They said their goodbyes without ceremony.
Mina stood at the doorway, hands folded in front of her, watching them tighten straps and shoulder packs. She didn't say much, just a quiet reminder to be careful, a small nod when Arin promised they'd be back soon. Rasir wasn't around this time, which made leaving easier for everyone involved.
Once they passed the outer huts, the village faded quickly behind them.
The desert was already warming up. Not unbearable yet, but enough that Victor made the call early.
"I'm not wearing the armor till we're inside," he said, shifting the bundle strapped to his back. "Or I'll be cooked alive out here."
No one argued. Even the light armor felt heavy once the sun climbed high enough.
The walk south went exactly the way Arin had hoped it would, boring.
No monsters. No sudden movement. Just sand, rock, and the distant outline of the mine slowly growing larger as the hours passed. They kept a steady pace, stopped regularly, and drank carefully. Raul chewed one of the hydration roots from Kel and tossed another back to Arin without being asked.
By the time the dark mouth of the Black Iron Mine came into view, they were tired but not drained.
They stopped just outside the entrance.
The air near the mine was cooler, the stone holding onto the coldness of night longer than the open desert. They dropped the large packs first, ore bags, supplies, anything that would slow them down in a fight. Each of them kept only what they needed: weapons, water, and a small emergency pouch.
Victor took his time gearing up.
The armor went on piece by piece. Greaves first, then the chest plate, shoulder guards locking into place with dull metallic clicks. He slid his arms through the straps, tightened them until the fit was snug but not restrictive. Last came the helmet. Once it settled, his voice came out deeper, steadier.
He picked up Midnight Thunder, resting the warhammer's head briefly against the ground, then lifted Midnight Lake onto his arm.
He didn't look flashy.
He looked immovable.
Arin checked his own gear next. Light armor, flexible where it needed to be, firm where it mattered. He drew Midnight Howl halfway from its sheath, just enough to feel the balance again, then slid it back in place.
Raul rolled his shoulders, adjusted the straps of his leather armor, and checked each dagger by feel alone. Midnight Whistles sat comfortably in his hands, familiar already. The throwing knives at his belt didn't rattle when he moved. Victor had made sure of that.
They exchanged a look.
Then they stepped inside.
Every footstep echoed softly, then vanished as the walls drank the sound. Black iron veined the stone like frozen lightning, dull and heavy even in its raw state. Other minerals showed through the rock, most of them unremarkable. What stood out was the light crystals, embedded in the walls, tucked into cracks and corners, their steady glow keeping the tunnels from ever falling into darkness. The passages twisted and bent, never holding a straight line for long.
Raul moved ahead naturally, eyes scanning, feet light.
"This place wasn't dug by people," he muttered. "Too uneven. Too… chewed."
Arin nodded. He'd noticed it too. Bite marks, claw scrapes, sections widened unevenly where something big had forced its way through.
Raul marked their path without slowing, small scratches on the wall, subtle enough not to catch the eye but obvious if you knew what to look for. He doubled back once, checked an intersection, then led them down a narrower tunnel.
They walked for nearly an hour before anything changed.
Then Raul stopped and raised a fist.
They froze.
Ahead, something moved.
Stone scraped against stone. A low, grinding sound. Then a heavy crunch.
They edged closer, careful with their footing, until they could see it clearly.
A Stoneback Lizard.
It was alone, massive body hunched as it gnawed at a black iron vein, jaws strong enough to crack the ore apart. Stone plates covered its back and sides, uneven and jagged, like a living extension of the mine itself.
Raul watched it for a moment, eyes sharp.
Then he glanced back and held up two fingers. Wait.
Before Arin or Victor could respond, Raul vanished.
Flowstep carried him forward, his form flickering once before he appeared beside the lizard's front leg. Midnight Whistles flashed.
The cut was clean.
Where before he'd been limited to shallow wounds, this time the blade found the joint, and the leg parted without resistance.
The lizard screamed, a raw, grating sound that echoed down the tunnel. It twisted, trying to turn, stone plates grinding as it shifted its weight.
Raul was already gone.
He reappeared on the other side, daggers crossing in a precise motion. The second front leg dropped.
Blood sprayed against the black stone.
The lizard collapsed forward, jaws snapping uselessly as it tried to drag itself along the ground. Its tail slammed against the tunnel wall, cracking stone loose, but there was no power behind it now.
Raul stepped back, breathing controlled, watching for any sudden movement.
There wasn't any.
A final twitch ran through the massive body.
Then it went still.
Arin felt the familiar pull of the system notification register at the edge of his vision. He dismissed it without looking.
"That's clean," Victor said quietly.
Raul wiped his blades on the stone, sheathed them, and rolled his shoulders once.
They didn't linger.
Arin moved in to work, cutting carefully along the seams Victor had shown him before. The hide came off in heavy sections, thick and valuable. He packed what he could into a smaller bag, already thinking ahead. Mina would need armor soon.
They moved on after Raul rested for a few minutes.
Deeper this time.
The second encounter wasn't as simple.
They heard it before they saw it: multiple crunching sounds, overlapping. Raul slowed them down, signaling silence. When they peered around the bend, the tunnel opened into a wider chamber.
Three Stoneback Lizards.
They were clustered around a thick black iron vein, tearing chunks free, completely unconcerned with anything else.
Raul leaned back, grinning slightly. "No need to overthink this."
Victor raised a brow. "You volunteering?"
"I'll take one," Raul said easily. "Victor, you grab another. Arin, keep the third busy. Don't kill it."
Arin blinked. "You're sure?"
"Yeah," Raul said. "We want the coins on you, right?"
Victor chuckled behind his helmet. "Makes sense to me."
Arin hesitated for half a second, then nodded. "Alright. Don't get reckless."