The farms closer to Eter were in equal disarray as those around Gleice. Was this the impact of the framework only? Or was this related to the changes in the King? How many had died in that first event? The run to Etes left me with plenty of time to think of these questions but provided little for answer. Marci trailed above my head keeping a silent watch.

The walls of Etes came into sight well before the sun rose, before even the pre-dawn light. I only had a few hours to make it to the wall, through the tunnel and find a safe place to hide before the increased scrutiny that came with the daylight. I changed the appearance of my cloak to all black to hide in the shadows. I chose the look of a traveling merchant of Eter, except for my cloak that resembled a heavy winter fur. The temperature was frigid on the plains, the wind chill enough to freeze my bones despite my high stats.

The map Nadia had drawn for me placed the entrance to the tunnel halfway between the western and southern gates. Etes had four entry gates sunk into its massive walls, named after the four cardinal directions. I stayed far enough away to be out of sight of any guards on the wall and looped around the city. No one else was outside the walls this early in the morning.

The homes and farmsteads were abandoned even just outside the city. Beasts roamed the plains, the stronger ones solo and weaker in groups and packs. None bothered me during the trip to Etes, out of fear or plentiful other hunting, I didn’t know. There were no buildings near the supposed tunnel entry so approaching it would leave me in full view of the wall. Hoping the shadows remained deep enough, I carefully jogged to the wall making as little sound as possible.

The tunnel was on the backside of a small hill that would be impossible to see from the other side. I had to move a grass lined wooden cover to expose the inside. It was pitch black inside as expected and dropped straight down. I carefully pulled a hallowed light from inside my pack but didn’t light it out here, it would be too easy to spot. I said my final goodbyes to Marci as she circled in the sky and flew back towards the forest. Trusting in Nadia, I lowered myself down into the hole and slid the cover shut above me.

I lit the hallowed light lantern after I replaced the cover above me. I was standing on a ladder built into the wall of a dirt tunnel. There was bracing of wood indicating that this was a permanent fixture. I wondered how many people knew about this tunnel and how often it was used. The tunnel was about eight feet tall and five feet wide. Large enough to bring carts through but not enough to move large supplies.

Using the map from Naida, this tunnel would lead about a half a mile in a straight line under the wall. There would be an exit into the basement of a cloth merchant that allowed the strykers use of the tunnel and secrecy in exchange for gold. It wouldn’t matter now as the shop would be closed for a few more hours. I quickly started off down the tunnel while still trying to make as little noise as possible.

I made it a couple hundred feet in before I heard a scraping sound coming from up ahead. There was a large black beetle rushing towards me, it was so wide it barely fit in the tunnel. I scrambled back and fumbled for my spear with one arm. Unsuccessfully trying to pull it out of its holster in the small tunnel. The beetle caught up to me and slammed against my lower half, tackling me to the ground.

I desperately grabbed my dagger and started ramming it against the beetle’s shell over and over, I couldn’t penetrate it. It raked its claws over my body and the pain was immense, like fire in my veins. My health bar was dropping closer to half as it ripped my clothes open, an icon that indicated poison also appeared. I found a soft spot in the armor of its underbelly and killed it after four stabs.

I crawled out from under its corpse and backed away to the wall and propped against it. Chugging a health potion I triggered Identify.

Balra - Beast - Level 12 - Health 0/80 - Armor 200 - Beast native to the world of Arit. Lives underground population centers and feeds on waste. Heavily armored with weak spots on its underbelly. Males perform working and guard duties, females breed and rule.

That armor level was crazy, no wonder I couldn’t stab through it. I decided to wait until the poison cleared to move again. At this rate I would have to spend the day in the tunnel anyway so I didn’t want to risk combat while injured. The pain faded away as my health increased but that feeling of fatigue that accompanied damage persisted as usual.

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I feel like a fool for getting caught off guard. I was so used to my level and stats compensating my physical abilities that I let myself get careless. Van had been the primary melee lead for most of the fights I had been in recently. Marci was always scouting ahead, I missed them dearly.

