May cautiously peered over the rigid stone corner of the intersection. Tucker and Alex’s advice was still fresh in her mind, and so far, it had been spot on. The guards would always patrol in pairs, and it was best to avoid interactions with them completely. Since another pair was never far behind. If it hadn’t been for Tucker scouting the area ahead of them with his ability, they would have run into more than a few deadly confrontations.

  Once she was sure the coast was clear, May crossed the intersection without making a sound, with Tucker close on her heels. They pressed their backs against the stone wall and checked once more before signaling for the rest of the group to follow. By infusing mana into the soles of their boots, their footsteps became nearly silent, enabling them to easily detect approaching patrols from the metallic echoing noise that reverberated from the walls.

  As they reached the next intersection, Tucker’s hand shot out and clung to May’s shoulder, pulling her back. He pointed in the direction ahead of them and firmly shook his head. She quickly nodded and then signaled for the others to stack up against the cobblestone wall to the side, away from the direct line of sight of the guards.

  May leaned ever so slightly over the edge of the wall and stared at where they were going. Soon, two shadows emerged, followed by a sharp glow of a torch from the previous intersection. By focusing her spirit essence into her eyes, she was able to enhance her sight and make out the finer details of their equipment but before she could examine them further, Tucker tugged her back into the protective darkness of the tunnel.

  She shot a glare at him but soon froze when Tucker pressed a finger to his lips. From the other side, they could hear another set of footsteps gradually drawing closer to them. He raised three fingers and then flipped it upside down to form an “M“, causing her eyes to widen in alarm. Another patrol was closing in, and they were less than ten meters away. May nervously stared at Alex and Blaire, who both held onto the hilt of their weapons.

  Seeing her shaking eyes, Alex gave a quick signal for them to step aside, allowing him and Owl to take the lead. They had done a superb job so far getting them past the guards, but he knew from experience that these types of missions rarely stayed smooth for long. Keeping his body low, he caught Blaire’s attention and raised two fingers.

  Wait for my mark.

  Blaire nodded and tightly pressed the hilt of his sword. As May and Tucker crouched behind Mark, their hearts pounded in their chests like drums of war. The growing anxiety made every second feel like an eternity. Even though Tucker’s sharp senses had picked up that the second patrol was much closer than the first. The timing had to be perfect, or else the first patrol would notice. A single misstep could expose them.

  With their weapons hidden. They all held their breath as the cold clang of iron boots scrapped against the cobblestone floor, echoing louder with each step. The tension in the air was suffocating, tightening around their necks like a noose. Yet the only ones who appeared unfazed were Alex and Blaire. Despite being the first ones to face the patrol, they remained frighteningly composed, waiting for the precise moment the second group would pass.

  As the lantern’s light pierced the shadows, Alex burst forth from the darkness with his dagger gleaming in hand. He slammed into the first soldier using the entire weight of body to drag him across the intersection. A muffled grunt barely escaped the guard’s lips, just loud enough to draw his comrade’s attention, but it was already too late. The old man sank his dagger into the soldier’s throat, silencing him as blood gurgled from his mouth, his eyes dimming as the darkness devoured him.

  Before the second guard could react, Blaire struck from the shadows. He clamped a hand over the soldier’s mouth and drove his sword through his back. The blade pierced through the iron armor with ease and right through their heart. As the guard struggled violently for a few seconds, clenching onto the azure light that emitted from the sword. He desperately fought back, with tears trailing down his cheeks until his last ragged breath. Feeling the life seep out of his body, the lantern slipped from his fingertips, but before it could hit the floor, Tucker lunged forward and caught it, raising it into the air to prevent it from rattling.

  “Oi! What the hell are you guys doing over there?”

  They all froze as the voice echoed through the tunnel. The guards from the first group had called out to the second group despite their careful antics. Tucker’s eyes darted to Alex and Owl, who remained deathly quiet.

  “We heard something back here. We’re just checking it out!” Tucker called back, his voice steady as he lifted the lantern higher, waving it toward the approaching guards from around the corner. He placed his free hand over his heart, feeling each beat stretch longer as tension filled the air. The rookie swallowed his saliva and waited, praying for the ruse to work.

  “Did you guys find anything?!” a voice called out again, sharp with suspicion.

  “Just some damn rats!” Tucker shouted back in a firm tone. Sweat trailed down his forehead as he kept the lantern steady. “We’ll head back after we check a bit more!”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Fucking idiots, they’re just wasting time,” the guard from the other patrol grumbled, but soon the sound of retreating footsteps followed.

  Tucker released a sigh of relief as the footsteps from the first group moved in another direction. He glanced around, noticing their bewildered expressions, and raised a brow. “What?”

  “You’re... sharper than you let on,” Blaire remarked, his tone a mix of surprise and disbelief.

  Tucker furrowed his brows, blowing out the flame in the lantern before setting it on the floor. “Is that supposed to be an insult?”

  “Maybe if I said that before, but now it’s a compliment,” Blaire smirked. “It’s always Salamander that gets lucky with his rookies.”

  “Lucky? I don’t know if that’s the word I would use.” Alex quietly chuckled before carefully propping the body against the stone wall. He wiped the blood off his dagger with his cloak before returning it to its sheath. “But it’s good to see you haven’t lost your touch.”

  “Ha, I should be saying that to you,” Blaire quietly replied.

