As we stepped out of the final tunnel, we entered a chamber reminiscent of the one where the giant spider was. The ceiling was bathed in a soft, ethereal glow, as if the air itself was a dim light that hovered above us, though it never quite touched the ceiling. The walls were smooth to the touch, with the exception of the rocky back wall through which we had just emerged. This wall appeared to be the edge of the structure, seamlessly blending into the cave. The floor was equally smooth, a stark contrast to the rough and dirty cave we had just left behind.

  There wasn’t much else to see where we came out. As we made our way down the short hallway that angled sharply at a 90-degree turn, all conversation ceased as our attention was drawn to the surroundings. Row after row of doors lined the walls, each one reminiscent of doors from my own world. Despite our curiosity, we refrained from entering any of the doors, mindful of the need to remain on guard. This was reinforced when we reached the end of the hall, and Bass held up his hand, silently signaling us to be vigilant.

  Because I was missing half of my armor, I didn’t fancy getting into any fights. But, according to Bass, the Unionists should have come and gone from this place, leaving behind only destruction in their wake.

  He deftly approached a door, where he turned a knob that didn’t make a sound, and with a gentle touch, the door glided open. Stepping inside, I was taken aback by the state of the room. It was clear that this was once a bustling dorm or living area, but now it lay in shambles. Despite my initial surprise at the lack of traditional beds, I quickly noticed that large blankets were used to define individual living spaces.

  Each area was modest and reminded me of how a homeless person would sleep. I was struck by the humble nature of their makeshift beds. Despite the lack of luxurious amenities, each area was cozy, consisting of basic padding and a few blankets for comfort. Surrounding each bed, I observed the personal belongings of its occupant, including clothes, shoes, and occasionally a pillow.

  Bass’s head was on a swivel as we entered, but once he took in the scene and confirmed there was no danger, he moved toward a pair of dead bodies. After verifying they had been dead for a long time, we continued to another room, then another. All were empty of any living occupants.

  Eventually, we reached what appeared to be an armory, though it was clear that it had been ransacked recently. The walls, once lined with weapons, now held only empty hooks and brackets. Racks that once displayed swords and shields were now barren, with only a few stray pieces of wood or metal littering the floor, evidence of a hurried and chaotic search.

  Despite only finding dead bodies, we remained silent as we followed the Dwarf through his former home. We checked several more rooms until we reached the main hallway, which led to the exit. This area was different. It was an atrium, circular in shape, with one entrance and exit. It was large enough to hold many people, but what caught my attention was the broken center, where dead bodies were piled in a hole.

  “We created a false floor precisely for this kind of scenario,” Bass said, gesturing to the hole. After scouting through the settlement, he seemed confident that no enemy forces remained. “The floor was designed to collapse under too much weight, and that’s exactly what happened. Instead of negotiating in good faith, the enemy rushed us, thinking we were unprepared. The combined weight of them in their armor was too much, and the floor gave way.”

  I peered into the hole and mainly saw human bodies impaled on sharp metal rods at the bottom, but there were also a few Dwarves among them. On either side of the pit, narrow paths led safely around the deadly trap. Only those familiar with it would have known to take those routes.

  “Why are there Dwarves down there if they knew about the trap?” I asked.

  “It’s less of a trap and more of a security measure,” Bass explained. “This was the trading area, so we couldn’t just keep our chieftain back and lure the foreigners to the center. They’d know something was off if our people never stepped onto the floor themselves.” He glanced down at the body of one of the elders. “He likely stood his ground in the center, hoping to draw as many enemies as possible before the floor gave way. He made sure his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.”

  As he wiped away a tear, Kaylie placed her hand on his shoulder and asked, “Are you okay?”

  “We need to hurry after them.” Bass turned away, his face hardening as if he refused to let his emotions show. He then redirected the conversation, “We don’t have much time, but I can do a quick patch job on your armor. Let’s move.”

