— Damn, how I hate these scum! If it weren’t for that little crime, I wouldn’t have been exiled here as a warden for a whole year...
The guard, recently assigned to the mine, spat angrily. He wanted to teach Gloomer a lesson, but there was nothing he could do because of Henry.
His gaze slid over the ore beasts—magical creatures used to transport extracted minerals. For three days now, they hadn’t touched their food. This slowed down the work, triggering a chain reaction of problems.
— What the hell is wrong with these damn creatures?
The day trickled by like thick tar. Evening fell.
At the main entrance to the mine, a small crowd had gathered. This was the primary passage through which workers entered and exited. Now, however, it was almost entirely submerged. A raging stream was already seeping into the cave.
If not for several low-class guards with water magic, the mine would have flooded long ago.
However, neither they nor their superiors knew that just a few meters away, hidden in the shadows, sixteen escapees lay in wait.
Gloomer watched the guards with pity.
— They’ve been forced to stand here all day. I wonder what their faces will look like when we show up and destroy everything?
Henry, on the other hand, stood firm.
And then he gave the signal—it was time to begin.
But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
A dull sound of footsteps echoed. Someone was coming up here.
The low-class guards immediately noticed the silhouette.
— Is that the boss? — one of them asked in confusion.
When the figure fully emerged, there was no doubt.
It was Donnie.
A special-class guard.
What was he doing here?
The sixteen escapees tensed.
---
Deep inside the mine…
— Chief, urgent news! The ore beasts… they’ve become uncontrollable.
An exhausted guard struggled to catch his breath.
— They’re even attacking people!
The head of the mine frowned.
— Are the guards handling it?
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
— That’s just it—they’re not. There are too few of them. Half of them fled through the secret passage after what that woman said...
— We need Donnie’s strength. Can we send him here?
The chief immediately refused.
— Don’t worry. I’ll handle it myself. And Donnie... he’s a bit busy right now. Punishing deserters.
I was planning to help Donnie, but for some reason, these ore beasts appeared. Is this connected to the escape? But that person didn’t give any such information...
---
Donnie drew his scissor-blade and surveyed the darkness.
— Sixteen people… So that informant wasn’t lying.
He stepped forward.
— I’ll give you one chance. Step out and justify yourselves. If I like your answer, half of you will live.
The low-class guards exchanged panicked glances.
Gloomer noticed Henry and Astrey trembling for a split second.
— No... How did he find out?! The information leaked? Where did we mess up? — Astrey whispered.
Gloomer frowned.
— He ran into Donnie again.
Astrey quickly composed himself.
— Fine, I’ll think about it later, if we survive. Right now, we have no choice. We fight.
He stepped out of the shadows.
The others followed.
The low-class guards froze, their concentration shattered.
Two moments—and two of them had already collapsed, struck down by Astrey’s daggers.
And then Donnie moved forward.
The low-class guards abandoned the water construct they had been maintaining. Their lives were more important. They immediately reached for their weapons.
The first ones who stood in Donnie’s way didn’t even have time to activate their magic—they were cut down in an instant.
The rest would have met the same fate if not for a sudden torrent of water blocking the path.
The low-class guards had released their hold on the water, and now it poured rapidly into the cave.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
Gloomer felt it in his skin.
Just like that time...
But no one paid attention. He pushed through the enemies and rushed toward Astrey.
Astrey parried the strike.
The battle had begun.
Gloomer suddenly felt someone grab his hand.
Naomi.
— Run! — she whispered and, conjuring a whirlwind, dashed for the exit.
The others followed—Damon, Marlo, Henry, Lark, Ars, Vale…
Astrey was left alone with Donnie, like bait.
Donnie ignored everyone else, charging straight at him.
Inside, Astrey thought, My plan was perfect... Someone betrayed me. Henry?
Donnie smirked suddenly.
— That artifact... I think it’ll make a fine reward for his cooperation.
Astrey exploded with rage.
— Bastard!
But before he could finish, Donnie’s blade was enveloped in darkness.
Its speed became unnaturally fast.
Astrey barely had time to realize what was happening before the blade passed through him.
Donnie didn’t even glance at the falling body.
He moved toward the exit.
Damon, standing at the entrance, shattered a guard’s jaw with a lightning-fast punch.
It was possible thanks to his stone skin, reinforced by bone magic.
Marlo blinded the enemies with a flash of light.
Henry, using water, broke their formation.
Compared to the mob, the two wounded low-class guards were nothing.
And so they broke through!
But just as the group reached the exit, Donnie was already there, stepping out of the darkness.
Time froze.
Damon clenched his fists.
If only I had a couple of seconds...
And then...
Water burst through the exit with incredible force, sweeping everyone away—guards, escapees, even Gloomer.
But the worst part—a monster emerged from the water.
Its skin resembled deep-sea creatures encrusted with barnacles.
Fins jutted from its back.
And its maw, filled with crooked teeth, twitched as if anticipating a feast.
But it didn’t attack.
The monster glanced around and rushed deeper into the mine.
Donnie froze.
He immediately tried to stop it, but the creature didn’t even acknowledge him.
The others ran for the exit.
Gloomer grabbed Astrey’s drifting dagger as he passed.
Donnie, watching the escapees out of the corner of his eye, smirked.
— Astrey wanted to use them to feed this monster...
— But why did it ignore them and go deeper? Don’t creatures like that prefer devouring the weak with abilities?
And then...
They were free.
Outside, the island was drowning in water, glowing with a strange bluish light.
Thunder split the sky.
The rain wouldn’t stop.
But they paid no attention to it.
They just kept running.
Thirteen of them remained.
Henry spoke without hesitation:
— We move forward. We need to find a safe place.
The group quickened their pace, trudging through the water that slowed them down but also illuminated everything around them. Even at night, it was as bright as under the moonlight.
Gloomer turned back, casting one last glance at the cave, slowly sinking beneath the water.
— Astrey... You planned to use us to survive, but in the end, you were the pawn that got used.
He exhaled, exhaustion washing over him in waves.
— My experiments with illusions on the ore beasts weren’t in vain... As expected, they worked. And against that monster at the entrance, too.
The monster had been standing there for days. Its rank was high; otherwise, the low-class guards and even the chief wouldn’t have fled through the secret exit.
Astrey couldn’t escape with them because he had been punished by the main figures of this place. By the time he reached the secret exit, it was already flooded.
— So he had to come up with a new escape plan. And he planned to use us to pass through the main passage. The only obstacles in his way were the guards and the monster at the entrance.
Both could have been dealt with if he found people willing to use their abilities to distract and take the damage.
Especially when it came to monsters that usually ignored people without abilities.
Gloomer wasn’t entirely sure if this was the full truth—he was only speculating.
— My plan to tip off another warden about the escape at the last moment was a success, despite the risks.
Naomi’s information about the monster at the entrance played a big role as well.
— I have no idea how many times I’ve escaped from here. But this is definitely the last.
Glumer gave a weary smirk.
— This ability to change the scent and taste of monsters is damn useful… Too bad it drains all my strength.