Heavy Metal

Chapter 90 – Captured.

"( ●︿● )""Why are you looking at me like that?"

"( ●︿● ) …"

"How was I supposed to know those humans would take him with them? In the demon world, no one cares about leaving a body in an alley! They'd even insist on leaving evidence to show strength!"

"( ⇀ ‸ ↼ )"

"I know, calm down, little lady. I'll help you get Rusty back, don't worry. We just need to follow them. They'll never expect an escaped monster to be tracking them while they

Fortunately, Gleam was a skilled climber, so she had no trouble clinging to the wall. The steps leading downward shifted on their own, sliding back into the wall they emerged from. The people that were descending with Rusty reached a cavernous underground room at the base of the hidden staircase. Dim, flickering lights hung from the ceiling, casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. They carried Rusty's further in and only once they were a distance away did Gleam descend.

Her MP was almost gone, so she had to continue with caution. Her limbs were now producing some sound but she managed to keep it to a minimum. Some rubble fell along the way but luckily the mechanism retracting the stairs produced enough sound to mask her descent. Eventually, she popped her head through the only exit to see inside the underground chamber.

It was a round chamber with multiple paths branching off in various directions, reminding Gleam of the dungeon she had come from. Numbers were marked above each corridor leading out, and at the center of the chamber stood a peculiar stone monument. It resembled an obelisk, carved with strange symbols. In the center of these symbols was a crescent moon encircling a scythe - a symbol Aburdon vaguely recognized.

"That's strange... I'm sure I've seen this before, but where?"

The demon king was surprised he couldn't recall the origin of the symbol. There was no time to dwell on it, however; they needed to press on. The moment they arrived, one thing became clear - Rusty was not the only person brought down here. From within the many corridors, unsettling sounds began to echo: cries, screams, and sobs.

"Hoh? Is this some kind of prison? But why would they bring a corpse here? Are they performing some kind of dark ritual right under the city? Some of these symbols are ancient, they should belong to some kind of deity…"

Something was undeniably wrong with this place. Faint traces of mana pulsed along the walls, saturated with dark, sinister energy. This chamber held the presence of gods and in this case, it was a malevolent one. The evil deities demanded blood sacrifices from their followers, and Aburdon suspected that Rusty, along with the other captives, was meant to be offered up to them.

"Let's go Gleam, it's better if we get out of this place, evil god worshippers do not like to barter…"

Gleam didn't waste time with a response, quickly scampering across the floor of the cavern, staying low to avoid detection. The cloaked figures had gone down one of the side passages, and though they were far ahead, she could still sense where Rusty was taken. Her tracking skill allowed her to find him but she could also feel him through their bond and knew that he wasn't far away.

The corridors branched into a series of winding passages, lined with cells carved roughly from stone. Some held gaunt prisoners whose hollow eyes followed her as she crept past, but most were empty. The air grew colder, and a faint smell of decay hung in the darkness. Aburdon's voice broke the silence, his tone edged with unease.

"It doesn't seem they care about their prisoners' well-being, which god accepted such sacrifices? Could it be the god of the dead? or perhaps the god of blood?"

" (ꐦ≖_≖) "

Gleam didn't know what the ball of light was talking about and she snapped her mandibles in anger to shut him down. To her dismay, even though this guide could come along, she could not order it around. It seemed the bond with Rusty only offered her limited control over this being.

At one point, Gleam darted up toward the ceiling, hiding herself behind a jagged rock formation. These corridors were uneven, as was the ceiling, which in this case was a boon. The men who had taken her friend began to return, splitting off in various directions.

"( ˶°ㅁ°) !!"

"Is that Rusty's helmet? Did they separate it from his body?"

Gleam peeked out from her hiding place, spotting Rusty's remains being tossed onto a large pile near a row of cells filled with prisoners. However, his most important part had been taken by one of the kidnappers and was transported elsewhere. Though Rusty could regenerate from his helmet alone, it would still be wise to retrieve Albert's body. Without it, moving through the city during daylight would be a considerable challenge but would it be possible and wise to attempt it?