  Guided by Bass, we retraced our steps through a series of doors until we reached a spacious smithy we had previously checked, a room designed for crafting both armor and weapons. The room was roughly the size of a small warehouse, equipped with sturdy workbenches and stone anvils scattered throughout. They looked like they were built from the same material as the room. Among the tools and equipment, one item stood out. A large elevated Jacuzzi sat empty. One side looked designed to pour out its contents, and it even seemed like it could be moved if necessary.

  The rest of the room looked like it was a cheap imitation. There was a grindstone made of wood and stone, which was practical but not pretty. The forge off to the side had no fire at the moment. Furthermore, the lack of ventilation in the enclosed workshop space could potentially pose a significant issue.

  The room’s most striking feature was the sheer volume of tools. I anticipated only a limited number of hammers in a blacksmith's workshop. The array of tools on display was nothing short of impressive, with an abundance of hammers and even more tongs covering the walls. In addition to the hammers and tongs, the workshop was equipped with a range of less common tools, including measuring devices, straight edges, and punching tools.

  “Do you need me to tend the forge?” I asked, knowing that if Bass were going to work on armor, he would need someone to keep the fire burning.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I’ll need a man’s help.” He then looked past me directly at Jack. “You can either work the blower, as I need a constant airflow, or help me with the hammering.”

  Sana stepped forward. “I can help. I’m an Air Mage.”

  Bass gave Sana a slow, deliberate look before saying, “I would love for you to blow…” He paused with a smirk, “the furnace.”

  Sana's expression remained impassive, her eyes locked on Bass, until she allowed a slow, deliberate smile to creep across her face. With a subtle flick of her fingers, she whispered a word of power.

  Instantly, a powerful gust of air surged through the room, catching Bass off guard. The force of the wind sent the small dwarf tumbling backward, knocking over tools and scattering loose materials across the workshop.

  Bass landed on his back with a thud, momentarily stunned. Sana’s smile widened into a grin as Bass, though unhurt, scrambled back to his feet, his face a mix of surprise and begrudging admiration.

  Sana's voice was laced with amusement. “I’ll handle the ‘blowing,’ as you put it. Jack will help with the ‘banging.’ Now, can we get to work?”

  "Lass, you've swept me right off my feet," Bass said, a big, goofy grin spreading across his face.

  I waved my hands in front of him, trying to regain his attention. “What about us?” I asked, referring to Kaylie and me.

  “You two are too small to help,” he replied dismissively, barely glancing at me as his eyes remained fixed on Sana. “Leave your items and focus on sewing the straps on your armor.” He gestured to the battered armor I was wearing. Most of it had been damaged by the Giant Spider, and before that, I had to cut the leather straps from both Kaylie’s and my own armor to avoid drowning. We had to tie loose knots to secure the remaining pieces, but the fit was inadequate, leaving us both vulnerable.

  “Who’s he calling small? He’s like a midget compared to me,” I muttered to Rabbit. But I wasn’t going to argue with someone who was about to piece together my armor from what we found in the cave. Half of mine was unusable, and I was relying on Bass to make it all work.

  “Actually, he’d be considered a Dwarf. Not just by race, but medically,” Rabbit replied.

  “What’s the difference?” I asked.

  “Well, ‘midget’ usually refers to someone who’s small but has human proportions. A Dwarf, on the other hand, is someone small with different proportions. Since he’s broad for his height, I’d say he’s definitely a dwarf. Don’t you think the term ‘dwarfism’ came from somewhere?” Rabbit suggested.

  While the others devised a plan and got the furnace going, Kaylie and I sifted through the items scattered on the floor, searching for needle and thread. We managed to slip out of the room just before the ‘blowing’ and ‘banging’ began.

  As we settled onto the floor, I was surprised at how well the walls blocked out the noise. Not a single sound of banging or clattering came through from the other side of the door. These walls were made of something impressive. Kaylie was the first to start sewing, and with the way her hands moved with practiced ease, it was clear she had some experience. I, on the other hand, was slow and clumsy in comparison.

