Hump took his place at the centre of the two parties as they moved into the tunnel, Nisha trotting along at his side and Celaine close behind. The floor was littered with rubble where the warlocks had destroyed his Stone Wall. The way ahead was empty, while the shouts and din of battle followed them as they advanced. Nobody looked back; they knew their purpose and kept their eyes fixed on what lay ahead. There was no doubt that the rest of the force could handle themselves.

As they walked, Hump took in the details of the tunnel. The walls were smooth, carefully shaped, and polished—a strange attention to detail for a random warlock stronghold. Even from just the single tunnel, it seemed far more refined than many of the locations he had encountered in Sheercliff City. The path was broad enough for five people to walk side by side, with the floor covered in tiles that had been etched from the stone. Here and there, paintings or carvings decorated the walls, all depicting serene scenes from nature: forests, rivers, and animals. Hump found it unsettling. It was easy to see the warlocks as inhuman, but they were trapped down here. It was only natural for them to miss ordinary things.

“Look at this,” Celaine said, coming to a stop.

They turned to see her crouched by the base of the left wall. Hump lifted his staff and cast Wizard Light, the white glow illuminating a child’s drawing in charcoal. It was simplistic, showing a group of children holding hands, all of them smiling.

Nisha stepped closer to the wall, staring at the drawings with interest. She had no sense of what it meant.

Dylan’s voice softened, almost breaking. “No… they wouldn’t keep children here. They couldn’t.”

“There is no level of evil that these beasts will not sink to,” Owen said sorrowfully.

Hump tore his gaze from the drawing, forcing himself to focus. “We can’t stop here. Come on.”

The group resumed their advance, their footsteps echoing down the stone corridor.

“What could they possibly want with children?” Theodore muttered. “The only thing that comes to mind is fresh recruits.”

“Or sacrifices,” Lani said matter of fact.

The ease at which the Chosen of Rathlar said it left Hump uneasy.

“I was talking with Bud about this after the last battle,” Hump said. “The warlocks need new blood—talented young people. Where better to find them than the streets of Elenvine? And once they’re here, they can be indoctrinated. It’s the same way my master found me.”

Theodore glanced back at him, surprise on his face. “You were on the streets?”

Hump nodded. “For seven years. If someone had offered me food and a roof, I’d have taken it in a heartbeat. And there are plenty of kids in Elenvine who’d do the same.”

“This would be a good place to bring them,” Emilia said. “Away from prying eyes. Once they have shown talent, they can be whisked off into the Remnant Realm to temples stocked with thousands of books, or perhaps taken elsewhere, to a warlock stronghold back in our own world.”

“You know what this means, don’t you?” Bud said. “If we keep going, we may find a bunch of brainwashed warlock children. They might try to stop us.”

“Fear not, my brave Knight of Kelisia,” Emilia said, placing a hand on Bud’s pauldron. “I know you can hold back such… daunting foes.”

“They’ll be mostly harmless as apprentices,” Hump assured. “Most are probably still practicing shaping exercises, Just be cautious of any martials that try to get stabby.”

The tunnel opened into a circular storage chamber with three branching passages. Hump scanned the room, finding stacks of crates and barrels against the walls—supplies.

Bud popped open one of the crates, taking out a handful of small potatoes. “Looks like kitchen supplies.”

“Which way now?” Owen asked.

Hump considered the space thoughtfully. “We don’t need to go any farther,” he said, taking in the room’s structure. “Get the furniture out of here. This spot should work. I’m going to get started.”

“I didn’t exactly catch the plan when the general told us to follow you,” Owen said. “What exactly are you starting?”

“I’m going to bring down the ceiling in a precise and controlled manner, burrowing a hole all the way up to the surface,” Hump said confidently.

“Oh, I do not like that tone of voice,” Emilia said. “You’re going to crush us.”

“That’s a possibility?” Owen asked.

“He’s done it before,” Celaine admitted.

“Ladies, please,” Hump said, making a calming gesture with his free hand. “Today will be more intentional. All I will do is fill up the room with rubble. There’s going to be a lot of rubble at that—Dylan, do you think you could use your vines to shift the debris?”

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Dylan nodded, conjuring a number of seeds in his hand. “I can do that. Will this be particularly… destructive?”

“I’ll try to be delicate.”

Dylan sighed. “That’s optimistic.” The number of seeds in his hands doubled. “Give me a minute.”

Dylan dropped the seeds onto the floor, and a vibrant green glow enveloped them. In seconds, the seeds began to sprout, twisting and coiling into thick, branch-like vines that writhed in the air like tendrils of some ancient sea creature. The vines stretched and swayed, each one coming alive with his blessings, towering to the ceiling of the chamber.

As Dylan prepared, Hump opened his spellbook to the page for Cataclysmic Collapse. Though he didn’t need the physical guide for this spell any longer, the formation would help him to be more efficient for the heavy task ahead.

A surge of essence caught his attention nearby. From the far end of the tunnel, a group of warlocks emerged, shouting as they saw them. Weapons drawn, the enemy charged. To Hump’s relief, they looked like adults. Celaine and Lani sprang into action, their movements swift and deadly as they fired arrows and launched spears. The warlocks fell one by one, their bodies crumpling long before they could reach them, but more appeared farther back, their shouts having drawn attention.

“We’ll hold them back,” Bud said, stepping forward to the tunnel’s edge. “You two focus on linking up with the city.”

