Oh no, you don't!

  Ben flipped the hammer around and used the end of the handle to poke at the roach's head. After several unsuccessful attempts, he managed to smash its brain matter out. The moment the creature became lifeless, the other one rushed him and attempted to bite his leg.

  Ben kicked the creature, where the antennae protruded from the head, causing it to freeze. He then used the same poking tactic to finish it off.

  Phew!

  [+30XP]

  Ben took a moment to gather himself and wiped away the sweat on his forehead. Things had gotten too close for comfort, and he wished he had a better weapon or cool abilities like most Hollow Moon knights.

  Ben made his way back up. “Finn, Har! It’s alright for you both to come down now.”

  Har creaked open the door and gave Ben a second glance. “It looks like you’ve seen better days. I hope they didn't cause you too much trouble.”

  Ben huffed a sigh. “Ah, it’s nothing except a couple of close calls. There were more down there than I expected, so stay alert in case I missed any.”

  Har glanced at Finn. “So, Mister Mine Guide, what was mined at the second level?”

  “Well, down at that level, there wasn't much coal. It was full of iron ore, but most had been mined. That’s why they dug deeper for the third level.” Finn explained just as they arrived at the bottom.

  “Finn, you stay here with Ben. I’ll get some of these candles lit.” Har said, moving away.

  Ben shone the flashlight around, giving Har the light he needed to finish the job.

  When Har returned, he pointed near another large doorway at the other end. “There’s something over there you should see.”

  When they got there, Ben shined his flashlight where Har had motioned. A pile of bones rested there in a mangled mess. The ground below was covered in dark splatters where various tools and a tattered journal rested.

  Har started taking the name badges and staring at them one by one. “These were some of the other miners.” He glanced at Finn and said, “Don't worry; your parents are not here. They must have been on the third level when this happened.”

  Ben picked up the journal and flicked through the pages, trying to make out the scribbled writing. Once he was done, he slapped it closed. “There’s one entry at the end that explains what happened. Down at the third level, they discovered a part of the collapsed wall leading to some uncharted cave system. That’s where the roaches were coming from. The miners fought alongside the guards and managed to kill a fair few but were ambushed by one as large as the chamber. There’s something in here about hundreds of dormant eggs down there.”

  Har shook his head. “Hundreds? We can't allow these things anywhere near the outside. The people of Robynhill already have a lot to deal with. This would be the end.”

  Ben nodded. “Yeah, that’s what they were thinking. They sent that guy upstairs to grab the Greek fire and were going to burn them all. They made it back here, held the door shut, and waited. From the looks of things, that guy must have taken the pots to the entrance shaft and collapsed it instead.”

  Har held his head and huffed. “He must have gotten scared and panicked. He was probably thinking about his family back at the village.”

  “To be fair, if they had set those things on fire, it could have worked, especially on the eggs,” Ben muttered, remembering how effective the fire was on those eggs near the lake. “Whatever that large thing was down there must be taken care of. How many pots of that Greek fire were left in the tool shed?”

  “Erm, there were around a dozen pots,” Finn replied.

  “Is that enough to cause a serious fire?” Ben asked.

  “It should be enough to collapse that new cave system where these things were coming from, but you need to place some of the pots inside,” Finn explained.

  “Alright.” Ben nodded and turned to Har with a half grin. “I’m gonna get them.”

  Har understood what Ben meant and let out a sigh. “Right. You two stay here. I’ll go bring a wheelbarrow full of the stuff.”

  Ben rolled the wheelbarrow down the shaft, which led to the third level. As usual, he had asked Finn and Har to stay behind if things got hairy.

  The third level felt much deeper than the previous two. It had taken Ben almost twice as long to get there, and the decline was more prevalent, with the wheelbarrow almost tipping over a few times.

  When he reached the end, he shined his flashlight around and found the chamber filled with several different groups of enemies. The workers were closer to the mineshafts, and the warriors were dotted along various areas on patrol.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Near the far end, there was an unnatural opening that looked like it must have led to the cave system. Ben hit the button on his flashlight to increase its luminosity. His mouth dropped wide open as he noticed the glistening of dull steel covering yellow bones. He figured if Finn’s parents were anywhere, they must have been there.

  Ben couldn’t risk getting swarmed because of a creaky wheel and let go of the wheelbarrow, carefully leaving it near some crates full of ore. He softly tip-toed over to the corpses, keeping his distance from the roaches, and started his search.

  Once the badges and key were in his pocket, he returned before picking up a few pots from the wheelbarrow. He journeyed to the cave, narrowly avoiding a group of roaches that went through.

  Ben opened the lid when the stench of oil and tar smacked his nostrils. He knelt and started pouring it wherever he could. Then, he opened the other pots except one and rolled them sideways so the liquid could flow out. He placed the final one there without removing the lid so it would explode when the moment the embers brushed against it.

  The roaches started moving to action, running towards the cave entrance where the sounds had come from. By the time they arrived, Ben had already returned to the wheelbarrow, where he started launching the other pots across various parts of the chamber, ensuring enough liquid to ignite the cave.

