Although Kaili's words were comforting at first, the longer the quartet waited for help, the less they believed what she had told them. Even as they crawled on the ground, desperately trying to stand up in the syrup-like aura that surrounded the whole place, there wasn't a single noise coming from the caves that would indicate that help was on the way. A couple of minutes later, it finally felt like Jin had enough oxygen in his lungs for one proper shout.

"Help! Anyone!"

Nothing. His voice carried on through the caves yet it reached nobody.

"M-Manuel!" he croaked, trying to contact their employer. The boy's sense of pride sank down and drowned in the despair he felt. Before they departed, he was the one who promised the wizard they'd stay safe, and yet they were not able to last even a couple of minutes.

The others began calling as well. As soon as their voices were strong enough to form a proper shout, they tried to reach for the archwizard's helping hand. However, for minutes they were left without an answer. Over a hundred times they tried calling out his name, and not once did he respond. However, the longer they waited, the more their feelings improved. While they could barely speak at first, now even yelling was becoming easier, requiring less time to rest between each word.

Cia slowly stood up. Her tiny legs wobbled but she still managed to stay upright. It was akin to standing in water, yet also completely different. While the waves in a lake would sway her from side to side, here, the absolute stillness of the thick air felt like a glue holding her steady.

The others followed shortly. Jin began taking his first steps just before Kaili reached out to Airo and helped him up on his feet. Despite the troubles the environment caused them, they all started to feel better and better with each passing moment.

"Maybe it's just about getting used to it," Cia remarked as she waded forward. Her wide steps reminded the other three friends of a baby trying to walk for the first time. Although they smiled at the sight, they subdued their laughter, since they didn't look much better themselves. The way Airo and Kaili leaned against each other for support made them seem like a couple who were returning home from a pub after a particularly festive night. Jin, on the other hand, was waving his arms around so much he looked like someone who was giving swimming lessons without ever setting foot in the water.

Very slowly, they continued forward. Where a single step took them at least five seconds, now they only needed three. By the time they walked far enough to not see the location of the portal anymore, they had once again regained their stable sense of balance. Although it still seemed as if something was pushing against their every movement, they now knew to anticipate it.

"Look! An opening," Cia pointed ahead of them. After countless minutes of wading through an empty yet spacious corridor of the caverns, they were finally reaching their destination. Although it was only a tiny speck of light at the end of the passageway, the sight of their goal helped carry them forward. By the time they finally entered the spacious mines, most of their motor skills had returned to normal.

"Careful! Don't fall!" Kaili grabbed Jin's hand. The moment the boy saw the massive open space ahead of them, he headed towards the edge, eager to look down and see how much further the cavern went. The vines around the dryad's arm came undone and swiftly bound Jin to her.

"Come on! Let me just have a look!" he pleaded. The fingers of his other hand tried to pull the vines apart but they held him with such force he could barely shift them around.

"Absolutely not! You'd fall. I know you far too well," she replied. "Airo, care to take a peek?"

"You ask him but won't let me?" The young farmer felt wronged.

"If he falls he'll just glide down. Last time I checked, you weren't as light as a Cloudfolk," Cia remarked and eagerly approached the cliff as well, held back only by Pecker's beak.

The mines were enormous. The children had no idea how deep they ran. They only knew that looking all the way down was like staring into a bottomless abyss. The entire area was dark. Mined-out areas created walkways around the walls of the crevice where Airo could see countless settlements set up with lights giving out their positions. Given the darkness that filled the rest of the area, the flames illuminating the houses were like countless little eyes staring at him from the black nothingness.

"Oh I don't like this," he shuddered and stepped away. The fact that the rocks were becoming distinctly sharper here did not exactly make him feel much better. It was as if the darkness had teeth that were very slowly reaching out to them.

"Do you have any idea which way to go?" Kaili asked, but neither of her friends could provide an answer.

"Then how about the only way available?" Jin nodded towards the rest of the carved-out walkway. The truth was, there weren't many other options. Unless they wished to jump or climb down, the only possible way was forward, hoping that the path would eventually lead them to one of the faint settlement lights in the distance.

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As they kept on walking and the feeling of heavy air disappeared more and more, they slowly began to notice the finer details of the mines. There was a noise coming from far deep below. Maybe it was falling rocks, or perhaps the sound of tools striking ore veins. Hard to say. Sometimes, they could see colourful lights travel across the walls like faintly visible veins. The first couple of times this happened, they dismissed it as their sight playing tricks on them due to the limited visibility, but since all four had eventually seen the effect more than once, they reached the conclusion that it was just as real as everything else around them. Kaili's eyes turned to the stone beneath her feet. It was damp, yet not cold. Almost as if this entire place was warmed up, so much so that the rock itself was sweating.

