for a solution, yet finding none.

Tim had the same reaction as Miles save for looking around for a solution. He just looked down while gripping his tattered trousers.

Ravi on the other side, reacted differently. He leaned his back to the walls and closed his eyes, his breath almost steady. He had given up and was ready to die.

Kancil couldn’t blame him. He had seen his father take his own life and leave him and his sister alone. He had also seen his sister dying with a spear impaling her through her back. It had been two months since then and Ravi only resisted following his father’s steps thanks to the others’ encouragement, but even that could not reassure him in such a situation.

Kancil gritted his teeth and began to get up. He tightened his grip on his shabby spear, making the pain he had been ignoring to flare up, and prepared himself to rush at the coming enemy.

“Wait.” Miles grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his knees. “Listen.” He whispered to his ear, his voice almost inaudible.

“Fuck. Couldn't finish my shit. What do the bosses want?” A distant and slightly shrill voice said.

“I told you, I not know.” Another similar voice answered and a small thud sounded. Probably the owner of the second voice hitting the owner of the first. A groan followed the sound, confirming Kancil’s guess.

Kancil and Miles looked at each other and nodded. They drew closer to the others and huddled against the wall and the rubble, making their bodies as small as they could and containing their breaths.

“W-” Tim tried to ask about what was happening, but Miles and Kancil had their hands over his mouth before he could even try and shoved his head down.

Ravi continued leaning on the wall, oblivious of what was happening all the time.

The four waited in silence as the footsteps’ splash drew closer, fearing that even their heartbeats would give away their position, but the dreaded situation never came. The pair passed by them complaining and making a ruckus, probably didn’t even care about their surroundings—a common trait of Gurgh and Geth’s minions.

They maintained the same position for a good two or three minutes, not daring to even move a little, though Tim’s trembling could be counted as moving. Kancil and Miles looked at each other and exhaled a sigh of relief at the same time, both bringing their hands to the mouth right after. It seemed that the band’s gathering was not because of them, or at least the pair of minions didn’t know about it. Either way, it was best not to tempt fate too much.

They quickly got up and went on their way, but not without having to pull the oblivious Ravi up. He seemed like he didn't even notice the arrow they just avoided. Soon he gathered his thoughts together and his eyes sparkled a little when he realized that he was alive and away from any visible danger.

“Quick.” Miles pulled his arm.

The ran through the borders of the corridor, trying to avoid stepping on the foul water running on the ground and make any unnecessary sound. After a few turns and squeezes through gaps in blocked corridors, they arrived at an innocuous and dark corner, where no kind of light reached and nothing stood out.

The four released a deep sigh and looked at each other for a moment, then began to laugh boisterously, their voice echoing everywhere. They had been hiding in that place for the same time as they’ve been stealing from Gurgh and Geth and they had never seen a single soul get close to them. Even the sound of gruesome fights barely reached. They were safe.

The laughters didn’t last long. The fear hit them hard and made them plummet to their rears.

“T-that was close.” Tim said, his voice threatening to crack up.

“Don’t count your chickens just yet.” Ravi said. “They might have send someone to follow us. For all we know I could be saying my last words right now.”

Miles glared at Ravi and clicked his tongue. “Don’t be a jinx. Not all of us want to die.”

“Y-you saw me.” Ravi blushed, fortunate that none of them could enhance their eyes enough to see it.

“It’s hard not to see a crazy guy trying to doze off in such danger.”

“Sorry,” Ravi looked down. “I know I promised it, but I was sure we’d…”

“Doesn’t matter.” Kancil spoke up. “What’s important is that we earned a good meal.” He smiled and raised the bag he had been carrying all the time. “Miles, could you bring the plates?”

“Why don’t ya’ go yourself?” He said and then chuckled. “Never mind, you’d probably trip and dirty the food—more than it is.” He punched Kancil lightly in the arm and got up to grab the plates.

