Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 23: Chapter 23 — Team Fifteen

Chapter 23 — Team Fifteen

Victor and Jacob walked toward the group waiting near the perimeter.

As they drew closer, Victor got a better look at the people they would be working with.

There were five of them.

Two women and three men.

The first woman carried a bow across her back, with a quiver of arrows resting against her hip. She had an ordinary sort of beauty, the kind that didn’t immediately draw attention in a crowd, while the second woman stood beside her with a sword at her waist and a dagger strapped near her other hip. She looked similarly unremarkable at first glance, though the way she carried herself suggested she was used to moving quickly.

The first of the men was built like a bear.

He was broad through the shoulders and carried a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. A helmet covered the top of his head, leaving only his face visible. He wasn’t particularly handsome, but his size alone made him difficult to overlook.

The second man was much more ordinary. He wore little armor and had a single sword resting at his hip. There was nothing especially noticeable about him.

Then Victor’s attention settled on the last man.

The leader.

He had fine, thin white hair that fell loosely around his face and carried only a single sword at his waist. At first glance, there was nothing particularly threatening about him.

Then Victor looked into his eyes.

They were narrow, almost unnaturally so, and his gaze seemed sharper than it should have been.

The man’s smile was warm.

Genuine, even.

Yet there was something about it that made Victor hesitate.

It stretched slightly farther across the man’s face than he expected, and despite the friendly expression, there was something beneath it that Victor couldn’t quite place.

Something that reminded him of a predator.

Victor couldn’t explain why.

He simply had the feeling that this was a man who was very comfortable with killing.

The thought disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

Victor and Jacob stopped in front of the group.

"Excuse me," Victor said. "We’re here to join your team. We were assigned to Team Fifteen."

The white-haired man looked toward him.

For the briefest moment, his eyes seemed to brighten.

"Ah, Victor. You’re here."

Victor paused.

He already knew my name?

It wasn’t enough to concern him, but he noticed it.

The man smiled again and gestured toward the others.

"These are the rest of the team."

He pointed toward the woman with the bow.

"Janet."

Then toward the woman carrying the sword and dagger.

"Jennifer."

He continued toward the large man with the shield.

"Kyle."

Finally, he pointed toward the ordinary-looking man.

"Jefferson."

His attention returned to Victor and Jacob.

"And I’m Leo."

Leo looked between the two of them.

"You’ll be our helpers."

Victor noticed the word.

Helpers.

Not slaves.

Jacob seemed to notice it as well, his expression changing slightly before returning to normal.

Nobody in the Tower had ever had a problem calling them slaves.

Victor wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Leo continued as though nothing unusual had been said.

"Your job is simple. Stay behind us, gather whatever materials we find, and carry them back. If we come across minerals or ore, you’ll mine them. If we find herbs, collect them when we’re told."

He pointed toward the bags they had been given.

"Everything goes in there."

Victor nodded.

"Understood."

Leo smiled.

"As long as you follow the rules and stay close to us, you should be fine. We’ve almost never had a helper die while working with our team."

That gave Victor a small amount of reassurance.

After everything Jacob had told him about Level Five, he had been expecting something much worse.

At least this team seemed experienced.

Leo looked toward the cavern.

"All right. Time to go."

His expression became more focused.

"Jennifer, stay ahead and scout like normal."

Jennifer nodded and moved forward.

"The rest of us will hold formation."

Leo looked toward the dark tunnels ahead.

"We’re heading toward Region G. Keep your eyes open. It’s still largely unexplored."

Nobody argued.

The team began moving.

Victor and Jacob followed behind them.

As they passed through the perimeter, Victor glanced back.

The lights and activity of the settlement remained behind them. Guards stood at the entrances, watching the various teams disappear into the darkness.

Ahead, there was almost nothing.

Only the cavern.

The cold air seemed stronger away from the perimeter, slipping beneath Victor’s coat as they walked.

Their footsteps echoed against the stone.

Victor looked around as they moved deeper.

The cavern walls were uneven and covered in strange formations. Small patches of vegetation grew between cracks in the stone, while faintly glowing minerals could occasionally be seen embedded within the walls.

Some areas were brightly illuminated by the team’s lamps.

Others disappeared into complete darkness only a few meters away.

Victor’s eyes constantly moved.

He noticed several deep scratches along one section of stone.

Something had passed through there recently.

He didn’t know what.

A little farther ahead, Jennifer suddenly stopped.

The rest of the team slowed with her.

Victor watched as she examined the ground before continuing.

Nobody said anything.

They simply followed.

Victor glanced toward Leo.

The man’s posture was relaxed.

He didn’t seem nervous about being this deep into the caverns.

If anything, he looked comfortable.

That bothered Victor more than if Leo had appeared afraid.

He couldn’t explain it.

The man had been friendly.

He had welcomed them.

He had reassured them.

Yet something about him still felt wrong.

Victor didn’t know what it was.

And he wasn’t going to ignore the feeling.

Still, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

They were slaves.

Whatever assignment the Tower gave them, they had to follow.

So Victor kept walking.

Behind them, the lights of the perimeter slowly disappeared into the darkness.

Ahead, Team Fifteen continued deeper into Region G.

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