Jace Calloway

@jacecalloway.bsky.social

56 Followers 249 Following

Jace Calloway writes LitRPG and progression fantasy full of magic that costs too much and pays too little. Currently serializing Tenebrist on Royal Road. New chapters daily. https://linktr.ee/jacecalloway

"I'm not going in there," Corin Hale said. The foreman said "vermin" three times in a few minutes. Each time, he pointed down the stairs at the sealed section, as if that label said it all. "Ten strides," the foreman said. "That's what the survey has. Ten strides in, and something in there's got hands. You're in by second bell, and I've got the route open before the day crew comes down." Corin kept his eyes on the stairwell and let the man talk. Floor four had never been much to look at. The team cut the walls as usual for this level. Someone's grandfather had squared them off, and everyone since had patched them. The lamps hung too high, because hanging them low meant replacing them sooner. Four steps down, the left wall bulged out. It made the stairs narrow, like a tight throat. That narrowing was the only part of the section he cared about. He was slight enough to work the gap without turning sideways, and that was one edge he actually had. The foreman lowered his hand. "It's a sealed section," Corin said, his voice sharp in the enclosed space. "It's a single chamber. Their section, one doorway, and one of me. I walk inside and I'm surrounded before I've even sized the place up." He pointed down the steps. "I want the narrowing instead. Four steps down, where the wall bulges. Bring the lamp around so it lights the gap without blinding me. I'll open the seal from there and force them into the bottle." Nobody answered. Corin waited long enough to be sure of it. "Cheaper for everyone," he said. "Eight silver for a mage who stands his ground on a stairwell. Think of the savings."