After making quick work of those rockrats the team carefully continued. The first fight didn’t lead to any overconfidence.
The seasoned adventurers knew of the tunnel’s dangers and didn’t forget to stress those from time to time.
Naturally the siblings were able to figure this out themselves. As they advanced in the tunnels they had to deal with a multitude of attacks.
All kinds of beasts hunted in the darkness, be it in herds or alone. They could jump on unsuspecting victims at anytime from anywhere.
The EFM team 5 had to deal with dangers from the floor, ceiling, front, and back.
Naturally everyone’s nerves were at their limits after a day. Small mistakes began to slip in. Forgoz revealed a carelessness during their battle against a single rank two beast and received a dangerous bite on his arm. Only his leathern armor prevented a serious injury.
This was the only time no one opposed Lilly from using her mana to heal someone. Otherwise, the siblings didn’t act often. They only dealt with single rockrats from time to time, which somehow ended up behind the group.
Under such conditions the whole team sighed in relief when they finally arrived at the army’s checkpoint.
A small hall opened up in front of the siblings. Dangerous looking turrets greeted the adventurers as they entered. A small metallic drone demanded their IDs or the checkpoint would treat them as enemies. Lilly and Iain didn’t complain however, as a feeling of safety embraced them.
Their team quickly found a place to rest on the floor. The checkpoint didn’t have any commodities. Even the few soldiers who were positioned here simply meditated on the floor. They were only separated by a small wall, which probably didn’t offer any help against anyone.
Fortunately, no one had any extravagant wishes within the tunnels. A place to rest for a few hours was already enough.
After Groob indicate everyone to sit down, he soon took out a lot of prepared water from his space storage. Before entering the Frozen Hell, he had already put some special pills into the bottles, to keep the water from freezing.
Unfortunately, this could only allow the water to reach a temperature slightly above zero. Thus, the adventurers had no other choice than to grit their teeth and swallow the ice-cold liquid.
Next Groob handed the siblings some thick blankets. The newbies looked around in confusion before Lilly asked:
“What should we do with blankets? Will they even help?”
Groob nodded his head as he explained.
“Of course. Some skills and stats also infect your immediate surroundings. For example, your cold resistance or defense. This is the reason why a bloody wound won’t freeze over and our bodies don’t lose their warmth.
Naturally this only works for things produced by yourself, like your body heat. That’s why blankets and clothes work to a certain extend.”
Understanding dawned on the sibling’s faces. Lilly immediately began to continue this thought, contemplating if this would have any consequences in battle, as Iain voiced his surprise:
“Ahh, I never thought about this.”
A dirty smile formed on Voro’s face.
“So… you never went to pee during our trainings?”
“I… emh… simply suppressed it and peed at home.”
“What a pity. You could have felt like Uramant!”
Roaring laughter came from the adventurer’s mouth. Uramant only rolled his eyes as Groob and Forgoz also didn’t hold back.
Iain took a second to find out what Voro meant. A picture formed in his mind. He imagined going to pee and a bunch of ice spikes shooting out.
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As soon as this mental image formed, the young man also wasn’t able to prevent himself from laughing out loud.
A bright mood spread through their group, as only Lilly was slightly displeased that their noise interrupted her thinking.
Team 5 harmoniously talked for a few more minutes before Groob advised the siblings to sleep. As apprentice warriors the Frozen Hell’s environment still took a big toll on them, so some serious rest was necessary.
Even the seasoned adventurers would relax and meditate in the meantime.
The most peaceful hours spent in the Frozen Hell passed like this.
When their team was well rested, they continued on under Groob’s lead. Soon Lilly and Iain understood why a strategical checkpoint had been placed here, as they finally left the tunnel system after half an hour more.
Increasingly harsher winds stormed by the group. The siblings looked upwards but could make out nothing but a rocky wall within their SMT range.
Uramant pointed out that this was a part of the wall of no return. They were already multiple kilometers below the base camp by now.
