Chapter 634: Vaela

Lucien and Thoren continued walking deeper into the massive cave system, the entrance they’d come through falling farther behind them as darkness swallowed the last traces of the path.

The cave was far larger than Thoren had initially imagined, and the deeper they went, the more complicated the environment became, countless natural passages branching away from the main route and vanishing into the dark.

Above them, strange glowing stones were embedded across the enormous ceiling, their soft yellowish light spreading weakly through the cavern, not enough to fully illuminate the space but enough to reveal the rough shapes of the formations scattered throughout it.

Some stones were small, scattered like distant stars; others clustered together, giving off a slightly stronger glow. They were unlike anything Thoren had seen.

Long stalactites hung from the ceiling like enormous stone teeth, their surfaces uneven with patterns built up over years of mineral deposit, some smooth enough to catch the faint yellow light.

In places they grew close enough together to form natural barriers, forcing careful navigation around them.

Massive formations rose from the ground as well, some resembling pillars, others like the remains of ancient creatures’ frozen mid-motion, a few connecting straight to the ceiling to form natural columns supporting the enormous cavern above.

Thoren glanced upward now and then, his deep blue eyes tracing the strange terrain, unable to help wondering how a cave system of this scale had formed.

Even after walking this long, they still hadn’t reached what seemed to be the center of the settlement.

Lucien, by contrast, moved through it all without a trace of confusion, clearly well used to his surroundings.

The path beneath them was narrow but wide enough for several people to walk abreast, loose stones crunching softly under their feet.

Every so often another cave entrance appeared along the walls, some barely wide enough for a single person, others large enough for whole groups to pass through together.

Each one feeding into a different part of the underground cave system in a network so tangled it seemed impossible for an outsider to ever memorize.

Thoren noticed that some entrances sat in total darkness while others carried faint traces of light drifting out from deeper within.

"Are all these passages connected to the camp?" he asked calmly.

Lucien nodded without breaking stride. "Most of them. Scarwind Camp was built inside this cave system, so there are a lot of paths linking different areas. Some lead to the living quarters, others to hunting routes."

Thoren glanced toward one of the larger entrances. "And the dark ones?"

Lucien’s expression sobered slightly. "Those usually get avoided unless someone has a reason to go in. Some lead to areas where dangerous beasts have been spotted. Others just go too deep."

Thoren nodded and asked nothing further.

As they walked, Thoren began noticing small traces of other people who’d passed through before them.

After more than half an hour, Lucien suddenly slowed. Thoren noticed immediately and looked ahead.

Several figures sat on a large boulder beside the main passage, five of them, resting, some casual, others leaning back against the stone, their weapons kept close even in rest.

The moment Lucien spotted them, his expression shifted. One of the girls on the boulder noticed him at almost the same instant.

"Lucien, why did you leave your post? Do you know how dangerous that is?" she asked, frowning deeply.

Lucien’s expression darkened at once.

"Vaela, can’t you see I’m with someone?" His irritation was obvious, a sharp contrast to how calm he’d been for most of the walk.

His fists clenched slightly.

He’d known Vaela since arriving at Scarwind Camp, and for reasons he’d never fully understood, she always found some excuse to needle him.

He’d tried ignoring her at first, hoping she’d eventually lose interest, but she never did. Every time their paths crossed, she found something to criticize, mock, or challenge him.

"Are you calling me blind?" Vaela dropped down from the boulder, boots striking the stone hard ground as she drew the dagger from her waist.

"Do you want some beating?" she demanded, glaring at Lucien. "I don’t mind carving a few scars on that precious fresh body."

The other four on the boulder started snickering, none of them making any move to stop it, clearly eager instead to watch the confrontation unfold.

Lucien burns with fury; he gritted his teeth as his hand drifted toward the hilt of his greatsword.

He knew he was weaker than her. That much was true. But knowing it didn’t mean he was willing to keep lowering his head every time she decided to pick a fight.

His grip tightened on the weapon. If she wanted a fight, he’d give her one, even if it meant losing, as he refused to keep backing down.

Just as he moved to draw his sword, Thoren stepped forward.

"Can you let this go? I’m new, and I’m not familiar with the camp. Lucien here is taking me for registration," he said, his voice neither aggressive nor submissive, simply stating the facts.

Vaela’s sharp gaze snapped to him. "So what? How does that have anything to do with me?" she shot back, her tone imperious.

Thoren’s brow furrowed slightly. Her attitude made little sense.

He’d simply explained why Lucien had left his post, yet she seemed intent on twisting the situation into something else entirely.

Before he could respond, she looked him over, head to toe. "What city are you from?"

The question caught him slightly off guard, though he saw no reason to hide the answer. "I’m from the Suncrest City Base."

"Hmm?"

Vael was deeply confused as she had never heard of such a city base in the federation.

"Where is that? I’ve never heard of it."

One of the others on the boulder laughed.

"Hahahaha." He leaned forward, clearly amused. "I’ve heard of it. It’s a small backward base at the edge of the Federation."

The moment the words landed, Vaela’s expression, along with the rest of the group’s, shifted instantly into open disdain.

their eyes turning colder as their attention moved from Lucien to Thoren.

To them, Suncrest City was nothing more than an insignificant backwater.

Vaela’s lips curled. "So, you’re from a small backward base."

Her eyes narrowed with open contempt.

"How dare you talk back to me."

She took a step forward, the dagger still firmly in hand, clearly preparing to strike.

Thoren didn’t move, his expression calm though a faint coldness surfaced in his golden eyes.

He had no interest in fighting over something this meaningless, but her behavior was growing more unreasonable by the second, and it was obvious she was simply looking for an excuse to cause trouble.

She took another step forward.

The snickering around them died away, every eye now fixed on the confrontation.

Just as she seemed ready to make her move, rapid footsteps suddenly approached from behind.