Chapter 41: No Way Home.


    Zeke and Vi sat in the dimly lit room, surrounded by maps and notes detailing their next move. Frustration etched itself onto Zeke''s face as he spoke. "Alright, let''s go over this one more time. We have three main issues to contend with - the hordes of monsters encircling us, my need to remain unseen by the adventurers in the outer district, and the crucial research conducted in the inner district that must not fall into the wrong hands. Does that cover everything?"


    Vi looked at him quizzically, "I still don''t understand why you want to destroy the research here." Zeke hesitated for a moment before exining, "Trust me, it''s for the best. The experiments conducted here were highly hical, and the results they obtained are problematic as well. This research must not fall into the wrong hands. In fact, I would prefer if it didn''t fall into anyone''s hands."


    Vi pressed him further, "Why do you say that?" Zeke weighed the risk of telling her before deciding to trust her with this information, "Promise me you won''t tell anyone else. One of the main reasons the Giger''s technology was so advanced was their research into souls. They discovered how to bind the soul of a recently deceased being to an object, giving their machines a level of intelligence. It''s also how they were able to control their machines with mind magic."


    Vi was confused, "Why is that so dangerous? We kill monsters all the time. I didn''t think you would be so sensitive to this." Zeke smiled bitterly, "Well, the reason this is so dangerous is that the souls are not all equal. The soul of a dragon, for example, would be a million times better than the soul of a goblin. But there is another type of soul that can be used for almost every machine they invented over the years."


    At this point, Zeke paused and looked at Vi, making sure she was paying attention to the gravity of the next revtion. "Humans. Actually, all sentient humanoid races work for this: humans, elves, dwarves, dryads. It''s an endless list. The Giger even used their own people for this purpose. Can you imagine what the empire would do if they got ahold of this?"


    Vi shuddered, she knew all too well the lengths the empire would go to in order to gain an advantage over the surrounding countries. The empire had always been a war-oriented state with clear goals of expansion. The first emperor was even known to have said, "I will dominate this continent in time, if not personally, then through my descendants." Vi knew just how low the empire was willing to sink in order to achieve the goal of its founder. She nodded at Zeke, indicating that she understood.


    Zeke and Vi had been huddled together in the dimly lit undergroundboratory for hours, meticulously going over their n. As they spoke, Zeke''s eyes glinted with determination. "As far as I am aware, there is only one real way to achieve all our goals in a single move: We must destroy the dam that holds in all the water that has been collected over the past weeks of heavy rain," he exined. He knew from the detailed blueprints he had studied that the reservoir was situated just above them, and it was truly massive. "We could flood the entire inner and outer districts and the reservoir would not even be half empty," he added. Vi''s expression was one of grave concern as she listened to his proposal, but she knew that they had to act fast and decisively if they were to seed.


    "That sounds like suicide to me, Zeke," Vi said, her eyes wide with concern. "How would that help us get out of here?"


    "When I came up with the idea, I thought the same thing," Zeke replied, his voice steady and confident. "But I figured out how to do it rtively safely by now. We can deactivate the shield that protects the caves from here, since this is the central control hub of the entire city. The shield will not turn off all at once, but in sections. This gives us and the adventurers outside enough time to escape this ce. We have roughly three hours before the critical shields turn off and this ce gets flooded. That''s more than enough time to get to the outer district."


    "How are we even supposed to reach the outer district? We are surrounded by monsters," Vi asked.


    "That part is risky, but I believe the monsters will avoid me. I went outside earlier and when I got close to the fence, the monsters backed up. I think it''s a side effect of the dragon aura. They didn''t seem terrified of me, but it should keep them away long enough for us to reach the tunnel to the outer district," Zeke exined.


    Vi considered the n, her mind whirring with the possibilities. Though it was risky, she couldn''t deny the potential for sess. "When do you propose we put this n into action?" she asked, turning to Zeke.


    He thought for a moment, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for the perfect moment. "In roughly an hour, we''ll begin the process of deactivating the shield. By my calctions, we should be able to escape the city just after midnight, using the cover of darkness to our advantage."


    Vi nodded, her determination solidifying. "Let''s do it."


    Zeke and Vi both took a moment to do somest-minute preparation before the start of their operation. An hourter, they met up in the centralmand structure of the research facility. Zeke gave themand to shut down the shields using his mind magic. He had memorized every single piece of research the Giger had left there and was confident in his ability to operate their machines properly. There was the distant sound of something that sounded like an impact, and then the rushing of water. Zeke and Vi shared a nervous nce. There was no turning back now.


