Arcane Innovator

"This place is like a damn maze!" I exclaimed frustratingly, struggling to navigate the multiple winding tunnels that ran through the mountain in all directions.

Even worse, my magic sense was almost useless in helping me locate Hans and Greta because I was surrounded by nothing but solid rock.

But I wouldn't let myself be dissuaded that easily, so I soldiered on, carefully traversing the dark corridors while dutifully marking my path to avoid getting lost.

After recovering from my battle with Dominic, I quickly discovered that apart from that passage we came in and the one Vincent used to escape, there seemed to be yet another tunnel further back that subsequently forked into three more shafts.

The first one appeared to be a dead end, so after uttering a silent curse, I retraced my steps and went on to check the other two.

Since there were no more enemies, I told Theo to wait for me in the smaller cavern because I could move much faster alone.

Next, I decided to check the middle shaft. Fortunately, the shafts were relatively short, so it didn't take me much time.

Yet I always remained vigilant, reminding myself that the gang might still have left traps or some other hazards behind. So, straining my ears for any suspicious sound, I cautiously moved forward.

About a dozen or so meters in, I paused, tilting my head to the side as I caught a distant whimper. I waited for a bit, but no further sounds came, so I slowly continued.

After another dozen meters or so, the tunnel ended, opening into a tiny chamber, the majority of which was filled with a massive iron cage.

And inside that cage... "Mister! You came for us! I knew you would!"

After she recognized me, Greta's voice loudly echoed through the chamber, and her eyes lit up with a mixture of relief and hope.

"That's right! I came for you, so now move as far back as you can. I'll get you out of here."

Since I didn't have to worry about the noise anymore, I didn't bother melting the lock and instead conjured a swift wind blade that promptly carved the cage open with a satisfying swoosh.

After that, I made the bundle of flames in my hand burn brighter so that I could properly examine them.

They looked pale and exhausted, but overall, they were fine. But I still had them both drink an elixir just in case, as I had previously found a whole crate of them back in the main cavern, so there was no reason to be frugal here.

"Thank you, sir! You've saved us for the second time. I don't know if we'll ever be able to repay you..." Hans said, grimacing but visibly relieved.

"Don't worry about it...you're alive. That's all that matters. I know you have plenty of questions, but we don't have much time, so please follow after me and keep quiet until we make it out of here."

Having secured the children, I then promptly retraced my steps and returned to the small cavern where Theo waited.

"Look who I found..." I said with a subtle smile.

"Hans! Greta! I'm so glad you're unharmed." Theo exclaimed.

While he was busy making sure the kids were okay, I took this opportunity to search the place properly to see if there was anything of interest I might have previously missed.

And sure, there was. In the far corner, a massive, sturdy-looking chest immediately drew my attention.

While quickly conjuring a wind blade, I proceeded to cut off the lid in one swift motion. The next moment, my eyes widened as, besides a few documents, there was... Silver, lots and lots of silver coins.

I instantly grinned, as I could now partake in some sweet loot after all this trouble. Besides, I guessed that most of it came directly from the sale of my elixirs, so I had almost a legitimate claim on it.

After I shared this excellent news with Theo, he appeared much more hesitant. "Shouldn't we hand it out to the city's authorities?"

"Of course not... These are our spoils of war!" I said reproachfully, hurrying to grab it.

Quickly realizing I couldn't carry it all alone, I turned toward Theo and the children, urging them to stuff as much silver into their pockets as possible.

Theo hesitated momentarily, his eyes darting from me to the pile of silver. After a deep breath, he nodded reluctantly and started to gather the coins together with the dazed-looking Hans and Greta.

After filling our pockets with the glittering loot, I decided to take the same path I saw Vincent disappear in, as I was almost certain that would be the fastest way to get out of there without getting lost.

***

'Ah, we finally made it out!' I grinned as we bolted out of the abandoned mine's main shaft half an hour later.

Finding the right path proved to be a lot more complicated than I anticipated. 'After this, I don't want to ever see the insides of a mine; those narrow shafts gave me the creeps.'

I took a moment to gather my bearings, and then I looked around to figure out where we ended up.

It took me a while, but I soon recognized the tall smokestacks in the distance. We were on the fringes of the Craftsman's district, and it was currently dead of night.

But my elation didn't last long. In the next moment, I detected multiple figures swarming around the area, closing in on the mine shaft we had just exited.

I looked ahead, and it didn't take long before I spotted them - city guards and many of them.

'Oh, crap!' Whether it was Vincent or the noise of our recent battle that alerted them, I knew very well that I couldn't let them catch us under any circumstances.

Although we theoretically did nothing wrong, as I was technically a beast hunter and apprehending criminals was perfectly justifiable, I knew more than well that being morally right didn't mean crap in this feudal society.

