The 300’s passed in a blur as we cleared each wave just quick enough to avoid a double spawn. Another, stronger rock elemental spawned at 300 but our strategy using Jason worked as before. The overseers continued to ramp up in health and armor but the changes to our strategy allowed us to continue fighting multiple foes with each team.
Arthur was still down behind the barricade in the tunnel. His ribs were crushed and his spine was damaged. He would live, according to Leslie, but he wouldn’t fully heal for days. Camile had furiously rallied the support teams in the wake of losing Arthur.
Everytime the maximum support boosts were used the surge of stamina washed away any fatigue I was feeling. I could tell through the bond that Marci and Van felt the same. The two were a devastating pair and we were able to pick up the slack of losing Arthur on the front lines.
The escape door to the tunnel was fully dug out by the time we defeated the larger rock elemental at 300. Thorks Miners tried to join in the fighting in the limited way that they could but were mostly ineffective outside of Jason for the elementals only. As long as they inflicted at least some damage they would receive small amounts of experience.
Notifications piled up in my vision but there was no time for distractions. I checked the counter, 254, praying for no nasty surprises at 250. The Eternal granted this one prayer at least as it was another rock elemental. Still strong and time consuming to take down, but inevitable that we would.
Van was enjoying his new helmet. He began every fight using his head as a battering ram against the overseers and elementals. Marci preferred to wait until Van engaged then use her talons to rip the ghouls apart from behind or above. My ever faithful spear continued to excel in keeping my distance from the powerful ghouls.
214. Time had lost all meaning, there was only fighting.
177. Dozens of common miners now spawned with every overseer. Each wave bringing dozens of enemies at a time. Stab, slash, spin, retreat, advance. Stab, slash, spin, retreat, advance. Stab, slash, spin, retreat, advance.
150. Three large rock elementals spawned with 5 overseers for back up. I set Marci and Van on the overseers as we protected Jason until he could touch each rock elemental. It took less than a minute to destroy one of the massive beasts after he used his skill. Rocks and Gerald took the brunt of the other elementals as we took them down one by one.
137. “You have to keep fighting! Never give up!” A wave of inspiration from Camile.
99. Common miners were slipping past through the barricades and into the tunnel. Camile was leading a desperate defense as the forward teams were surrounded by overseers and elementals. The spawns were stacking as we couldn’t kill them all.
74. The largest rock elemental yet spawned with 1500 health and 1200 armor. There were so many common miners now that the elemental was squishing them with each movement. Jason was swarmed trying to reach it until Van activated Frenzy and I pumped him up with Empower. Van grabbed Jason and threw him at the elemental, the miner landing a hand on one of its arms as he sailed over it.
62. I couldn’t see anyone anymore. There were only common miners, overseers and elementals. The support team had collapsed the entrance to the tunnel after clearing the common miners out. I could still see Arthur and Camile on my party interface, Arthur’s health in the red and Camile at half.
44. Gerald cried out in pain as one of the rock elementals smashed him against the wall of the mine. Marci shrieked in rage and used Power Dive on the elemental's uncaring head. I couldn’t get to them, too many foes between us. Van still had half health wherever he was, I couldn’t see Jason at all.
30. Rocks was down, his health in the red. I was trying to lead a rock elemental away from the wounded Gerald. Jason was nowhere to be found. The bodies of the ghouls piled up so high that I could barely move around. Marci was shrieking with fury as she devastated the common miners while avoiding the elementals.
14. The rush of a full support wave amplified by Camile hit me as I caught a punch from the last rock elemental around me. My hand broke immediately as I was shoved against the wall of the mine by the force of the punch. I futilely stabbed it in the neck with my spear and to my shock it stabbed through. Jason had crawled behind the elemental and touched it on one of its leg boulders.
6. I couldn’t hear Camile through the rock but I felt her as a wave of Inspire hit me. Marci landed on my shoulder and shrieked in defiance. Van was at one fourth health and I couldn’t see him, I checked the map and he was below us in the tunnels.
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5. I saw Gerald battling one of the last overseers and ran over to help. Two rock elementals were trying to force their way into the tunnel where the support team was hiding. We finished the overseer and I turned to see the tunnel entrance cleared and elementals inside.
3. Gerald, Jason and I rushed over to the tunnel and found the elementals standing in the middle of it. There was no one inside from the support team. I despaired, it was too late, we failed them. Setting my shoulders and burying my grief we divided against the remaining two elementals.
