CHAPTER 73: INTO THE CRYSTAL DEPTHS
The cavern was illuminated by an eerie glow from the blue crystals embedded in the walls, casting faint, shifting light that danced with every breath. Sena stood tall, his powerful frame glistening with the remnants of battle as his body regenerated from a few scrapes and bruises. The shattered crystalline creatures littering the floor were no match for him, but the battle had been fierce. The gentle glow of the crystals lulled them into a brief sense of peace, though a tension still simmered beneath the surface.
“This place is something else,” Isabella murmured, her serpent coiled around her arm. The snake's once smooth scales now resembled the crystals of the fallen enemies. She fed it a fragment of one of the creatures, and it shrank, returning to its small, wrist-sized form, content but tense, as though sensing the growing tension.
Apostle Wolf stood at the forefront of the group, exuding an aura of control and barely contained power. His transformation was striking: a towering figure with thick, dark fur covering his muscular body, wolf-like features accentuating his heightened senses. His eyes gleamed with a predatory sharpness, and his elongated limbs, ending in razor-sharp claws, only enhanced his lethal appearance. The wind seemed to obey his every movement, swirling around him in soft gusts as if awaiting his command. Wolf’s entire form, though humanoid, was a terrifying blend of man and beast, perfectly complementing his wind affinity. The combination made him nearly untouchable; the wind flowed around him as if part of his body, enhancing his speed and precision. Each breath he took was measured, and even in his beast-like state, he radiated calm—an assurance that no matter what foe lay ahead, it would fall to his claws.
His voice, a deep growl, sliced through the tense silence of the cavern, “Don’t get too comfortable,” he warned, his words carrying a natural authority that made even the bravest of recruits flinch. Wolf, with his wind-like movements and devastating power, was a force of nature—a storm ready to be unleashed.
The group moved deeper into the mine, and as they did, the atmosphere began to shift. The once warm blue light from the crystals gave way to a strange, oppressive purple glow. The air grew thicker, almost suffocating, heavy with some unseen malice.
Isabella’s serpent hissed softly, mirroring her unease. “Something’s wrong with these crystals…” she trailed off, her eyes scanning the darkening environment.
The group entered a large clearing, where the ground was littered with massive shards of purple crystal. At the center stood a jagged tower of pulsating purple light. It seemed to be alive, quivering and shifting, before cracking open to reveal a grotesque creature—a massive snail-like being with a shell made of purple crystal, its body dark and slimy. Instead of eyes, sharp spikes of purple crystal jutted from its head, and it hummed rhythmically as if drawing power from the surrounding crystals.
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Its slow, deliberate movements filled the cavern with a terrifying dread. Each undulating step seemed to carry the weight of the mine itself, as though it controlled the entire space. A deep, malicious hum filled the air as if the creature itself was feeding off the energy in the room.
“Ready yourselves!” Wolf commanded, his claws extending as he crouched low, preparing for the fight.
Sena’s heart raced, excitement bubbling up. He craved the challenge this creature posed. His crimson gauntlets glowed with the heat from his fists, which had grown so hot they radiated a molten red hue. His magical chains responded in kind, glowing as they wrapped around his arms, enhancing his strength. With a powerful roar, Sena charged forward, aiming a powerful punch at the creature’s shell.
The impact echoed through the cavern, but to Sena’s surprise, the shell barely cracked. The snail groaned, its deep voice shaking the walls as it swung one of its crystal-covered tentacles toward Sena. He leaped back just in time, but the tentacle struck a non-gifted recruit square in the chest, launching him into a crystal wall. The sickening crack of bone echoed through the cavern as his body fell lifeless to the ground.
For a brief moment, the group froze, horror settling in as the recruit’s body lay crumpled and broken. “Damn it!” Wolf cursed, his body blurring as he darted toward the creature. His claws sliced through its slimy flesh, but the snail’s ability to regenerate was frightening. Every wound Wolf inflicted was quickly healed, and the creature's crystal shell pulsed brighter, drawing power from the surrounding shards.
“We need to cut off its power source!” Isabella shouted, her snake growing larger as it lashed out, shattering one of the purple crystals. The snail screeched in pain, its movements slowing.
“She’s right!” Wolf barked. “Take out the crystals—it’s feeding off them!”
Sena, grinning with determination, redirected his attacks, aiming for the glowing crystals around the snail. With each blow, the creature’s strength diminished. Yet the fight was far from over. The snail lashed out more violently, its tentacles crashing down with increased speed, each strike filled with a desperate fury.
A gifted recruit, manipulating the wind, sent a gust that knocked the snail into the shattered remnants of its crystal shell. The creature screeched, writhing in agony as it tried to regenerate. Isabella’s snake tore through another cluster of crystals, its large body crushing the stones with ease.
With a final burst of strength, Sena charged toward the last of the crystals, his gauntlets glowing brighter than ever. He slammed his fists down, shattering the pillar into dust. The snail’s shell cracked under the pressure, and the creature let out one final, deafening screech before its body collapsed in on itself, turning to dust.
The cavern fell into silence. The oppressive energy that had filled the room lifted as the last of the purple crystals dimmed and died. The recruits stood, breathing heavily, their victory tinged with the sorrow of loss.
“We’ve lost one,” Wolf said quietly, looking at the lifeless recruit. His voice, usually hard, was soft with regret. “But we move forward.”
Sena clenched his fists, the adrenaline of battle fading into the grim reality of their situation. Victory had come at a cost.
As they gathered their remaining strength, Wolf turned to the group. “Take some of the crystals back to the Tower. They’ll want to know what happened here.” The remaining recruits nodded in agreement, their faces pale but determined. They had won this battle, but the deeper they ventured into the mines, the greater the dangers they would face.