Chapter 275 - People don't make sense (Patreon)

Hera and Blue were having some trouble controlling the servers. They kept trying to run instead of walking along the streets as the humans wanted. It wasn't like they didn't have the urge to keep running away, but now, Hera already knew that it was better to pace herself during a dungeon. However, the dwarves didn't seem to care or to get tired. On the other hand, their running around ended having a beneficial side effect. Hera and Blue managed to find a few more dwarves to join the group during a few of the chases. What started as a dozen already had gone past twenty people that they were trying to save.

After coming down the hill and reaching the rubble in the middle of the city, Hera realized the extent of the damage. The entire bottom of the cave had been completely decimated. She couldn't tell where a building would start and another would end. There was also a massive hole in the middle of the area that seemed to be constantly burning.

"Does anyone know what was this place was?" Hera asked.

"It was the lower city. Here you would find the slums, the prison, and the ivory mine," one cook replied.

Hera looked at the fire pit in the middle of the rubble. The flames coming from it didn't seem to be dying down. It reminded her of a few places back on Earth that never stopped burning because of the natural resources. The problem was that those locations all had years and years of history where the situation stayed the same. In cases where something created a fire in a place filled with natural gas, it was very likely that a massive explosion would occur.

"Is that the only entrance to the mines?" Hera asked.

"No, there was another one by the orchard, but that one was covered to make room for the plants since it was just a long, empty tunnel," a dwarf explained.

"Hera…" Blue turned to her friend with a worried expression.

"We need to move faster!" Hera said.

If that explosion was just coming from a side tunnel, Hera could only imagine what would happen if a blast came out of the main shaft. Running around the rubble, they tried to pick up the pace. In this part of the city, they weren't finding anyone else. At least now they could see the other side of the cave, and there were almost no fires in that region. There were still panicked screams, but it should be from people who were seeing the flames and not those stuck under the wreckage.

Hera was doing what she could to control the dwarves and move fast through the area. It wasn't simply because of the fear that the mines would explode, but because the silence of the area was maddening. Yes, there were some screams coming from the rest of the city, but here, near the rubble and the fire, there was nothing. Not a single scream, not a single cry, not even pebbles shifting. It meant that nothing survived whatever happened here. Even if this was just a dungeon and it was very likely that there was no one around, just the sight of destruction was enough to make Hera's stomach turn.

Luckily, she was busy for long enough to cross the entire area and not think too much about what was going on. When they reached the other side, the buildings were already covered in ash, but they looked much better than the rubble. Hera and Blue had asked the dwarves to warn them if they saw anyone who needed help, but now this request proved to be an issue. There were many people around that were either hurt by the explosion or gathering their belongings to run away. Hera tried to help them, but when the third said they had to find an heirloom before leaving, she gave up. Even if they could get a better reward, it wasn't worth risking their lives like that.

Everything about this place felt like a timed thing. If they took too long to reach the exit, it was very likely that they wouldn't be able to get out at all. Blue was worried about the flames spreading too much and blocking the path, but Hera had another thing in mind. The black cloud that covered the ceiling of the cave no longer had a way to escape. Before, it could go out through the hole above the orchard, but after the explosion, the flames blocked its passage. Now, the cloud seemed to have doubled in size, and with every second that passed, more smoke joined that deadly black gas. This was the only way she had to calculate the time they still had left. For now, it wasn't much of an issue. Even the tallest houses in the area were far away from the cloud. But as more buildings caught on fire, more smoke would rise, and less time they would have to find the exit.

To avoid being too close to the mines, Blue guided the group to one street on the upper level. They walked for a few minutes, joined by a few stragglers that were already trying to find a safe place. For a moment, everything seemed to be working out well. They were making a lot of progress and gathering more possible survivors. Looking at her map, Hera could tell that they were about halfway to the point where Asta told them there would be a doorway.

They crossed another street and saw a wall blocking their path. If it was just Blue and Here, they could easily jump over it, but there were some elderly and children almond the dwarves they picked along the way that wouldn't be able to follow.

"Let's look for another path," Blue said.

"Yeah, but I don't want to waste much time," Hera whispered.

"I know. Let's try for five minutes. If we don't get at least a hint we…." Blue looked at the dwarves with a sad expression.

"Yeah," Hera just nodded. She didn't like that idea either, but she had to remember that these people were just part of the dungeon. Even if they were saved, it wouldn't change what happened to them.

Blue took a glance around the area, "We should go back and follow the street that has the most wear and tear," Blue called the dwarves and shepherd them towards the previous street. She was excellent at controlling the panicked group.

"Oh, yeah, since a gate would see a lot of traffic. That's a good call. And when did you get so good at that?" Hera nodded.

"I grew up in San Francisco. We had protocols for wildfires and stuff like that. I just got used to it," Blue explained.

"Right, I had completely forgotten about that. You don't talk much about that," Hera talked as they looked for a place to cross the wall.

