Ben got down and hid behind one of the protruding walls. He wasn't sure what the creature was a few meters ahead of him.
Getting lower into the prone position, Ben crept towards a pile of nearby rocks. He was a little weary. The creature might have seen the light coming from his flashlight and detected him, but there was no response. The creatures looked like they were native to an underground habitat, so Ben felt they probably couldn't see anything and must have relied on their other senses to get around.
Ben poked his head out and shined the flashlight on the creature. It resembled a football-sized rock with small legs coming out from either side. Small insect-like appendages, three on either side, protruded from the lower part of the shell. At the front, a small head stuck out with a pair of long, thin, cockroach-like antennae.
[Mineroach Worker Level 3]
To Ben, it didn't look like it could cause any damage, but he felt there would be bigger, tougher ones knocking around the further he traveled within the grasp of the mine. They did somehow take out a bunch of miners and armed guards.
The Mineroach rubbed its front two appendages, which were pointed and sharp, on the wall. When it got to the glittery patches that looked like an ore of some kind, it used its sharp, pointed teeth to break small chunks off from it. After chewing for a moment, it spat onto one of its appendages before placing the slimy stuff in a little crevice in its rocky outer shell. The way it acted appeared to be peaceful.
The last thing Ben wanted was to hurt it if it was harmless. But he also didn't want to be unprepared if it decided to attack him.
Ben clutched his weapon tight. Glancing around, he checked to see if any more enemies were lurking around, as he felt they could swarm him in greater numbers. When he felt the coast was clear, he grabbed one of the nearby rocks and lobbed it at the creature.
Suddenly, the Mineroach's antennae jumped, becoming erect at full mast. Within a second, it stopped, turned to where the rock fell, and unleashed a flurry of stabs as if it had personally switched to a full-on serial killer.
Holy shit! It's not so peaceful anymore!
Ben saw the creature frantically start looking around. Its antenna waved around in circles as if they were searching for him like a radar. When they were pointed at him, they stopped dead still.
Ben shot up as the creature skittered towards him like a crab on a boatload of meth. He dodged out of the way in time for it to crash into the pile of rocks. While its back was turned, Ben slammed the hammer down.
What the hell’s going on with this thing?
The creature's shell cracked, popping and flinging smaller pieces away as the hammer bounced away. It started shaking in a frenzy and was about to rush ahead when Ben took a couple of steps back, raised his weapon, and pummeled its head a few times until there was no movement.
[You killed Mineroach Worker Level 3: +6XP]
“Eww.” Ben almost gagged.
The creature's innards had been splattered all over the ground, mixed with whatever glittery ore it had collected. What was more concerning was how it instantly went from zero to a hundred on the hostility scale.
Shaking his head, Ben moved away from the creature and started looking around.
The rest of the mine level appeared mostly empty, apart from various storage crates containing more mining supplies. A few carts were filled with ore, which looked like they were being transported to the main chamber.
When Ben reached the actual shafts, he noticed a large area that had been dug out. Massive dark patches covered the walls, and there were even a few piles of coal. He picked up one of the rocks, causing a few to roll down and hit the ground with a thud.
Suddenly, the sounds of movement closed in on Ben from behind. The moment he turned, five notifications filled his vision. The creatures were between levels four and five and had come out of nowhere and looked pissed off.
Oh, hell no!
Ben knew he couldn't fend them off all at once. He threw the lump of coal at one of them before running back the way he came. When another creature appeared, blocking his path, Ben lifted his hammer and swung it like a golf club. Although it wasn’t a hole-in-one, the creature rolled to one of the coal piles before being buried beneath.
[You killed Mineroach Worker Level 5: +10XP]
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Ben rushed to the first pile of rocks and picked up a few. He knew they couldn’t see him and decided a distraction was on order. Momentarily confused, the roaches split apart from each other, with some starting to stab the rocks.
Ben stepped a little back and entered the shaft, hoping he could bottleneck them there. Two roaches had almost caught up to him, causing Ben to clutch the hammer tighter before putting all his strength into a downward blow, causing the creature's shell to shatter. He managed to kick it out of the way before the other arrived.
Ben used the same tactic, noticing a couple more creatures closing in. He kicked the one he just pummeled at them, breaking their momentum.
Seeing his opportunity, Ben rushed forward and launched a barrage of constant blows till all three stopped moving. The remaining two still had some distance to cover, so Ben lined up a golf swing and launched them across the chamber. Scattered and confused, Ben ran towards them and finished them off.
[+36XP]
“Not too shabby,” Ben muttered, raising his weapon.
Ben gave the area a final check before returning to get Finn and Har.
