Episode 28.

It took a week to prepare things, a little longer than we had anticipated because building a gigantic explosive is no easy task. We managed with what little we had, almost exhausting all the remaining gunpowder supplies we had, and somehow were able to mix it with enough glue and glycerin. It was like a huge, rough stone that only one person could barely carry.

Laurent: 『 *Groan! * Why do I have to carry this thing? 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 You're the expert in heavy weapons, are you not? So don't complain. 』

Laurent: 『 This is unfair! This thing is much different and heavier than a guillotine cannon! 』

Roef: 『 Hmph, you're just a slacker. 』

Laurent: 『 If it weren't for this thing, I would have killed you already. 』

If he wanted to waste his energy so soon by whining like a crybaby, that was on him. It wouldn't be our fault if he fell behind.

We had been walking for several days toward our destination. The border towns are one or two days' journey apart, relatively close to each other. But the journey from Rezok to Mount Arok is different, much farther and more strenuous, especially because of the mountain range we had to cross. It practically took us almost another week to cover the distance... a long and tiresome journey.

We arrived at a cliff, on one of the neighboring hills to the enormous hollow mountain of Arok. A great panorama unfolded before us, with dry and fallen trees covering what once was a lush green forest. The slopes of the hill, where the town of Losalt stood, were now filled with enormous tents, a valley flooded with thousands of men coming and going between the rails that guided them into the mountain's interior while they pushed dirty and half-empty wagons. It was a massive barracks they had set up, almost resembling a city laid upon a rocky floor that was in constant motion.

The mission was to bring it all crashing down, but I wasn't sure if our improvised "powder keg" would be enough, even if it was extra-large. No matter where one looked, there didn't seem to be much potential for success.

Roef: 『 Commander, will this really work? Also, they don't seem as weakened as in the report; it seems challenging to get in there. 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Fear not, Roef. No matter how tough they are, they also have a limit. Currently, they have almost no manpower. 』

Roef: 『 What happened to the people they enslaved here? 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 As in almost all the other villages we've liberated, many fell ill, and others were executed. Now they've had to replace them themselves and believe me, there is nothing more fatiguing than chipping and extracting stone in a dark and sweltering cave. 』

Laurent: 『 If that's the case, why haven't they continued invading more villages in the South? That way, they could enslave more people. 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 I have a few ideas, but I believe the greatest reason they dare not is fear. 』

Laurent: 『 Fear? What the devil would they fear? The sunlight that we have here? 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 I will explain later. Let us focus on the mission. 』

Without giving a clear answer, the commander was the first to draw his pair of climbing axes and latch onto the enormous exposed earthen wall. Jean, Hector, and a slow-moving Laurent followed him down the cliff. I stayed behind as I wandered a bit through my thoughts, intrigued by what the commander had said. Did a cruel and barbaric army like Tesotl truly fear something enough to halt their campaign? Something didn't add up; they were wasting a clear opportunity to seize the entire kingdom. Were they really only here for the mines? Is that all they cared about, and have so little ambition?

Jean: 『 Hey, Roef, aren't you coming? 』

It wasn't wise to be so distracted at this moment. I snapped out of my reverie and set aside the matter. I anchored myself to the wall as well, and we all descended until we were at the same level as the enemy camp. The thick tree trunks that still prevailed in the valley allowed us to conceal ourselves as we approached the watchtowers.

Each tower was guarded by a single soldier carrying his long rifle. All of them had a bell large enough to make a lot of noise and alert all the guards in the perimeter.

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Hector, Roef. You know what to do. 』

Hector: 『 Yes, sir. 』

Hector headed to the left tower, and I to the right. We moved stealthily and took cover behind the last trees before reaching the camp.

I drew the bow I carried on my back and took an arrow. I positioned myself at the best possible angle, tensed the string, and quietly recited one of the few commands I knew.

Roef: 『 Caecus mico. 』

The arrow shot out with great speed and without making a sound. The shot was straight to the head of the lookout, who fell suddenly. Hector did the same on his side. We made sure no one noticed as we dragged the bodies away from the towers. We took the uniforms of the two fallen lookouts and put them on.

