"Oho, not even a scratch from that fall. You are as impressive as the rumors suggest, Zacharia Evandiel. Welcome to the Giupusta Locale. I am a tasker of the second layer sent to entertain and invite you. If you would?"
The tasker stepped aside and invited Zach to come with him. Zach hadn't even noticed the metal bars disappear.
'...What the fuck?'
Zach was more confused and scared than he had ever been. This wasn't something he could remain calm because he had been through something similar before. After all, he had never even heard of anything like it.
"Well?"
The tasker looked at Zach with a questioning tone. Zach was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be threatening or appear dangerous. If anything, the tasker was trying to be welcoming for whatever reason. But Zach still got chills.
"...Right."
Zach slowly got up and walked toward the cell's open wall. The tasker smiled.
"There's no need for this here shield now. But you can keep it up if you want. I don't mind."
The tasker knocked on the shield when Zach got close. Zach saw the tasker's hand move. It wasn't so fast that he couldn't avoid it. That wasn't the problem.
What raised Zach's heart rate even more was how the simple-looking knock made the barrier shake more than any of Drupesch's stones had done. There was a mountain of strength behind that tiny hand with six fingers, two of which were thumbs on either side of the palm.
The tasker was telling him that it didn't matter if he had the shield up or not. If the tasker wanted him dead, the barrier wouldn't be stopping him.
Zach sighed. Even if it was comforting to have some kind of defense, it was a false reassurance. It also drained his energy and concentration unnecessarily. It would be better to save it for a time when it would actually be of use.
They started walking after the barrier disappeared, and after a few steps, they were outside the cell next to Zach's.
Through the dim light, Zach saw another small person-like being. They were bald, had narrow, deep-set eyes, two nasal cavities instead of a nose, whiskers, and a small mouth. There was some resemblance to the tasker, but only in the same way orangutans and gorillas are similar.
Unlike the tasker, the miner's arms were burly, and most of their length seemed to be concentrated on their upper body as his legs were the same length as his hands, which looked like two blocks of stone when they were curled up and rested on the ground next to him, chained to the wall by his wrists.
Unlike the tasker, who gave Zach an unsettling feeling, the miner had an appearance that made Zach think it was interesting.
He wondered what this people was. Where did they come from? Why had he never heard of them? Why were they inside a mountain in the Academy's backyard? What did they want him? Why was the miner imprisoned?
Zach felt like it was the first time he had so many questions about the same subject.
'Where's the library when you need it?'
Zach shook his head in slight disappointment. He had a feeling he wouldn't get the answers he wanted, even if he dared to ask the tasker any of the questions he had, which he didn't. He followed behind the tasker in complete silence, filled with worry.
After a few minutes, they made it out of the hallway with cells and into a hallway of hallways. After walking there for another few minutes, they made it to one of the few rooms or hallways that had a heavy door or set of stone doors blocking the entrance.
The tasker pushed the doors with ease and stood with his back against one as he bowed and gestured for Zach to enter.
Zach slowly walked into the room while looking at the large table carrying an incredible weight of what looked like food. There was a seat at the short end of the table.
Zach looked at the tasker and pointed at himself with a questioning expression. The tasker nodded, indicating that the feast was indeed for him.
"Don't mind if I do…"
Zach was a little skeptical about the food. If it was sourced from underground, it only made sense it was completely different from anything he had seen or tasted before. But food was food, and he was hungry.
He sat down on the surprisingly comfortable stone chair and started reaching for something that looked like a grilled chicken wing.
"Wait a moment, please, Zacharia Evandiel." The tasker spoke up after closing the doors behind him as he walked toward one of the walls in the room, which was, aside from the table, feast, and chandelier hanging from the ceiling, completely bare.
Zach froze with his hand hanging in the air right above the food. It looked strange but smelled good. But he wasn't going to antagonize the tasker, so he waited and watched the short figure knock on the wall.
After the knock, a section of the wall disappeared and revealed a shelf with a singular object inside.
Zach frowned. It looked somewhat like a skull.
'That can't be good.'
The tasker pulled out a pair of black leather gloves from his pockets and put them on before carefully grabbing the skull with an expression of reverence. He gently carried the skull over to Zach's table and put it down near Zach.
Zach was uncomfortable, but as long as he didn't look at it, he could ignore it and focus on his food.
"Zacharia Evandiel, please pay your respects to the Great Ugor before partaking in the feast the Great Ugor has prepared for you." The tasker took a step back after putting down the skull and took off his gloves while looking at Zach.
"I…" Zach hesitated.
"You simply need to express your gratitude."
Zach looked between the skull and the tasker. Eventually, his gaze settled on the skull. It wasn't like he could do anything else.
"Thank you, Great Ugor, for this feast?" Zach hesitantly turned to the tasker, who nodded. It was an acceptable show of respect. It would suffice.