"I try to live in the moment and not to focus on the past. Besides, talking about that just makes me sad. I still have friends there. I might need to take a trip when we are done here."

"It's a good call. All I want is some chocolate cake, soda, and some fast food. The more processed, the better," Hera chuckled.

They kept moving for two minutes until they found a collapsed part of the wall. It would be more than enough for everyone to cross over. The only problem would be that they would have to cross a collapsed building.

"That is one of the treasuries," a dwarf said.

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" Blue asked.

"There should be a guard in there. They won't allow us to go inside the building."

"What building? This is just rubble! There is no inside anymore. Let's go." Blue cried and crossed the rubble.

The dwarves hesitated for a moment but followed soon after her. Blue pushed some of the rubble aside as they moved, revealing some gold coins on the ground. Some of the dwarves jumped at the chance to line their pockets with it. However, just as they gathered their new fortune, a guard clad in black armor appeared.

"What do you think you are doing? That is property of the kingdom!"

"I told you we are not waiting for you. Keep moving!" Blue yelled and kept walking, but the guard stepped in front of her.

"Return every coin you have stolen. I will search every one of you," the guard said with his hand up in a stop sign.

"Are you serious right now? We don't have time for this," Blue tried to move through, but the guard pulled his two-handed hammer.

Instinctively, Hera triggered her [Observe]

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Kul Dorul Treasury Guard - Level 10 (Stone Affinity)

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"You will comply with my orders. I will have none of you stealing from the great city of Kul Dorul," the guard got ready to attack.

"Stop!" Hera yelled and moved over. If the guard had a level, it meant that this could be a fight. Then again, there might be other options. She held out the brass token that the princess had given to her and said, "We need to evacuate. That is a royal order."

The guard looked at the token and then at Hera before putting his weapon away, "Very well, but these people must leave the gold they gathered here. We will have a full recounting, and if anything is missing…."

Before he finished his sentence, Blue pushed him toward the street, "Everything is burning. Forget the gold and let's just go. Everyone, drop whatever you got and keep moving. If you don't, this donkey won't move away."

The guard started grumbling, but he obeyed her directions. It seemed like the token was a way to avoid any type of fight with the guards. When Hera thought a fight might happen, she got distraught. It was one thing to spar with the people from Boothudurn, but the last thing she wanted to do was to kill someone in a dungeon. It didn't matter if they were not real. That was a line she refused to cross again. Just as Hera was feeling relieved, a group of dwarves appeared from the side.

"Look at them, being escorted by a guard. They must all be nobles. Our jailors are not allowed to leave!" the dwarf in front of the group yelled. He was holding a large bat made out of rocks. Behind him, there were another five dwarfs, all had some sort of makeshift weapon on their hands.

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Kul Dorul Rebel level 8 - (Rage Affinity)

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Kul Dorul Rebel level 7 - (Rage Affinity)

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Kul Dorul Rebel level 7 - (Rage Affinity)

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Kul Dorul Rebel level 7 - (Rage Affinity)

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Kul Dorul Rebel level 6 - (Rage Affinity)

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Kul Dorul Rebel level 6 - (Rage Affinity)

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"Blue…" Hera looked at her friend.

"We are not nobles. We are just trying to save these people!" Blue yelled.

"Lies! No guard would follow you if you didn't have noble blood."

"We don't! The princess sent us to save as many people as we could," Hera tried to explain.

The six rebels started laughing, "I expected a better lie. No member of the royal family would give that order. They deserve to burn and die inside this hole, and so do you!"

With that cry, the dwarves rushed towards the group, brandishing their weapons. Blue blocked the first one, and the guard intercepted the second rebel. Hera didn't even draw her handaxe and created a stone wall to protect the dwarves they were trying to save. She followed that with a blinding flash in hopes of distracting the rebels. Why were people fighting during this situation? Why was the guard still worried about the treasure? Why did the dwarves stop to pick gold when the entire room was ablaze. There was no way that this was how the events actually went down. No one would be this stupid. Right? These questions crossed Hera's mind in a flash before she turned to the people she was trying to save.

"Everybody run!" Hera yelled and tried to lead the dwarves towards the direction of the doorway. She ushered them towards one of the main roads, which was large enough, so no one had to be too close to one of the buildings in case they caught on fire.

When the last of the civilians went in that direction, Hera spun around and headed back to help Blue. The controller had placed a cloud on a rebel's head and tossed another one into a broken house that collapsed even more because of the impact. When Hera arrived, Blue grabbed a rebel by the arm and spun it around, breaking the bone and kicking the dwarf toward a burning building.

"Blue!" Hera gasped.

"What?" Blue turned around, worried, just as the guard caved in the skull of the rebel he was fighting.

With only two remaining, Hera quickly used her pollen field to distract the rebels and created a stone barrier blocking their path. After that, she turned to Blue, ready to scold her about killing the dwarves, when a massive column of fire rose from the hole in the lower city.

"We need to go!" Blue yelled as Hera and she dashed towards the main road.