Thus, we ventured into the enemy camp. Hector and I continued to act as snipers, shooting more ghostly arrows to clear the way. Behind us, Jean and the Commander collected the bodies as they fell and hid them inside the tents; they took a couple of uniforms as well and changed. As the carrier, Laurent was the only one on the team without a disguise, so we had to cover him until we found him camouflage.

We arrived at the antechamber of the entrance to the mega cavern, where those great machines were settled, and upon seeing them up close, I could understand their purpose. The carts arrived full of stone from the mine rails, emptied into a large nozzle, and subsequently, a press worked at full steam to crush them. The remains emerged completely pulverized, yet shimmering flashes were discernible, crystalline pieces emitting a perfect glow that would enchant anyone's eyes.

Jean: 『 Are those...? 』

Hector: 『 Aye, they are diamonds. 』

No one could question the value of the mineral, the things one could buy with those precious stones, one could ensure their entire life immersed in the comfort of wealth, even securing that of their children and grandchildren. But, wasn't this war supposed to be for the collection of catalysts? In none of the other machines did it seem that there was any "tonitruum" or "ingnia calcis". So, what did they need the diamonds for?

The commander and I continued to advance, pretending to be mere officers supervising the work in the extraction area. Rask then pulled out of his pocket a small reddish-brown stone, almost the size of a marble. He passed by one of those machines and, as if tossing a coin into the air, he threw it straight into the chimney.

He quickened his pace slightly to move away and began to whistle as if nothing had happened. Suddenly, the machine seemed to slow down, as if it had jammed. One of the operators approached the lower nozzle from which all the crushed stones emerged to inspect. The contraption made strange noises as if something were bouncing inside. Then, the individual leaned in closer, and "BANG!", bits of metal and rock were shot out, scattering everywhere.

All the soldiers' attention focused on the explosion site. The poor machinist was thrown and lay on the ground with a great number of burns and holes in his body, with bits of shrapnel embedded in his scorched face, almost unrecognizable. A commotion ensued among those trying to help the poor man and those witnessing the disaster caused by the remnants of the machine.

At that moment, we had a clear path to venture in while everyone was distracted. I took one of the carts from the first meters of rails and brought it back to where the loading dock began. The commander signaled to Hector and Jean, who were escorting Laurent with the bomb, to approach the cart quickly and crouched. They arrived immediately without being seen, and Laurent took the opportunity to get inside the cart along with the huge explosive mass. We placed a blanket we found in one of the tents over the cart to cover it and began to move forward.

So, we ventured into the hollow mountain, following the straight rails that seemed to be on a single direct route until inside the gallery, where there was a great tangle of paths winding in multiple imaginable directions towards the depths of the great mana pit.

Hector, who was leading the way, pulled a lever at the side of the switch points of the track, changing the trajectory and sending us onto a contrariel that led us toward a path veering upwards to the left. Now we were on some sort of detour that had enough height to see the entire great cavern and the enormous hole through which the other carts full of soldiers or filled with translucent mineral descended. It was incredible that at the bottom, the pure and clean shine of the diamonds could be detected. It almost seemed like down there was another industrial city, illuminated and constantly bustling. It reminded me a lot of an ant colony, with countless number of tunnels and galleries where one could easily get lost.

Laurent peeked his head slightly to contemplate the panorama of the place and cursed under his breath at all the soldiers who were down there.

Laurent: 『 Damn bastards, not content with ravaging the village here, they come and destroy the interior of the mountain. 』

Roef: 『 Shhh! Keep quiet. 』

Laurent: 『 Hmph! We'll see if they feel so comfortable in here when we crush them. 』

We ventured into one of the small and dimly lit secondary tunnels, where scarcely any light reached, disappearing from sight and into silence. At the end of our path, there was a long vertical wooden staircase embedded in the earthen wall of a narrow pit, just as indicated by the old map of tunnels used by the local miners, which Hector managed to obtain on the last reconnaissance mission. This seemed to lead us to an ancient disused mining chamber that led to the foundations of the mine, the deepest part we could reach and where we would place the bomb.

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Very well, stay alert. From this point on, it's uncharted territory for us. We don't know exactly what lies down there, so keep your guard up. Jean, give us some light. 』

Jean: 『 At your service. 』

As if his finger were a small candle, Jean emitted a soft blue light that illuminated the dark descent. That's why I say he's a mystery; we don't know what kind of military training he has or the type of mana he possesses. It was simply incredible to see how he uses it and plays with it within his own body, almost becoming a walking instrument.

