Chapter 973: Battle for the High Tower (Part Seven) (Patreon)

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After the conclusion of their tour of the mine, Schiller and Batman were not thrown back into the filthy, dark prison cell. Instead, they were each assigned to a dormitory, to Batman's surprise, a single occupancy one at that.

The mine they visited was the largest and most central one in the entire complex. Adjacent to it stood a fortress that bore a striking resemblance to medieval garrisons.

The corridors here were narrow, but the rooms were spacious. The four upper floors were designated for the guards, while the six lower floors housed the miners working in the central mountain.

Batman's assigned dormitory was on the second floor underground. The entire room was only about 2 to 3 square meters, barely accommodating a straw mat. A torch burning with magic energy hung on the wall.

Despite its small size, the room wasn't cold. Batman suspected there might be a layer of lava beneath the mine, hence the warmth and dryness throughout the building.

In one corner of the room sat a basin filled with water that never seemed to diminish, providing some moisture to the otherwise dry atmosphere and serving for cleaning purposes.

If there was one drawback to the dormitory, it was the poor soundproofing. Everyone lived in small cages, with thin walls separating them closely. Just as Batman was about to sit down and rest, he heard muffled curses coming from the adjacent room:

"Damn it, my ankle... It's killing me. Those cursed Lava Demons, they did it on purpose. They want me to fall into the lava while mining... Oh, it hurts, it hurts..."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Batman knocked on the wall, pretending to be concerned. The creature on the other side seemed startled by his voice, let out a scream, then fell silent for a while before Batman spoke again:

"I'm a new miner here today, not familiar with this place. Could you tell me where this is?"

"I knew it..." The voice from the other side sighed. It sounded somewhat sharp but still clear in pronunciation. "Another unlucky soul brought here. Ha, let's see how long you'll survive here, three days, or maybe four?"

"Were you also captured by sandworms?" Batman inquired.

"Don't be silly, those big worms can only deal with small fries like you... cough... I'm the native here, mining is my job... cough... my foot..."

"Is your foot injured?" Batman pretended to care. "Do you need help?"

Suddenly, Batman noticed a dark shadow creeping in through the crack under the door, a black tentacle with a crimson eye at its tip. The eye glanced at Batman before the creature spoke:

"Oh, another unlucky human. Judging by your attire, you must be a follower of the Dark God, aren't you? What's wrong? Your boss doesn't want you anymore?"

"I don't know what's going on. Can you tell me? Where is this place exactly? What am I supposed to do tomorrow?" Batman bombarded with questions, but the eye only rolled before saying, "Don't try to fool me, you cunning human. If you want answers from me, you must pay the price..."

"What do you want?" Batman asked.

"I heard human souls are quite delicious. How about giving me a piece of your soul? Let me take a bite, and I'll answer your questions..." The Demon whispered in a low voice.

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be fair," Batman replied.

"Fair?! You talk about fairness in hell??" The creature seemed to find it the most absurd joke. It chuckled hoarsely, then two more tentacles reached in, inching closer to Batman.

Unperturbed, Batman stood up from the ground, losing all awe for these mystical creatures since discovering they could be physically harmed. He grabbed a torch from the wall and swiftly swung it, letting the flames graze one of the tentacles, which resulted in a shrill scream from the other side.

"Get off! Get off! Let me go!! You damned human!!! I'll devour you!!!" The tentacles began flailing frantically, trying to retreat through the crack under the door. However, Batman acted swiftly, grasping the base of the tentacle before it could escape.

Setting the torch aside, he firmly held the tentacle, causing the Demon to scream in agony.

"Ahh! Ah! Let me go! My ankle! My ankle was already injured... Please let me go!!! Oh, please, don't do this!!"

With one final tug, Batman heard a loud thud against the door from the other side, as if the main body of the Demon had been pulled into it.

Realizing there was no more room for struggle, Batman tied a knot around the base of the tentacle on his arm and grabbed the torch again. He made the flames gradually consume the base of the black tentacle while speaking in a chilling tone, "Answer my questions. Where are we? How did you come here? What are you doing here?"

"Ohhh!! Please let me go!!!... Alright, alright, I'll answer your questions, but after I do, you have to let go of my foot... You damn humans, all of you are cunning monsters!"

Batman paused in his actions. He wasn't sure if being called a monster by the Demon was an insult or a compliment. Nevertheless, the Demon began to speak intermittently:

"You and your master must be uncivilized barbarians. Otherwise, seeing the emblem on the door, you should know that this is the Seven Peaks Mine of the great Lord Belial, the second-largest underground territory of Lord Belial's domain..."

