Moving down to the underground floors made us realise how clustered together we would be moving as a group of 40.

For this reason we split into two groups to clear different sections of the hideout, splitting again when clearing out smaller areas and rooms.

Our group consisted of our group and the first Black Hound squadron that hadn’t lost any members. Since we both had 10 members each, this set up is ideal. Therefore, the second group is formed from one Black Hound squadron and two army squadrons, again making 20 members due to the losses they suffered to get here.

Our two groups split off and move in two directions, leaving the occasional marking on a wall to indicate to the other group that we’d gone through here, hopefully stopping us from moving through areas already cleared by the previous group.

When the hallway separated into smaller, abandoned rooms all clustered together, we separated into fives to search each of the rooms quicker. With all four groups still being close enough to respond to anything that may occur.

Though that it is strange that we haven’t seen any of these witches, it’s likely they’re all together summoning more gnolls and dire wolves. According to the information I was provided with, more witches working in unison during a summoning in turn increases the amount of thing that can be summoned during each ritual, as well as the total number of summons you can retain control of.

Therefore each witch we kill, the less summoned monsters that can be controlled by them, causing more and more of the monsters to overcome their mental shackles as we kill those who summoned them.  Hopefully, these monsters will break and flee once they are separated from their controllers, resulting in our victory with far less losses than fighting head on.

Though it would be possible to win the battle with brute strength, the losses would be devastating and would significantly reduce the strength of the Taldarian army and could put the kingdom’s border at risk.

This is the reason no full-scale wars have been fought between kingdoms in hundreds of years, as any weakening on the borders to the Forgotten Lands could make you incapable to respond to a large threat that could cause cataclysmic damage to the kingdom. 

My group of five consisted of me, Torben, Grigori, Finnian and Petri.

The first few rooms were completely empty, normally having non of the usual torches inside, requiring me to carry one in order to see anything inside the rooms.

The sixth room was different.

Though it was structurally identical to the previous rooms and likely served the same purpose before the people here died and the room was gutted of everything.

Moving into the room, what was immediately notice is the huge amount of fungi covering the floor in a wide variety of colour, size and shapes.

All of these were mushrooms and there must be near to 50 types of them in growing in the room, with each type of mushroom growing in its own section of the room. Almost as if they were separated and organised into small plots.

The entire stone flooring for this room was torn up, revealing dirt that really shouldn't be here underground in a ruin.

So, these must be components for some of their magic or rituals. Unless someone here just happens to have a passion for mushroom gardening.

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It would be possible that these could be used for food, but I distinctly recognise some of them as being extremely poisonous.

Worse than this however, is that some of these only grow in the Forgotten Lands, with one of these in the far corner being the mind-jacker mushroom. Not the official name, but those in the barrens didn’t know what it was when in was found we had to call it something.

The only time I came across this was an area close to the Forgotten Lands, where one of my raiders got close to it and was sprayed in the face with pores.

He then attacked and killed one of his friends before I put him down.

So with that in mind, I think I’ll stay away from this room, no matter how temping it is to gather everything that might be useful.

Which brings me to another problem.

Even though there will be magical items, books and who knows what else. I won’t be able to take any of it, since me having it on me would be enough to warrant execution.

This risk is even higher due to the Malleus Maleficarum sniffing around recently, who have a bad reputation of tearing apart homes and businesses looking for suspected magical counterfeit items. So I expect everyone here will be searched and possibly questioned. Having their quarters turned upside down if they are determined suspicious.

For this reason, I have already hidden everything that could even hint at magic.

Though I intend to absorb any information I can, provided it can be done quickly.

Otherwise it might be suspicious to suddenly stop what I’m doing and read a book for a few hours.

So, basically this whole wing of rooms in the South-East wing of the ruins is abandoned, with all of the rooms being stripped of everything.

However, every so often a piece of scrap metal is found, similar to that of the previous ruin, though no large storage rooms or workrooms are around.

It might be safe to assume that another section of the ruin would contain these, perhaps where the other group in searching.

In addition to these pieces of scrap metal, another of those giant metal doors with the ridiculously large keyholes was found lying on the ground, torn of its hinges and the tunnel behind it collapsed. Maybe this door, like the last we found, would lead to a giant city filled to the brim with lost knowledge.

I’m having a little trouble not salivating just at the thought.

Also, within the ruins are engraved stone signs on the walls, which indicate directions.

Firstly, the ruins appear to be separated into five sections, the four corners and another section further north referred to as the ‘Golem workshop’.

The wing I’m in appears to be the ‘workers dormitory’ and the North-East wing our group will have to clear is the ‘Recreational area’, whilst the other group has sections designated ‘storage and construction’, ‘Transporting and packaging’ and ‘golem sub-modules’.

Judging from this, it is likely that the witches would be hold up closer to the golem workshop, since that will likely have larger open rooms. Assuming that summoning requires a decent amount of space, especially if 10-50 of them are being summoned at once.

As we move into the new wing, the room sizes and layout immediately changes, and the rooms are less empty.

Wait! Is that a………