At that moment, a shimmering portal appeared in the tunnel they had just come from. Marian fell through, landing lightly on her feet, her cheery look on her face. “We’ve got an army waiting for us upstairs. They want information, so here I am. What’s the plan?” She surveyed the room, eyes falling on the potatoes and a frown forming on her face.

“We’re digging up to the city from here,” Hump explained. “Have their earth Chosen reaching out in search of my essence. Once they find it, they need to dig down to me while avoiding a buildup of debris. Last thing we need is for us to break through and have a mess come down on us.”

“Got it,” she said with a nod.” Good luck, everyone.” A purple void appeared before her and with a skip she disappeared back into it.

“She’s always so relaxed,” Emilia said. “Yet she looks so young.”

Theodore watched the portal wink out. “That girl is practically fearless. Makes it all the more terrifying when she’s dragging us through portals with her.”

“She’s just amazing,” Lani said. “You won’t find a Chosen more skilled with portals than her. She lives and breathes them.”

“I’m ready,” Dylan said.

Hump gave a nod. “Let’s do this.”

Hump poured essence into his spellbook, feeling the comforting presence of the Book of Infinite Pages as the formation within responded to his intent. It had grown in power alongside him, and now he could draw on spells up to Tier 5 within its pages. As his essence poured into the formation, the spell markings glowed, each rune lighting up in sequence. His staff hummed with power, storing his essence and focusing it into a shining sphere of bronze. Together, they allowed Hump to concentrate fully on his vision of the spell ahead.

In his mind’s eye, he saw the tunnel he needed to create. This collapse would need to be anything but cataclysmic. Instead, he wanted a careful, controlled passage. He let his magic flow into the cracks above, like water seeping through soil, guiding it through every fissure, every crack, and every minute gap between smooth stone. The earth responded to his touch, the stones yielding and softening, listening to his will. A gentle sound at the edge of his mind, stirring to his own will, drawn to him with. With a newfound confidence, he imparted his intent upon it. Beyond the runes of his spell, he willed the earth to respond as he needed it to, utilising the spell formation as a supportive structure, but going beyond it.

A quiet, resonant hum filled his mind, a sound as old as the mountains themselves—the earth whispering back. He felt a rare serenity, as though his magic was painting through the rock, reaching higher and higher as it went. The world above opened to his senses: grains of soil, pockets of air, and even the tiny tunnels carved by insects. Each layer of dirt and stone revealed itself to him, showing him the way.

“Cataclysmic Collapse,” Hump said softly.

There was no grand eruption or violent explosion. Instead, a small opening appeared in the ceiling above, and chunks of stone and earth began to fall, steadily expanding into a widening hole. The rubble tumbled down, and Dylan’s vines sprang to life, sweeping the stones to the side tunnels, clearing space for more to fall. The vines moved like clockwork, clearing the debris with seamless precision.

Hump dug deeper, his essence pushing upward in a steady, controlled stream. It was only now that he could sense all that was above him that he realised just how deep underground they truly were, feeling the weight of the earth pressing down, yet still he did not sense the surface. His body began to tire. Chill came over him, lancing through his fingers and toes. He gritted his teeth and pushed on, pouring everything he had into the spell, willing the tunnel to open. At full strength, it would have been fairly easy. Right now, after so much time fighting and on the move, his mind was agony, his thoughts were slow, and his manipulation of essence starting to falter.

There was a burst of rock when he made his first mistake, a giant slab collapsing from above. Hump was about to shout out a warning, when Dylan’s vines moved as one to catch it. It was added to a tunnel. They were filling up fast, but Owen had taken to using his hammer to send the rubble shooting back through the tunnels, clearing space.

“You can do this,” Dylan said. “Keep going! It’s working.”

Hump summoned his will for one more push. Just a little farther… a little higher.

He sensed it. A presence above, powerful and familiar—the Chosen; Marian’s message must have reached them. Relief surged through him.

Brilliant, Hump thought. They’re looking for me. Let’s make sure they can’t miss me!

The strain was almost unbearable, but Hump opened himself fully, unleashing what essence he had left. His soul manifested around him, essence blazing outward, a bronze beacon reaching toward the surface. At once, he felt the power of Osidium reaching back, a torrent of strength rushing down to meet him as dozens of different Chosen came together. Their power was like a spike, surging toward him, descending with speed and purpose.

He couldn’t guess how many Chosen must be above them, but they were coming, and they were coming fast.

***

Bud, guarding the rear tunnel, felt the shift in Hump’s presence like a wave. He turned just in time to see Hump’s staff burst with light, essence lashing between the staff and Book of Infinite Pages in his hand. It was still awe-inspiring to see how powerful his friend had become. The air around Hump thickened, swirling with raw energy, while rocks and debris hovered in a spiralling vortex, suspended by his power.

Dylan’s vines continued their relentless work, sweeping rubble into the side passages, while Owen swung his hammer with a fierce grin, making space for anything Hump could throw at them.

Then, rays of light pierced through the ceiling, spilling into the chamber in brilliant beams. Bud looked up, half-blinded. At first, he thought it might be sunlight, but then he saw them—figures descending, ethereal in their radiance, carried upon the wind itself, and glowing with divine power.

A calm washed over Bud as he basked in their light. Reinforcements had arrived. The guard of Elenvine had come.