The sun rose over the mine where the minerals were being extracted, casting a golden glow over the rugged landscape. This place, christened the Iron Mountain, was a hive of activity, with miners working tirelessly to extract precious ores. Among them was a Gorgon,Thorne, a seasoned miner with a heart as pure as the mineral he mined. Today, however, was special. His daughter, Lyra, was visiting the mine for the first time she carried with her a basket of food her mother had prepared for them.
Lyra clung to her father's arm, excitement radiating from her. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and wonder as she took in the sights and sounds of the bustling mine. "Papa, this place is amazing!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with awe as the approached the mine.
Thorne smiled warmly at his daughter.
"Stay close, Lyra. It's not safe for children here," he cautioned, his voice gentle but firm.
Lyra stood in front of him and pouted
" I'm 14 papa I'm not a child."
Thorne just laughed.
" I know little one. But you still aren't old enough to be considered an adult. Don't worry youll grow up to be a beautiful young lady. Now I know how adventurous you are. Promise me you won't stray too deep into the tunnels" Thorne said.
"I promise, Papa! Mother said I could come as long as I don't stray too far." Lyra replied with a smile.
Thorne chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Very well. But remember, this is serious work. We have to be careful."
Unbeknownst to them, a sinister force was lurking in the shadows. A group of hobgoblins had infiltrated the mine, taking out the guards and capturing hostages. Their leader, a swift and cunning female Ogre ,Neph, had carried out the attack under Krone 's order which she did with ruthless precision. She had long black horns with a single mark going under the left hor over her eye.Her status as an ogre ment that she was a noble among the race. She however joined Decorum believing that this was the only way to do away with the class system within their racial society.
Thorne ventured deeper into the mine leaving his daughter at the entrance to wait for him
" I'll be back in a bit" he said as he moved with some others to complete his shift.
" Your daughters a cutie" one orc said.
" Why don't you give her to me" said another Sharpling.
" No no she belongs with a handsome man like me." Said a gnome.
" Aren't you a tad too short?" Thorne said. They all burst out laughing at the gnome who wasn't amused at having his height teased . Lyra sat quitely for a whilebut she got curious and ventured into the mine. She was in awe at the many crystals embedded in the walls. A particular one that emmited a soft blue glow caught her attention. She looked up at it and say a cart. Pushing the cart under it,she climbed up and grabbed it trying to pull it out if the wall.
A sudden blast shook the ground just as she managed to pull out the gem and she fell. The walls trembled, and dust filled the air.
Lyra's eyes widened in fear. "Papa" she cried stunned as she heard shouting and people running in confusion. Driven by a mix of fear and determination, ran toward the commotion. She had to see if her father was safe.
Meanwhile, outside the mine, Rey and Eden were returning from a grueling training session. Rey as usual looked beat and was complaining that his muscles ached and about how hard today's training was.As they walked, they felt the ground tremble and saw a cloud of smoke coming from the mine.
Eden's expression turned grave.
"You handle this while I go inform master Kojo," he said firmly.
Rey panicked. "But Eden, I—"
Eden's voice was unwavering. "You should be able to handle at least this much"
He vanished before Rey could interject.
Rey took a deep breath, steeling himself for the battle ahead. He sprinted into the mine, using his new technique, Velocitas. It was a technique he'd crafted from his lightning magic as an imitation of Kojo's Quicksilver . He encountered groups of hobgoblins guarding the entrance . He took them out with a blast of elecy. He walked through the tunnels,being careful to not draw any attention to himself.
He found the some hostages.
" Hey human." A hobgoblin called out to him.
Rey charged forward, his sword flashing in the dim light. The hobgoblins stumbled back, caught off guard. "Go!" Rey shouted to the miners. "Get out of here!"
The Miners scrambled to get away.
The other hobgoblins appeared drawn by the impact caused by Rey's clash.
A hobgoblin lunged with its spear. Rey dodged to the side and countered with a powerful punch, sending the hobgoblin crashing through a wall.
Another hobgoblin attacked with a flaming dagger. Rey deflected the blow and struck back with a swift knife-hand strike, taking down the hobgoblin. The spear wielder lunged forward and blew huge breath of fire at him. Rey used the goblin he'd just disarmed as a shield and ran into the fire breather stabbing both of them through the first one and throwing them through a wall with a swing which he used to pull his sword from thier bodies.
A third hobgoblin leapt onto Rey's back. Rey expertly threw it off, using his training. The Goblin tried to swipe Rey's feet but Rey struck,cutting of his right hand then stomping his head into the ground.
.Another hobgoblin swung its club which struck Rey sending him through a three wall. He then jumped raining the club over his head and aiming for Rey's head. Rey appeared to glitch, disappearing and appearing beside the Goblin in midair and countered with a roundhouse kick to the back of the neck. He heard bone crack, as the goblin crashed into the lower floors.
The miners scrambled to escape. More hobgoblins attacked, but Rey dodged and weaved between them, his sword slicing through the air. Rey realized that he had the upper hand in terms of power but they had the numbers advantage and wer in sync which posed some problem. He battles all through the mine causing the mine to shake and its tunnels to collapse.
Lyra, who had been hiding nearby, shrieked in terror as debris rained down around her.