    "Come on, we need to move quickly," Zeke urged, as they began to run through the hordes of monsters. "My dragon aura seems to be keeping them at bay, but we can''t waste any time."


    Vi nodded, pushing herself to keep up with Zeke''s brisk pace. She could feel the monsters snapping at her heels, but she knew that as long as she stayed close to Zeke, she would be safe.


    After a while, the sheer number of monsters became too much for Vi to handle, and she jumped onto Zeke''s back, clinging tightly to him as he carried her through the throngs of creatures.


    Finally, they reached the tunnel leading to the outer district, and they both let out a sigh of relief, "we made it." They had reached the tunnel to the outer district in well under three hours and began to sneak through in order to glimpse the situation in the outer district. As they crept through the tunnel, they could see that the guardian of the inner district had been overrun by the hordes of monsters that had forced their way through. Its metal bodyy dented and torn in the middle of a giant field of ughtered monster corpses. There were no adventurers nearby, but they could hear fighting in the distance.


    Zeke and Vi made their way through the winding tunnels, dodging panicked adventurers as the lower levels of the city filled with water. "Not much further to the secret exit," Zeke called to Vi, who flew above them, keeping watch for any obstacles in their path.


    As they neared their destination, a loud crashing sound echoed through the tunnels, followed by the roar of an ocean''s worth of water rushing towards them. "We have to move faster!" Zeke shouted, pushing himself to run faster.


    Vi swooped down to his side, her wind magic core working furiously as she fought to keep pace with him. "We''re almost there!" she yelled over the deafening noise of the water.


    Finally, they reached the exit tunnel, and with one final push, they emerged into the iron mine outside the city. They copsed on the ground, panting and soaked, but alive. "Just as nned," Zeke breathed, a sly grin on his face. "So, are we going back to the academy?"


    Vi looked at him incredulously. "What academy? Do you think you can go back like this? My own gramps would probably rip your heart out if he found you, no, Zeke, you can''t go home."


    Zeke looked at Vi, shock and confusion etched on his face. "What do you mean I can''t go back? What am I supposed to do then? Hide in the woods for the rest of my life?" Vi let out a chuckle at the thought, but as she saw the agitation growing on Zeke''s face, she spoke up. "Of course not. You just have to lie low until I can inform your teacher of the situation. He is likely one of the few people you can trust right now."


    "I trust you as well," Zeke said with a sincere smile, but Vi simply rolled her eyes. "And what choice do you have but to trust me? Regardless, you''ll need to hide out here for a few days until your teacher can make his way out to retrieve you. In the meantime, I''ll inform the academy that you''re still on an important quest that can''t be dyed."


    Zeke nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. He knew that trusting Vi was his only option at this point. "I''ll do as you say," he said, trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice. "I''ll lie low here until my teacher arrives. But you must promise to fly home as fast as you can.


    Vi gave him a reassuring smile. "Of course, I''ll be home in just a day or two. Just stay safe and keep a low profile. Your teacher is a very knowledgeable mage, he''ll know what to do."


    With that, Vi took off into the sky, leaving Zeke to contemte his next move. He knew that the next few days would be crucial, and he couldn''t afford to make any mistakes. He would have to be patient and trust in his teacher''s abilities.


    Zeke found a small cave nestled in the mountains, just a short distance from the tunnel''s entrance, and made himselffortable within its shelter. He knew he would have to bide his time here for a few days until Vi could arrange for his safe return. Zeke settled into his cave, his thoughts heavy with contemtion. As he reflected on the events of the past few days, he couldn''t believe his luck at having survived. But as he delved deeper into his thoughts, he was forced to confront a difficult truth about himself - he was not meant for this life. He had always dreamed of bing a hero, a powerful battle mage, an adventurer king, but now, having experienced the reality of adventure, he realized that it was not for him. He longed for thefortable familiarity of Maximilian''s study, the feeling of a new book in his hands, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee on the table beside him.


    As the hours passed, Zeke delved into the depths of his mind, contemting the various fields of knowledge he had acquired from the Giger. Though their methods of research were questionable, even criminal, the results were astounding. He thought of practical applications for the inventions he knew he could replicate, envisioning a self-harvesting greenhouse behind Maximilian''s mansion. A content smile spread across his face as he lost himself in the possibilities.