A bright light accompanied the footsteps, drawing closer.

“They’re all hiding in their guild now, can you believe it? Supposed to be the big bad thieves in this city, and we’ve got them scared,” said a male voice.

“Wouldn’t you be? The Syndicate is ruthless,” said another.

“All the more reason I’m glad to be on the winning side,” said a female voice.

They drew closer, and he squinted at the bright light of their torch after so long in the darkness. Even through the blazing light, he made out four figures approaching. Three men, and a woman from what he could tell.

His heart pounded, and his hand rested on the hilt of his rapier.

The group approached the wall he’d been struggling with. He stayed absolutely still and peered at them from the shadows.

“Well? Come on,” said the woman.

One of the men grumbled and walked over to where Connor was hiding. He stopped just a foot away.

Connor held his breath and waited.

Maybe he could kill them without them raising the alarm… but no matter how well he hid the bodies, somebody would notice an entire group going missing…

The man fumbled blindly with his hand on the shelf, just inches away from Connor's face. He grabbed hold of a small, cylindrical container and pushed it back.

The wall slid back and then up, revealing a secret passageway.

The man turned around and followed the rest of the group into the tunnel. The wall slid closed behind them.

Connor let out a relieved sigh and started breathing again.

If the one carrying the torch had walked up to him... he shook off the thought.

What might’ve been didn't matter.

He now knew how to open the secret door, and he’d remained undetected.

Should he turn back now, and meet with his friends? This had to be it right? But… maybe he could look a little further. The more they knew, the better.

Yes… just a little more.

He waited a few minutes to give the group time to head further down the tunnel. He certainly didn’t want to bump into them.

When enough time had passed, he pushed the container back just as he’d seen the man do.

He gripped the hilt of his rapier, ready for anything as the wall slid back and up. But, it revealed only the same dark passageway as before.

He stepped inside.

The door slid shut behind him, and darkness engulfed him. It was so total, he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face despite his heightened vision.

He sighed. Walking around with a light source was just asking to be found, but what choice did he have?

He reached into his bottomless bag, and his hand closed around a candle. He brought it out and pulled on his magic.

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It resisted him as always, but he dragged it down. He focused on the wick and willed it to life. The wick glowed and a small flame sprouted.

The oppressive darkness gave way with just that small amount of light, and he continued forward down the tunnel.

He kept one hand on his rapier as he walked. There was no telling what lay in wait down here.

He listened for signs of anyone or anything else, but the tunnel was eerily silent.

With his heightened senses, he should hear everything from much further down, but he heard nothing except his own movements and the soft flickering of his candle.

The passage wound down and twisted on itself in a spiral like the coils of a snake, and the silence chafed his nerves with every step.

He couldn't see the end of the tunnel as the spiral prevented that, but as he continued down, he increasingly felt that something was wrong.

He should be able to hear something. Anything.

Just how long was this tunnel, and where could the group ahead possibly have gone that he couldn’t hear them?

Finally, he saw a light up ahead. He stopped and retreated a bit.

He strained his ears, but again all he heard was the steady beat of his own heart.

There were no voices. No footsteps. Not even the soft flutter of torches.

Nothing.

It was as though he were in a void. He snuffed his candle flame and moved forward once more. He saw the light again. This time, instead of retreating, he crept forward.

The light turned out to be an exit from the tunnel. He inched closer while still remaining in the shadows as best he could.

Guards paced up and down long catwalks, overlooking what seemed to be another factory floor.

Rows of men and women hammered red-hot metal into submission. Their eyes were glassy and vacant, and each had a metal collar around their neck.

Guards barked orders around them, but he heard none of it.

Just the same eerie silence.

He took in everything he could see and turned back to leave the way he’d come. He didn’t want to go when it was possible that Victor was right here. But he wouldn’t be able to tell the others what he’d found if he got himself caught.

The facility was well lit, and filled with people. There was nowhere to hide. They’d swarm him in seconds.

His potions and skills wouldn’t be much good against so many.

He repeated this to himself as he walked back up the tunnel, but it did little to ease the frustration and impatience in his heart.

He’d come so far. He didn't want to turn back now. It was the closest he’d gotten to The Syndicate. To Victor.

But, this was only a scouting mission. He’d done what he came for. He needed to head back to meet up with his friends so they could plan their next move.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming down the tunnel toward him. It was like they’d just appeared out of nowhere. At least twenty already, and more followed, each seeming to step out of thin air.

Even he didn’t stand a chance against so many.

He was trapped.

On one side, a group of enemies too many for him to fight approached, and on the other lay the eerily silent hidden factory filled with guards.

There was nowhere to hide in the tunnel, and they drew closer every second. He looked again at the facility and the different groups moving through it.

Some, like the guards, had a uniform or similar gear, but others had very different equipment. Some of it wasn’t too different from his own.

Thinking fast, he pulled his cloth mask up higher, and his hood down further to conceal more of his face.

He took a deep breath and strode onto the catwalk with all the confidence he could muster.

A cacophony assaulted his ears from every angle the second he left the tunnel. The previously dead silence was filled with hammering and shouting. It felt like nails were being shoved into his ears. He stumbled forward, missing a step and almost falling to the floor.

The Potion of Heightened Senses had proven itself invaluable time and time again, but it also came with disadvantages.

One of which was making unpleasantly loud noises all but unbearable.

Endless numbers of hammers slammed against red-hot metal, and each time the sound rang in his head like a gong. He gritted his teeth and pressed on.

They must have enchantments that stopped sound from leaving the underground, and even the tunnels. Similar to the ones on Victor’s office. No wonder he couldn’t hear anything, and why the group behind him had seemed to appear out of thin air. He mused.

To afford such large-scale enchantments… The Syndicate had to have impressive funding.

Moments later, he was followed by the group that had forced him out of the tunnel.

He felt the urge to push them into one of the vats of molten iron for their terrible timing.

Heat radiated off the forges and vats of molten metal in waves, and he felt like every pair of eyes was watching him… waiting to raise the alarm.

His heart beat frantically, and beads of sweat ran down his spine.

It took all his willpower to force himself to walk as though he knew exactly where he was going and that he belonged here.