"Stop mining," I said, dropping my pickaxe. "Get to the side of the door."
Alicia didn't question the order. She stepped away from the ore vein and pressed her back against the obsidian wall, her rapier drawn and a small sphere of fire ready in her left hand.
I pulled the Reaver shotgun from its holster and waited.
Heavy, metallic footsteps echoed down the stone corridor. The sound of armor clanking and ragged breathing grew louder.
A moment later, the Steel Vipers appeared in the doorway.
The two vanguard knights stepped into the vault first, their broadswords raised. The captain followed, his scarred face illuminated by the glowing blue crystals lining the walls. The scout, the healer, and the mage stopped in the corridor, looking at the piles of dead Crypt-Stalkers we had left behind in the dark.
The captain's eyes swept over the massive vault. He saw the Orichalcum veins, the Mithril, and the ancient weapons. His expression shifted from caution to pure, unfiltered greed.
