A figure approached the mine's entrance, cloaked by a heavy mantle and the darkness of night. A second figure followed a step behind, accompanying them silently. They stepped through the portal, closing the entrance right behind them. The moment they were alone, the first figure took off their mantle, revealing crimson hair.
Zeke scanned the long corridor, taking note of the changes that had taken place since his last visit. It had been three days since they started the renovation work, and to say that he was pleased with the progress would be an understatement.
The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of smooth stone. The tunnel was wide enough for a carriage to pass through, with stone pillars reinforcing each side, connecting the floor to the ceiling. These pillars were crucial for the tunnel's stability and could also be used to collapse the entrance in an emergency.
The corridor then led to a secondary, heavily fortified gate that served as another checkpoint for anyone who wanted to enter the complex. Behind this gate were two rooms, one on each side of the corridor. These were going to serve as the spaces for the guards. On the left was the sleeping chamber, while the right contained the common room where the active guard members could pass the time.
At the moment, there were no guards in this place, and the gate was left wide open. Zeke stepped through, and Gravitas, who had also taken off her disguise, followed right behind. When they passed the checkpoint, they saw the end of the corridor opening up into a round hall. They approached the place, which led to several evenly-spaced rooms.
Each of these rooms would serve a specific purpose: a meeting room, an office, bed chambers, as well as Zeke's personal chamber. With great familiarity, Zeke approached a particular room on the left. It contained a table and several chairs alongside most of their equipment.
Notably, none of the pickaxes the workers used were stored here, as Zeke's [Blood Armaments] only lasted for a couple of hours before losing cohesion. Unlike the products of Metal Mages, his creations weren't permanent, and Zeke had to create new ones every day. This was also one of the reasons he didn't want to have more workers, as the burden on him would increase.
He approached the table and scanned the several documents. These were the reports Gravitas, Vulcanos, and Ash had written during the day. His eyes landed on the first report, which made him smile. As usual, Ash's report was brief. It contained only a single sentence:
The project is ahead of schedule by a day, and there are no problems with the workers.
The second report was even shorter; it was written by Vulcanos:
All good.
The last report was by Gravitas, and, unlike her companions', this one was several pages long. Ever since she had received the books on Magic theory that Akasha had written for her, she was constantly looking for ways to improve the use of her power.
This project turned out to be the perfect opportunity to hone her ambitions, and her report was always filled with her discoveries of the day. Zeke sat down and went through her papers, humming appreciatively from time to time. Frankly, he always looked forward to reading her report. Gravitas stood behind him in silence, but if anyone were watching her, they would have seen her eyes curve in happiness each time the noise echoed.
After a while, Zeke put down the report and nodded at her. Nothing at all was said, but her eyes shone as she followed him into the next chamber. Vulcanos was leaning against the far wall, eyes closed, apparently fast asleep. However, his eyes snapped open the moment they entered the room.
"Master!" he exclaimed happily when he saw who it was.
Zeke nodded at him before scanning the half-finished room. This had to be the place the Chimeroi had been working on before Gravitas came to fetch him.
"I am impressed," he said finally. "You made a lot more progress than I expected."
Zeke was mainly looking at Gravitas as he spoke. He surmised that most of the increased productivity was due to her improved mastery and innovative ideas. However, upon noticing his gaze, she shook her head and glanced at Vulcanos.
"It's not me," she said.
Zeke followed her gaze and looked at Vulcanos with interest. The giant had gotten to his feet and waved excitedly at him.
Zeke followed him to the other side of the room, where the floor was still raw and uneven. A layer of gravel had been spread to level it, but it was far from the perfectly smooth floor in the rest of the complex.
Vulcanos approached a large canister filled with a viscous gray sludge. He picked the metal container up with relative ease and poured the mixture onto the floor. It flowed between the cracks and gravel but, due to its high viscosity, didn't go far.
This was when something miraculous happened.
Gravitas extended her hand, and the gray sludge began to move. It was as if an invisible hand gently pressed down on it, spreading it evenly across the entire area. With every passing second, the pressure increased, spreading it evenly until the surface turned completely smooth.
"Watch this," Vulcanos said excitedly as he took his place next to Gravitas.
He extended his hand with his palm facing the floor. A moment later, a stream of pale flames emerged, so faint and illusory that Zeke wasn't sure if it was fire or just the distortion of heat. Yet, when the flame reached the floor, it spread, covering the entire area Gravitas was pressing down.
A few seconds passed, and… nothing happened.
However, Zeke patiently continued to watch the scene. After about half an hour, the flame dimmed, and Gravitas relaxed her control as well. Zeke looked at the Chimeroi who were just grinning at him proudly. Even Gravitas had a certain glint in her eyes as she waited for his verdict.
