They couldn't go back to Frostholm yet, the villagers were still in danger, there was no predicting what the slavers would do once they discover the empty chamber, so Adrian ordered a tent to be set atop of the hill they were standing on while Erik reset the barrier.
"Has anyone found the HQ yet?" Sensei asked Adrian who was deep in thoughts looking at a drawn map of the village on his desk.
"Nope, the infiltration team went back in and are scouring the village for clues" Adrian huffed letting out a sigh of frustration before falling on his chair.
"Can't we evacuate the villagers?" Rage asked.
"Then we risk taking in slavers as well, that would cause more trouble than harm, also they might start attacking the villagers disguising themselves as us which will cause a lot of panic" Adrian replied looking back at the map.
Adrian scanned the map once more, trying to look for any potential spots that might make a good headquarters for the slavers.
Suddenly a thought sparked in his mind, "Wait a damn minute" Adrian shuffled through some documents and reports that were made about the village before they came during the investigation phase, "We know there are slavers here because we tailed them back to this place, but despite all the disappearances, the entire village doesn't have a single missing poster put up" Adrian quickly went through the latest report that was made just a day before they arrived at the village, "It says here that the garrison's office didn't receive any complaints lately and that everything was going fine in the city"
"Do you think it's another Durgrim case?" Rage asked.
"I think it's Durgrim himself, the elder of Frostholm is also the elder of this village since it is within Frostholm's authority" Adrian facepalmed feeling guilty about his late realization but also glad that he figured that out.
"So the safest place for Durgrim to operate from, is the Townhall" Rage said realizing what Adrian implied.
"It makes sense, ever since we changed Frostholm's elder, we didn't have the chance to change the proxy here as well, so it's the same proxy that Durgrim appointed, meaning he's probably hiding him there as well" Adrian quickly grabbed his sword and rushed outside the tent with Rage and Sensei.
"Erik!" Adrian called out for Erik Braun who immediately answered.
"Yes, guild master"
"Do we have anyone at the barn?" Adrian asked hastily as he moved quickly through the camp to where the infiltration team was stationed.
"Yes, Elara went back there with Kael and Freya to try and capture a slaver for intel" Erik replied trying to keep up with them.
"Leave it to me, just go give the orders to the infiltration team, I'll meet them at the Townhall" Rage replied before putting up his cloak and dashing towards the barn.
After a minute Rage arrived at the barn where the hatch inside was open, he descended down noticing Elara and the two others hiding by the archway, they immediately noticed him but recognized his clothes as the professional adventurer Adrian hired to help them, all except Elara who was startled for a moment before regaining her composure.
"Listen up" Rage whispered, "We have reason to believe that their HQ is at the townhall, so.." He looked at the two people accompanying Elara, "Kael and Freya right?"
"Yes sir" Freya replied.
"You both will stay here and make sure that if anyone discovers this chamber empty they be buried inside, understood?"
"Are these the guild master's orders?" Kael asked in an annoyed tone.
"Just trust him" Elara said before taking off with Rage the tunnel.
Rage remembered the outline of the village from the map he saw with Adrian earlier and followed the tunnel towards the direction of the townhall, after some twists and turns he finally arrived at a small gate made of iron bars with a sturdy metal lock, holding it using a chain.
Without a word Elara stepped forward taking out her lockpick and unlocking the gate after a short minute.
"Take this" Rage handed Elara a glowing scroll before taking out another one himself, "Use it"
Without a word Elara held the scroll in front of her throwing it up in the air.
Telepathy has been activated with the linked target for 20 minutes.
"That prestige shop is hella handy ain't it" Rage's chuckle echoed in Elara's mind as she was adjusting herself trying to get rid of all the messy and embarrassing thoughts that were running through her head.
"Don't worry, I'll only hear what you want me to hear" Rage said before peaking a nearby corner that overlooked a huge chamber built beneath the townhall, inside were at least twenty guards that were more equipped than the thugs he saw earlier, with the chamber following the usual layout of multiple rooms, but this time the rooms were substantially bigger housing 10-12 prisoner each.
"Our mission is to free those while Adrian and the others deal with the ones above" Rage said scanning the room with his eye.
"How are we supposed to face 20 heavily geared soldiers alone we should've brought Kael and Freya at least!" Elara exclaimed.
"If someone sees the empty chamber and reports back to Durgrim this whole thing's fucked" Rage replied still trying to make a plan.
"Durgrim?" Elara was confused.
"I'll explain later, anyways, see this guy over there?" Rage pointed to a guard that was going in and out of a door on the opposite side of the chamber.
"If this guy notices us, he's going to ring the bell, so we should be extremely careful not to draw his att-" Rage tried to say before being cut off with the sound of the alarm bell being rang and a couple of the guards inside the chamber rushing out that door on the opposite side.
"Never fucking mind" Rage said loudly as he took off his cloak drawing the attention of all the guards nearby, "Alright fellas, let's dance"
Rage drew his daggers dashing towards a nearby guard swiftly slicing his throat before throwing one of his daggers straight at the one behind him piercing through his head.
As Rage started to draw all the attention towards himself and shifting the guards to the other side of the room, Elara swiftly used the shadows to cover herself and try to flank them from behind.
Before she was able to, Rage suddenly stopped fighting as one of the guards opened the door to one of the chambers and held a woman by the throat pointing his blade directly at her chest.
"Careful now, lad, you don't want this to get worse" Rage said carefuly stepping back from the guards but still blocking the door.