Rey stood among the downed bodies of goblins all around him. Suddenly a blast of intense heat hit him from the side sending him through the mountain to the lowest floor,the hall were the Oil was discovered. Rey rose to one knee and spat blood. His left arm had been burned due to the heat. He watched as a female Goblin landed Infront of him from the hole he'd been blasted through which was spilling molten rock all over.
" That's quite the entrance." Rey said getting to his feet and taking his sword.
" I'm guessing you must be the brain behind this whole operation?"
"You think you can defeat me?" Neph sneered.
" Should we find out." Rey replied as the two lunged at each other,Reys sword clashing with her dual blades.
Lyra found her father trapped under a massive rock.
" Papa!" She rushed to him.
" Lyra." He said weakly." You need to get out of here."
" I'm not leaving you." Lyra said tearfully as she tried in vain to lift the heavy rock. She hadn't yet awakened the full power exclusive to her race and her Petrification skill was unstable, not that it would help in this situation. She tried expanding her black hair like tentacles to lift the rock but didn't succeed. The side of the wall where they were instantly melted away followed by a quake as Rey and Neph broke through the mine causing it to collapse.
Rey's sword sliced through the air with a trail of lightning. Neph parried with one dagger, the clash of lightning and fire ending sparks flying. With a swift counter, Neph slashed with her other dagger, a wave of fire forcing Rey to leap back.
The mine's walls trembled as Rey unleashed a bolt of lightning, striking the ground near Neph. The explosion sent rocks and debris flying, creating a cloud of dust. Neph emerged from the haze, her daggers glowing red-hot. She swung at Rey with her blades launching a barrage of flaming arcs that melted the stone around Rey, creating pools of molten rock.
Rey dodged and weaved through the barrage, his movements a blur of speed and electricity. He closed the distance, his sword crackling with power. With a powerful swing, he aimed for Neph's chest. Neph crossed her daggers, blocking the strike, but the impact sent her flying back into the room where she knocked Rey all the way from the summit of the mountain sending a shockwave through the mine, causing a cave-in.
Neph attacked again unleashed flames. Rey countered with lightning.
The two clashed, their blades flashing.
Neph struck with fiery swords. Rey dodged and countered.
Rey feinted, and Neph fell for it. Rey struck, plunging his sword into Neph's stomach. She collapsed to the floor.
" Your wounds are fatal but you should be okay till help comes" Rey said sheathing his sword and walking away.
" Your being merciful?" Nephew scoffed.
" Do not misunderstand. You attacked my territory and injured my people. As The sin of Duke Philip Listowell and his heir I'm not going to tolerate that. However,I do need answers because I know you didn't just wake up and decide to attack."
Neph grit her teeth.
As he walked away he heard crying and moved in that direction , he saw Lyra trying to lift a boulder off her father,tears running down her face.
Rey lifted it freeing Thorne.
"Papa!"the girl hugged her father.
Rey helped Thorne up.
" It's ok. I'll get you both out of here" he said patting Lyra on the head.
The door holding back the natural gas had been damaged, and some of the gas leaked out. Behind them Neph sat up ,holding her wound.
"I would rather die than be taken hostage by a human." She spat.
Her body began to glow as the blood in her body heated and flowed like liquid fire in her body.
"For the glory of the Goblins that will be brought forth by the hands of Decorum," she proclaimed, her blood glowing like liquid fire. The other goblins mirrored her, with runes burning where they had planted explosion spells.
As they neared the entrance, Rey sensed something—a side effect of his supreme enchantment, granting him foresight.
"No blood, no glory," the leader yelled before exploding. The others followed suit, and the runes detonated. Rey saw the explosion coming and panicked. He could conjure a barrier to protect himself, the man, and his daughter, but others were still in danger. Deciding quickly, he lowered the man and stepped in front of them.
Concentrating, he raised his hand and released his ability, Resonance Amplification: Redshift. This technique he'd Ben practicing enabled him to move objects through dimensions. By altering frequency, he shifted the blast it into a separate dimension. The explosion flickered in and out of reality, causing Rey to struggle with control. A stray rock struck his head, blood trickling over his right eye, but he maintained his focus. The blast, now resonating at a different frequency, moved harmlessly through the mine unable to affect the surrounding area. Ensuring everyone evacuated safely. Rey deactivated his ability and quickly used his speed to rescue the man and his daughter as the mountain collapsed. He dropped them and spread his magic around the collapsing mine,containing the debris with a barrier. After the dust began settling,he dropped to the ground. He turned and saw the girl hugging her father and crying.
he smiled and lay back in the grass happy that there were no casualties .
Back at Ekron. Marconni fummed. He was throwing a tantrum scattering things as his servants tried to calm him. Not only had the vampires made a fool of him but the two girls he'd been using to keep Felix in check had escaped. He'd also received word from Krone that he was going to destroy the mine.
It was going to cost Marconni since he had a deal with Kojo and would suffer loss. He began furiously biting his fingers,ignoring the blood that flowed.
He made up his mind. He would minimize the loss he'd made with the mines collapse.
He pulled out a slavery scroll and wrote his orders on it.
Just then there was a tremor as well as the sound of an explosion in the distance.
He threw the scroll away and bit his fingers as his servants rushed forward to stop him.