All it would take would be one corrupt official or a few conveniently planted pieces of evidence, and we would quickly find ourselves in the hands of the executioner.

With that, our only option was to run. Still, as I looked back, my companions' condition was far from suitable for any sort of wild chase with the guards.

So, without further thought, I focused my essence on the roof of the nearby building, shattering its supports and collapsing it in the way of the approaching guards, hoping to slow them down enough so that we could make our escape.

And it worked as planned, at least for the first dozen seconds or so... What I didn't count on was the fire.

As the building crumbled behind us, flames erupted from the wreckage, engulfing the night sky in a fiery blaze.

'Huh?' I previously saw that several torches were hung on the walls, but the fire was still spreading way too fast.

'Whatever...' Although it was a bit suspicious, I decided not to pay it any attention for the moment and instead urged my companions to continue running. This proved to be an even better distraction than I had originally planned.

Yet after a few more minutes of running, when we were about halfway through the Craftsman's district, I couldn't help but furrow my brows, noticing that there was now a massive orange glow behind us. 'Don't tell me...'

"BOOOOOM!"

Before I had a chance to finish that thought, a massive explosion rocked the whole city, shattering most windows and raising a gigantic cloud of dust. My companions were in a state of shock, wide-eyed and gasping for air.

'Oh, crap! So that was the reason that building was made entirely of stone and standing significantly apart from the other warehouses...'

As the dust slowly began to settle, I couldn't help but marvel at the utter destruction I had just wrought on the area.

Luckily, apart from the guards, who hopefully managed to run away in time, there didn't appear to be any people in this part of the city at this hour, so at least there shouldn't have been any casualties.

'Well, now would be about the right time to skip the town...'

I knew that we had to move quickly, so I urged everyone to get up and keep running.

We ran through the chaos of the night, urgently trying to reach the inn where Ram and Vixen were sleeping.

I knew I couldn't escape the city and leave them there because it wouldn't take too long before someone would put two and two together, and since they were seen in my presence on multiple occasions, they would end up in a well of trouble simply by association.

Thus, we hurried until I saw the familiar contours of our inn ahead. Luckily, it was quite a distance from the explosion, so the streets were relatively quiet.

As we were closing in, I quickly turned over to Theo and the kids, whispering in a hurry.

"I don't have time to properly explain things, so for now, simply play along... From now on, address me as Jorn, and don't mention anything about Ereneth or Alchemy. Better yet, don't speak at all..."

I then promptly entered the tavern without waiting for their response. Not bothering with any pleasantries, I barged into our room, shouting, "Ram, Vixen, Wake up!"

However, it looked like they both were already awake, staring at me in confusion.

"Jorn? Where were you, and what happened to you?!" They said almost unanimously.

"I don't have time to explain, but we are in danger and must leave the city now!"

"Leave the city? Okay... but all the gates would be closed at this hour, no?" Ram replied after a brief moment of hesitation.

However, none of them questioned my decision; after such a long time spent traveling together, they trusted my judgment, and when they heard there was a danger, they chose to simply go with it.

Thus, after gathering our things, we all hurried through the city, traversing one terrace after another and heading down toward the city gates.

Ram and Vixen were throwing glances at Theo and the kids but decided to leave their questions for later, and I was glad about that.

We were quickly running across the main street that led directly toward the city's southern gates, but a moment before we would get into the plaza right in front of them, I made a sharp turn, taking us to a narrow alley that ran perpendicularly to the main street.

I knew that there was no way to get through the gates without a huge fight. However, I was too tired and devoid of essence for that. So I decided to do the second best thing - make a gate of my own.

"Where are we going?" Vixen whispered, concern evident in her voice.

"It's not far..." I replied over my shoulder, not daring to stop.

Soon, we arrived at what looked like a dead end, with the city's walls directly in front of us.

"I heard there is a secret passage that leads out of the city," I began. "But it will take me some time to find the hidden entrance, so please watch the corner to ensure we are not being followed."

I left Ram to be the watch and Vixen to guard the kids. Meanwhile, Theo and I continued right toward the city walls.

I could see the silent question in Theo's eyes, but he was conscious enough not to ask it until we were truly alone. "There isn't any secret passage, is there? So what exactly are you planning to do?"

"No, there isn't one... Thus, I will simply have to make my own." I replied with a subtle smile.

Theo widened his eyes before a hint of recognition reflected in them. "Oh, right, you're..."

"That's right!" I quickly interjected. "But as I already told you, simply play along and don't say anything."

With that, I took a deep breath and ordered my almost depleted stores of essence, which barely had any time to recover, to seep into the majestic wall before me, reshaping the massive stone slabs with nothing but my will.