The hallowed lantern had broken but some of the liquid still remained. It would last long enough to get to the end of the tunnel. I used one more health potion and watched as the poison notification wore off. My armor was scratched up with several holes, it would repair itself with time. My spear was out in the lead as I started advancing again.

I fought many more of the large Balra as I worked my way towards the inner city. I reached level 41 after the sixth or seventh and it became easy and routine to kill them. One stab near the eyes would make them rear up and then stab them in the underbelly as quickly as possible would finish them off. The beetles had an incredibly tough shell but were unintelligent beasts for sure.

The tunnel branched off a few times to other locations in the city according to the map. Nadia had said they were all likely undiscovered but the most reliable chance was the cloth merchant. It was no wonder the infiltrators of the strykers had such a feared reputation amongst the criminals of the city if they had access to hidden tunnels like these. I kept away from the side tunnels and kept to the map.

I reached the end and checked the map. To the left would be the cloth merchant and to the right was marked as the cellar of a wine shop. I walked to the right to take a look at it when I felt myself pass a threshold.

Congratulations! You have encountered a Survival Event! Balra Queen Lair - Dungeon! You have 24 hours to complete this dungeon or the event will be considered a failure! Rewards available for completion based on contribution!

I quickly turned back and left the dungeon before even looking around. The two dungeons from the mine had been highly dangerous and I didn’t have time to get hurt right now. The King’s deadline for my mother was in three days and I had no idea how I was going to help her. I walked back to the marked entrance to the merchant's basement and started up the ladder.

As I was halfway up the ladder I heard voices from above me in the basement. The shop shouldn’t have anyone in it this early. My panic started to rise that Nadia had betrayed me. I prepared to jump off the ladder and start running back to the tunnel entrance while I listened.

“I told you there's not a damned secret tunnel in my basement!” I heard a voice shout, the speaker sounded to be in pain.

There was a loud smacking sound and then a thump. I heard what sounded like a chair scraping against the ground as it was dragged. “I am only going to give you one more chance.” A gravelly voice said loudly. There was a moment of silence before more thumping and the speaker continued.

“We have it on good information that you have conspired to help a convicted criminal evade the King's justice. Our informant stated that you use a tunnel in your basement to help conduct secret business with the traitorous strykers. Repent and help your King defeat these treasoners.” He said.

“I already told you I have never met or helped Sylar. I don’t know what damned tunnel you are talking about, I left the army thirty years ago! I don’t even know any strykers anymore! If I knew where he was I would tell you! There are hundreds of buildings with basements in Etes! Dozens right here in the crafting district where you have set up your little detention camp!” there was more thumping.

“You have been given multiple chances to renounce the rebellion and obey your King. You have been sentenced to death in the name of King Bearn. I, as a Kingsworn, act in his manner on this. Do you have any final words?”

“Fuck you and the King!” The first voice replied and was followed again by a loud smack and thump. I heard groans from above and waited with held breath for the Kingsworn to find the tunnel entrance.

After what felt like hours of the basement being torn apart I heard the sound of men leaving. I waited until it had been silent for a few minutes and climbed back all the way up the ladder. I very slowly lifted the cover off the top and jigged off whatever was on top of it. There was debris littered everywhere in the room, the tunnel was hidden under a wooden cover that perfectly matched the floor around it.

In the middle of the room was a body lying on its side with its throat cut. I took one last look around and replaced the tunnel cover and lowered myself back down. That was almost certainly Nadia’s friend and the safehouse was compromised. I would have to find another way into the crafting district. I pulled out the map and went over all the options, every tunnel ended in a crafters basement. This tunnel didn’t reach any other part of the city.

I turned slowly and looked towards the wine merchants cellar and the dungeon it held. It would be another chance to level and get rewards before attempting to free my mother. The risk of death was there but had been for months, I was still alive. The part of me that enjoyed the gaminess of the framework craved the dungeon and the fight inside. I took a deep breath and walked back over the threshold.