"Drop your weapon, now!" The guard demanded before a kunai flew straight through the back of his head.
"NEVER DO THAT TO A WOMAN YOU BITCH!" Elara yelled as she took the remaining guards by surprise from the back executing a pincer attack with Rage.
Rage stationed himself right at the door while Elara blocked the open door with the prisoners.
"Easy now fellas, if you just cooperate, you'll be able to extend your lives by around a week max" Rage smirked taunting the guards.
"You talk big for a small fella" A voice echoed from behind Rage as he quickly turned his head to see a sturdy looking dwarf with a long black beard and a broadsword almost his size.
"You must be the infamous Durgrim Blackbeard, big fan man" Rage smirked as he leaped above the guards heads landing right beside Elara.
The guards broke formation rushing to stand behind Durgrim as he strutted into the room laughing, "You must be stupid to think that just the two of you could've fought an entire garrison, although I'm surprised at how you were able to find the tunnel in the first place"
"Well your guards don't have quite the sharp senses i must say" Rage replied raising both his daggers trying to analyze the situation.
"You seem calm for someone who's about to die" Durgrim held his broadsword by the blade before it quickly turned into a warhammer.
"Ugh, a typical dwarf" Rage scoffed before leaping towards Durgrim aiming at him with both his daggers.
Durgrim quickly parried Rage pushing him back, Elara leaped into action engaging the guards and preventing them from surrounding Rage as Rage tried to lure Durgrim away slowly.
"So how's business?" Rage said gritting on his teeth as he wrestled his dagger against Durgrim's hammer before he was swept off his feet.
"Booming, with your skills you might fetch a fair price" Durgrim replied smashing the ground with his hammer as he shook the entire place preventing Rage from standing back up.
Rage managed to barely roll out of Durgrim's hammer's way before he jumped back to his feet and stood back to back with Elara.
"WHERE ARE THE OTHERS!" Elara yelled.
"What others? if you had any friends I bet they left you to die as soon as the situation got worse, it's not their fault you triggered the alarm" Durgrim let out a loud laugh before a familiar shield was tossed right at his chest smashing him into the wall.
"Took you long enough you bastards" Rage said wiping the blood off his mouth as he spat on the ground.
Sensei approached from behind as he positioned himself between them and Durgrim before calling his shield back.
"Now pick on someone your size you bastard"
Sensei engaged Durgrim as they both stood on equal footing while Rage and Elara dealt with the countless guards that were pouring into the chamber.
"Damn, we're having an EXP feast, too bad the others aren't here" Rage said as he killed one guard after the other, his movements were so smooth Elara could've sworn he was almost dancing.
After what felt like an eternity, the guards' numbers started dwindling as none more were coming into the chamber, on the other side, both Durgrim and Sensei were heavily injured still going at each other but equally exhausted both panting heavily as they movement became much sloppier.
Rage and Elara finished off the remaining guards before surrounding Durgrim preparing to finish him off, as all 4 were extremely exhausted, Durgrim felt his end coming near, he smirked and started laughing maniacally, "You really think you four stand a chance against HIM? he's an all powerful and all knowing being that the likes of you can't grasp the extend of his power, and his loyal servant i can't go down without leaving him a parting gift" Durgrim raised his warhammer condensing his aura into the head.
"Sensei He's pulling a samson!" Rage yelled grabbing Elara by the arm and bracing below Sensei who raised his shield covering all three of them, projecting a bigger version of the shield itself and gathering all his aura at it, the shield started multiplying making a half sphere around them as Durgrim smashed his hammer into the floor causing a violent explosion followed by an earthquake, the chamber started collapsing on itself as Elara's eyes met those of the young Frostborn that she saw earlier.
In a moment of clarity she dashed outside of Sensei's shield bracing the young girl's body with her own, before Sensei used all his might to extend the sphere's reach, he was straining his body as he was surpassing his aura limit that his nose started bleeding before Rage put a hand over his shoulder and started supplying him with his own aura, the sphere quickly expanded taking in a couple rooms surrounding them as the screams of the prisoners pleaded for Sensei to extend it more before suddenly the entire chamber collapsed followed by the townhall itself.
After a couple minutes, the loud booming of the collapsed building died down as dust started to clear revealing Sensei and Rage collapsed on the ground as Elara held the little girl in her hands limping towards where they both fell.
"I'm sorry, you didn't have to do it, I was ready to die" Tears started forming in her eyes as she fell to the ground before Adrian and Erik both floated down on a holo platform rushing towards Rage and Sensei.
"Guild master it's all my fault, I-" Elara tried to utter through her tears before both Rage and Sensei started to cough out blood and turn to their sides in pain.
"How heroic" Adrian said through a shaky voice aiding both of them up to their feet.
"The moment i find the bastard that set that alarm, I'll kill him myself" Rage mumbled aiding himself on Erik as he limped towards the holo platform Erik created.
"Wait it wasn't you?" Erik questioned with a confused look on his face.
"Erik, use your brain, do i look like someone' who'd trigger the alarm?" Rage said as Erik set him down on the platform before going back to aid Elara.
"We thought you messed up that's why Sensei rushed down to you!" Adrian said setting Sensei down beside Rage.
"So we have a rat" Adrian said furiously, "I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you tenfold" Adrian said in shame embarrassed at himself.
"Well you better" Rage painfully chuckled before Adrian smiled at him.
Erik held the little girl in his hand as she was shivering while Adrian held Elara setting her down beside Sensei as she couldn't meet their eyes.
"Well, GG" Rage said before lying down completely without looking at her.