Step. Step. Step.

Kreyn and Daren walked forward along the main mine, the only one in their path so far. Long ago, the Wurhen Family had mined every worm crystal in this area with the help of prisoners. Over time, they had to expand the mining area, creating branches in different directions.

Several guards, who were already dead, usually watched over the mines, each one in charge of their own, but only Daren knew each of them.

Why?

Well, it was his main job in the prison. He had no choice but to dig mines, reach the deepest and safest point, and start a new mine in a different direction.

Basically, Daren's job was to get as much of the worm crystal as possible without provoking the Arakta Worms.

Sure, it didn't always work perfectly, and quite often he, the prisoners, and the guards had to flee the mine because of an enraged Arakta Worm, but from the Wurhen Family's side, it was just collateral damage.

"So, what exactly is your plan?" Daren asked, still completely in the dark.

"To go as deep as possible. On the way back from the village, you said that the main threat in these mines is the Elder, right?"

Daren narrowed his eyes, alert.

"Yes, it's the strongest Arakta Worm in their entire colony. I advise you to pray that we never encounter it. In less than a second, we'll be in its jaws and a hundred sharp teeth will turn us into mincemeat."

"Oh, it seems someone has seen this scene with their own eyes, ah?" Kreyn raised an eyebrow.

After a pause, Daren nodded deeply.

"Ten people disappeared in an instant, right into its jaws. I was lucky to be far away. All I saw was a giant shadow with green lights rushing past me. Then, we realized it was the Crystal Brink, the line we were forbidden to cross."

Step.

They stopped at the main fork. The minecarts and rails surrounded them, leading in all directions, both left and right, up and down. There were more than a dozen mines here, and this was only a small part of what the Worm Mines had to offer.

When the prisoners reached the Crystal Brink, they realized that it was a forbidden line, but the area before that line was so large that it was possible to mine the Worm Crystals in a relatively safe zone for more than a decade.

"I see. In that case, it's time to lay our cards on the table." Kreyn narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out where he needed to go. "Where is the mine that leads to the Crystal Brink?"

Daren stopped as his eyes widened in disbelief.

"No, Kreyn, you misunderstand me. If we encounter a normal Arakta Worm, we can escape, but against the Elder, we don't stand a chance! Why should we fight them at all?"

Kreyn approached Daren and grabbed him by the collar.

"Who said I would fight them? Do you think I haven't seen what they are capable of? Hah, thanks to the death of one of them, we won!"

He pulled Daren closer as their foreheads collided.

"Do you trust me or not? Do you think after everything that happened, I just chose such an unusual way to commit suicide? These mines are the path to our victory!"

Kreyn said nothing as his eyes trembled. He waited for an answer.

Of all his allies, Daren was the most experienced, cool-headed, and calm, but several years of working in the mines had left a mark on his heart. He was afraid that at any moment an Arakta Worm might appear and the last thing he would see would be a row of sharp teeth.

Well, fears come and go, don't they?

BAM!

Daren's fist slammed into Kreyn's face. Blood gushed from his nose as he collapsed to the ground.

"Of course I trust you, you bastard! Your eyes burn with madness, with an idea, you believe in what you're doing, you can see it a mile away! Do what you have to do and lead us to a new life if you're capable of it!"

Kreyn brushed away the trickles of blood and grinned.

"I'll return that punch, be ready, and... I think now you're ready to hear the idea I've staked everything on."

His lips moved as a few words echoed off the cold walls of the mine, causing Daren's eyes to widen in disbelief.

...

"So, this one, right?" Kreyn pointed to the mine that, unlike all the others, was not lit by torches or light crystals.

"Yeah, mine No. 3. A few years ago, we started digging in a new direction and ended up reaching the Crystal Brink." Daren scratched the back of his head, remembering the horrors of the past with a strange nostalgia. "Well, we didn't know it then, but when the Elder arrived, everything became, to put it mildly, not easy..."

Kreyn nodded and led the way. They had been walking through the mines for almost half an hour, and their torches showed no sign of going out, their green flames illuminating everything within a five-meter radius.

"I've heard that at the Worm Mines, the Arakta Worms aren't the only threat, are they?"

In response, Daren sighed heavily.

"Sure, there are gaps leading to the free caves everywhere here. They're not particularly large, and there's no point in digging in that direction, but sometimes it leads to problems."

"The free caves, what are those—!"

Crash.

The mine shaft was breached as rocks collapsed downward.

Four blue eyes appeared from the crack as an eight-legged creature lunged at Kreyn.

Everything happened quickly, but Kreyn was always on guard. He was ready to summon his Catalyst when Daren stood in front of him, opening his lighter, the one he had received from the Echo.

"Get away!" he exclaimed, blowing forward.

Tremble.

The stream of purple flame changed direction, engulfing the monster in the blaze.

In a heartbeat, the monster burned to charred edges before collapsing to the ground.

Kreyn stared at the spider, its legs trembling in painful spasms while wisps of black smoke rose upward.

"Spiders and worms? Hah, what a filthy cave!"

Despite his words, he moved forward, anticipating an important encounter.

"Let's go, Daren. It's time to visit the Elder before there are more of these spiders. Not a step back!"

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