Gerald and Jason took the closest one while I slipped past to distract the last one until Jason was ready. It took Gerald a few minutes to finish it by himself. I misstepped while dodging and was a second too slow as a boulder slammed against my side. I flew through the air until I hit the wall of the tunnel.
2.Gerald and Jason finished their elemental. I shook my head, surprised that hit didn’t cripple me. The realization that my stats were still boosted hit in a rush as I felt another wave of power. “They are still alive!” I yelled and charged back into the battle.
With both me and Gerald alive to distract the golem, Jason was able to touch it quickly. It was a quick game of cat and mouse after that as we dodged and ripped it apart. Gerald and his pickaxe were particularly effective once the rock was softened.
1. “There's one left!” I yelled, “where are you? Camile?”
Gerald and Jason had wandered outside of the former tunnel, Gerald was also calling out for the others. Rocks was down against the wall of the mine where he had collapsed fighting. Jason was running to him with a health potion in his hand. I couldn’t see anyone else.
There was no answer, I continued to yell out for the rest of the team. My mind was racing, trying to process everything that had happened. Marci was eye level with me, she slammed her beak against my forehead. She was trying to send me a picture, it took me a few seconds to realize it. My brain was so addled by all the fighting that our communication was suffering.
I took a deep breath to clear my mind and accept the mental communication. She sent me a memory this time instead of a series of images. I watched a desperate battle as Marci aided the support team in clearing out the common miners. Camile and Marci fought like demons against the horde that had slipped past us outside.
I watched as Camile was battered aside by an overseer. The overseer was far too strong for the support team to handle without a front line fighter. It rampaged through the remaining defenders while Marci fought against it. She used Power Dive but it turned at the last second, dodging the attack. Marci slammed against the ground and was stunned temporarily. Horror filled me as I watched the overseers stave flash down toward Marci.
Van appeared from behind the overseer, launching himself like a spear. He tackled the overseer down and ripped it apart. Van tried to stand and his legs gave out as his health dipped dangerously low. Leslie rushed to him and used one of her touch based heals to give him a small amount of health back.
Marci hovered at the edge of the tunnel and watched as Gerald, Rocks, Jason and myself waged a desperate battle. She was full of regret as she turned away and flew over to Camile. She chirped at Camile and spread her wings out and flew between the tunnel floor and ceiling back and forth.
“Marci wants us to collapse the tunnel.” Camile said after a second of watching the falcon.
“That will trap us! We will be separated!” One of the support team members I didn’t know responded.
“We cannot help them by fighting, only by using our skills. We are a liability here, a distraction.” Camile looked back at the lifeless form of Arthur near the back of the tunnel. “We collapse the entrance and open air holes through the back entrance until it's clear outside.
Van looked between the battle outside and Camile and roared, pounding his chest once in agreement. The miners collapsed the entrance to the tunnel and everyone moved back towards the rear. As soon as one of them went to form a hole to allow air, an elemental smashed through the rear entrance, the thin wall left over by the miners collapsing.
Van and Marci fought with renewed desperation as Leslie used heal after heal on Van. Camile took charge and led the remaining survivors around the elemental battling my two bonded companions and down the hole to the deeper mine. They took a side tunnel and dashed inside. The elemental followed them until the miners collapsed the tunnel again.
The elemental was able to use some sort of skill to clear the debris quickly. It was a desperate fighting retreat with Van and Marci battling the elemental as it mostly ignored them to reach the rest of the group. They collapsed tunnel after tunnel trying to stay ahead.
The Thork Miner with the skill to collapse the tunnels finally caught the elemental with a large enough amount of debris that it was stuck. It flailed unsuccessfully trying to free its limbs. One of the women from the mine group walked up and hesitantly touched the elemental, she must have taken the skill that Jason had. Van was trying to finish off the elemental but he was so tired and injured, it was taking a long time.
“Clear a hole for Marci to get out. She can help them up top and let them know where we are. I lost track of how deep we ran.” Camile said, exhaustion clear in her voice.
I returned to my own body, the entire memory only taking a few seconds to relive. “I found them!” I shouted and smiled. “They are deep under us, they had to run from an elemental. They are safe!”
We started working our way through the ruined tunnels. We didn’t have anyone who could make or repair them, Jason could soften the rock in the way but that only helped to an extent. After a few frustrating minutes the counter hit 0 and the world went dark.