Rhythmic sounds echoed in the dimly lit tunnel. Tepo continued to work as he formulated his further plans. In his head he scanned the mine's map.
But suddenly the warrior's thoughts were disrupted as footsteps closed in on him. He turned his head, discovering the old group leader coming closer.
"You're a loner, hmm? Well, trust me this will change with time as the work gets monotonous. Whatever, not my problem. As long as you don't slack off. Come on, let me see what you're doing."
Tepo was surprised as Endgu talked this much. He calmly turned around and pointed at a few chunks of a small red mineral.
"Here."
Suddenly the group leader's brow rose skeptically.
"You managed to mine this much in fifteen minutes?"
"Ehm, sure. Maybe I found a good spot?"
Endgu took a step forward. With suspicious eyes he scanned the vein before Tepo. Meanwhile the young man's forehead wrinkled in concern.
Old man, don't say anything wrong. I really didn't plan to hurt you…
After a few excruciating seconds Endgu shook his head.
"Your spot isn't bad, and it seems you're stronger than you look. Whatever, keep up the good job. In the end your success is my success."
Fortunately, the old man turned around nonchalantly and left the tunnel. Tepo let out a sigh in of relief before continuing his work.
The same scene repeated a few times over the next hours. Tepo remained calm, putting on his best act.
Soon the warrior had made out a pattern.
The old man takes about half an hour between his visits. This should be enough time for me. Hopefully I can solve the dungeon and blend into the commoners afterwards.
Although the ratking isn't marked on the map, a few spots are suspicious. In one of these the Lirane Group should have caged the beast.
As his improvised plan finally took form, Tepo waited patiently. Soon, Endgu came again for a quick check. Immediately after the man left, Tepo activated his [Minor Stealth] and sprinted in the other direction.
Although the young man did his best, his footsteps still sounded in the quiet tunnels. Soon he got closer to another group of miners. The warrior carefully controlled his muscles perfectly, feathering his steps, and adjusted his speed to the rhythmic clangs of the pickaxes.
This way the strong warrior easily bypassed a few distracted commoners. With this trick he didn't find it difficult to reach the first suspicious spot on his map.
Tepo followed a curved path as light suddenly fell into the tunnel. The warrior even had to narrow his eyes. After a few more steps he found himself in an entrance towards a big room.
It was cubic, with wooden walls. A massive reddish shining sphere floated in the air, too big for even Tepo's generous storage bag.
The warrior swiped the room with his eyes, but as expected there were no signs of a ratking here. Out of curiosity he activated his scan, but the sphere was surprisingly too high-level for him to see through.
Tepo would've loved to take the mysterious treasure away but he had neither the means nor the time. Reluctant, he turned around and returned to A8.
A few minutes later Endgu arrived again. He was slightly disappointed with Tepo's advancement over the last half an hour but attributed it to the young man's growing exhaustion.
Tepo exchanged a few pointless words to chase the old man off before disappearing again.
This process repeated multiple times. Tepo slowly scouted a big part of the mines.
It took a handful of tries but finally the warrior arrived at a promising location.
Tepo carefully peeked around a corner into a big cave. This was the most spacious cave he had seen thus far. It was gigantic. But it wasn't used for mining as a big manor floated in the air, covering a large part of the cave.
Tepo was surprised that such a beautiful scenery existed in this dungeon. The manor was surrounded by a large garden. Small streams of water splashed happily, running above fine gray gravel.
A few stalks of huge red plants resembling pipes hid parts of the manor form view. Artful red lanterns immersed the cave in a soothing light.
Suddenly a low sound reached the warrior's ears. A door opened on the manor's second floor as a guard stepped outside, scanning the garden below.
A confident grin formed on Tepo's face.
Guards? Jackpot!
The young man would've liked to watch for a bit longer, but he didn't have the time as he would prefer it if his absence wasn't discovered.
Thus, he suddenly went into action. As the guard looked another way, Tepo tensed his legs and took a big leap. Some distance laid between the tunnel and the garden but with his strength he managed to overcome it easily.
The young man landed on soft grass. Feeling his surroundings he immediately understood that the properties of objects had normalized, as did the temperatures.
Suddenly a door on the manor's second floor opened. A frowning guard stepped outside. They looked towards the garden.
"Hey, did you hear a noise?"
"Yes. I think so…"
Tepo hid behind a few of the tall plants despite his stealth. His heart raced.
This was close. I don't want to be discovered too early.
The two guards conversed in low voices as they scanned the garden. A few seconds later one of them returned inside as the other turned around again.
Tepo let out a low sigh, quickly closing in on the manor. He went up a few stairs, reaching a small patio made from dark wood.
Leaning his body against the wall, the young man was just about to peek through the window when the sound of steps reached his ears. Suddenly two guards left through the door close to him.
Tepo gritted his teeth. Holding his breath, he pressed his body against the wall, almost melting into it. With weary eyes he watched the two guards as they went to inspect the garden.
F*ck! Did I make a mistake? I originally prepared to eliminate the guards quickly but now they are split up. As soon as I begin a fight, the others can relay the information.
A shiver ran down Tepo's spine. This was the moment he realized that his plan might fail.
And time is running out! Damn! I need to come to a decision…
Multiple scenarios played in Tepo's head. Returning was not an option as his absence would be discovered by then. The young man realized that he could only improvise from this point on.
Forcefully calming his mind, the warrior sneaked towards the side. Abruptly he opened the door. He had already seen the warrior guarding it beforehand.
A knife suddenly shot out. The unsuspecting warrior didn't even react before his throat was cut open. He went to the floor with disbelieving eyes.
From this moment on everything had to happen fast. Tepo stepped into the manor. A quick scan revealed a room with slightly chaotic furniture, which didn't look like it belonged to the manor. It was most likely brought here by the guards for their long shifts.
The big room was rather open with two sets of stairs leading upwards on the sides. In its center was a strange metallic box. It had a few small holes and a shutter.
Next to the box stood two guards, their backs towards Tepo. Until now, they were wearing ugly laughs as they kicked the box tauntingly.
"Is this really a beast? No reaction at all…"
Tepo's eyes lit up. He knew he had found his target.
The moment Tepo killed the guard at the door, the other warriors were interrupted. They turned around, their mouths wide open in surprise.
With his stealth on, Tepo didn't hesitate.
"Careful!" "What's going on?!"
The two guards were no opponent for Tepo. With precise strikes he quickly ended their lives.
But their screams were enough to alarm the others. Movement came into the manor. Tepo had to hurry up.
The young man's eyes fell on the metallic box. A small grey creature could barely be made out through the air holes.
With more guards on their way, every second counted. Tepo didn't bother with searching for a key. He put his hand on the box and activated his [Infectious Flames] with a large amount of force.
Immediately the flames burned brightly as they engulfed the box, flowing inside through the air holes.
A weak squeak which almost sounded relieved reached Tepo's ears as the dungeon suddenly vanished.
In the base outside a few new workers were still drippling in. Further away the repair on the cargo ship had already started. This was a big priority, as they lost money every second the cargo ship couldn't move.
Suddenly however a commotion ensued which drew everyone's attention. From one second to the other a huge crowd of people appeared within and around the cubic building housing the dungeon portal.
Everyone stared in confusion at the scene before the guards' faces quickly turned pale.