<style>0</style>

“A-are you sure about this… Miss elf…?”

“Quite.”

Merethyl and the new gang of demi-humans proceeded through the dim and damp walkways of the sewer. The only source of light guiding their way was a torch which the group of demi-humans took from the dungeon they were held in.

“… How are we supposed to escape the next time?” Krag asked with a glare. “Last time we escaped, which wasn’t a few minutes ago I might add, shit was going down.”

Merethyl glanced at the demi-human who offered a valid point towards their problem.

‘I mean, he’s not wrong…’ Merethyl brought her gaze back forwards, the dim walkways gracing her vision.

Krag wasn’t the only one who was anxious about going back towards the place they tried to escape.

Through the cacophony of voices, which was composed of only two voices, Merethyl gave both of the offending demi-humans a glare to shut them up.

“Look, you have no other choice.” Merethyl hated to resort to threats, but with these stranger demi-humans wanting a quick escape route, she had no other choice. Not unless she shows the Dungeon Return Stone, which she theorized would cause the demi-human group to go aggressive and steal the stone from her hands, dead or not. “Either you help me and we escape this hellhole together, or we go our separate ways and you risk never getting out of this maze-like sewer.

“Ngh…”

The demi-humans, or specifically Krag and Lara, shut up and continued in silence. Anduin refused to speak, using all of his efforts to make sure the unconscious child was comfortable with his piggyback.

He didn’t like the wounds he healed earlier to open once again. Magic may bring miracles, but not all magic is able to do so. Like what Anduin did to Alice earlier. His magic, being a D-rank mage, was not strong enough to get rid of all the wounds. He mostly focused on lethal wounds, but that left him with low magic reserves, which he was saving for a… dangerous situation.

The group continues in silence, with the occasional Krag giving out directions to where they should proceed to reach the dungeon where the breakout was still ongoing.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a staircase leading up, some light peaking through the open passageway at the top.

“… Last time, are you sure about this?”

“Yes.” Merethyl glanced one more time at Krag, before focusing towards the top of the stairs, unsheathing the dagger she kept hidden under her cloak. “Stick close if you want to escape.”

[]

[]

[]

‘This should be the way to the estate…’ Luke looked at the wall that was pushed in a few centimeters deep. Using the same gestures he used to open the secret entrance back in the forest, he waited for a few seconds before the wall moved apart silently, revealing a staircase going up. ‘If I’m not mistaken, this leads to the storage area in the basement.’

Luke silently scaled the staircase, leaving the torch once light began to seep into the staircase. He also unsheathed the dagger hidden under his cloak in case of an assailant.

He reached the top of the staircase, staring at the dimly lit storage area which had seen better days. Crates littered the area, all ranging from small, to big. Some had their lids taken off completely, while others only had their lids shifted, making it possible to peek inside.

A few suits of iron were placed around the area, now home to various spiders as seen by the cobwebs and states of disuse. Dust, thick in the air, enough for a person to contract allergies for the next month.

A close look at some of the boxes revealed a bunch of furniture that went into disuse once Bentley brought in new ones to… impress… the other noble houses.

“… Politics…” Luke shrugged and ignored the depressing area as he looked for the staircase leading to the first floor, where he knew complications would arise in a heartbeat.

Finding the staircase, Luke once again scaled the staircase, which lasted a few seconds. He reached a wooden door that wasn’t too decorated, despite it being inside a noble house.

Reaching for the sword sheathed at his waist, he slowly opened the door, making sure that it wouldn’t creak and make too much noise. His first task done; the next thing he does is search around the area for any complications.

And the face of a guard who was glaring at him with a sword drawn was enough of an answer for him to come to his own conclusions as to the results of his second task.

‘… Shit…’

[]

[]

[]

“Well then… I guess I can say what’s on my mind now…”

“Krag… Shut up…”

“Well, at least I’d like to say my will before I fucking die thanks to this blonde asshat!”

Merethyl winced at the shout, but ignored it as she focused on the problem at hand, and that was being surrounded by a group of guards ready to murder and brutalize them before throwing them to the wolves.

“I suggesteth we useth whatev’r getaway tool thee currently has’t and escapeth.” Anduin said, his whole body tense as his left arm grabbed a sword he pilfered from the corpse of a guard, while his right arm held the unconscious child.

‘… I guess four is enough… Jionni will just have to make do with this lot…’ Merethyl grimaced as she grabbed the Dungeon Return Stone from her pouch.

The guards noticed this, but it was too late to stop the stone from activating. Their eyes were blinded by the bright light that was emitted from the stone, and once they opened their eyes a few seconds later, the surviving demi-humans plus human child were gone from their grasp.

Meanwhile, the demi-human group arrived back at Jionni’s Dungeon, in a heap of bodies, that is.

“Ow! Get off me you giant gnome!”

“Shut up you flat-chested midget! Any harder and I might feel your ribs poking my chest!”

“TAKE THAT BACK YOU GIANT ASSHOLE!”

“…”

Immediately, the two gnomes bickered with each other, not paying attention to their surroundings. Seeing this, Merethyl let out a sigh as she spotted Gong, the ever-faithful servant of Jionni.

Gong looked at Merethyl with a look that completely said, “Only these?”

“Yes, Gong, only these.” Merethyl spoke grimly, understanding Gong’s facial expression as she recalled the horrifying scene of the dead bodies of both demi-humans and humans, young or old, male or female, littering the dungeon pathways. If she arrived a little bit earlier, would she have gathered a few more to bring back?

She shook her head.

‘Can’t be playing hero now.’ Merethyl remembered the reason why she was doing this risky job in the first place.. ‘Mari, I will heal you, no matter the cost.’