Rolan then went deeper into the caverns. More mosses grew in the damp place. The other prisoners in his mission were still unseen. And so, Rolan ventured deeper. The torches flickered on the walls and the temperature dropped.
He was shivering, and his breaths let out steam as the air turned misty. Drops of water trickled from above and splashed on the floor, making it wet in the process.
The waters rushed toward the deeper parts of the caverns. The water was ice-cold—colder than before.
He soon discovered an entrance where the waters didn't reach. A few traps were laid, and Rolan evaded them. Some were disarmed as he passed by.
He arrived at the halls and saw guards patrolling. Rolan threw his throwing daggers toward the guards, hitting them in the chest—killing them in the process. He delved deeper and saw an entrance to the prison.
A room with torture instruments. Rolan observed and concluded that it was the torture room of the Goblins. He then saw the torturer as he entered the room, holding a whip with hooks on its tip.
The torturer went to his desk and sat on his chair, starting to write, rubbing the quill feather pen on the paper. Rolan sneaked and slowly approached the inquisitor, covering its mouth—then slit its throat with his dagger.
Rolan killed the inquisitor, and soon after, the torturer entered the room. Rolan appeared from the dark and stabbed the back of his head—killing him in the process.
He entered the room and looted several data books. Human-skin books of the cult were confiscated—they would be of much help in the future.
He arrived at the kitchen of the caverns and looted potatoes, carrots, and cabbages. He also found one health potion and a mana potion.
Soon after, he delved deeper and saw many guards stationed in one place. To Rolan's estimation, it was the prison the one who tipped him off had mentioned.
There was a place with enemies huddled together, guarding several prisoners.
Rolan was in a hurry, and it was no use hiding. So he attacked them. Drawing his weapon and shield, he dashed toward the enemies. Scythe and shield were equipped, and the enemies hastily drew their weapons after being alerted.
Rolan battled them and didn't cower in the darkness. He slashed with his scythe and blocked with his shield.
The battle was intense, as the enemies had powers. Dark missiles were fired at him, and dark miasma was emitted.
Rolan then slashed, and one was hacked apart. The remaining enemy attacked, and Rolan blocked with his shield—pushed back slightly, but he retaliated.
Swish!
The enemy was decapitated. They were helpless, even with their powers.
But right after, reinforcements appeared—and they turned into demons. They had horned goat heads and bipedal bodies with leathery wings. They powered up, shifting into demons. All were equipped with weapons. They went berserk and attacked Rolan furiously.
They shifted, and their prowess leaped. They soon attacked, and Rolan was at a great disadvantage. But still, he dashed toward them and attacked.
He was struck by one demon, but he blocked with his shield. The shield echoed with every blow, and he retaliated.
Leaping toward them, he made a vertical slash—cleaving the enemy in half. Others attacked, and he slashed them. Some had their wings torn apart by his blows.
Other enemies rushed to kill him—making Rolan smirk. He slashed through them, carving down their numbers.
They attacked from all sides, and Rolan smirked again. He slashed left and right, defended with his shield, and sidestepped the attacks. He spun and slashed as he moved.
Rolan reaped lives with his scythe, stepping back with their attacks—rotating while slashing, forcing the enemies to retreat a bit.
One enemy attacked with a sword—Rolan blocked and then countered. The enemy's head was flung away. Others followed, and he slashed their shoulders, cutting off arms and legs as he hacked them apart with his scythe.
Rolan dashed forward as others fled. He threw his throwing daggers, striking them in the back. Rolan gave chase and killed the remaining ones.
They fought back, and the battle was hard-fought. Rolan killed them and was lucky they were only a few. The battle ended—and their lives were extinguished in the process.
Rolan looted them—finding a few gold coins and their weapons. All were placed inside his backpack.
Rolan moved forward and saw the prisoners. They were held in solitary cells, with hay scattered on the floors. The moistened walls glistened as the torchlight flickered. The smell of rotten rats and piss wafted into his nose. The squeaks of rats filled the air, accompanied by the echoing coughs of old men in distant cells.
Rolan opened their cells and rescued several key people: the blacksmith, alchemist, enchanter, builder, merchant, and prophet.
One man approached and thanked him.
"Thank you so much, young one! I am the blacksmith in camp. I am Bernie—nice to meet you! Also, please find my hammer. I lost it."
[Mission: The Lost Hammer]
[Reward: Blacksmith in Camp]
Rolan smiled and shook hands with him. A girl in her twenties then approached and grabbed his hands.
"Thank you so much! I am an alchemist—Yulin is my name! I can see you're still a young lad. How brave you are to delve here! I could only cower in fright while trapped. Also, please find my tools. I might resume production later in camp," she said to him.
[Mission: Lost Alchemy Tools]
[Reward: Alchemist in Camp]
A man with eyeglasses and a tall, fit frame approached.
"I am an enchanter. Thank you for saving us all. Nice to meet you—I'm Troy. Also, please find my personal enchanting items. They're out there somewhere," he said.
[Mission: Lost Enchanting Items]
[Reward: Enchanter in Camp]
Next came a broad man with ripped muscles, dressed in a leather apron.
"I'm Justus, the builder of the camp. Thank you for rescuing us! Also, please find my tools—I lost them," he said to Rolan.
[Mission: Tools Lost]
[Reward: Builder in Camp]
Then Rolan saw a man in wealthy attire, sporting a mustache and goatee.
"I'm the merchant in camp. Call me Greed. I'm happy to serve you. Also, please find my wares—I might have something you'll like," he said, bowing slightly.
[Mission: Lost Merchant Wares]
[Reward: Merchant in Camp]
Finally, Rolan saw an old man with a cane.
"Young one, I thank you for delivering us from captivity. I am the last prophet, Isaias. Evil still lies ahead. We should head home for now," he said as a portal opened.
"Let us take refuge first, shall we?" the prophet added, looking back at them.
They entered the portal, but Rolan stayed for the quest. He scoured the surroundings and soon found a cavern leading to a dry place. It was warm—contrary to the cold, moist caverns before.
He found crates of builder tools as well as blacksmithing gear. Merchant wares, enchanter tools, and alchemy supplies were all piled up in a corner of the cavern. He immediately looted the crates, which were heavy, and then returned to the teleportation portal.