The remainder of the tunnel passed like a blur. Tarn could see the opening ahead of them growing larger, gaining view of a massive torch-lit space. Somehow, he had pushed to the forefront of the group, with only Aryo able to keep pace with his stride.

As he exited the tunnel, Tarn had to stop and allow his eyes to readjust. The cavernous area was built with the same brick as the passage they had just gone through, but the scale was completely different. They had entered a massive circular chamber hundreds of feet across, built around a central spoke with a half-dozen doors.

Rails were everywhere, snaking all along the surface of the chamber in a maze of interconnections that led to a number of tunnels too high for Tarn to take the time to count. There was a screech of wheels as a new train came barreling through, hurtling down the tunnel adjacent to the one they just exited.

He nodded with satisfaction. Hopefully that would slow Yarex down a bit.

Tarn felt a weight come around his waist. He looked down, surprised to see a second dark leather belt there, lined with several empty glass tubes. Turning to his teammates, he saw they too had gained belts lined with vials. Even Lash had a tiny one, each belt fastened with an axe-shaped belt buckle.

“Narsol? I assume these are courtesy of our new friend?”

“They are.” The orc nodded. “Though the Axe is no one’s friend, not even the Progenitors. The vials are for Blood Points. As you win battles within the Axe, they will fill up. You may spend the points at Redeem rooms, where they go back to the Dungeon.”

“Interesting,” Isca said, taking one vial out and holding it up for inspection. “So, it is like Resolve with the Sword Dungeon. A form of currency, and sustenance.”

“Look later!” Tarn barked. “We need to get to that central section!”

He was already running, his team again struggling to keep up. Ahead there were gray stone steps that led off the railway and onto a platform surrounding the axis of doors. Now at this distance Tarn could see they were marked with simple letter and number combinations.

Yet as they approached, most of the doors seemed to melt into the white stone of the circular spoke. Tarn stopped in front of the only pair of doors remaining, as the rest of the group came to reach the platform with him.

“Our choices,” Narsol said, chest heaving. “Yarex will get his own path, his own selections. Once in the Axe proper, he may not engage us until the final chamber. But he can battle us here in the Hub if they can reach us.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Let him!” Bog seethed. “I wish to show that giant my fist again.”

“Unwise.” Urthin said flatly. “As satisfying as it might be. The sooner we are through the Axe, the sooner we can prepare to meet our adversary in the final chamber.”

“Which door?” Isca had come beside him. “A1? Or A2. Narsol spoke of a map.”

A map! Yes!

He pushed through his interface, gratified by the sound of the hell train passing through Yarex’s tunnel. After a moment, he was able to locate a new entry – a small series of boxes drawn inside his mind in tight, teal lines.

“I can see it,” Tarn said. “I wish you all could too. There is a single axe symbol in both rooms, I’m guessing that’s a fight, right Narsol?”

“Yes, simple combat. Not without challenge, but at full health the first fight should be fairly easy.”

Tarn could feel the urgency of Yarex’s approach, but tried to keep his focus. With every door being a one-way decision, he still needed to think this out.

“Okay, great.” He looked further at the map inside his mind, the detail diminishing with each tier. “So, if the axe symbol on a map means a fight, what’s a circle? A1 leads to another axe, and then a circle.”

“Circle is the redemption.” Narsol looked over his shoulder at the tunnel where Yarex would be emerging. “A fire is the camping room, and two axes crossed means an elite challenge.”

Tarn nodded, looking back at the map. A1 would bring them either a redeem in B1, or another fight in B2. A2 offered paths to a campsite, or another fight.

He ignored his own impatience and kept thinking. Narsol said the first fight would be easy, so there were unlikely to be many injuries. Adding to that, no one was over the line on levelling up. The campsite would be redundant, but what about the redemption?

He could hear the footsteps approaching now from the far tunnel. They were more than sixty feet away, so Yarex couldn’t trigger initiative immediately. But the flying one – Tona – he moved quickly.

“We’re taking A1,” Tarn announced. “I want to see how redeem works for myself. Let’s go, people!”

Stepping aside, he waved his hands at his team and urged them up the steps. Bog was first through, and immediately reached the heavy wooden door. Tarn expected her to perhaps wait for Isca or Lash to examine it, but she yanked it open immediately.

“Move your asses!” She bellowed, watching as they raced through with Jental in the lead.

As they hurried forward, Tarn kept his eyes on the far tunnels, as the torchlight grew brighter and brighter. The rest were through, but Tarn stayed in the doorway, still waiting. He felt Urthin’s hand on his shoulder, but Tarn resisted.

“There is no need to confirm he is coming,” Urthin said.

“That’s not why I’m waiting.” Tarn said calmly, with one hand on the door. After a moment, he saw what he was waiting for.

Yarex exited the far tunnel first, sputtering torch in his hand. Behind him, Tarn could see the figures of Geron the giant, and Vestai the Beacon. The tiny form of Tona took up the rear, wings weakly flapping.

Tarn gave a loud whistle, which echoed throughout the cavernous station. Yarex’s head whipped around, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of its source.

Tarn gave his opponent a wave and the biggest smile he could muster.

“That’s right, you bastard,” Tarn muttered. “Just wanted you to see me. And see that I’m not afraid of you.”