The climb to the mines' upper levels was easier than before. After the lower levels were cleared, the rusty old ladders had been replaced with new ones, to allow the mercenaries to haul up the ore they mined.
Still, only a few mercenaries could make their way up at a time. And so, when Captain Kaleesh and his commanders emerged from the mineshaft, the soldiers who guarded the tunnels did not immediately realize what was happening.
"Where's your ore?" one of them barked. Yet a moment later, his eyes went wide when he recognized the captain. "What are you doing here?!"
The captain did not reply. Instead, he walked toward the group of soldiers, a slight spring in his step as he approached them.
There were half a dozen soldiers, each of them carrying a sword and wearing armor. But even so, they hesitantly stepped backward at the captain's casual approach.