In any case, we finished descending the long staircase and reached another small, narrow underground path, which was in total darkness. Now there was no trace of natural light reaching where we were, a sign of how truly deep we were. We followed Jean's luminous trail as we walked between the walls of that tunnel, which began to widen with each step we took.

At first, everything seemed normal, with nothing but black stone all around. However, a strange glow began to bounce off the protrusions of the walls and increase in brightness. I told Jean to lower the intensity of his light, as I was almost going blind from so much luminescence. But as soon as we realized what was truly causing that great splendor...

Jean: 『 Oooooh! 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Hector, are all these...? 』

Hector: 『 No doubt, sir. They are diamonds. 』

Laurent: 『 Ha, ha. Who would have thought? It seems those fools don't know how to search very well, do they? 』

Roef: 『 Wasn't this part supposed to be empty? 』

Hector: 『 Well, that's what the blueprints said... But then, how...? 』

It was too strange; the structure of the walls looked intact, without any marks or tool cuts used by miners. The route wasn't new, nor was it a recent discovery when the settlers exploited the mine. It didn't make sense for all these diamonds to still be here.

Faced with the mystery, we had to keep moving until we reached the ancient chamber we marked for detonation. But Laurent began to obsess over the precious stones and collected them like mad. He had been complaining about the heavy weight of the bomb a while ago, and now he seemed not to care about carrying more things in his hands and pockets, even when they had no space left, and he kept insisting on filling them more.

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Laurent, could you leave that? You look like a foolish ape enchanted by jewels. 』

Laurent: 『 Oh, come now, commander! An opportunity like this won't come again, and the more I manage to take, the more money I'll get! 』

Roef: 『 If your logic as a pauper says so... 』

Laurent: 『 You hush. As if you haven't been one too. Ah, with this, I'll finally be able to build a good home for my girls! 』

At least Laurent isn't one of those who spends all his money on prostitutes and mead, but he's not very good at saving either. At least he intended to use his earnings on the farm he and his family had always dreamed of; he always talked about that and his intention to achieve it once this war ends and he retires.

In any case, we weren't there to collect treasures. Laurent seemed like he wouldn't stop no matter how much we tried with our words, so we just kept moving forward, leaving him slightly behind, so he would realize that we were abandoning him, so to speak. But he kept at it, and although he tried to keep up with us, simply with the large number of jewels he was carrying, he couldn't.

Then, Laurent quickened his pace, unconsciously dropping some of those precious stones and marking a trail with them behind him. Of course, his greed didn't want to let any of them go, so he picked up as many as he could from the ground until one of the larger ones fell from his pocket and made an abnormal crunch on the ground that stopped us all.

We turned towards Laurent, and the commander, with annoyance, asked, 『 Laurent! What in the devil was that?! 』 He just stood there saying he didn't know. The gem had gotten stuck on something, and he, once again, tried to pick it up, but as soon as he pulled, that sound was heard again, even louder this time.

The floor started to crack everywhere, until a huge fissure formed right at our feet. We stood motionless watching as the base we were standing on fractured. Hector squatted slightly and with his hand touched the ground and moved the earth on top of it, all to discover what we were really standing on.

Hector: 『 Laurent, whatever you do. Do−not−move. Understood? 』

I performed the same action as Hector, and upon realizing it, I understood why his concern. Beneath us was an opaque yet crystalline layer that held us, so thin it seemed like a sheet of parchment.

Roef: 『 It cannot be. What is this, Hector? 』

Hector: 『 Muscovite. 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 And what is that...? 』

Hector: 『 A mineral that... well... is so thin that if we take a misstep, we'll end up falling into whatever is below it. And we're inside a cavern, so... 』

Roef: 『 *Sigh* But you had to do another one of your foolish acts, didn't you? 』

Laurent: 『 Don't blame me!! How was I supposed to know?! 』

Hector: 『 Regardless, we need to get out of here. 』

Hector picked up a random pebble from the fragile surface and dared to throw it, trying to gauge how far the stable ground of the mine was. It sounded as if a marble bounced again and again until it landed on what seemed like compact and firm soil. That was where we needed to reach, about five or maybe six meters away. Though it might seem little, it would be very challenging to reach.

