“This was your path forward?” Mila was still on the edge. She now stood in front of a cave-in, and the obstacle set her emotions into turmoil again.

 

Having emotions was good and all, but currently, Mila wished there was a way to channel them into immediate powerup. It was possible. Inadvisable, but she had heard about it being a thing somewhere. Probably one of her dreams. She nudged her inner companion with the thought and received a confirmation.

 

Maybe that was what Oscar did. But according to the old ghost, it put a great burden on one's mind and could even cripple it in many unfortunate ways. Or that was the feeling he gave anyway.

 

Mila flicked her arm, trying to brush off the drying blood, but was not successful. She really missed presence. Mila hadn’t realised just how much she relied on her love to keep her sanity in check.

 

It hadn’t been even half an hour, and Mila already was resorting to talking to the warlord of the old to keep her mind from wandering. And the old apparition couldn’t speak anyway.

 

That was it. Mila was losing her mind. At least she was back at the level where she could realise it was happening.

 

“The cave-in isn’t deep.” Raran took his head away from the pile of rocks and dirt he had been checking until now. “A few meters at best. No protection from the defensive spell that keeps this place together either.”

 

“See, it is not that bad.” The Messanger had the gall to chide Mila. “We can work through the rocks easily enough.”

 

The withering glare Mila sent the man didn’t work. But wasting breath on him wouldn’t be fruitful either. “Raran?”

 

“On it,” The mage sighed. “But I am running low on mana. So, Virr and Verte start digging. I’ll guide you and make sure more doesn’t fall down.”

 

While Virr and Verte groaned and complained, they did as told. Laura joined them as well. She was in the best shape of them all. And with four of them working, there was no room for more. Agata was guarding the rear while Viola was sniffing the air, trying to see if she could pick up something from behind the rocks. Mortimer was pretending to be a statue while the Messanger was teaching Viola one thing or another.

 

Which left Mila alone with her thoughts. And they led back to Isabel. She hesitantly sat down next to her unconscious girl. “Having a rough night?” She picked up Isabel’s hand and played with her love’s fingers. Carefully so as not to agitate the healing wounds. “Yeah, me too.”

 

Mila slowly lay down next to Isabel while still keeping her girl’s hand in hers. The ceiling made a poor replacement for the night sky. But that was the least of their inconveniences. The wet feeling on Mila’s back and in her shoes was a constant reminder of that. The blood refused to coagulate, and she was drenched in it - likely due to whatever was done to it to keep it preserved for so long.

 

“What do you think Andrew is doing right now?” Mila wondered. Her tired body turned sluggish. She wouldn’t mind taking a nap, but with the speed the group was clearing the way, there wouldn’t be time for one. “While I wouldn’t put it in such a direct way, you are right that it’s probably nothing decent.” She imagined how the conversation would go.

 

Isabel’s laboured breathing did little to reassure Mila. She checked the pulse, finding it irregular. “Ugum?” She called for the healer who was taking care of Amy at the moment. “Isabel’s condition is worrisome.”

 

“She is fine as fine can be.” Ugum didn’t turn around. “Amy is worse at the moment. She needs my attention more.”

 

While true, it didn’t make Mila feel any better. She got up and carefully rearranged Isabel’s clothes. Her girl was cold. They needed to get out of this place soon. Preferably somewhere warm. She brushed away the stray locks from Isabel’s face and poked her cheeks.

 

“We can see the other side.” Raran suddenly announced.

 

The interruption wiped off Mila’s sad smile. She looked at the workers and noticed a small passage had been formed. It was just the right size for her to pass through - which likely was the intention. 

 

Viola was sniffing the air coming through. “No one in the immediate vicinity.” She concluded. “Mila?”

 

“You want me to go through and see what is there.” Mila guessed. “And I assume you are coming along?”

 

“I am.” The Messanger nodded.

 

While chewing her lip, Mila considered the proposition. Scouting ahead was important. While tired, she could do that. But leaving Isabel felt wrong - especially with no safety net. She had the old ghost, but Isabel had no one. “No, you will stay here and make sure no further harm comes to Isabel.”

 

“That is-”

“Not negotiable.” Mila returned. “You promised to keep us safe if the danger is too great. I am a single person. Surely the larger group needs your protection more than I do? Especially when you admitted yourself that I am more stealthy alone.”

 

“Not in such words, but yes.” The Messanger relented.

 

Maybe it was for the best. Mila studied the passage for a moment before crawling into it. It was tight, but she could pass through. But getting the two unconscious girls past the obstacle would take a while longer.

 

On the other side, Mila was greeted by darkness. And distant noises. Bustle of some sort, if she judged correctly. And what seemed like a smell of desperation. It was hard to judge if the feeling came from within her or from the deeper down the tunnel.

 

After another helpless look at where Isabel was behind the rocks, Mila marched forward. There was no one here. Most likely, everyone was evacuated to whatever fortress they were forming to hold back the assault.

 

And while the noises came closer, they never cleared up. Not long after Mila began walking, it became clear why.

