Several hours had passed within the dungeon since Galen and Kaino had scouted the arrival and passage of the Insect Tide.
Choosing to began their descent towards the Watch shortly after recording the Elder Insect's descent into the dungeon, they delved with great haste, In an effort to put as much distance between them and the variable arrival of the next Tide.
...
Maneuvering their bodies through pockets and gaps between the claustrophobic rock, both of them were forced to drop any excess supplies in their haste. Resting only twice in their 500m descent. They shimmied through increasingly narrower sections of the cave system as Galen reflected back on the fantastical scene at the mouth of the dungeon.
The dungeon had healed itself.
The Soil had shifted together, and the rocks were pulled back to their original positions, but their curiosity stemmed from how the dungeon managed to dispose of the thousands of massive flyers lying dead on the floor.
They had sunk into the wave of moving rock and soil, like sustenance for the earth. Perhaps the only reason why the dungeon could heal from the abuse of these massive collisions was this cycle of reclamation that they were able to observe.
He frowned thinking about not able to retrieve sample of the small healing bugs. Examining them could help answer some of the questions he had, but they were lost to the dungeon.
A rock cut into his forearm, and his attention snapped back to the task at hand. He winced as he saw a trace of blood line the cut and began to seep out.
Kaino somehow saw his mistake from up ahead of him. He signaled the lack of severity of the wound, before they managed to shoot him a glare from behind their mask.
The dungeon rock in this section was coarse, rubbing the exposed parts of their skin raw as they forced themselves through. The rare sharp edge was also deadly but had only cut him due to a combination of carelessness and haste. He squinted upon thinking about possible infection of the wound by elements of the dungeon, if they could not make it back to the Watch in a few hours...
Moving towards a glimpse of luminescent light ahead of them, they breathed ragged sighs of relief upon arriving in a dank room through a large crack in the wall. Red marks covering their faces and hands. Galen was bleeding from the long cut on his arm and had major abrasion marks, with Kaino faring slightly better due to their smaller size and more suitable skillset.
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They both bandaged themselves up, while hiding in an alcove of the cave. Taking a moment to check their cloths for any spores that they had not removed earlier. Now that they were far from the deadly air of the fungal forest, their only concern was the effect of the cave's gaseous environment.
Replace the ash filter with something they called Ootman Gel. Both were presently surprised by the rush of cool, chilled air that seemed to fill their lungs. As they were glad they had not lost their supply during the shaking caused by the tides.
Recorded casualties among scouts mostly came from these tight caves near the periphery. Beasts in the cave themselves, deadly gases, or shifting rocks from the Insect tide above killed the inexperienced or unlucky among those assigned to surface scouting.
It was, as their scouting trainers called it in private, a death trap. And they made the right choice by rushing through it, at the cost of some minor injuries. The miles thick dungeon rock provided no safe route to the surface, or back down to their base. Even the path that he and his partner were on right now would probably only be open for a few more days before it shifted shut permanently. They had to get back to the Watch, and fast before they were forced to navigate through an uncharted section of the Fractured Web.
The room that they had dropped into was part of the series of interconnected tunnels and chambers bored by Dungeon Worms. A docile creature which was increasingly rare in this section of the upper layer.
The Dungeon Worms would most likely not be a threat to them, due to their nature and rarity, so they pressed on.
...
(2 hours later)
The descent through the Dungeon Worm tunnels was mostly uneventful. They were able to make quicker progress and descended another 700m. During this period of time they encountered Tunnel Rats twice.
Both packs had under four members, and distanced themselves after seeing their scouting clothes.
A good sign that we were almost at the patrol area of the Watch.
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Dungeon Worms; Between 10-30 meters long in maturity. Known to posses a plated metallic shell, conical head, and digestive system which helps them consume non-organic material in the rocky layer they inhabited.
Non-Aggressive and a rarity in the explored area of the Fractured Web, they had been culled by the Watch shortly after discovery. A mistake which was reflected upon shortly after discovering the efficient excavation abilities of these creatures.
-High Defense
-Very Low Agility
-Strong Excavation Ability
Dungeon Rats; Between 1-2 meters long in maturity. Shows strong affinity for pack-like behavior. Secondary consumer. Exhibits scavenger tendencies. Claws and teeth are dulled with age, but are razor sharp in youth-early maturity. Very high fertility and 25 day gestation period. 10-15 pups. Cannot excavate dungeon rock.
Aggression increases with pack size, reaching dangerous levels at around 10-50 members. In their highly competitive ecosystem, many groups fracture after attacks from rival colonies or larger predators.
-Low Defense
-Medium Agility
-Strong Reproduction Ability