NOVEL NEXT 140 - The Endless Tunnels
It took but a few minutes for the last warrior to collapse, devoured from within by his rotlife.
Skill leveled up: Endure Lv1 -> Lv2
Skill leveled up: Rotten Shield Lv8 -> Lv9
With that, he had another skill close to the threshold for evolution. It didn't mean much, as reaching said threshold for a Basic Rank skill was just a matter of time and practice. The true challenge was evolution, and Div had no confidence in his ability to do so for Rotten Shield.
The skill was serviceable, but not particularly inspiring.
Div made sure the mountaineer was really dead before picking up the magical lantern and handing it over to Dana.
The corpse twitched once more. Div grimaced. Watching rotlife take hold never got easier. It wasn't a clean death, more like nature clawing its way up from inside, claiming everything. He had to remind himself this was war. That these men would've done the same, worse even. Still, he didn't look at the body long.
"Hold onto that and let's look at the map." Div took out the map and unfurled it on the ground.
The underground network that stretched under Trabine was ancient, unknown to outsiders, and absurdly complicated. Locating the library was simple enough; Oerix had pointed it out to them when he gave them the map.
All they had to do was trace their path and…
"I have no idea where we are," Div said, looking at Dana for support.
She shook her head. "I don't know…" She placed a finger on the parched paper. "We should be around here, but the corner where we just fought is not on the map."
The builders were an organization responsible for the construction and maintenance of Trabine's infrastructure. They operated above and below ground, making sure that tunnels and buildings were and stayed sturdy.
According to Oerix, their headquarters was a building in the upper parts of the hill. Not too far from the elders' council. Naturally, it was linked to the underground network through their basement.
Div traced a path from their supposed position to the builders' headquarters. According to the map, they were not too far from their destination. The only issue was that they were on the wrong level.
"It looks like we are two levels below where we should be," Div said. "The library is very deep."
"Yes," Dana agreed. "Furthermore, it's quite isolated. Probably not meant to be accessed through the tunnels in the first place. The upper levels are considerably denser."
Div sighed and put away the map. "Let's go, the stairs are up ahead."
At least, they shouldn't get lost before going up. The floor leading out of the library was mostly empty, with only a few other tunnels of unknown origin.
Soon enough, they reached a rough, spiraling flight of stairs and climbed it.
They avoided talking, just in case other mountaineers were roaming the tunnels. Not having found any hole in the walls that the party they had encountered could have used to infiltrate the underground complex made it seem the stone mages could walk through the hill unimpeded.
While it was improbable, Div and Dana were more than aware of the dire situation Trabine was in. With an invading army inside the oppidum, being too careful was better than being caught off guard.
The stairs led to a short corridor that curved to the right, narrowing into a low arch. Beyond it, a network of stone hallways sprawled out in every direction. Dana hesitated, holding the lantern close to her chest. The weak, magical glow cast long shadows.
Div took point, knife drawn, eyes scanning the gloom. "We keep left," he muttered. "There should be another flight of stairs that way."
Dana didn't argue. The air was musty, still. There was not even the whisper of air currents that usually hinted at exits or openings. Just silence—and their breathing.
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They passed by another corridor that dipped steeply downward, its walls coated with a sheen of black moss. Dana glanced at it warily but said nothing.
"It's just regular mold," Div said, reassuring her. Still, he extended his Rotlife Sense over the mold patch, ensuring that nothing was out of place. He wouldn't be able to look her in the eyes if he were caught off guard by rot.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a wide circular room with three branching tunnels.
"It should be the middle one," Dana said.
"No," Div replied, squinting at the stonework. "It's the one on the right."
Dana frowned. "Let's look at the map."
The rooms were starting to blur together. The stone here was much the same as everywhere else. The sameness gnawed at the mind. Every intersection felt recycled, every corridor a copy of the last. The only markers were their own footsteps in the dust and the distant memory of turns taken. Time seemed to bleed together underground. Were they walking in circles? Was the air thicker now? Dana muttered a curse under her breath, and even that sounded muted, swallowed by the stone.
After checking their map, they picked the middle tunnel, walking side by side for a while until the walls closed in and forced them into a single file again. The air grew cooler. Damp. Faint traces of soot lined the ceiling—someone had passed through here with a real flame, not too long ago.
"Do you hear that?" Dana whispered.
Div paused. A faint, rhythmic tap, like stone on stone, echoed down the passageway ahead. Then silence.
"I don't like that," he muttered.
"Do we turn around?"
He hesitated. "Not yet."
They moved forward, more cautiously now. The sound didn't return. Whatever had made it was either gone or waiting. Neither option was reassuring.
Or perhaps it was nothing. A small animal, water dripping down the ceiling.
Ten minutes later, they reached a collapsed hallway. Rubble blocked the way entirely. Roots dangled from roof.
Div leaned against the nearest wall and exhaled sharply. "Dead end."
Dana folded her arms. "Map."
Sighing, Div unfolded the map once again and examined it. There were other ways to the upper levels.
They doubled back, retracing their steps. Somewhere along the way, they took a wrong turn again.
"Alright, we're definitely lost," Div said, finally admitting the obvious.
"Yeah." Dana set the lantern down and rubbed her eyes. "We need to stop and think. This is going in circles."
Div looked up at the ceiling. "No consistent slope either. We're not climbing. We're not descending. Just sideways, endlessly sideways."
Dana pulled the map from Div's hands and sat on a patch of floor that wasn't slick with mildew. "None of these branches are on the map. The builders must've dug this part without documentation."
"Or Oerix gave us an old map," Div offered.
She looked up at him. "Why would he do that?"
"I assume the builders have the most up-to-date version," Div shrugged.
They sat in silence for a while. The lantern flickered.
Eventually, Dana folded the map again and stood. "Let's keep trying."
Div's fingers brushed the tunnel wall as they walked, tracing faint tool marks. Builder work, but old. His Trap Detection had always been more instinct than sense. It had saved him too many times to ignore. So when that familiar dread seized him again, urging him to turn back, he didn't question it. Catching Dana by the waist, he turned around and pushed both their bodies toward where they came from.
"Wha—" Dana tried protesting, but her voice was drowned in a thunderous crash that made the ground shake. Both of them fell to the ground.
Waving his hand to clear the dust filling the tunnel, Div stood up with difficulty.
Behind them, a pile of rubble occupied the spot they were just standing in.
Dana coughed. "Collapsed. The tunnel collapsed…"
Skill leveled up: Trap Detection Lv9 -> Lv10
"We're lucky that—" Div started, before immediately closing his mouth and gesturing for Dana to stay silent.
There were people right above them. A lot of people.
Dana extinguished the lantern, revealing a faint ray of light filtering from the rubble. It was coming from the upper floor.
Then, they heard them. Mountaineers, from the way they spoke about breaking into the next room.
Darkness pressed in around them. The pale ray of light from above turned the dust motes into a swirling column. Dana's breathing slowed. Every scrape of boot against stone above seemed magnified. They stood in silence. Div didn't breathe.
Since arriving in Trabine, Div and Dana had learned a few rudiments of the language spoken in the eastern range. They couldn't quite speak it, but it was enough for them to understand the intent.
The mountaineers were seeking entry into something.
"Bah," a voice sounded from above, in Lienien this time. "You cursed invaders think you can break through a wall reinforced by the might of an earth spirit? Dream on."
In the near obscurity of the lower level, Div and Dana's eyes met. Unexpectedly, it seemed they arrived at their destination.
Above them were the builders' headquarters, and it seemed like they needed some assistance.