The gate didn’t budge. The rusted monstrosity loomed over Mila, blocking their path. Even before they had arrived, there had been signs of the path not being in use anymore, and the state of the gate reaffirmed it.

“Do we try to break them down?” Verte glanced back in the darkness, then at Mila.

Which annoyed her to no end. Mila glared at the gate, hoping the obstruction would turn into splinters. When it didn’t, she changed her approach. Mila spent a moment sensing what was behind the gate.

The mana-rich blood was definitely comming from somewhere behind the gate. Mila joined Virr in touching the gate. They were trying to see if it had any weak points they could exploit.

There were no visible locks or mechanisms. But from the scrapes on the floor, Mila could tell the gates opened towards them from inside. “Breaking them down will raise too much noise.” She finally said.

Another look around didn’t yield anything more. Mila had wondered why there were no guards here, but perhaps there was no need. Next, she joined Raran, who was sounding the walls the gate was set in. “Any luck?”

Raran nodded. “Yes. The places where the blood is flowing are more fortified. Whoever did this didn’t spare too much time in other places. It’s mostly the spell the Military cast that is holding the stone out of my direct control.”

“Can you take us past?” Mila dared to hope.

“Not quickly.” Raran sighed. The mage continued to press the stone with his finger, letting it sink into the wall. “It would take hours to get the hole big enough.”

They didn’t have that much time. Mila walked back to the middle of the tunnel and looked at the metallic monstrosity again. “Raran. Can you tell how thick is the metal plates?”

“A hands width?” The mage removed himself from the wall.

They were likely trapped here. The path back was bound to be occupied by now with the invading troops.

“I see…” Mila gave up thinking. It was impossible to always have an elegant solution. And in cases like these… “Isabel, smash.”

“What?” Isabel was taken aback. “Didn’t you say I shouldn’t do unladylike things? You did, didn’t you?”

“Fine. That was a joke. You can grunt and burp and whatnot else. I am still going to love you no matter what.” Mila capitulated. “So, now, please smash. You have the best weapon for it of us all.”

“That’s totally uncalled for. I don’t like what you are implying there. Good thing I love you, too. Otherwise, there would be a quarrel.” Isabel raised her hammer. “That’s going to be loud.” She measured the strike.

“And I just healed all of your ears from the damage earned in the previous fight,” Ugum complained. “I vote to never again fight in tunnels.”

“Noted.” Laura plugged her ears, and the rest of the group followed.

“What about my ears?” Isabel pulled back the hammer in preparation. Her eyes focused on the barely noticeable split in the middle.

While Mila understood her girl was complaining for complaining sake, she almost rushed to Isabel’s side to cover her ears before remembering her love had her barriers. They would soften the impact on Isabel’s ears.

What came next was a power-filled blow. Isabel used all her strength and relied on her barrier to withstand the blowback.

The hammer crashed against the gate - metal hitting metal. The deafening impact filled the tunnel, travelling far down to where the enemies were. The gate vibrated from the attack, releasing screeching, then deep sounds.

Isabel panted and dropped the hammer. “Fuck. That hurts. No need.” She stopped Ugum. “I am fine. Just surprised. And my arms are a little numb.” Isabel picked up the hammer and gripped the handle. “Here we go again.” She took a deep breath before raising the weapon again.

Before Isabel swung again, Mila studied the damage her girl had done to the gate. There was a dent. Not a big one, but Isabel had done what she was supposed to.

“Uf!” Isabel struck again and dropped the hammer again as well.

The rumbling sound rattled everyone's bones. Mila felt Ugum’s touch on her shoulder, relieving some of the disorientation she felt.

But Isabel wasn’t done. Four more times, she struck before a little gap appeared in between the gate. Mila glanced back, expecting enemies to be arriving at any moment. But Agata would have warned them if that was the case. The woman was watching their backs.

“Again!” Isabel shouted, knowing there was no need to be quiet now. The hammer fell, bending the gates out of shame. Sparks flew, and there was a slight glow in the place where Isabel continued to strike. The metal was heating up from the energy discharge.

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The gap grew wider. But it took another five strikes before the gates gave enough for Mila to be able to fit through. Being the smallest, she gave Isabel a short reprieve and wriggled through the gap, minding the heated edges.

It was time to see if their efforts were worthwhile. “Follow as soon as possible.” Mila cleaned her ear and left the group behind, vanishing into the darkness. Despite Ugum’s healing, she still felt her head ringing.

Behind Mila, Isabel soon resumed her work. It would take a few more blows for the hole to be big enough to allow Verte, Amy and Virr to fit through. Even Raran was rather stocky and needed the gap to be rather big.

Unsurprisingly, Mila wasn’t alone. She looked at the Messanger who had appeared next to her. “Is your body real?” She couldn’t help but ask.

“It is.”

