"Hey Dar! Come see this!" Mirami called out to Darsumi. He locked eyes with Hem, who nodded, then left to see what had gotten Mirami so worked up. The mansion had a second floor, where the master bedroom was located. Across from the bedroom was a hallway leading to an entrance to an enclosed, uniquely designed room without windows. The room was circular, and Dar remembered seeing a turret in the top corner of the mansion from the outside.
Mirami had discovered a reinforced chamber, four meters in diameter. If Hem were here, he would recall both he and Dar seeing a similar kind of chamber before. It was a specially designed chamber used to create a mana-dense environment for training or meditation.
On the walls of the chamber were sockets, the perfect size for mana stones. A formation ran the length of the wall, designed to absorb mana from the mana stones and release it into the chamber, filling it with rich and dense mana.
"A chamber?" a voice said from behind. Dar turned and saw Bones looking over his shoulder.
"Aye. A cultivation chamber! I'll explain later," Dar said, then asked Bones how the situation with the vault was going.
"The vault is similar to Hartmore's. I've run out of mana one too many times, so I came to check what the fuss was about," Bones explained.
Dar nodded and said, "The last time I saw one of these was back home." He saw Bones wanted to ask more about it, but now was not the time. "Later."
Bones didn't pry. He just nodded and took one last look around the chamber before heading back to the vault. Similar to my own! Bones though, remembering the chamber where his ritual took place… Hopefully not as faulty.
Dar returned to Hem and explained what they had found. Hem whistled and said he didn't expect to see one there. Cultivation chambers were money sinks. They offered a great environment for training, but the upkeep was too much for most. Major guilds might have one or two, but for a house of a noble of average standing to have one was a waste of resources.
"Damn rich folk," Hem said, sparking a reaction from Erhan, who smirked as if agreeing with the statement.
The explosions had stopped some time ago, but the night was anything but quiet. The voices of people never stopped—hysterical, panicked, manic, and angry. It sent chills down the spine of anyone who heard them.
"It seems to be over," Dar said.
"Over? Does it sound like it's over to you, dwarf?" Erhan replied, clearly distressed. "I won't forget you!" He added, making it very clear that he wouldn't let this pass.
Dar frowned. "Duly noted," he said, turning to Bones, who was coming back. Bones said he was done with the vault, but Krampus needed more time to deal with a separate formation inside the vault. A muffled explosion followed by the sound of an alarm indicated that Krampus had failed and the formation had activated. Dar and Bones rushed back to the vault while Hem stayed behind to watch the smirking Erhan.
"It's fine! A part of the formation activated. A minor mishap!" Krampus said defensively, seeing the two rushing toward him. The other dwarves were already busy inside the vault. Dar stopped by Krampus while Bones passed them by and entered the vault. He glanced around, but his target was hard to miss. Straight ahead was a glass container, and inside was a mana core. Bones smiled upon seeing the core and the lock on the container. He was glad there was a lock and not a formation or something else in the way of his prize.
Once again, Bones summoned the Incomplete Skeleton Key and went to work. It was impossible for the team to clean the whole vault. Inside were many display cabinets filled with all sorts of weapons, armor, and jewelry, many of which were protected by both locks and formations. The dwarves didn't bother with the big catches; everything else was fair game.
Bones unlocked, snatched, and stored the mana core in his inventory. He had gotten what he came for and began unlocking nearby cabinets, deposit boxes, and chests. He had no real need for anything else, so he unlocked what he could and watched others loot. He spotted Dar going through documents inside one of the deposit boxes. Dar took some, left some, and then returned upstairs to Hem. I guess his priority is intel, Bones thought.
The beeping of the alarm stopped shortly after. Krampus had dispelled the formation and turned off the alarm. It was time to wrap everything up.
"It’s still snowing!" Hemdus said, watching the unexpected snow cover everything in white.
"Apparently so. Come on, Hem, it’s time to go!"
"Aye. With this one finished, we're done here!"
Everyone gathered on the ground floor to discuss their escape route. The estate’s walls were too high for everyone to climb over, so they decided to return the same way they had come in, through the front gates. One by one, they discarded their masks and rushed out of the mansion. Hem left after the others, leaving only Dar, Bones, and Erhan inside.
"No casualties, I presume?" Bones asked, referring to Erhan and how Dar intended to deal with him. Dar locked eyes with Erhan and saw defiance and a glint of resolve in his eyes. He knew that letting the man live after seeing his face could come back to bite him later. Still, Dar shook his head and decided to let the man be. He believed that letting Erhan live was the better option. Bones nodded and followed Dar outside. Erhan exhaled in relief and then donned a stern expression.
Looking through the window from the outside, Erhan could be seen slowly and shakily trying to stand up. Before he could fully straighten, a spear pierced his heart from behind. He looked down in shock as the spear's tip emerged from his chest. Skully yanked the spear back, withdrawing it before thrusting it again, and again. Erhan collapsed in a pool of blood, dying slowly from multiple stab wounds.
A moment later, just outside the estate’s perimeter, Bones stopped walking, an all-too-familiar notification occupying his attention. Darsumi turned to him and asked what was wrong.
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"Nothing at all…"
Golem Mastery level up!
"Just thinking about what’s next!" Bones lied. Sorry, Dar, but the man had seen my face too.
Dar smiled and patted him on the back. "Let's return to the Uppity Gent first, then we can discuss what’s next, hm?"
"You’re right. Let’s do that."
They walked back at a casual pace, avoiding the central area where the commotion was still ongoing. Many people had returned to their homes, while others stayed outside, watching and discussing what had happened. Most were unaware that the ceremony had been interrupted by an attack and thought it was merely an accident. The fire from the explosions had traveled far through the sewers and out through the sewer holes, causing many buildings outside the immediate blast radius to catch fire.