Zeke turned back to the section of the floor they had been working on, approaching with tentative steps. He didn't want to ruin their work by disturbing the cement's drying process, but his expression soon grew strange. After a quick glance back at the grinning Chimeroi, he gingerly stepped onto the newly created floor.
His feet didn't leave any prints.
Zeke decided to be a bit more daring. He first walked casually, then stepped down hard before ultimately jumping up and down. The result remained the same—no indentation was left on the floor. Somehow, it was already completely dry.
He looked at Vulcanos, who grinned back at him proudly.
Zeke wanted to beat the man.
How could Vulcanos make such a discovery and only write the words 'All good' in his report?! What was the report for in the first place if he didn't report something like this?
Yet, seeing the proud smile on Vulcanos' face, Zeke didn't have the heart to reprimand the man. Instead, he said, "Well done, Vulcanos. No wonder you guys were so fast."
Vulcanos turned even happier upon hearing the praise. "Master… Don't you think I deserve a reward?"
Zeke sighed. "Fine," he said. "I'll take you hunting tomorrow." Gravitas cleared her throat expectantly. "You too, Gravitas."
The two exchanged a quick glance before fist-bumping behind their backs. Zeke could only smile wryly. These two had become a lot closer since working together, now even scheming against him. However, he didn't mind. They could never have enough food, and with the mine somewhat renovated, he had enough space to store their kills.
Just then, Ash stormed in, a tense expression on his face. All eyes turned to him immediately. "Master, something happened!" His usually calm voice was uncharacteristically loud. "Commander Frost just announced that he will launch an attack tomorrow."
Zeke's brows furrowed. "Did he receive permission from the elders?"
Ash shook his head. "He is not commanding the troops but going with his own men. He was asking for volunteers just now."
Zeke frowned. This wasn't good. No matter how the attack turned out, the balance of power would shift. If Frost failed, his faction would lose their strength, but if he succeeded, people would flock to his side. However, for Zeke, who wanted the status quo to continue, both of these cases were bad.
His mind worked rapidly as he tried to devise a plan. At the moment, his faction was only in its infancy, and he hadn't even announced himself yet. It was far too early. However, he also couldn't allow the power dynamic to shift too much to either side.
"If only we had a few more days," he muttered, turning to Ash. "Do you think there is a way to convince Frost to delay his plans? Maybe with a donation of food?"
Ash shook his head once more. "I don't think so. He was getting the people all fired up, talking about victory and the grandness of the tribe. I would be very surprised if he backed down after that."
"Dammit," Zeke cursed, then quickly calmed down. Anger wouldn't help. If he couldn't prevent the attack, there was only one choice left: he needed to profit from this somehow. "Did he say how and where he was going to attack?"
Ash nodded. "He revealed the details. I guess he wasn't too worried about his plan getting leaked since the attack will take place tomorrow morning."
"Tell me everything."
Zeke fell into deep thought after hearing the plan. It involved a two-pronged attack on a poorly defended outpost. One group would fake an assault on a different camp, then circle back to strike from the west, while the main force attacked from the east. It seemed like a solid plan, and Frost appeared to have detailed intelligence on the enemy's movements.
However, Zeke didn't think the plan would succeed.
The enemy had already had weeks to fortify their position and wouldn't fall easily. However, the main reason he didn't have faith in the plan was that the enemy chief was somewhere down there. The mere thought of this person sent shivers down his spine.
Twice, he had met an Exarch-level Mage, and each encounter had left a deep shadow on his heart.
Zeke had a certain level of confidence when dealing with Archmages. If the stars aligned, and he had a massive advantage in troupe size, he could even hope to kill one. However, an Exarch was a different beast.
Even if he were given the entirety of the Icefang tribe to command, he had no confidence in his ability to deal with them. Even escaping with his life was a tall order. Zeke balled his hand into a fist to stop it from shaking. The room fell into silence as he considered his options.
Mentally, he visualized the map of their surroundings, detailing the route Frost's men would take. They were striking at a fairly isolated outpost, making it hard for reinforcements to reach them. However, depending on the enemy's reaction speed, that would only give them a couple more minutes.
"Akasha, simulate the most likely enemy response," Zeke ordered, viewing his mental map. A moment later, red arrows appeared, showing which nearby enemy camps might be expected to send reinforcements.
Zeke stared at the map, studying the outposts for a long time. Finally, his eyes lit up, and his expression cracked into a small smile. He turned to face Gravitas and Vulcanos, who were looking at him with tense expressions.
"Are you two still up for that hunting trip?"