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Chapter 320: 320
Por, hearing the last part, had a look of panic on her face as she dropped her spoon. The sound of it hitting the table caught everyone’s attention, and they all turned to her.
Seeing their eyes on her, Por stood up and took a step back before bowing. "I would like to apologize for forgetting something as important as this and getting carried away. I didn’t mean to hide it, but as we talked about our development, it slipped my mind."
Turning to the young ratman who was their chief, she said, "I believe my group and I are the ones the Tower Master was asking about."
Hearing Por’s confirmation, everyone began whispering among themselves. The chief raised his hand, silencing the room before asking, "What did you do on the surface that got the mages’ attention?"
Ikenga and Keles, who had been listening in the entire time, exchanged glances. Por took a deep breath and began to explain, "Earlier today, during our last hunt in the forest, we came across a dozen huge, magical boar piglets.
"We successfully captured the piglets, but somehow, the mother boar managed to track us down. Following our hunting rules of preservation, we didn’t engage it and made our way back underground.
"On our way back, one of my group members, Scraps, noticed that the mother boar had somehow breached the city walls and changed its target to a surface ratman.
"The boar must have mistaken him for us, as it targeted the young ratman. We couldn’t let that happen, so we had to intervene." Turning to the settlement engineer, Por pulled out a cylindrical device from her belt—the magnetic disruptor that interferes with magical energy. Tossing it to him, she said with a smile, "I don’t know how you did it, but it worked. We brought the boar down with ease." 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
The room was tense as Por recounted the day’s events. The chief’s eyes narrowed when she tossed the device to the engineer, who caught it mid-air with his clawed hand. He inspected it briefly, the soot and grime from his fingers smearing the metal, before looking back at Por.
Whispers rose again among the ratfolk. They understood the danger of dealing with surface creatures, especially magical ones. The chief raised his hand once more, quieting them.
"So, let me get this straight," the chief said, his tone measured. "You and your group not only went to the surface but also interfered with a magical beast inside the city walls?" His voice hardened. "And now we’re on the radar of the mages because of it?"
Por swallowed hard but remained firm. "Yes, Chief. We couldn’t stand by and watch one of our own be killed. The boar was ready to tear that ratman apart. Our only choice was to act quickly. The disruptor helped us turn the tide and save lives."
The tension in the room intensified. Ikenga and Keles exchanged another look, sensing how serious the situation had become. They had seen the boar’s takedown through the eyes of a marked ratman and didn’t know the disruptor had been involved.
For an oppressed race like the ratmen, showing such a weapon could attract unwanted attention from their oppressors—the goblins. Ikenga and Keles cared little for politics, but this development could complicate their business dealings with the ratmen if the mages began keeping a closer watch.
The engineer, still holding the disruptor, glanced between the chief and Por. "I built this as an experiment," he muttered, almost to himself. "I didn’t think it would be used so... carelessly."
"Carelessly?" Por’s voice flared with indignation, but she quickly regained control. "We were careful. We followed protocol. We didn’t engage the boar until there was no other choice, and we made sure not to reveal anything to the surface ratman."
The chief’s tail twitched, his frustration barely contained. "And now we’re waiting for a message from Vellok’s apprentice. Do you have any idea what that means, Por?"
Por stayed silent as the chief pressed on. "You couldn’t have picked a worse time for this. My eyes on the surface tell me something big recently happened in the city. It was serious enough to draw out numerous mages, and now the walls are heavily guarded and every movement is being watched."
Por clenched her fists, but said nothing, her gaze locked with the chief’s. She could feel the weight of her actions pressing down on her, but she wasn’t about to back down from defending them. What she had done was necessary, even if the consequences were starting to unfold in ways she hadn’t anticipated.
"While I didn’t make the situation clear to you all, I still warned you to be careful of what’s happening on the surface," the chief said as he took a deep breath and sighed.
"The mages watch the surface closely. If they think we’re meddling in their affairs, it won’t just be a message. It could mean trouble for all of us. Whatever is happening on the surface already has them on edge."
"If they see us as a threat—or worse, a nuisance—they won’t hesitate to shut us down. We don’t have the luxury of provoking them, especially not in times like these and certainly not with our current state."
Por’s ears flattened slightly as the weight of the chief’s words sank in. She knew they were in a precarious position, but the gravity of the situation was becoming all too clear. The mages were powerful, and the ratfolk, already struggling with limited resources and internal divisions, couldn’t afford to draw their ire.
"I understand the risk," Por said, her voice quieter but still firm. "But what were we supposed to do? Stand by and watch one of our own get torn apart? We acted because we had to, and we made sure not to reveal anything about our settlement."
The chief stared at her for a long moment, his sharp gaze searching her face. "That may be so," he said slowly, "but it’s not just about what you did. It’s about what they perceive. The mages don’t care about our intentions, only about control. If they think we’re challenging their authority, even by accident, they’ll make an example of us."
The room fell into a heavy silence, the air thick with tension. Everyone knew the precarious balance they lived under. The surface wasn’t just dangerous because of the creatures and harsh conditions—it was dangerous because of those who held power above ground: the mages and the goblins.
The silence lingered before the room they were in began humming with energy. Immediately, they all rose from their seats and took a knee, heads bowed.
A portal opened in the room, and a female goblin mage stepped out, accompanied by a small floating eye. Ikenga and Keles frowned as the eye swept over them.
Ikenga’s furrowed brow relaxed once he noticed the lack of divine energy. Whatever the small eye was, it wasn’t as strong as the one that had opened up in the sky.
Looking at the goblin who emerged from the portal, Ikenga recognized her as the one who had met the cursed ratmen and interviewed him shortly after he was saved by Por and the others.
The female goblin wore a look of disdain as she floated, not bothering to touch the ground as if she found it filthy. "Rise," she said, and the ratmen finally looked up to see Vellok’s apprentice.
The goblin scanned them thoroughly. The gauntlets on the chief’s hands caught her attention as she stared at them. Finally, she focused on the magic disruptor held by the ratman engineer.
This wasn’t the first time she had seen it. Her teacher, Vellok, had somehow gotten hold of the blueprints and conducted thorough research, which she had been a part of.
Taken aback by the equipment’s usage, Vellok was curious about its workings and, most importantly, whether it could be used against them. Many goblin mages at the tower applied to participate in the tests.
The results showed that while the equipment worked on mages, it only strongly affected those at the apprentice stage. For an adept, it had a stunning effect, causing them to lose control of their mana for five minutes.
As for higher-ranked mages like herself, it had no effect. However, the equipment was still classified as an "A" level threat with the potential to become "S."
The reason for this was that Vellok discovered the disruptor had no effect on official mages and those of higher rank because their focus and concentration couldn’t easily be disturbed. But in battle, if a mage were concentrating on casting a spell or caught by surprise, the equipment could work, leaving even an official mage stunned for 20 seconds, severing all contact with mana.
Twenty seconds might seem small, but for mages, they knew well that all it took was a moment for an opponent of equal strength to exploit that gap and deal a life-threatening blow.