Hours later, the fires had been extinguished, leaving only the destruction and casualties in the wake of the explosions. Hundreds had died and thousands were injured. If Fluvis Frose hadn’t intervened and stopped the last three bombs in the main square, the death toll would have been much higher.
The party of misfits reached the tavern around three in the morning. Normally bustling and open until sunrise, tonight it was deserted except for Thaddeus' wife, who was terrified and in disarray. It took some time and reassurance to calm her down. Given the situation, the tavern was closed for the night, and the party retreated to the private hall to finally relax.
Mirami jumped onto a sofa and passed out, while the others indulged in much-needed drinks. Although the heist had been a success, no one felt like celebrating. It was late, but that wasn’t the only reason. The brutal nature of the attack and its aftermath had unsettled everyone. Bones sensed that the party was uncomfortable with how they had taken advantage of the chaos. Once everyone but Mirami was settled at the table, Bones spoke up.
"I think I know what all of you are thinking, and I can assure you, there was nothing we could have done to stop the attack, so don’t feel guilty about it." Bones paused before continuing. "I informed someone at the Adventurer’s Guild about the attack beforehand, and I’m sure they did everything they could to prevent it."
"I wouldn’t call what we saw preventing it," one of the silent dwarves scoffed. His comment was blunt but accurate.
"That’s not on us. There was nothing we could have done to improve the situation. And from what I can tell, what we took from the vault amounts to very little compared to what was left behind."
"Hear ye!" Hem added. Darsumi then asked if Bones had really informed someone about the attack. Bones nodded and explained that he didn’t have a choice; Rayne had ambushed him back in Stonefalls. He noticed the dwarves’ surprise and explained he had made a deal with Rayne but kept it to himself to avoid causing unnecessary worry.
Darsumi leaned back in his chair and exhaled. "What happened, happened. There’s no use dwelling on it now."
"First, let’s sort out the rings," he said, placing his own and one other ring on the table. "Mirami already handed me hers."
Everyone placed their heist rings in the middle, and Dar collected them all. He pulled out one more ring, slightly different from the others, and shuffled through them, organizing the items. When he was finished, he extended his hand toward Bones, holding the distinct ring between his fingers.
Bones reached for the ring, expecting it to be his share from the heist, but Darsumi stopped him. “It’s a gift from me and Hem,” Dar said. Bones was momentarily taken aback but took the ring and glanced inside. His eyes widened as he saw another mana core among various pieces of high-quality armor and mana stones, totaling around two thousand gold in value.
“Another mana core? Dar, where did you—”
“We never stopped looking, Bones. You still don’t realize the true value of a dungeon. It’s not just a few thousand gold…” Dar's tone softened. “Anyway, this is the best we could manage with the time we had. Mana stones are pretty much universal currency. If you ever need more, come back to us!”
Hem chimed in with a grin, “I made you some heavy armor pieces for your new golem. All high-quality stuff!”
“Appreciate it, Hem,” Bones said, genuinely thankful.
“Think nothin’ of it! Ye still plan on usin’ robes? Belmus made some for ye. It’s all in there.”
“Ye…I mean yes. I find it easier to move in robes. Besides, they look kind of cool…”
“Well, yer choice, I guess!” Hem shrugged with a smile.
“Apologies, cousins. I’m gonna go check on my wife. She got really shaken by the attack,” Thaddeus said, rising from his seat.
Darsumi nodded. “Thank her for letting us stay.”
Thaddeus nodded and added, “Don’t forget the book,” before heading out.
Bones watched Thaddeus leave and turned back to the dwarves. “What book?” he asked.
Dar retrieved a small booklet and handed it to Bones. “It’s another gift, from all of us. It’s a compendium of useful information—locations of interest, monsters, and cities. Hopefully, it’ll help you decide on your next move and assist you on your journey.”
“I don’t know what to say but thank you! You dwarves are good folk! I’m glad I met you when I did.” Bones spoke earnestly. From the day he bumped into Hem outside the Construction Guild, he hadn’t had a single dull moment with them. They were a rowdy bunch, but in a good way.
Hem’s cheeks flushed slightly at the praise, and he rubbed his finger beneath his nose while chuckling. Dar nodded in appreciation and then grew serious.
“Come sit by the fireplace with me,” He said. “There are a few things I want to explain before you head out.”
Soon, the others went their separate ways. Each dwarf claimed a room upstairs for the night, while Mirami was sound asleep on the sofa. Darsumi and Bones settled into lounge chairs by the crackling fire.
“You’ll be boarding a carriage leaving for the battlefield at dawn,” Dar said, pulling out a slip of paper with the address and the name Marcus written on it, along with a larger sheet of paper. He handed both to Bones.
Bones examined the papers, intrigued. Dar continued.
“On the small slip is the address at the south gates and the name of the coachman who will take you out of the city. The larger sheet is the identity you’ll be assuming until you reach your destination.”
“Impersonating? Why?” Bones asked, puzzled.
“It’s simple. You want to leave without drawing attention as Bones. And you can’t just join the army at the frontlines without proper ID or bribes. Not anymore.”
“So, I’m impersonating someone else to get in. Who?” Bones clarified.
Dar nodded. “Marcus is transporting prisoners to the frontlines. The man on the paper is a thief with assault charges. He was supposed to board the carriage but was killed in his cell two nights ago.”
“No one will question why a dead man is taking a carriage to the frontlines?”
“Not if you bribe the right people. The official report will state that he died on the battlefield today,” Dar said with a smile. “After you reach the army camp, you’ll be grouped with the rest. Think of it as a formality. The prisoners are essentially cannon fodder. From there, you’re on your own!”
“Now then,” Dar said, leaning forward. “Let me tell you about the dangers of war!”