"How did I come here? Like I said, I am a native here, an shadow creature living in the mines. When Lord Belial's army arrived and took over the mine, I began working for him..."

"And what am I doing here? What else can I do here? Of course, mining. The Seven Peaks Mine possesses nearly all mainstream minerals of hell. The weapons and armor worn by the guards are all forged from these minerals..."

"What's your name?" Batman asked again.

"I'm... I'm Hexagon. Please let go of me, my foot is about to break... Oh, it hurts..."

The voice from the other side now had a hint of crying. Batman realized that the Demons here were more innocent than he had imagined. So, he released one of the tentacles, allowing it to retract. However, he still held onto the other, firmly saying:

"I know there are guards in the dormitory. So, no matter what strange noises you hear from my side, it's best not to make any sound. If you attract the guards, I'll make sure to dispose of you before they dispose of me."

There was no hint of bluff in Batman's threat. After Hexagon, as the Demon introduced himself, retracted his last remaining tentacle, he grumbled a few times before saying, "You humans are so arrogant, always thinking about escaping. I don't care what you do in your room."

Batman narrowed his eyes and asked, "Have humans been here before?"

Hexagon seemed to be touching his injured foot. He replied, "What nonsense are you talking? There have been plenty of humans here. I've had at least five or six human neighbors, all trying to escape..."

"Did they manage to escape?" Batman inquired further.

"Most of them did. I have to acknowledge, you cunning creatures have some skills. But, this is hell. Even if you manage to escape from this mine, where else can you go? Eventually, you'll end up working for other Demons..."

"After humans, weak individuals who come to hell only have two fates: either hiding in mines, barracks, or slave quarters, working for Demons, or, they're unlucky enough to encounter powerful Demons and get devoured in one bite..."

"Are you a powerful Demon?" Batman asked.

"You humans love to talk nonsense," Hexagon scoffed. "If I were a powerful Demon, would I be in such a sorry state because of you?"

"Shadow creatures are just companions of the Shadow Ore. Most of us lack rationality and only instinctively attack Demons who try to mine the Shadow Ore. That's why rational shadow creatures like me are captured. We can pacify our kind during mining to prevent them from attacking miners. That's what I do..."

Batman silently noted the information given and remained silent for a while. Hexagon then took the initiative to ask, "Are you planning to escape too? If so, tonight is your chance. Dig a hole from the back wall's crevice. That's how my neighbor escaped before. You'd better hurry, I hate cunning humans."

Upon hearing this, Batman looked towards the crevice in the back wall. Because of the shadow cast by the torch, Batman hadn't noticed the small gap on the right side of the straw mat. Now, he saw there seemed to be a small crack.

As Batman placed his hand on the crevice, he could feel a noticeable airflow, indicating a considerable space behind it.

"Don't the guards here worry about people escaping?" Batman asked, feeling somewhat puzzled. He added, "The lax defense here is quite unbelievable..."

"Let them run if they want," Hexagon replied indifferently. "Those big worms bring back dozens or hundreds of people every day. Even if everyone runs away, they'll just go catch more the next day. Besides, only you humans want to escape. For Demons, does it matter where we work?"

"Have you never thought of rebelling or escaping?" Batman asked as he examined the crack.

"Why would we rebel or escape?" Hexagon sounded genuinely puzzled. "Every shadow creature is suddenly awakened in the mines. We gain intelligence, get discovered by the overseers, and are put to work..."

"My luck has been quite good. Sometimes those low-level shadow creatures go crazy, tearing us apart and swallowing us. But, I've been here for a long time and haven't encountered such misfortune."

"But yesterday, that damned Lava Demon threw a fireball at my foot. He wanted to blast me into the lava. I knew he had it in for me. I'll have to deal with him tomorrow, Satan above, I've had enough of him..."

"Why didn't you fight back?" Batman asked again.

"Fight back? You mean go fight him? Don't be ridiculous! Lava Demons are one of the most powerful Demons around, even among the overseers, he's one of the strongest. How could I possibly beat him?"

"Not being able to beat him doesn't mean you can't deal with him..." Batman muttered under his breath. Then he said, "Your foot is injured, right? I know some medical techniques. Maybe I can help heal you. Let me see your wound..."

"What????"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 974: The Battle for High Tower (Part Eight)