Chapter 316
Startled, the chief looked up as an image materialized above the device. It was Gurnak, a goblin mage with a weathered face and piercing eyes. Without giving the ratman chief a chance to speak, Gurnak spoke first.
"I’ll be coming over soon to brief you and your people about the current situation. I believe you have some questions," Gurnak said in his gruff voice before the image flickered and disappeared.
The chief sighed in relief, sinking onto a piece of rubble, clutching the device to his chest. He took a deep breath, then sprang up, realization dawning on him. "We need to make ourselves presentable," he barked, quickly smoothing his fur and brushing off the dust from his coat.
"Gather everyone. If the tower master Gurnak’s coming here, it means the situation’s worse than we thought."
The ratmen engineers gathered in the partially ruined chambers of their underground city, murmurs of uncertainty filling the air. The rune-marked pillar and the destruction above had left them unnerved, and speculation began to spread like wildfire.
"It must be a curse," one ratman engineer said, his beady eyes wide with fear. "Something old and powerful. Maybe the surface dwellers have unleashed something they can’t control."
Another ratman, a technician with grease-stained fur, shook his head. "No, no. It has to be a weapon. I’ve seen the goblins experiment with all sorts of strange things. Maybe this is some kind of magic-weapon hybrid they’ve been working on. And now it’s malfunctioned."
The younger female ratman who had first suspected the goblins shifted nervously, adjusting her glasses. "Could they be testing it on us? Or worse... what if it’s the mages? Maybe they’re targeting us because of our proximity to the city. We could be collateral in whatever war they’re waging."
Togg, standing off to the side, listened to their speculations with a thoughtful expression, his mechanical arm whirring as he scratched his chin. "This ain’t no accident," he finally muttered, loud enough for the others to hear. "The timing’s too precise. First the tremors, then that pillar. And now, Gurnak’s on his way down here. Whatever’s going on up there—it’s big, and it’s gonna involve us whether we like it or not."