  “I feel like Sana has another admirer on her hands,” I said, my attention split between the conversation and the stubborn leather.

  “Sadly, beauty has always been her curse,” Kaylie responded, her needle already moving much faster than mine.

  I raised an eyebrow at that. To me, being one of the most beautiful people on the planet didn’t seem like a curse. More like a gift that keeps on giving.

  “I really don’t see how that’s possible. She’s literally one of the top people in the village. On top of that, she can have just about any man she wants.”

  Kaylie paused, raising her eyebrows in response. “Even you?”

  I smiled, shaking my head. “Not a chance in hell. Looks are one thing, but she’s a total bitch to me, and I don’t dislike myself enough for that kind of torture. Plus, there is someone else I have my eyes on.”

  Kaylie looked up from the leather and replied, “Of course, I can see your eyes on me right now, but they should be on your work.” As she said that, I found myself looking deep into her eyes, and just as predicted, I poked my finger with the needle. She smiled at my pain until her expression shifted to something more somber. I felt like I had ruined the moment until she continued, “So, I’m in a bad position right now. Sana doesn’t want people to know about her for a good reason. But if I don’t tell you, you’ll just keep thinking she’s a bitch.”

  “You don’t need to spill any secrets, because it doesn’t matter. If Sophia had ordered her to be helpful to me or to spy, it wouldn’t have changed anything. It’s how you treat people that matters.”

  Jack might have been rough with me, but never out of malice. I never doubted that he wanted me to succeed. He had proven it by putting his life on the line for me more than once. Still, that loyalty did not stop him from enjoying every chance to point out when I fell flat on my face.

  Kaylie bit her lip, and her indecision was almost endearing. “What if I told you Sophia didn’t order her to come with you?”

  I stopped sucking my bloody thumb and frowned. “That makes absolutely no sense. I was in the meeting where she accused me of being a spy. You and Jack came to help me because you think I saved you. Why would someone who wasn’t even saved want to come with me?” A thought struck me, and I asked, “Wait, did I save someone she cares about?”

  Kaylie shook her head. “Yes and no, but that’s not why she came. She was genuinely worried you were a spy for the Islands. All that hostility came from that suspicion. I’m telling you, she’s actually quite nice. You just don’t understand some things about her.”

  “Okay, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, but in return, why don’t you give me a hint?”

  We sat in silence for a while, sewing, as Kaylie mulled over my request. Finally, she spoke. “It’s been awfully hot on our journey here. I’m surprised by how Sana dressed.”

  “How she dressed?” I muttered, confused.

  I wasn’t sure how that could be a hint. Maybe it had something to do with her always dressing conservatively? Kaylie often wore comfortable clothes, but even in the heat, Sana insisted on long sleeves. If I tied it back to the beginning of our conversation, maybe Kaylie was hinting again that Sana saw her beauty as a curse, trying to cover up to avoid attention. But I still couldn’t connect it to her suspicion that I was a spy.

  “Rabbit?” I asked, hoping he could shed some light on the matter.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m not connecting the dots either,” Rabbit admitted. “It might have something to do with the Islands. If you recall, Sana stole a page from the manifest, and based on what Kaylie just said, she must be somehow tied to the Islands. But her covering her body in this warm weather is an odd detail that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest.”

  Throwing my hands in the air, I exclaimed, “I’ve figured it out!”

  “Finally,” Kaylie replied.

  “Sana is secretly in love with me,” I declared, grinning. Kaylie shoved me hard, as if I’d just proposed the most ludicrous solution ever.

  “Who am I in love with?” Sana asked, stepping through the doorway with Jack in tow.

  “With all that blowing and banging, I’d guess it’s Bass,” Kaylie said, recovering quicker than I could even think. “Is he done with you two, or are you just taking a break?”

  “Jack and I are done. Bass hasn’t finished yet. He was complaining that it was still ‘too tight’ when we left. So he’s either fiddling with it on his own or polishing it off,” Sana replied, her words causing even Jack to blush.