Chapter 78 - Day CCXLI, Part II

- I didn't expect stairs - said Will. - It will be hard to get the carts down.

- Let's just take care of one at a time - I responded, and started to push my way back, to carts.

Louna and Anna were both on pulling duty. They were rather not very happy and gladly parted with the carts. One by one we got them to the end of the stairs.

The tunnel got a bit wider there, and even the air changed slightly. It was chillier. I got this feeling that there was definitely something hiding in the darkness in front of us. We kept pushing in silence, and suddenly I heard footsteps. Bare feet on the floor. Escaping from us.

- Did you hear that? - asked Alice.

- Yeah - a few people said simultaneously, I was among them.

- I think it was a guard, we should prepare for a big fight - I continued. - Remember to not lose the light. Toss the torches gently to the sides when you will need to use weapons. They shouldn't just go out.

- We get that - said Aisha.

We kept walking for several more minutes before the clanging of metal on the stone made it to us. The echo was at the beginning very quiet, but with every moment kept getting louder and louder.

- Shod boots on the stone? - Asked Hailwic.

- It sure sounds like that - was Will's reply.

- Stay here - I said and made few steps forward, just to stop.

I needed some space between me and the rest to block most of the enemies. It was wide enough for at least some to slip thru me on the sides and make it to the others.

There was a moment of anxiety and waiting. I took a peek behind, to check on the rest of the crew. The mix of excitement and fear of the unknown showed on their faces halfway consumed by the darkness and halfway lighted up thanks to the torches. Will was the only one smiling.

He at least kinda knew what to expect, and was way stronger now. Not only in terms of stats but also because of the experience gained from fighting orcs. He could be ready now to find out about class points.

I had to stop my train of thoughts because noises were pretty much straightforward suggesting that enemies are very close. The clanging became so damn loud, you could call it overwhelming.

- How many of them there are? - ashed Alice, obviously scared.

She must have never faced enemies in numbers this big.

- Keep calm, and cut down everything that will go past Peter - Will quickly tried to calm her down. - It will be fine.

I couldn't tell if it worked. First rat legionnaires started to slowly emerge from the darkness. With helmets on their heads, breastplates on the chests, heavy boots, and even heavier shields. Armed to the teeth in spears and jagged swords. Disciplined. Ready to kill.

There was a battle squeak from their side, and crossbow bolts started to fly thru the air. Those couldn't harm me, but for sure could the others. I extended my hand and made the strongest barrier I could in the air above me. It was enough to stop most of the projectiles.

Another squeak and the fire stopped. Instead, legionnaires charged with unexpected fury. They were drolling under their helmets, and I saw foam sliding on the breastplates. A question appeared in my head. Were they some kind of berserkers?

There was no time to find the answer because we both clashed. I used ki strengthening on pudao. Something I never tried before, but I thought why not try it now? The moment was as good as many.

Blade didn't even stop on the heavy wooden shields. It was probably because of a combination of strength, and skill. It went thru armor, and even cut down their weapons used to block my strikes. They were dying like flies. But still, some made it past me, to the rest, and a fight started at the back lines.

I was too busy to look behind, but also felt some confidence in Will's skills to get rid of whatever go past me. Not to mention that he had supporters.

The fight went on for several long minutes. I had no time for anything but to cut and slash, and eventually, their ranks started to get thinner and thinner. With the last ones remaining I noticed several figures at the very back, retreating. The Battle ended soon after.

I finally had a moment to look back. Will was a bit tired, but holding up pretty well. With a few deeper breaths he was ready to go. The others weren't that well. Hailwic panting heavily, alongside Aisha. Alice, on the other hand, further in the backlines, was holding her stomach, with a face twisted by pain. Anna, the pink-haired girl, had a deep cut on her hand and was bleeding strongly. The rest was just completely out of gas.

- We need to return - said Aisha, closing the distance to Alice.

She took a look at her wound.

- She is gonna bleed out if we don't go back - she continued.

I came closer, and just used heal twice, and with third healed the hand of Anna. Everybody looked at me totally dumbfounded.

- How the fuck did you do that?! - Will just couldn't hold the question in.

- Yeah, I want to know that too - Hailwic backed him up almost immediately.

- When you are strong enough, I'll tell you.

- What the heck does that even mean? - said Aisha.

She clearly wasn't keen on me keeping such information from her.

- I could tell you, but it's pointless anyway. You won't be able to do what needs to be done. You are too weak. I don't want you to risk your life when you are obviously not ready. You might not agree with me now, but I almost died myself in the process, so I know what I'm talking about. Just trust me on this.

There was a mix of truth and false in my words. I was concerned about them trying to kill the goblin boss, and dying in the process, but I also wanted to keep the secret to myself as long as it was possible. If it spread around, we could be in trouble. Especially with Blue walking around.

- I don't like us keeping secrets from each other - she continued.

- It's not a secret. For example, Will is almost ready. I believe he will be strong enough after we are finished here, so I'm gonna tell him then.

- I don't care. I don't want secrets between us - she wasn't gonna back down.

- Ok. I'll tell you, but only if you can assure me this information is not gonna spread around. Cause, right now it's our only edge against Blue. If he puts his hands on this, nobody is gonna be able to stop him.

She looked at others with a shifting expression on her face. Clearly trying to ascertain how sure can she be about other members of our party.

- Fine. Keep your stupid secret for now.

- It's not a secret. You all know there is something, you just don't know what. And better don't even mention that to anybody. This world is different from earth. Everybody is greedy about power here. So keep that in mind.

I regretted healing them. I did it by impulse, didn't even thinking about consequences. Now, not only I managed to put a wall between me and Aisha, but also spread information that there is a different type of power around to grab, than just normal upgrades in the device.

I was not stupid about this. It was gonna spread thru the city like wildfire sooner or later. I needed to ensure my lead among the others like blue, or we would repeat our recent history very soon.

- Let's take a short break to eat, drink, and collect the crystals, then move forward - I said.

Nobody answered me, but people just started to slowly gather the spoils of the battle. There was this awkward silence between us all, and a tension that wasn't there before. I wished I could turn back time, and just return to the city instead of using that damn skill, but I had no such ability and had to deal with the aftermath of my decision.

After gathering all crystals, grabbing a bite, and drinking some water, we returned to hunting and slowly made it further. Except for the occasional rat, here and there, we managed to clear the floor entirely.

We found empty barracks, underground training grounds more forges filled with equipment, and even something that looked like social rooms. With stone tables and benches. Girls couldn't believe rats are living in such similar conditions to humans here, underground. They had a long discussion about this, but I cut it by explaining to them that it's not real, and the creatures are just puppets designed to look alive. Not all of them agreed, and the discussion went on.

The mood still was off. Not as joyful, as before. I felt like everybody, except Will, is angry at me. Especially Aisha felt so damn distant. Like we were no longer friends, but rather enemies. I kept thinking about it and worrying to some point, but it all ended when we got to the end of the main tunnel.. There was another staircase, leading deeper below.