The miners were preparing for their imminent return, while Kreyn and Leora gradually descended lower and lower. The green light hid their bodies from view above as they neared the bottom.
The shadow that attacked Leora never reappeared, but they knew it would happen sooner or later.
"So, what’s the plan? Find 99% Orazit and run?" Kreyn asked, leaping down to the next bridge.
"To be honest, I thought we’d be able to clear this nest right away, but I clearly overestimated our capabilities. If we can get Orazit, we’ll do it, though I have no idea how. We don’t have any pickaxes or tools."
Kreyn shrugged as he jumped down.
"We’ll see, we won’t be able to go back without ropes anyway."
He missed the last bridge and immediately crashed to the ground with a thud from his heavy boots. Leora appeared beside him a moment later.
There were no torches or sunlight here, but the walls were full of deposits of Orazit ore. The green light passed through the cracks, providing dim illumination.
In the distance, a dense light shone from a wide fissure, as if from a portal.
Kreyn and Leora exchanged glances as they made their decision.
"This is their buffer zone." Leora narrowed her eyes. "Their nest is beyond this passage, but something tells me we can’t just walk right through."
Ahead of them lay not a narrow cave but a spacious hall full of supporting columns. Only thanks to the light from the crystals could Kreyn and Leora see a shadow flickering from time to time.
"It’s here. You know more about the Rahta Beasts. Any ideas what this might be?"
Strangely enough, Leora shook her head.
"We’ve never gone this deep before. Only this mine, Mine C11, led us to the chasm and possibly to their nest."
"Great. So some scary Rahta Beast is waiting for us in the shadows, and we don’t know anything about it? The very fact that it’s watching us right now but we can’t see it frightens me."
Leora nodded deeply and still took a step forward.
"Don’t worry, I have a solution for just such a case. We should have brought a lantern or a flashlight, but in battle, we need both hands free."
Kreyn was confused but soon realized what her plan was.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Electric discharges ran through her fingers, gathering into a cluster until an orb, like a ball of lightning, flared up above her palm.
’She used her lightning not to attack, but to create a light source for us? Not bad, lightning has its advantages.’
Leora waved her hand as the ball of lightning rose upward, approaching the ceiling and illuminating the cave with its bright light.
Kreyn stepped forward. Now they had a clear view of the columns. Nothing could hide from the light of the lightning - almost nothing.
Whooooosh!
Suddenly, a shadow darted past Kreyn, all he had time to do was raise his arms in defense.
"GHA!"
Three sharp claws slashed his arms as blood gushed out.
Sliding to a stop, Kreyn finally got a good look at the shadow.
"Tsk. It’s actually not the same kind of Rahta Beast we’ve encountered before."
The monster before them had black skin instead of purple. Its body wasn’t as muscular and bulky but rather more elongated and agile, with a sturdy spine. But the most distinctive difference between the two types of beasts was the head.
This beast’s head was stretched out, as were its jaws, filled with sharp fangs, and it had only one eye, with a black sclera and a red pupil.
This was also a Rahta Beast, but while all the others they’d encountered before this were the Workers, this one was a Hunter.
’It looks dangerous, no doubt about it...’ Kreyn grew wary. ’I’d rather fight three of the purple ones than this one.’
"Rrrrk!" The Rahta Hunter let out a low, vibrating growl as it slowly approached Kreyn.
Leora saw her chance and attacked from the side.
She watched the monster’s every move, waiting for the rear paw to strike.
’As soon as it reacts, I’ll dodge and burn it to a crisp. It’ll work.’
But...
Crack!
The Rahta Hunter lunged forward, completely ignoring Leora.
The monster rammed into Kreyn, slamming him into the column behind him.
"Damn it!" Kreyn hurried to get up, but the monster’s paws landed on his shoulders, pinning him even tighter to the ground.
Still, Kreyn didn’t panic, as he knew he had a way out of this situation.
"Well, let’s see how you like this!"
With all his might, Kreyn kicked the Rahta Hunter right in the stomach.
The monster barely reacted, but Kreyn was waiting for what was bound to follow.
Crack!
With a crack in the ground, the stone pillar burst forth, bringing a satisfied smirk to Kreyn’s face.
Suddenly, the Rahta Hunter’s hind paw twitched, stopping the stone pillar as easily as a bent branch.
Kreyn’s eyes widened in disbelief. For the first time, he faced an opponent against whom his gear was powerless.
"Grrrrk!" The Rahta Hunter opened its jaw as Kreyn’s heart began to race, filling with panic.
Acting on reflex, he grabbed his belt and, in the next instant, drove the nail with all his might straight into the monster’s eyes.
"GRHOOOOO!!!"
With a trembling roar, the Rahta Hunter staggered backward, writhing on the ground in excruciating pain.
Kreyn hurried to his feet, he had to continue the attack, but someone was faster than him.
Tap.
Leora’s hands clamped tightly around the Rahta Hunter’s head as electrical discharges flashed in her cold, blue eyes.
The Rahta Hunter twisted in agony until its body gave one last twitch and black wisps of smoke rose into the air.
"Ha...." Kreyn took a deep breath, clutching his heart. "Fuck, how the hell is it so strong?"
Leora stared at the Rahta Hunter for a moment before getting to her feet.
"Let’s go. It’s time to find out what this passage is all about. If we see at least two of these bastards, we run the hell out of there. Got it?"
"Yeah, you didn’t even have to explain that." He followed her, absorbing the monster’s gene along the way and grabbing the ’lucky charm’.
[Rahta Beast, Hunter
[Tier: I
[Rarity: Rare
[Quality: High
[Features: None.]
’Everything’s the same, just a slightly higher Rarity, and there’s such a difference? Come to think of it... the Crystal Crusher and Spider Queen had even higher Rarity. What if we encounter a Rahta Beast equal to them in Rarity?’
A shiver ran through Kreyn as he pushed those thoughts aside. He’d come here with a goal, not to die.
"Ready?" Leora stopped at the passage.
"Sure. After you."
They stepped into the bright light, and after a few steps, a completely different scene unfolded before them, causing even Leora’s face to contort in shock.
Dozens of Rahta Beasts lay before them, but they were all asleep. Thick veins were attached to their backs, rushing upward in a single direction.
Hovering above each group of monsters was a single crystal with a rich emerald color and a pure radiance, feeding them energy directly through their flesh and blood.
Kreyn gulped.
He and Leora didn’t need an analyzer or Gukard’s experience to understand one thing.
It was Orazit, and these crystals were of the highest quality.
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