Large chunks of the cave were falling all over. Reginald ran over to the closest person and grabbed them, blocking as many chunks of rock from hitting them as he could. Levi moved faster than he ever did in his life, grabbing everyone in his path heading toward his family. He smashed large chunks out of the air with his hammer in one hand and two people under his other arm when he made it to his family. Emma, Savine's friend, was standing up while everyone else was crouching. She had both hands raised, casting a defensive barrier spell. The chunks of ceiling were slamming into the barrier and piling up on the sides. Levi tossed the townsfolk through, then leaped through himself.
"Emma, you got this?"
"Hope so," she said, letting out a small laugh. "Just let me know if you can't hold the spell anymore," Levi said.
The explosions kept going in the background as boulders slammed into the barrier. Emma was struggling to maintain the barrier.
"Mr. Levi, I'm almost out of mana. What should I do?" she asked.
"Okay, just hold it up a little longer. I'll try and break as many above us as I can," Levi replied.
Levi readied Abyssal Lightning and unleashed it into the boulders above them. While electricity doesn't pass through earth or rock well, the abyssal affinity mixed in helped it pass through the boulders with ease. They began to crackle, and veins of black started stretching across them, and they broke apart. After the small rocks rained down and off the side of the barrier, Levi told Emma to drop the barrier. She complied and let the spell fade. She dropped her arms and let out a big sigh.
"Did we all make it? Is everyone okay? Did I hold it long enough?" She was worried that she wasn't strong enough and couldn't make a barrier big enough, that her lack of experience and skill killed someone.
"Your timing and ability to hold that barrier spell that long saved us, Emma," Levi said while patting her on the shoulder. She smiled, "Thanks, Mr. Levi."
Char was not happy about this situation, and she let everyone know it. Her crying could pierce the strongest defense. Armorica was trying to calm her down. It was dusty and dark in the cave now; everyone was coughing from the dust from the collapse. Levi was calling out for Reginald. He wasn't sure if Reginald had a spell or skill that could defend multiple people in a situation like this. A boulder rolled off the top of a heap of rubble, and screams could be heard from below.
"Armorica, they need healing!" Levi shouted. He started throwing boulders to the side, looking for anyone alive in the rubble. He dug and threw large pieces after piece when he came across Reginald, who saved as many as he could. His arm was severed; his legs, ribs, and hip were broken. While Armorica was an exceptional healer, she couldn't regrow lost limbs. That's not to say it couldn't be done; it was just beyond her skill. They removed Reginald and bandaged him up and began casting buffs and healing spells to limit his pain and kickstart the process. He had saved many, but to the left and right of him were three people that weren't as lucky. This pissed Levi off. On the battlefield, taking lives meant nothing to him, but at home in an innocent town, a surprise attack and then hunting the survivors down made his blood boil.
The cave system now was a wreck. The walls and boulders of the cave still gave off a glow that helped a little with navigating the cave. The dust was beginning to settle, and Reginald was in as good a shape as they could manage. Armorica kept him alive while Savine helped keep him asleep. They had to start moving. The entrance was gone and under far too much rock and earth to move, so deeper into the cave they would go. They passed the room Levi had ranked up in. This was as far as anyone there had gone. Beyond this, the cave's mana got stronger, indicating that beyond this point, there could be strong monsters ahead.
The cave was dark with a faint glow from the walls. The smell had changed to something like blood and mold. The air was damp and cold. Levi was out in front leading the way while the most able-bodied militia brought up the rear with the injured in the center. They kept a tight formation and moved slowly, taking breaks often. Levi moved cautiously through the tunnel before him when it split into two different paths, and they stopped to make a decision, this being the first split they've come across.
"Let's hang out here a minute," Levi said. Taking out a pack, he started handing out jerky to everyone.
"Levi, your jerky is a lifesaver! Thank you!" a man from the militia said. It was jerky from a red horned stag that he had hunted that fall. Its meat is packed with healing properties.
"So, left or right?" Armorica said.
"Not sure it matters. Both ways are bathed in strong mana, dark and smell like shit. I'll probably flip a coin," Levi said.
Armorica let out a small laugh. "Lead the way, pathfinder."
Levi sat down next to Savine, who was sitting by Reginald's side changing his blood-soaked bandages.
"How's he doing, kiddo?" Levi asked.