***
“Just keep your voice down. We don’t want to be attracting any unwanted attention.” Ben warned.
“Don't worry, Mister Ben.” Finn nodded. “Anyway, I’ll explain why they called it the Blackrock mine. When the first people who found this cave went inside, they found loads of coal. Master Blackrock's ancestors changed their last names to be fancier. For the other ore, you have to keep going lower."
“How many more levels does this place have?” Ben asked.
“About three, unless they dug another one that went even deeper. Master Blackrock always said this mine could go deeper." Finn explained.
Ben pointed to where the first mine roach was biting chunks from the wall. “What’s that then?”
Finn took a good look at it and then scratched his head. “That doesn't make any sense. It’s galena.”
“Galena?” Ben asked with a raised brow.
“Galena is a lead and silver ore,” Har interjected. “That could be what all the fanfare was about before the collapse. Silver is valuable and traded around as currency. Something like that would have brought Robynhill back from the dead."
“Well, when I found the roach, it was eating away at it before putting the shiny stuff in a little pouch,” Ben explained before pointing at one of the carcasses. “You should still see it sparking in the blood."
Har scratched his head. “That is rather strange if you ask me. Then again, I've never seen or heard about these creatures before today."
“Well, there’s no point pondering over it too much, and I doubt anyone around here knows what they are. Let’s keep moving for now. Ensure you light any candles you notice along the way. They're blind as bats. And please, both of you keep your eye's peeled, the little buggers are fast."
***
Ben knelt. “This doesn't look too good.”
They had reached the doorway, which, according to Finn, led down to the second level. Upon the ground were splatters of dried blood. They streaked across the ground, going beyond the doorway.
“These things must have killed them here and dragged their bodies down below,” Har explained before pointing to an area near the door. “Their pickaxes are piled over there.”
“I’m going to see where they lead. I’ll let you know once it’s clear.” Ben said, moving towards the door.
As Ben was about to open the door, he heard the same skittering sound the roaches made, but louder with more oomph.
“Both of you get back now!” Ben ordered, getting into a defensive stance.
As Finn and Har gained some distance, a few loud thuds hit the door before it swung wide open.
[Mineroach Warrior Level 5]
Ben took a few steps back.
The warrior variant was twice the size of the workers. Its rocky exterior seemed thicker and more resilient, while its front two appendages were longer and sharper. It inched forward with a confident thirst for blood.
Ben wasn't sure if the warrior was slower due to its bigger size or if it thought he was a walk in the park. The moment the creature lunged towards him, Ben dodged to the side, bouncing off the nearby rocky wall. While the roach was gathering itself, Ben pummeled its rocky shell. When he noticed the lack of damage, he hurried a few meters away.
It's no use hitting that shell. It's too thick. I might be able to take it out if I get its head.
The creature leaped once more. Ben dodged, causing it to slam head-on into the rocky wall. Disoriented, Ben took the opening and repeatedly bashed its head until it was lifeless.
[You killed Minroach Warrior Level 5: +15XP]
Ben let out a sigh of relief. He had a feeling that wouldn't be the last of them. He motioned Finn and Har to come back. When they got closer, "Wait for me here."
***
The moment Ben entered the next area, his mouth dropped open.
Around a dozen more roaches were there hurrying about. In addition, there were even a couple of warriors guarding the area. More of them congregated at the other end, and another shaft led to the next level down.
Ben knew he couldn't fight them all simultaneously, so he devised a plan. Tirelessly, he threw one rock at a time to distract the workers individually. Then, he led them to the entrance shaft, where they were bottlenecked and smashed to oblivion. A few others had noticed before a small group came at him.
Ben used careful dodging and a mixture of hit-and-run tactics before all the workers were defeated.
[+96XP]
[You are now Level 6: +1 Skill Point Available.]
[Order of the Hollow Moon (Faction): You have been promoted to Deputy Sergeant.]
Shifting his attention to the warriors, Ben scratched his head. They were both walking together and looking around with their arms ready to strike.
They’re probably wondering what happened to all the workers. How am I going to fight them at the same time?
Time was running out as they neared, so Ben decided to throw more rocks, aiming at them directly behind them. He crept up from behind and lifted the hammer, swinging it down from the back. It landed directly on the ass, causing the roach to tremble before hitting the ground. It wriggled in pain for a moment while the other one lunged.
Ben tried to dodge but was grazed across his thigh. If it weren't for the leather armor Jerry had given him, he would have surely suffered from a deep cut. He shook it off before whacking its head a few times. It was useless. The creature’s shell kept getting in the way. The other one had recovered and was already going for him.
Ben barely got away and ran back to the entrance shaft. When he turned, one was already on his tail and nearly got his leg.
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