The guards immediately pulled out their weapons.
Ore Fiends were dangerous!
"Uuuuhh," the Ore Fiend groaned as it looked at them.
"Sir, orders?" one of the guards asked urgently.
The officer looked at the Ore Fiend. "Don’t attack. It doesn’t seem aggressive."
"Yes, sir," the first guard said.
The other three also didn’t move.
This was a strong team that was used to scout the surroundings of Forest Haven Cradle.
The leader was an Early Knight.
The lieutenant was an Initial Fighter, and the other three were Peak Humans.
If necessary, they could also travel to other Cradles with that power, but that would still be a very dangerous journey.
"The merchant said there was someone fitting the description of the suspect in this mine. Do you believe he meant the Ore Fiend?" the lieutenant asked.
When Kyle heard that, his eyes widened.
"I told you!" Theodor shouted in Kyle’s mind.
’Fuck! So, it was that Lornstein guy who told them about me! Guess that’s it for my escort!’ Kyle thought.
"No, I don’t think so," the officer said. "Not many people would confuse an Ore Fiend with a legitimate human."
"I believe the suspect was here. Look at the mine. This was definitely made by a human."
The guards looked around, and sure enough, the tunnel was very straight and uniform.
"Then, where is the suspect? Did he flee?" the lieutenant asked, eyeing the Ore Fiend.
"Isn’t it obvious?" the officer asked with a snort. "He dug up that Ore Fiend and the Ore Fiend killed him."
"But the Ore Fiend isn’t attacking us," the lieutenant said.
"Not yet," the officer answered.
At that moment, the Ore Fiend slowly walked closer, several stones in its hands.
"Fall back! I don’t want to take any chances!" the officer shouted.
The other guards immediately jumped backward, and everyone ran out of the tunnel.
The Ore Fiend didn’t chase them and just watched as they ran away.
Kyle came out of the rubble and looked at the entrance.
’This was close!’ he thought as he cleaned himself of some dust.
"I told you not to talk to the human!" Theodor shouted.
"What was I supposed to do?" Kyle said. "They would’ve found me anyway. It’s not like I could have run away."
"You could have hidden yourself in one of the piles like you did just now!" Theodor shouted.
"And hope that they won’t look through the piles?" Kyle asked. "Seems unlikely."
While Kyle was talking, the Ore Fiend looked at him.
Then, the Ore Fiend approached and offered Kyle three Ether Pebbles.
"Oh, thanks," Kyle said.
But then, the Ore Fiend pulled its arm back and continued looking at Kyle.
Kyle grabbed three Earth Stones and offered them to the Ore Fiend.
Then, the two of them exchanged their ores.
After that, the Ore Fiend returned to the wall.
"Wait a second!" Kyle shouted, stopping the Ore Fiend, who just kept looking at him.
"Here! Try to dig in that direction!" Kyle said, pointing at the end of the tunnel.
The Ore Fiend just kept looking at Kyle.
Kyle carefully took the Ore Fiend’s hand and pulled.
’This fucker is heavy!’ Kyle thought.
Then, Kyle led the Ore Fiend to the end of the tunnel.
He hit the end of the tunnel with his fist.
"Here! Dig here!" Kyle said.
The Ore Fiend looked at Kyle before looking at the wall.
The wall exploded as the Ore Fiend hit it with a fist.
Over the next minutes, Kyle directed the Ore Fiend to dig towards the other end of the mountain.
As long as the tunnel was straight, it wouldn’t collapse.
’Everything goes back and forth. First, I thought that I had to travel alone. Then, I thought I would get an escort. And now, I have to travel alone again.’
’Although...’ Kyle thought as he looked at the Ore Fiend. ’Maybe this guy will be helpful.’
It took a couple of hours, but the Ore Fiend eventually managed to reach the other side of the mountain.
Finally, the tunnel was done.
Kyle could see the wilderness to the south, and he immediately saw a long canyon.
It was around 100 meters deep but several kilometers long.
"Should I travel through the canyon?" Kyle asked.
"That would be your wisest choice," Theodor answered. "The open wasteland is full of dangerous Ferocious Beasts. In comparison, these canyons are filled with beasts that do the same thing as you, hiding from those beasts."
Kyle nodded. "Then, it should be safe with my new companion," he said as he smiled at the Ore Fiend.
"You really are an imbecile," Theodor said.
"What now?" Kyle asked with a groan.
"You managed to meet a pure and untainted Ore Fiend," Theodor said. "That is why you are alive."
"You saw how quickly they learn. It already knows what bartering and exchange is despite not even being a day old."
"Ore Fiends watch their surroundings and learn."
"What do you think will happen when it sees two beasts fighting? What do you think will happen if something attacks the Ore Fiend?"
Kyle became a bit nervous.
He remembered the Ore Fiends in Theodor’s underground city.
While they had not been actively hunting Kyle, some of them had tried to grab him.
The Ore Fiends in Theodor’s city had been bulky and slow.
Kyle looked at the Ore Fiend beside him.
But this one was agile and fast.
It was stronger and faster than Kyle.
If this thing got aggressive, Kyle would die without a doubt.
’Traveling with the Ore Fiend is like traveling with an explosive belt. Sure, my enemy will die, but I will die, too.’
"Go get some more ore, buddy," Kyle said.
After a couple of seconds, Kyle managed to convince the Ore Fiend to continue digging.
He just watched the tunnel for a couple of minutes, noticing it becoming more unstable.
’Well, he’s an Ore Fiend. He doesn’t need air. He probably won’t even notice the collapse and continue like nothing happened.’
’Goodbye, buddy. I hope the guards won’t kill you.’
Then, Kyle ran towards the canyon.
Some minutes later, the tunnel collapsed.
And yet, the Ore Fiend just kept digging and eating.