He went to the farthest corner on the corridor, where a big crack was. It was almost as tall as him and just wide enough to squeeze his body in. He entered the crack and reappeared just a minute after, holding a few wooden plates and cups.

Kancil took a waterskin and dripped a little bit of water on each plate and cup to clean them.

“Stop that. I think we’ve already eaten all the dirty things around here.” Miles said. “More importantly, open the bag. Let’s see what’s our harvest this time.”

“OK, just let me finish this.” He wiped the last plate and then began to empty the bag.

The four ‘feasted’ until they were full—a feeling that they had almost forgotten—and slowly the mood drifted to the usual stillness they had gotten used to, but it did not last as long as usually.

Almost an hour after finishing their ‘feast’ they began to hear the faint echoes of a distant fight that traveled through the twisting tunnels to their safe corner. The four sprung up to attention when the sound did not stop and instead began to grow louder.

They maintained a solemn silence to focus on the possible danger. All they could hear through the trickling sound of flowing water and the constant rhythm of falling droplets were unintelligible shouts, voices and clashes of metal. For some time they listened with simple curiosity. They’d heard similar commotions in the past and learned that it was not worth it to worry too much about it. The fights never got too close to them to rightfully earn their fear.

Though they tried to keep calm, soon the tension began to grow. The commotion had lasted at least twice than the longest they had heard and soon it grew louder than ever before. They guessed that its cause was the sudden gathering of Gurgh and Geth’s forces, but why they maintained such a fierce fight and why did it got so close to them, they didn't know.

“Argh.” Tim exclaimed when a tremor shook the tunnel.

“Fuck.” Miles cursed and ran towards the crack on the wall, Ravi behind him. Kancil tried to follow them but stopped when he almost tripped on a protrusion in the ground. It would only be a nuisance if he tripped and hurt himself further. He had learned it the hard way. He decided to stop and wait until Miles and Ravi came back.

Meanwhile, Tim stood motionless, flinching each time another tremor ran through the tunnels. He had seen people—close people—die when the ceiling crumbled because some of the mighty creatures that inhabited the tunnels decided that it was worth it to endanger collapsing the whole place due to some territory squabble.

Among the infinity of things in those tunnels that could kill him, dying crushed under debris was one of the worst. The simple thought of dying slowly while having each and every bone crushed made him shiver.

“A little help here.” Kancil called out and made Tim react.

Kancil held the bag with the food and waved it around. Tim approached him and took it.

“Thanks.” Kancil said.

“Alright, let’s get the fuck out.” Miles and Ravi returned from the cracked wall with two bags slung over their shoulders.

“Help me to the wall.” Kancil said while waving his arms around, trying to grab any of them.

Ravi walked up to him and guided him. Telling him where to step

When they were out of their ‘safe corner’ they broke out in a cold sweat. The commotion began to grow louder and they could begin to distinguish the different kind of voices. A bad sign. There were two walls of rubble until the closest main tunnel and they needed to get there before the fight got too close if they hoped to escape the situation.

Kancil moved with Ravi’s help until they passed one more wall of debris, where he could begin to see thanks to the dim light produced by the light runes engraved on the ceiling. Though the runes’ mana was almost depleted, at least they still produced enough light so the tunnels were not covered in total darkness.

They kept running, tension growing, hoping to make it to the main tunnel at time, but slowly coming to the realization that it might not be possible.

They could hear the so familiar voices of Gurgh and Geth resounding through the tunnels, snarling and insulting whoever or whatever they fought with. Even when the pair liked to beat and insult their minions, they never heard them speak with voices so full of hatred and anger. If they were caught by the two bosses or whatever could draw out such emotions from the nasty pair, it would be the end for the four of them.

They ran even when their chests burned, ignoring most of the corridors they passed by and following the familiar path. Soon they reached the last wall of rubble before the main tunnel. They could still hear very closely the commotion, but the sound did not grow any closer. The fight might have continued through one of the nearby tunnels, maybe they could make it out of the situation. Hope began to grow in the four’s chests.

However, hope was crushed just as quickly as it grew.