Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 171: Rainhold’s Tunnel Network

The thundering of hooves filled the air as the horse sped down the winding road, Ren, Lilith, Thorn, Elias, and Valen galloping at full speed.

Their cloaks flapped behind them, dust kicking up beneath the pounding of their horses. The wind stung their faces, biting at their skin, but none of them slowed. They'd been keeping to the same pace for a week and a half.

Then Ren raised a hand.

"Halt."

The group slowed, hooves skidding against packed dirt, as a small horde of infected came into view ahead. They stumbled from the tree line, howling as they spotted the riders. Their bodies were gaunt and bloated, red eyes glowing with unnatural rage and hunger.

"Here we go again." Thorn muttered, rolling his eyes. "Can't this Red Prophet dude get the memo? He's just throwing zombies away by sending them to us."

"You do know that battles of attrition are a thing right?" Ren stared at the horde. "He could be trying to wear us down.

"I sincerely doubt that was what the prophet had in mind."

Ren said nothing, sighing deeply and dismounting, Elias doing the same in silence.

He dipped a hand into his pouch, brushing gold coins with his fingers. He absorbed a few, the coins vanishing instantly. Energy surged through him, but at this point, it wasn't quite as exhilarating anymore. It just felt like routine.

With another long suffering sigh, he pumped the energy into his plant switch. Stepping forward, he pressed his hands against the ground.

The energy funneled through his arms, and into the soil. Seconds later, thick, aggressive vines burst from the ground, spiraling upward and wrapping around all the zombies rushing towards them. Their screeches were quickly muffled, bound tightly in a net of green.

Ren stepped back, wiping his brow, and nodded to Elias.

Elias' sword ignited with a low whoosh, heat distorting the air around him. He walked forward and, without a word, plunged the flaming blade into the nearest vine.

Fire shot through the vines like lightning, covering the trapped zombies. A few seconds later, it was over. Blackened corpses smoked where the writhing horde had once stood.

They mounted their horses again.

"That makes twelve today." Elias said with the voice of someone that was done with acting as an oversized lighter.

"At this point, the zombies are everywhere. It's unavoidable." Ren muttered, scanning the horizon. "But we're close. Rainhold should be just ahead."

"You sure it's still standing?" Thorn asked, his tone serious but still unable to lose the joking edge in it.

"Yes." Ren replied. "The cities hold. For now. Every village and town we've passed is gone, but the cities are fortified, especially with the force of Chosen within them. They won't crumble. Not yet, at least."

"Why Rainhold specifically?" Elias asked, glancing at Ren.

Lilith answered before Ren could. Her voice was soft but confident. "Have faith, Elias. Ren knows what he's doing."

Ren chuckled at that before motioning to the others, and they continued their journey.

The road curved gently, rising in elevation. As they crested the next hill, the tall, giant walls of Rainhold came into view.

Behind the gate, great stone towers stood tall, more than twice the height of the walls. Smoke drifted lazily from the chimneys they could see, and along the top of the wall were small windows the soldiers could glance through.

Ren pulled on his reins, veering off the main road.

"Where are we going?" Thorn called from behind. "Isn't the city this way?"

"The city's on lockdown, Thorn." Ren explained as they followed behind him. "No one in or out. But there's a tunnel network nearby. Smugglers use it to move goods and people in and out. That's our way into Rainhold."

Valen blinked. "How do you know that? Even I don't know that."

Ren just chuckled instead of answering, smiling mysteriously.

They left the road and made their way into the woods. The trees around them grew closer and closer together, their horses splitting between trees, as the sunlight was slowly blocked by the branches.

After several minutes of the group following Ren, he stopped near a moss-covered slope.

"There."

Thorn and Elias dismounted, brushing aside foliage and stone. Together, they uncovered a metal handle buried loosely and expertly under the leaves.

With a tug and a grunt, the hidden door creaked open to show a dark, narrow passageway descending steeply into the earth.

They led the horses into the tunnel. Ren lit a torch, the orange glow pushing back the darkness as the heavy wooden door creaked shut behind them.

The smell of damp stone and earth filled the air. The walls were narrow and roughly hewn, and the ground sloped unevenly. Their horses whinnied nervously but followed.

"What now?" Thorn asked, glancing around the tunnel.

"We wait." Ren said. "This network is a labyrinth. If we try to find the city entrance on our own, we'll get lost. We need the gang that controls this place to send a guide."

Lilith looked around, unconcerned. "Why not just fly or dig? I could carry us."

Ren shook his head. "The Chosen in the city are on alert. Their resonance magic is tuned to anything unnatural in the air or ground. If we stir it, they'll find us. Especially with the Plague spreading. They're already on the lookout for things like that."

Thorn leaned against the damp stone wall, sighing. "If the Chosen are so strong, why haven't they wiped out the infected already? Isn't that what they're for? Or did we overestimate their strength?"

"They could." Ren answered. "But not for much longer. The Plague is evolving. Growing smarter. Stronger. It won't be long before even the Chosen can't hold it back. And with the Pope and King at odds..."

A voice echoed from the darkness in front of them, amused.

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"What do you know about the Pope and the King?"

The group was instantly alert, hands hovering near weapons.

With a sudden whoosh, torches along the tunnel walls burst into flame, illuminating a wide section of the corridor.

A group of armed men and women stood ahead of them, their gear a mismatched group of swords, crossbows, and daggers.

At their center stood a lean man with a jagged scar curling from chin to ear, twirling a knife lazily between his fingers. His armor was patchwork but expertly maintained. On his lips was a confident smirk.

"Welcome to the Rainhold tunnel system." The man said darkly. "Now, why don't you tell me what you know about the King and the Pope before I gut you like a fish?"