 

The tunnel soon ended in another - a much larger one. But it, too, was empty. Despite total darkness, Mila’s control over her mana allowed her to spot tracks on the ground. The tunnel Mila now walked into was several meters wide and high and was likely used as one of the main paths to transport the goods and materials.

 

Mila followed her senses and found another blood vein embedded into the wall. After checking the surroundings and finding nothing, she followed it down the path.

 

And there they were - the heavy metal gate that muffled the sound. Mila looked at the foreboding sight in apprehension. There were no guards or smaller entrances. Just two large slabs of metal pushed together to form a wall. It was impossible to get through here without working for it for hours uninterrupted - which they could not do.

 

After the depressing find, Mila began circling around - checking every crevice and intersecting passage. She searched and looked, but no good path inside the underground citadel was found. Most of the tunnels were blocked in one way or another. They were abandoned and quiet.

 

It didn’t take long for the rest of the group to arrive. Mila gave them a sign to join her and quickly. As she explored, her ears picked up distant sounds she recognised as the attackers.

 

And not a moment too late. As Mila and the rest stepped into the tunnel, Agata noticed lights appear at the far end of the large transportation tunnel. “The Military.” The scout voiced Mila’s prediction.

 

“Will the Sage interfere?” Mila whispered to the Messanger. While they kept sneaking deeper into the tunnel. This particular one wasn’t caved in by the defenders.

 

The man shook his head as they tried to gain distance away from the gate. “Not likely this late into the ritual.”

 

Of course, right after the Messanger had spoken, the world conspired to prove him wrong.

 

“Not yet.” A calm voice carried through the tunnels with no clear way to tell from where it came. “Wait a bit longer before making your assault.”

 

Mila felt a chill enter her bones. “The Sage, I assume?” She looked back to where they had come from.

 

“Should be,” The Messanger didn’t look confident either. “Pepper?”

 

“Smells like nothing and everything.” Viola sneezed. “It can be a pile of dirt or the strongest man I have ever had the displeasure to take a whiff of. But yeah, the ‘Teeny’ and the Helly are there. That’s proof enough.”

 

“Let us through.” An answer came almost immediately. “Or we will attack.” The commanding voice shook the tunnel system.

 

“Move.” Mila hurried her party, stopping them from prepping their weapons. It was madness to even think of fighting these two voices.

 

“If you wait a little longer, we will open the path. Until then, wait.” The Sage's unhurried tone was in stark contrast to his opponent.

 

“You leave us no choice.” The commanding voice returned. “We will not be a part of your madness. Attack!”

 

The ground shook, and the sudden rumble almost deafened them. Mila searched for a place she had seen before. “That should keep them busy.” She stated, but it was more of a wish. “Here.” She finally found it.

 

It was a well-hidden room, barely visible from the outside. Inside was filled with beds and few personal belongings. They wouldn’t be safe here, but it was better than aimlessly wandering around. Furthermore, here Isabel got herself a few blankets to be wrapped in, plus a bed with a mattress instead of a rock floor.

 

“It’s pointless…” The Sage spoke again. There was no strain in his voice. It travelled through the closed door with no issue. From the sound of it, the Military had no success in bypassing the obstacle.

 

How was the Sage doing it? Mila was curious. When she and Isabel retrieved Andrew and kicked his sorry ass, she should ask. But that was for the latter. For now, they had to figure out another path inside the fortification. Perhaps one of the shafts? She made the suggestion. “Will the Sage interfere if we try that?”

“No. As I said, they won’t stop us from trying.” The Messanger spoke while looming behind Mila’s shoulder. “They have an interest in our group and, most of all, in you.”

 

“And I still find it hard to believe. We learned of the fact only when we encountered that older man in the basement.”

 

“It’s true nevertheless.”

 

“Are you saying it because you were also in the same citation once? Perhaps you even joined them for a while?” Mila ventured a guess while trying to recall where the closest air shaft was and the path to it.

 

There was a moment of silence. The only sound in the room came from Ugum, who continued to heal Amy and Isabel in turns. Mila calculated the distance and if the option was something they should take. But with the Sage blocking the attackers, the ritual was progressing uninterrupted. It couldn’t allowed.

 

“Yes…” Finally, the Messanger spoke.

 

“Excuse me?” Mila looked at the elusive person. She was interrupted from thinking about how to keep Isabel safe. If they headed down an air shaft, they couldn’t exactly take her girl with them.

 

“I was trained by them… Long ago… That’s how I know.”

 

“Whoa!” Viola’s surprise startled most of them. “Litro won’t believe me when I tell him!”

 

“Pepper. Don’t spread this information, not even to Percy. And I ask the same from the rest of you.”

 

While Viola was frowning and the party agreed to not spread the information, Mila was still thinking about what to do with Isabel. Was it safer here or down below? Or maybe…

 

“Would the Sage agree to guard Isabel while we try to stop the ritual?” Mila suddenly asked.

 

The Messanger looked at her in what seemed like a surprise. “That… Is not an impossibility.” He supposed.