“I don’t believe it.” She was frank. “How did you get through the gap?”

“Squeezed through, of course.” The Messanger gave another non-answer.

At this point, Mila gave up on the questioning. At least she didn’t feel ill-will from the questionable character. And they really didn’t need more enemies. “Fine. Was it you who ordered Viola to get closer to us?”

“I was.”

“Why?” Mila wanted to hear the answer from the source's mouth. If he had a mouth. She was still debating that problem.

“An investment into the future.” The Messanger replied. “You and your… lover are growing quickly. Our war against the Ohilpry empire… It is not going well. Our border defences are quickly eroded. We are winning in Tordgo. Handily, might add.” There was pride in his voice. “But we are losing nevertheless, and they have yet to move any heavy hitters. You might not matter now-” Mila scowled “-But in a decade? Perhaps you will be able to help my people.”

This kind of investment in a vague possibility didn’t sit well with Mila. But she had to admit the man was right. Viola had successfully wormed her way into Mila’s heart. She was now a friend. And for that, Mila was thankful.

Not that Mila would admit that to anyone but Isabel. And even then, she would try her best to avoid the topic. Isabel won’t be happy. Not at all.

With the silence settling between them and Isabel’s hammer drowning out everything else, they returned their attention to the surroundings.

The place appeared to be abandoned for some time now. Or at least, this section was. It was strangely empty, with the air stagnant and a slightly acrid smell. There was a carved track in the ground, which they both used as a guide.

There were rooms - mostly empty and with no significance, as far as Mila could tell from the brief glances. But they didn’t have the time to thoroughly examine them.

Finally, Mila saw signs that this tunnel was still frequented. They couldn’t be far from their goal. She slowed down, taking more care with her steps and erased her presence the best she could.

Mila stepped over a small nest someone had made for themselves. A few blankets, a candle, a bouquet of withered flowers and a couple empty bottles told her a tale of a lovers' retreat.

Someone had been here not so long ago - days at worst. Mila began expecting to encounter resistance at any moment. She suddenly stopped after stepping past a pile of discarded tools and broken wood.

There was sound ahead of them. Or at least, Mila thought there was. Isabel’s heavy hammer strikes had stopped just a few moments ago. There were still echoes travelling down the tunnel.

Mila looked into the darkness, looking for enemies. She carefully stepped forward. Soon, her comrades and Isabel would join, so she needed to scout out the situation.

The darkness didn’t change, but after the echoes died down, Mila’s hearing returned. There was shouting ahead. It sounded like orders, but she couldn’t be sure. “Is it safe to continue?” She whispered, asking for a second opinion.

“Perhaps. Safer if you went along.” The Messanger returned.

“Can’t you go and see what is there?” Mila suggested. She wasn’t keen on proceeding.

“No. Despite how it may appear, I am not stealthy. Just unexpected.” The Messanger shook his head. “Otherwise, we would not need so many spies.”

Mila wanted to argue that it was also part of being stealthy but bit her tongue. There was no need to argue, and this nugget of information was also useful if the man ever became their enemy.

And in the end, arguing wouldn’t change anything. The scouting was still left on Mila’s shoulders. “Then head back and warn the others. I’ll be right back.”

Leaving the Messanger behind, Mila snuck forward. Her soundless steps and blurry figure vanished in the darkness.

With each step, the shouting grew louder. Orders to move faster. Directions on where to put defences. Reminders to remain vigilant. Calls to stay steadfast and more.

After passing a long, shallow bend, Mila finally saw the light carried by torches and a couple balls of light held in the air by the mages.

And the area was huge! The tunnel Mila was arriving from wasn’t the only one feeding into the large hall either. She saw five others, but there could be more than ten from what she could tell.

Hundred or more people were running about, doing various tasks. At their helm were five powerful-looking people who overlooked the small army from the top of a platform. From time to time, the five shouted, directing or reprimanding.

Mila had expected the defenders would be building defences or scouting for the enemy. They knew the gates were broken through. The noise had been loud enough to carry this far. So, in her mind, it was logical to prepare for an assault.

But no… There was only a token force guarding the entrances into the hall. Strong fighters, yes, but not enough to stop a determined enemy or superior numbers. There were more on the other side of the hall. Now that Mila looked for it - every entrance into the place had at least a couple of guards standing before them.

And the reason for the token defensive force was clear. There was something very important here - something that required a large amount of workforce and immediate attention.

Behind the small army of worker ants and the loud overseers, in the centre of the hall was a large pipe system and apparatuses connected to a gigantic metal reservoir.

The vast majority of the people in the hall were running around, manning the mechanisms that fed the pipes. They switched to where the liquid was flowing and how much. The overseers yelled for them to move faster.

And from the mana radiating from the reservoir, Mila knew it was the source of the blood. Even more frighteningly, she also learned this wasn’t the only one.