In order, one by one, we began to move, guided by Hector's slow and careful steps in the lead. We tried to exert as little pressure as possible on our footsteps against the thin ground, a difficult task considering we all wore our boots and carried an immense explosive.

But with each step we took, a dreadful creak echoed throughout the chamber. It didn't matter if we moved slower than a caravan of turtles; the fine glassy layer couldn't bear our weight. Cold sweat dripped from our foreheads, expressing the anxiety we felt, despite our efforts to contain it, eager to end this lethargy.

When it finally seemed like we were making progress, Laurent tried to rearrange his hands full of those diamond samples that had attracted him so much. He struggled with himself, almost seeming to juggle with them, but in his eagerness to carry them all, he didn't notice that one of the many he had in his right pocket began to slip from him until it fell.

Roef: 『 NOOOOO! 』

I, who came behind, let out a cry of denial as I tried to catch the gem in the air. I stretched as far as I could, unable to take a step to grab it, but I wasn't close enough.

The stone brushed the tips of my fingers and consequently fell against the muscovite. Immediately, a hole opened where it fell, and the thin crystalline layer of the ground began to crack again, intertwining with the other stone that Laurent had previously dropped, creating a large gap that passed beneath our feet.

We all froze at the deep creaks that filled the chamber, abruptly halting our progress and increasing the tension. It wasn't until the huge crevice stopped opening that everything became silent again.

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Has it stopped? 』

Hector: 『 It seems so, sir. 』

Jean: 『 Phew, that was close. 』

Laurent: 『 He, he. I guess it wasn't so thin after all. 』

Hector: 『 Regardless, we have to get out of here. 』

Roef: 『 Seriously, you're a− (!) 』

("CRACK!")

In the end, what we so desperately wanted to avoid happened. The muscovite couldn't hold any longer and ended up splitting wide open. And like mere pine cones falling from a tree, we descended in unison with a scream.

Now we floated amid a void pulling us downwards, to a dark pit with who knows what lay at the bottom. I don't exactly recall how long we fell, but it seemed like it would never end. Nevertheless, we had no intention of finding out how long it would take to hit the ground.

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Axes, now! 』

We quickly drew out the climbing axes and drove them directly into the walls of the pit, but the side base was so hard and irregular that sparks flew as the metal tips scraped against it. We pressed our climbing tools as hard as we could to slow our falling speed, but the more we demanded of them, the more I saw them start to dull.

In the end, we hit the bottom, landing abruptly and in disarray, but at least we avoided a dry fall with much greater momentum. Ultimately, the axes ended up useless, either blunt or completely broken.

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Argh, damn! Are you all right? 』

Jean: 『 He, he. Well, that was fun. 』

Roef: 『 Damn−mmgh−it! Can't you, for once, not mess everything up? 』

Laurent: 『 Ah, of course! It's always my fault, right?! As if you're the perfect lord who never makes mistakes?! Have you already forgotten what you did in Soleosis?! 』

Roef: 『 Don't you dare mention it! You're partly to blame too! 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU! What happened back then is irrelevant now. If you truly want to make amends, then focus on the blasted mission already! Is that clear?! 』

With disdain and disgust towards each other, Laurent and I responded with a begrudging "Yes, sir," cutting short our ongoing argument. The commander instructed Hector to check the bomb for any damage. He examined it quickly, inspecting and touching the massive lump to ensure it hadn't broken or cracked.

Hector: 『 All is in order, sir. 』

Cmdr. Rask: 『 Good, then let's keep moving. Let's see where this leads us. We'll figure out how to get out of here. 』

Jean: 『 I wish this would lead us to a place with a tasty steak. I'm starving. 』

Laurent: 『 Jean, don't start. I'm not in the mood right now. 』

And so, we delved into the unknown abyss, within the vast and increasingly mysterious mine of the mountain. No longer caring, I merely wished to end this ordeal and return to base. I was beginning to loathe the internal heat of the gallery, and Laurent's presence only served to exacerbate my irritation.

Roef: 『 I just hope this truly works. 』