Chapter 94 - Deeper Below

Chapter 94: 94 - Deeper Below

Morning came without sunlight, only the pale glow of the mana lamp near the center of the room. Adrien woke to Lucien checking the cords across both entrances, checking whether anything had disturbed them.

Amelia was already awake and packing the blankets while Lucien demanifested his bow once he was satisfied the camp had remained untouched. Keeping any item manifested constantly meant wasting mana.

They ate quickly, filled their waterskins and left soon afterward. The deeper ruins changed immediately. Passages widened into ancient halls before narrowing again between walls strangled by roots, while broken stairways vanished into collapsed upper levels. Even Amelia and Lucien could feel the denser mana.

For Adrien, Absolute Mana Sense provided much more. Signatures moved behind walls, beneath the floor and throughout the vegetation covering the ruins. One-Star creatures were still common, but Two-Star monsters appeared constantly now, and several Three-Star presences waited farther below.

"Three ahead," Adrien said as they approached another fractured archway. "Two beneath the floor. One behind the wall on the right."

Lucien extended his hand and manifested his bow, mana gathering until the dark weapon settled into his grip. Amelia summoned her mace and shield as well, staying several steps behind them. "I’ll keep the rear clear."

The first Root Crawler burst through the stone ahead, but Adrien felt it rising. Umbral Root manifested in his hand as he shifted left and cast [Frost Lance], freezing several exposed roots against the ground instead of wasting the spell against thicker wood.

"Right wall. Now."

Lucien released. A Barkling detached itself from the roots covering the wall at the exact moment the arrow reached it, taking the shot through the side of its head. The second Root Crawler emerged behind Amelia, but she was already turning. Her shield absorbed the first strike before she drove her mace into the thinner wood beneath one limb.

Adrien raised [Ice Wall] behind the creature, closing the passage and preventing it from retreating. Lucien repositioned and ended the fight with two arrows through the damaged section.

By midday, the architecture changed again. The corridor opened onto a colossal subterranean plaza, and all three stopped at the threshold. Several ruined buildings leaned toward each other across the far side, their upper levels fractured.

Broken columns lay across the stone, while roots thicker than houses crossed overhead. To the left, part of the plaza had collapsed into a vast drop whose bottom couldn’t be seen. Absolute Mana Sense filled with movement.

"A lot," Adrien said.

Lucien kept his bow manifested despite the continuous mana drain. "How many?"

"Mostly One and Two Stars. At least four Three Stars."

Amelia tightened her grip on the shield. "Then we should keep them in front of us."

Adrien nodded and stepped into the plaza. Barklings peeled away from walls and roots, Root Crawlers shifted beneath the stone, and several heavier signatures began moving from deeper sections.

Adrien cast [Veil of Mist], restricting it to the left half of the plaza. Dense white mist swallowed several Barklings and one Root Crawler while leaving the center visible. He followed with [Ice Wall] across a passage on the right, removing another approach entirely.

"Two routes. Lucien, left opening. I’ll hold the center. Amelia, stay where you can reach both."

Lucien moved into position. Adrien tracked every signature within the mist and called them as they approached. "Two meters. Low target."

An arrow disappeared into the white haze, and a Barkling fell out of it a second later. Another charged through the center, so Adrien formed two [Frost Lance] spells at once, driving one into its knee and the other into the floor beneath it. Ice spread across the stone, ruined its footing and left the creature exposed long enough for a third lance to pierce its neck.

One Root Crawler erupted near the edge of the mist and swept several roots across the ground. Adrien sensed the attack early and avoided most of it, although one root grazed his leg hard enough to tear the fabric and open a shallow cut.

Amelia reached him seconds later and placed one hand near the wound, closing it with a brief healing skill before returning to position. "Nothing serious."

"I know. Thanks."

More signatures converged on the plaza, including several Three-Star monsters. Adrien activated [Winter’s Reach], and cold spread steadily through the area. Frost crept over stone, roots and shattered columns while the ground hardened beneath the advancing creatures. Every Frost spell Adrien cast became stronger.

The largest Thornback entered next. Its body was almost twice the width of those they had fought the previous day, with overlapping bark covering its torso and thick thorns protruding from its shoulders.

"Don’t hit the chest," Adrien called. "Gap in the left shoulder. Right knee too."

The Thornback charged across the frozen ground. Adrien cast [Ice Wall] at an angle rather than directly in front of it. The creature crashed against the edge and was forced sideways, exposing its left shoulder. Lucien’s arrow immediately sank into the joint.

The Thornback broke through the damaged ice, reaching Amelia before Adrien could stop it completely. She caught one sweeping arm with her shield, staggered several steps from the impact and answered with her mace against its right knee.

Adrien followed with [Frost Lance]. The spell pierced the weakened joint and spread ice through the fractured wood, forcing the creature onto one side. Lucien’s next arrow entered beneath its jaw and brought it down.

When the remaining monsters stopped moving, Adrien kept Absolute Mana Sense expanded until he was certain nothing else was approaching. Only then did Lucien demanifest his bow, while Amelia dismissed her mace and shield to end the unnecessary mana drain.

They crossed the plaza more carefully afterward. Near the far side, several enormous roots had been torn from the walls, stone had been crushed inward, and deep impressions marked the ground between two ruined structures. Whatever had passed through there had been considerably larger than a Thornback.

Adrien focused farther below. At the edge of his perception, a dense mana signature remained almost motionless, stronger than anything Vael had warned them about. Around it, the ambient mana also continued increasing.

"The Heartroot Crystal should be deeper," Adrien said. "There’s a huge concentration of mana below us."

Lucien studied the damaged passage. "And something else?"

Adrien nodded. "Something alive."

They followed the lower route until a slow, heavy sound traveled through the ruins. It wasn’t a roar, nor anything resembling an animal cry. Somewhere far below, enormous wood began to creak.