Lilly and Iain observed their surroundings with solemn expressions. The bleak stone floor was only interrupted by sparse vegetation here and there. Even Icestalk seemingly couldn’t grow at this depth. Only an artificial monolith to their side proved the existence of humans in this desolate piece of land.
Upon closer inspection some instructions were written on the monolith. Uramant shortly explained that the Trailblazers placed such monoliths to mark important places. Even if they lost everything, they could still use those as orientation.
Wanting to reach their target as soon as possible, Groob took the lead once more as they carefully advanced. At this depth the darkness was even more all-encompassing than closer to the Empta Line. No light found their way here. Thus, the team didn’t have a choice but to keep their SMTs on, as even the stronger warriors couldn’t make out any silhouette at these depths.
“From now on I want everyone on high alert again!”, ordered Groob in a strained voice.
“Voro, Forgoz, Uramant, you know the drill.
Lilly and Iain, stay close to Uramant. Just as we trained yesterday.
This place is not a joke. From now on we will encounter many rank 3 beasts. You won’t stand a chance against them.
Our goal this time is a rank 4 beast, a Bisera worker. They are extremely agile but have no means of ranged attack. We will wait until it has consumed a lot of minerals. It will store them in its stomach and thus dampen its own movement. That’s the perfect time to attack!”
The siblings nodded solemnly while following the team.
Another silent journey thus began. From time to time some beasts discovered them, which led to small fights.
Lilly and Iain recognized how the adventurers always operated in similar patterns. They prioritized efficiency during their fights without exception.
As soon as they identified a beast, they did their best to attack its weak points while saving as much mana as possible. Uramant also mentioned that proven strategies existed for many beasts on Hex. Following them often granted the best results.
The siblings kept this advice in mind as they learned about different kinds of beasts. This time the adventurers even took a few materials from some rank three beast. Mostly rather small ones like claws.
Well rested and highly cautious the small team forced their way through the Frozen Hell for a few hours. They advanced at a good pace and soon neared their target.
Everyone came to a stop next to an older looking monolith. Lilly observed it for a few seconds before shaking her head wryly. Respect for the Trailblazers appeared in her mind.
She knew she wouldn’t have been able to find her way back without the map. Even those monoliths wouldn’t offer her any help in navigating the overwhelming darkness.
Groob paid attention to their surroundings for a second, before pointing at a word on the monolith.
“Hequarium #248
Took us half a day. Not too bad guys.”
Everyone quietly agreed before Groob turned towards Lilly and Iain.
“Listen up, kids. This is an old Hequarium mine. It has already become unprofitable to mine deeper, so the mining company moved on.
This left a great opportunity for Biseras.
A few minutes from here is an old outpost from which one can perfectly overlook the mine. We will lay an ambush and then wait in the outpost. When a Biseras walks into our traps our team will attack it. You two can watch from the outpost. Clear?”
“All clear Groob.”
“Good, then let’s go.”
Since everyone knew their jobs, the team quickly approached the mine. Except for a few metal debris stemming from old tools scattered on the ground, the siblings didn’t notice anything special. Only a few holes which once again reminded them of the tunnels led deeper into the ground.
Lilly and Iain watched as the team members carefully observed each opening. They looked for signs of recent Bisera activities.
Suddenly Forgoz eyes lit up as he waved towards the team with unknown enthusiasm. Groob swiftly approached him with a questioning look. Pointing towards the opening in front of him. Forgoz quietly exclaimed:
“No vine-beasts!”
Those words seemed to interest the team as everyone carefully watched the sparsely growing Icevines.
“He’s right.”, hissed Voro.
With this discovery the team got to work while Uramant pulled the confused siblings away. After they reached a safe distance, he quietly explained:
“For some reason the vine-beasts avoid Biseras. This means that a Bisera has just entered the mines here. This is a great timing for us. The beast will eat its fill before coming out in a few hours.
This leaves us a lot of time to set traps.”
Naturally the siblings understood this logic. Silently marveling over their luck, they watched with interest as Groob and Voro placed a variety of traps around the mine entrance.