Chapter Nine: Economy of Scale

NINE

Roan finally found the exit after ten minutes of walking around. In between a pair of hills was an oblong portal. It stood unattached to anything, a shimmering veil, color fluctuating across it like an oil-spill. Already people were camping around it, resting on the ground or checking their gear before they went through.

“You going out?” A woman asked as Roan got to the gate. He nodded to her and she launched into a quick explanation before he could move on.

“Dillon and Ramone have both gone through it. It leads directly to where the exit is. Six of the ten guardians have been destroyed. We don’t know how many people it takes to trigger the next coffin opening, but solo trips are fine. Just hope you don’t get caught as another group comes in.”

“Has there been any more groups?” Roan couldn’t help but think of the massive crowds of armed skeletons that had been walking around and hacking people apart. They would continue to wake the crypts until there was an army of them.

“Not for an hour. I don’t think this is the only safe room. It’d require backtracking and running down that boulevard to find out though. Skeletons haven’t reached the entrance or they won’t enter it. Don’t know yet.”

“Thanks for the info.” Roan gave her an appreciative nod and jogged toward the portal before anyone else could intercept him. Off to the side a small party of five were pulling brand new packs around their shoulders and lifting shining weapons up and inspecting them.

“Waste of money. Just scavenge what you can for now.” Roan couldn’t help but wince at the thought of the cost of everything the group had bought. They would have had a nice clear rate of skeletons to earn that much. His thoughts of others’ spending habits were broken as he stepped up to the portal and through it.

He’d been unconscious when he’d gone through it the first time. Nausea assaulted him instantly, the world spinning as he staggered out of the portal and back into the cul-de-sac. His stomach rebelled and tried to deposit his hard bought meal, but he forced it back down as the world spun around him.

“I wish she’d warned me about that.”

Roan surveyed the ruins of the area. As she had said, six of the giant skeletons were in broken remnants around the entrance of the safe room. Four more coffins stood unopened, otherwise the area was empty. The wide neck of the cul-de-sac had thirty different alleys connected to it, each of them teeming with shadows and glints of metal. Whatever force kept the skeletons back, Roan was grateful.

“Probably right about there being more safe rooms,” Roan spoke aloud as he walked around. He investigated every inch of the area, aside from the unopened coffins. The torches were firmly locked into their sconces, impossible to rip out. The coffins were either empty or had been cleared out by those who came before him. Nothing but polished wood remained and Roan doubted he’d be able to pick one up and haul it through the portal to sell it. After five minutes of searching he couldn’t find anything of value to retrieve.

Roan looked at the closest of the channels to him and sighed, pulling one of the axes out and started forward toward them. At the neck of the boundary the skeletons turned to look at him, their blue flame eyes bright in the gloom. Step by step he got closer and saw that it was an azure sea.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.