"He's in bad shape but stable. Have you found a way out yet?" Savine whispered.
"No, we might have a long trek here. Let me know when you're ready to move, and we'll pick a direction," Levi replied as he handed her some jerky, Savine gasped, "You had jerky this whole time!? Is it the red stag jerky!?" She bit down on a piece and closed her eyes. It was indeed the red stag jerky, her favorite.
"Make sure you share with Emma," Levi said with a smile.
Levi made his way back to the split in the tunnel and sat down, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. He was entering a meditative state and hoping to find a path that leads out of the mountain. He was about to stand up when he heard a whisper, much like when he ranked up. He couldn't understand what it was saying, but when he focused on the left path, he heard the whispers. This could be part of the abyssal affinity... or a high-level monster using telepathy.
"We're ready to move when you are," Armorica said. She kissed him on the cheek. Levi opened his eyes.
"We go left," Levi said. She nodded her head.
"I'll get Reginald ready then."
With the refugees of Lockden ready to move, they began down the left path. It was slow going, and nothing of note had happened when the tunnel that was just big enough for a few people to stand side by side opened up into a massive cavern. He couldn't see either side, just darkness. Levi stepped into the cavern slowly and looked up, not seeing the ceiling either.
"This cavern is huge. We should hug the right wall and move around the side," Levi said to the group.
They started moving through the large cavern. It was getting colder, and the smell was getting worse. It was starting to affect Char, who was now waking up from the spell and starting to cry. Armorica tried to feed her, but she didn't want to eat. Savine tried to soothe her, but nothing was working. Levi came over and placed a hand on her chest. Char grabbed his finger and squeezed hard; she was scared.
"DADA!!" she wailed.
"Something isn't right. I can sense her fear. It's building in Savine. Even some of the men are starting to waver. It might be a monster in this cavern using some kind of aura to create fear and dread," Levi whispered to Armorica.
"I'll start buffing everyone. It should boost morale a bit too," she replied.
Levi gathered three men: an archer, a mage, and a brawler. The plan was essentially to walk around blindly in this large cavern until they found the way out. The team was placed at the front of the group. Levi knew whatever was in the cavern would be tough. Monsters with auras like this tended to be strong, and given they hadn't run into any in the cave, it meant it had killed everything else here. But he couldn't lie; he was excited to use his new abilities because deep down, he really liked being an adventurer.
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The refugees started their way into the cavern, moving along the right side. They walked for ten minutes without anything happening.
"Let's stop here for a minute. I gotta take a leak," the archer said, walking away from the group for a little privacy. So they waited, and that's when the monster showed itself. As the archer was peeing, the monster took his head off in an instant and then disappeared into the darkness with no time to react.
"What the fuck was that!?" the brawler yelled out.
The monster now showing itself came from out of the dark and landed on top of the man, claws digging into him. Its skin was as black as the void with yellow serpent eyes, a long neck, and massive wings. It snapped its head down, bit the brawler still crushed under its claws, and shredded the man in half. Levi recognized the monster as a wyvern—some subterranean variant specializing in ambush and concealment—which generally meant it was strong offensively but lacked defense. Levi infused Armor's Bane with Abyssal Lightning then started casting Abyssal Armor. His armor began twisting and morphing. Spikes grew out of the pauldrons, his helmet looked like the face of a demon with large dark horns. The color changed into black and purple, but the weight felt like nothing. He had full mobility as if he didn't wear anything at all.
The wyvern dashed back into the darkness as the mage charged a fireball. He held the spell for a moment, looking all around before fear started to set in as he looked around him in a panic. The wyvern flew into view with its claws up, ready to pounce onto the mage. Levi raised his hand; black and purple lightning shot forth, striking the wyvern, which dropped early from its attack, landing in front of the mage. He raised his staff with both hands; lines of fire started twisting through the wooden staff. It was at its breaking point. The mage released the spell. A massive swirling fireball erupted from the staff as it shattered, striking the wyvern square in the face. The wyvern was blown apart; pieces landed all around. The mage was covered in charred wyvern bits.
[You have killed level 70 Bat Wyvern]
[You have gained a level]
"Gods of Seraphim guide and protect their souls, allow them to find peace in your realm," Armorica said as she laid a blanket over the dead.
"We need to get moving. We can mourn our lost after we get out of here," Levi said.