Something clicked above them. The group immediately stopped and looked at the wall next to them. It looked just as jagged and rough as anywhere else. The only difference was a small opening about three to four metres above them.

Blood froze in their veins. Something was watching them. A pair of eyes as red as rubies. They were shining in the darkness, far enough from the light of the glowing rods lining the walkway. The clicking continued as the creature stepped forth. The long and sharp teeth were the first part of the being that the light illuminated. It crept on closer, revealing a bug-like body protected by a dark crimson exoskeleton. Its long hook claws gripped the uneven surface of the wall as it slowly crept closer. The scaly fins on its back quivered, causing a faint rattling noise.

"Run!" Jin yelled out and moved his feet, but the environment would not allow it. Although they had learned to walk in the thick and viscous air that surrounded them, running was a whole different deal. It was like attempting to sprint through deep water. The young farmer tripped and fell almost immediately, barely managing to take a step.

The creature saw that as an opportunity. Now its prey was distracted and prone. It leapt off the wall and spread out its six legs, ready to grab onto the boy. Should Kaili have reacted a moment later, gods know what would have happened to him.

Jin screamed as she pulled him away. The massive mix of a human-sized lizard and an overgrown insect landed right in front of him. The way it crouched was a clear indicator that it was about to pounce.

Pecker flew out of Airo's back, nearly dragging him behind. Fortunately, his aerodynamic shape was well-suited for swimming through the thick air. He dashed towards the monster, snapping his beak at its eyes, which forced it to temporarily back away.

Kaili helped Jin stand up and the boy did not wait to draw his broken sword. Despite its dullness, it was still the sharpest weapon they had.

Cia moved over to her friends and rolled up her sleeve. A strange metal object lay strapped to her forearm.

"Get behind me!" She yelled out and yanked on a piece of wire sticking out of her invention. The device sprung to life at her command. A glowing rectangular shield extended from it, big enough to cover her from head to toe.

"Don't you have it normal-people-sized?" Airo complained.

"Shut it! It's this or nothing!"

The bright glow of the barrier bit into the bug's eyes. It was used to the pleasant darkness that the cave offered. This bright and unsightly object had to be destroyed.

The creature dashed at Cia. When Pecker tried to move in to counterattack, the bug's claws nearly cut him across his whole face. He may have been brave, but taking such a creature head-on was far too much for the serpent.

It crashed against Cia's shield, nearly toppling her over if it wasn't for her friends she could brace against. The bug stood up, towering over the imp as she raised the barrier. Its claws gripped the edge of the device shortly before it twisted its body to the side. Jin managed to catch Cia just in time, otherwise, she would've been dragged along with the shield.

With the monster's single move, the protective device came off, twisting Cia's arm in such a way she let out a yell of pain. Instinctively, she reached into her pocket and tossed a few tiny metal orbs at the creature's feet. The small explosions they caused were not enough to get through the monster's carapace, but at least they forced it to back away.

A vein popped up on Jin's forehead. He was afraid of what his friends might think about his pact with the demon, but right now, none of that mattered. He wouldn't stand idle while others would get hurt protecting him.

He stepped forward, the blade gripped with both hands. With the proper trigger word flying through his mind, he conjured forth the borrowed magic. Strings of black ink flew out of the broken edge of the blade, twirling in the air like the brush strokes of an artist. Then, the colours finally sprung out. Outlined by the thick black lines, a transparent aura of varying shades of red formed into what once was the full blade of the sword.

The bug clicked angrily at the boy. He just managed to toss away one glowing object and now there was another. These people were not only a potential snack. They were irritating. Getting rid of them was now the creature's top priority.

The monster arched its back for a moment. A deep gurgling sound resonated through the cave.

"Watch out!" Kaili yelled out at Jin just as the bug spat out a splash of sickly yellow liquid.

Jin's heart skipped a beat. He quickly searched his memories for a spell that could help him, but neither of the three was well-suited for defence. The only thing he could hope for was that cutting through the liquid would disperse it enough to save everyone.

Before he could swing the sword a single time, Kaili pushed herself in front of him. She quickly took the large mushroom cap off her head and hid behind it. The vines from around her arms weaved around the edges of the fungus, further extending the size of her shield.

The liquid hit the barrier just as the four friends huddled behind it. They could hear Kaili hiss in pain as the few stray splashes landed on her shoulders and feet, leaving behind smoking pink spots.

She fell onto her knee and tossed the mushroom aside. Much to everyone's shock, it was almost completely hollowed out. Another attack like that would go right through.

Seeing that the strike was efficient, the bug prepared itself to charge once again. The clicking of its teeth corresponded to the hunger it felt.

"Jin, listen!" Rudy spoke to the boy. "I don't care if you trust me or not, I am not a bigger threat than that darn thing! So just follow my lead, okay? I'll supply you with magic, but you need to do the rest."