  While the roaches panicked, Ben grabbed the last two pots and started creating a snail trail back to the second level.

  “Is it done?” Har asked the moment Ben arrived.

  Ben rolled the pot in his hands down the slope before turning to Har. “Give me the torch and run as far back as possible.” Once he had the torch, he held it down.

  Happy Fourth of July!

  When the flames touched the liquid, it puffed into large embers, causing Ben to jump back. The flames shot down along the trail as he slammed the door shut and sprinted back towards the entrance of the mine like an Olympic athlete.

  When Ben reached the first level, the ground trembled multiple times before shaking like a high-category earthquake. Bits of rocks started raining down from the ceiling, and some mineshafts even collapsed before his eyes.

  Luckily, Ben reached the main chamber as a gust of dust crashed into his back, flinging him a few feet forward. His face almost scraped across the rough stone floor, but he could move his arms ahead to take the brunt.

  As things started to calm down, a notification filled his vision.

  [+375XP]

  Ben pushed himself up as Har rushed towards him and helped him get back on his feet.

  “That was a close one.” Har shook his head disapprovingly.

  When Finn arrived, he added. “Mister, let’s hope those coal veins don't set alight. Master Damon always kept warning us about that. He said the entire Mesolands could be covered in smoke for decades.”

  Ben scratched his head. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t get to that.” Turning to Har, he added, “I think we need to call everyone down to start clearing the rubble. Hopefully, we’ll still be able to find Miriam Ore.”

  Ben stood staring at the destroyed doorway leading to the third level. He had spent almost two days helping with the clearing process, and he was happy there were no traces of those roaches anywhere until he was abruptly summoned.

  Ben looked down the shaft, pointing his flashlight in. Vibrations in the air could be felt as if something was hitting one of the walls like a jackhammer.

  “Could it still be alive?” Finn asked.

  Ben shrugged. “It looks like it from the looks of things. I thought that entire level would have been destroyed.”

  “Master Blackrock always said to use safe mining practices and even paid for extra support beams to be placed there,” Finn explained. “There will be serious damage down there, but not to the point where it will be impossible to start mining again.”

  A groan escaped Ben’s mouth. “We’ve not encountered any of the smaller roaches. Which means they must have perished in the explosion. The sounds we hear now feel like that large one is still kicking around there.”

  Finn shrugged before asking, “Are you going back down there?”

  Ben nodded. “Well, I don't see any other way. I must ensure none of those things are still alive before any village folk are allowed in.” He sighed. “Besides, there’s no other way if there’s a chance of me finding that ore to save Hauxwell.”

  “Alright, Mister Ben, well, good luck down there. I’ll tell Har to prepare the wheelbarrows so you can take the ore out.” He paused for a moment as sadness filled his face. “Har told me two of the name badges you found were my parents. I hope their bodies can be taken out and buried.”

  Ben patted the Finn on the shoulder. “Don't worry, kid, you have my word. We’ll give them a proper burial no matter what. Alright?”

  With teary eyes, Finn nodded.

  Ben faced the darkness ahead and made his way down. He made sure not to trip over any rubble, as there appeared to be much more damage to the structure of the mine the deeper he went. He hoped Finn was right about the main structure being solid, as the last thing he wanted was to get buried under a pile of rocks.

  The thuds got louder as Ben entered the level three chamber. He shined his flashlight all over the ground and saw the carcasses of the mineroaches littering the entire area. Some were covered in soot as their innards had been burned to a crisp, while others had been crushed where parts of the ceiling had collapsed.

  When Ben arrived at the cave entrance, it was almost blocked. He managed to shine his flashlight through some of the rocks.

  What the heck!

  [Mineroach Queen Level 10]

  The queen twitched around, its face huddled across near a small part of the cave that looked like it had been unnaturally cut out. Some of her limbs were missing, while massive parts of her body blistered with scorched blisters. The womb area where the eggs must have come out of had been compressed to a pulp by a large rock. It looked like her days of laying eggs were gone.

  Ben glanced around to see if any of the eggs had survived, and all he was met with were grilled embryos, which resembled pieces of coal. Ben wasn't sure if the queen could regrow the womb and start the process over again. And thus, he started clearing the way before stepping in.

  The queen must have sensed him approaching as she limpingly turned. Her mouth appeared to be munching on what looked like glowing blue rocks gleaming with a glittery light and sluggishly moving towards Ben before swinging one of her spear-like arms.

  Ben easily dodged out of the way, causing the queens arm to get lodged in the wall behind him, causing more rocks to fall from the ceiling. Ben shone the flashlight up and hopped out of harm's way.

  The roach mama struggled to escape the clutches of the wall. She shrieked in pain as more rocks plowed into her from above.

  Ben ran ahead, dodging another attack from one of the queen's deformed appendages. He used her stuck arm as a platform before aiming his hammer at her head. He let out a sigh before repeatedly pummeling her head till her brains started splattering everywhere. It looked like she was about to fall dead on the ground when her mouth started glowing and released a blast of energy.

  Ben was about to jump off when her arm was dislodged but was hit as the arm snapped back. He was flung a few meters away, where his head met the rough walls of the cave before he blacked out.