Chapter 84: Deep Exploration

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Deep Exploration

The stairs leading to the sewer were not long; it didn’t take them much time to reach the bottom. Lorin swung his Shield around to look, the Light Magic attached to it brightly illuminating the surrounding space. He quickly recognized their current location.

They were in the main tunnel of the Frost Valley City sewer system. On either side of the tunnel was a walkway wide enough for one person, with a channel of bottomless sewage flowing between them.

Lorin lowered his head to carefully examine the footprints on the ground. They twisted and turned toward the right side of the tunnel, vanishing into the darkness at the edge of his vision. He glanced in that direction, vaguely recalling that there should be a fork ahead. If so, tracking the footprints might not be easy.

"They went this way," he signaled to the other two.

"Okay, be careful." Anya gave a slight nod. The Nail Hammer in her hand tapped against the surface of her Triangle Shield. The Holy Radiance inlaid on the Shield lit up in response, illuminating an area behind the group.

SWISH—

A faint sound brushed past them from the darkness slightly ahead and to the side. The three of them stopped in their tracks simultaneously.

"Movement!" Lorin reached back to block Erin, then tilted his Shield toward the sound. The light quickly illuminated that section of the tunnel.

A gray rat crouched in the corner of the opposite walkway, gnawing on an unidentifiable object held in its paws. Struck by the light, it shrank back with a SQUEAK, dropped whatever it was holding, and scurried into a crevice in the adjacent wall.

"Just a rat," Lorin exhaled. Without the shorty around to lighten the mood, he felt as though something was missing, making him feel a bit tense.

"Stop being so jumpy." Erin poked him in the back with the butt of her Magic Staff in distaste, yet she bit her lip tightly, wearing an equally tense expression.

Instead, Anya, who was bringing up the rear, remained the calmest. She continuously observed their surroundings, occasionally using the faint glow from her Holy Emblem to check the marks on the tunnel walls.

"Let’s keep moving." The trio continued along the walkway for a while.

Just as Lorin expected, the main tunnel branched out ahead, turning into a four-way intersection. He approached cautiously, finding that the footprints left by the Adventurers had vanished at the edge of the walkway. It seemed they had leaped across here.

"Should I jump over first?" Lorin asked, estimating the distance between the two walkways. He could easily clear it, and Anya, who was strong enough to wear all that heavy gear, should have no problem either. However, Erin might struggle.

"Wait a moment. Let me take a look." Anya sidled over from the back of the group and crouched beside Lorin to carefully inspect the footprints on the ground. She then stood up, closed her eyes, and chanted in a low voice:

"Great Dawn Lord, please illuminate the path before me... By your glory, distinguish good from evil, and dispel all illusions!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the Holy Emblem on the Triangle Shield instantly spewed out a mist of light that cascaded gently over Anya’s face. She opened her eyes, which had turned a brilliant gold, and scrutinized the tunnels to the left and right. Finally, she made her judgment. "That thing isn’t on the opposite side. It ran into the left tunnel. Its Power is very strong; be careful."

"I’ll take the lead. Follow closely," Lorin said. He gently put an arm around her, stepping in an arc close to her body to swap positions, then turned and walked toward the left walkway.

He first strapped the Shield and Rusted Throat onto his back, then leaped over the foul-smelling sewage, landing steadily on the opposite walkway. Upon landing, Lorin cautiously unequipped his Shield once more. He checked his surroundings, and after confirming there were no potential dangers, he waved to the two girls.

"Come on, I’ll catch you."

"You go first," Erin said, tipping her chin up slightly.

Anya didn’t decline. She stowed her Triangle Shield and Nail Hammer as well, moving back to press against the wall. Taking a deep breath, she furrowed her brows at the stench, pausing a moment to recover before leaping forward with all her might. Only after she was airborne did she realize something was wrong. Her Half Armor and Shield Hammer were too heavy, dragging her down. The tips of her toes almost skimmed the surface of the water.

"Careful." Lorin took the initiative to step forward, firmly supporting her back with his hands and catching her entirely in his arms. He then set her down cleanly and efficiently, resuming his vigilance over their surroundings.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Mhm..." Anya raised the Triangle Shield in front of her, shifting her attention away from Lorin and back to the deep darkness of the tunnel.

Lorin looked at Erin on the opposite side, whose eyebrows were knitted tightly together, and called out, "Can you make the jump? Don’t force it! If you fall in, I can’t even imagine how much you’d stink. I really don’t want to fish you out."

"I will not!" Erin gritted her teeth and mimicked Anya’s movements, backing up against the wall. She was just about to leap across when she abruptly hit the brakes at the edge of the walkway. She had to admit that, with her limited Power, things would likely turn out exactly as he had said.

Seeing her expression, Lorin knew she was too scared to jump.

"Keep an eye out. Call out if anything feels off. I’m going to carry her over," he said, gently patting Anya to signal her to watch their surroundings. He then placed his Shield and Longsword on the ground and jumped back across.

"What are you doing... ah!" Erin had just started to speak when Lorin bent down, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees, scooping her up sideways.

"You talk too much," he said. Erin watched helplessly as Lorin gathered her into his arms. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck, her body curling up against his chest.

"You... put me down right now!" She felt her face burning hot.

Stifling a laugh, Lorin pulled his gaze away from the top of her head. He felt that even if he let go right now, Erin would remain firmly clamped onto him. "Stop squirming, or if you fall, I’m not helping you," he said casually, but he still tightened his grip to ensure she wouldn’t actually plummet mid-air. Then, bending his knees, he vaulted forward—

Erin could feel Lorin’s solid arms suddenly flex tight beneath her. She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut as the wind rushed past her ears, immediately followed by the slight jolt of their landing.

"What... did you fall asleep or something?" She opened her eyes to find Lorin looking down at her with a smile. His face was absurdly close—she could even make out a faint old scar at the corner of his eye and the Shadow of his eyelashes cast by the Shield’s light.

"You’re the one who fell asleep!" Gritting her teeth, Erin scrambled out of his arms. Her legs felt a bit weak when she touched the ground, and she hastily grabbed the wall to steady herself.