  Alex couldn’t help but agree. His gaze shifted to May. “We don’t have much time before they notice. How far are we from the teleportation device?”

  “Probably a few more minutes if we ran there,” May replied.

  “Good,” Alex said, nodding as he signaled for May to take point. “Then it’s time to pick up the pace. Let’s move.”

  The group moved swiftly and quietly. Their footsteps were barely audible against the cold, damp cobblestone walls. The air was thick with the stench of rot and sewage, making each breath a struggle, but they pressed on. Soon, they could see a faint glow marking the end of the tunnel and from where they stood. They saw an immense chamber teeming with wreckage and the remnants of once-majestic structures, which had once served as the hallmark of an impressive facility. Broken crates littered the floor, and decaying wooden planks filled the area. The former glory of such facilities was now nothing more than a heap of trash.

  “What the hell... why is there a place like this beneath the city?” Tucker muttered, filled with disbelief.

  “It’s probably because people treat this place as a trash heap. No one in their right mind would come down here,” Blaire replied.

  Tucker scanned the chamber. Soon, his eyes fell on an elevated platform, and a large stone bridge several meters above that seemed like it would collapse with the slightest touch. “Is it even safe to be in here?”

  “It is,” May said with a small smile, leaning lightly against her brother. “Mark and I used to come here to relax after missions. Isn’t that right, Mark?”

  Her brother nodded with his usual blank expression.

  “Right…but how do you deal with the smell?” Tucker asked.

  “The smell?” May tilted her head and blankly blinked. “Oh, I can’t smell anything. Lost that sense years ago.”

  “Right… and you?”

  “I… suffer,” Mark kept his deadpan tone as May quietly laughed beside him.

  Tucker worriedly smiled upon seeing May’s playful demeanor return. It was a relief that the two’s usual composure had returned. “So this is it? We just need to enter the coordinates of one of our teleportation gates, and we’re back at the Keep?”

  “Exactly,” May nodded.

  “Well, we wouldn’t set it to the Keep. That would be reckless,” Alex added, watching as Blaire and May stepped onto the platform. “We’ll route through Reinhold, then make our way to the Keep from there.”

  “The dwarven keep?” Blaire asked, glancing back. “You think they’ll even accept our request?”

  “They will,” Alex replied. “We redeemed the Order’s token there. As long as we use the usual code, they’ll let us through.”

  Satisfied, Blaire nodded and moved to inspect the device. He placed his hand on the cold pedestal, and a soft, translucent blue light flickered to life above it. “Well, at least the blasted thing still works.”

  Tucker narrowed his eyes at the platform. He felt something gnaw at the back of his head. “Are you sure this will actually get us to the dwarf stronghold?”

  Blaire glanced at the rookie before shifting his gaze back at the interface hovering before him. “Sure? I never said I was sure. I said it’s unreliable—which means it’ll either take us there or not work at all. One or the other.”

  As he entered the sequence of numbers, the runes softly pulsed, filling with energy. “There. All set. Now we wait for it to finish charging.”

  “Wait—charging?” Tucker’s frown deepened, and he shot a questioning look at Alex, who remained silent. “Since when do these things take time to charge? I swear the tech behind these hasn’t changed in ages. Is this normal?”

  “Who knows?” May shrugged her shoulders as she stood beside Blaire. “This wasn’t made by the Kingdom or the Empire. From what the custodians told me, this thing is a poor attempt from another country.”

  The rookie and the old man exchanged uneasy glances once the realization settled in with their rising suspicions.

  “Why didn’t you tell us about this earlier?” Alex asked, his voice low but sharp.

  “Relax, guys,” May replied, rolling her eyes as she looked between Salamander and Tucker. “A custodian from the Order already examined and cleared it. It’s just an older version of a teleportation device that we’ve used once or twice already. Is it that big of a deal?”

  “Yes, because there was an incident with the dwarves,” Tucker shot back. He locked eyes with May, with each word firmly echoing through the chamber. “Doesn’t this seem the least bit suspicious to you?”

  Before anyone could answer, a faint humming filled the chamber, and the runes on the platform flickered. The pillars surrounding it came to life, and before Tucker could press for answers, May opened her mouth.

  “See? We didn’t even have to wait that long,” May smirked, but her confidence faltered when her gaze met Tucker’s. His eyes were wide with fear. Without warning, he shoved Mark aside, shouting something—words she might’ve understood if it weren’t for the sudden ringing noise and blinding light that erupted from the platform.

  Everything became a blur. Salamander’s usual calm composure was no more. Instead, a frantic look in his eyes took place as he bolted toward the platform. He hovered his hand near the hilt of his sword and clad his body in aura, forcefully enhancing his physical capabilities.

  Then, the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoed closer, snapping May from her thoughts. She turned just in time to see Blaire barreling toward her, shoving her off the platform with all his strength. His brown and grey hair whipped in the sudden wind as the teleportation runes flared to life, bathing the entire chamber in a damning violet glow.

  In that same instant, a massive, jagged blade sliced through the air right where May had stood. The force of the strike collided with Blaire’s body as he was blown far away and into the walls of the chamber. With the impact leaving behind a sickening crack.

  Now, I shift back to my 3x schedule and try to build a backlog.

  So far, I am behind in my word count, and I don't want to split up chapters into smaller bits just to release something.

  Just means I gotta try harder.