They picked up and started down the right wall of the cavern again, moving at a slow pace. The smell was getting more bearable, and the floor of the cave was getting muddy and sloppy. It was excruciating to move through. Everyone took turns carrying Reginald's litter.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say this cave was trying to kill us," Levi said through bated breath.
"There has to be a way out. We can't give up hope. You and I must stay strong. Look at these people," Armorica whispered.
Levi turned around to see the people of Lockden. They were bloodied, bandaged, and covered head to toe in mud and dirt. Most were almost out of mana and covered in scrapes and bruises from the cave.
"They're barely hanging on. If we falter, none of us will survive," she whispered.
Levi raised his hand to halt the refugees. "Let's stop here and take a break." Levi was exhausted. Even his new Bronze rank body was pushed to its limit. They had to fight off the occasional bat monster, but they disliked fire and light, so it was easy to scare them off. But even so, Levi and the mage were utterly spent.
Levi plopped down next to the mage, covering him in mud. They looked at each other and started laughing uncontrollably.
"What a shit show, but can't say it hasn't been fun!" Levi blurted out in between laughs.
"This really was a nightmare. I'm Keenan," the mage said, chuckling. He was a small thin-framed man with pale skin and a goatee.
"Levi. That fireball in the wyvern's face was something else. I really thought that staff was going to blow your hands off."
"It nearly did!" Keenan said in between laughs.
"What's gotten into you two?" Armorica said.
"At this point, we're so tired of one disaster after another, all we can do is laugh," Levi said, Keenan nodding along. They sat there laughing and joking about how awful it's been, with some of the others joining in. There they were, a bunch of beaten-down, broken refugees in a dark, dingy, muddy cave, laughing their asses off and joking around.
"Holy shit, this sucks!" Reginald said, kind of laughing, kind of groaning in pain.
"Good to see you're still kicking, you old hoot."
"Feels like a mountain fell on me," Reginald said, then he looked at Levi and motioned him to come closer. "Did I save them? Are they okay?" Reginald whispered.
"There were three that didn't make it. I'm sorry, Reggie," Levi whispered.
Reginald nodded his head. "Any idea where the hell you're leading us? Or are you just winging it?"
"I found the exit hours ago. I just wanted to take one more lap around the mud cave," Levi chuckled. "Oh, I was going to make jerky out of this, but I got some wyvern meat, so guess you can have it back." Levi said, placing Reginald's severed arm on his chest.
"I bet you would have, you lunatic." Levi chuckled and patted his friend on the good arm.
Levi looked to his family. Armorica was rocking Char, who was throwing mud at Emma and Savine. His best friend was on a litter, and knowing that some of the people here aren't making it out, it's up to him to find the exit. The pressure of leadership weighed heavy on him at this point. Taking a deep breath, he sat down and began to meditate. The cold mud made it harder to focus, but the whispers started quietly. Levi started to shift his focus around the room, and the whispers became so loud it was like a tsunami hit him.
Levi picked himself out of the mud. "Are you okay? What happened?" Armorica asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think the exit is that way," Levi said while shivering.
"You're freezing cold, what's happening?"
"It might have something to do with the new affinity. It's sort of guiding me."
"Do you think we can trust that? How can you be sure that's the case?" Armorica asked.
"To be honest, I don't know whether it's the affinity or something else, but if someone is trying to lead us into a trap, I'll bring this entire mountain down." Armorica gave him a look that felt like he lost some health from.
"Let's get ready to move," Armorica said.
Levi and Keenan took point and began slugging through the mud. They started moving uphill. It was grueling and took a while till finally—
"There's light!" Levi yelled back behind him.
Like healing rays, the light slowly began to bathe them, and warm, fresh air rushed in waves. With tears pouring from their faces, Savine, Emma, and Armorica climbed to stand next to Levi.
"You did it! You found the way out!" Savine yelled, hugging him.
"We aren't out of the woods just yet. We have no idea where we are. Let's get out of this damn cave and find somewhere to make a quick camp."
So they all walked through the exit of the cave to be absolutely awestruck by the scene of rolling grasslands, beautiful blue skies, and a warm, gentle breeze. As they walked into the field before them, the mountain range behind them disappeared. Now behind them was nothing but endless grasslands.
"Son of a bitch."