Catching up to the drill was a struggle until it slowed down. Without looking back, Lev stepped inside the bubble and dismissed his armor, knowing Hakim wouldn’t give him more than a second.
Downing a healing potion in two gulps, he summoned his armor again just in time for the construct to accelerate again, this time going at the maximum speed.
Everyone inside the connected bubble jerked, still not waking up. Blood also splashed on Lev’s armor, and this time, he couldn’t look away.
Clouds rumbled, the constant drizzle slowly transformed into extreme rainfall without any noticeable changes in the sky, and the corpses continued to remain corpses, a reminder of his mistake.
A huge, huge mistake.
He just wanted to take a peek. Covered in shadow mana and invisibility enchantments, Lev was as safe as he could be. How was he supposed to know that a fourth-threshold monster was within a hundred kilometers? And that a single look would alert it to his location?
There was much he wasn’t aware of, and yet, no part of him had any doubts about how unlikely the whole event had been. Fourth-threshold monsters were not something one came across every day, and the storm was known to bring about a calamitous number of second and third-threshold monsters with it. The ones beyond that had no interest in the mundane surface, so it made no sense for the Stormfury to be so close to the ground.
Had it been guided to him, like the Windstrider Warg?
Lev gnashed his teeth, pushing back the bile rising in his throat. It felt like a slap to his desires, the unscratchable itch explore the unknown. Except each time he stepped away from relative safety, something went exceptionally wrong, and also in the most spectacular fashion.
Even right now, he refused to look in the direction where a battle was taking place. A massive lightning bolt descended from the skies, only to be destroyed by a flash of silver in the same instant.
Had Lev decided to stay and observe, the explosion would’ve erased every last particle that made up his body.
An intense shiver wracked his body. He had been naive, unbelievably so. The recent improvements were the only reason he had survived for as long as he had, but that shouldn’t have been enough to distract him from reality.
Luck was firmly not on his side. Many hunters died in Runespires, a Master guard died outside Windkeep, and scouts now paid the price for his stupidity. It could’ve been Beatrice’s death just as easily as his own.
How long until the coin toss landed on the side of total annihilation? How long until even Hakim wouldn’t be enough?
He didn’t know, and he really didn’t want to, either.
Over the next minute, the drill’s trajectory straightened. What little willpower Lev could spare during the battle was dedicated to ensuring a good angle as it tilted downwards so the drill could go deep underground.
The same willpower was still active, so he dispersed it and took over manually.
His senses and some part of his soul began to grow increasingly alarmed. The Stormfury and Hakim were letting loose more of her strength, except more elements had been added into the mix.
Despite the ridiculous distance, he could still decipher some of the impressions.
Blood Tide had taken to the battlefield, it seemed, and so had Drakys. That was fine until Lev felt a way more familiar presence, his breath getting caught in his throat.
Sherron was also joining the fray, and her influence was as unmistakable as her strength. Empowered by the storm, she stood out like a crown, a step more elevated than everything else arrayed in front of her.
Temptation, fear, worry, and a tinge of madness whispered in Lev’s ears. His mental state was too vulnerable, and his buried anxiety reared its ugly head.
It was entirely possible that this was the last time he would get a glimpse of Sherron. The Stormfury was beyond all of humanity combined as long as Hakim wasn’t considered, and it could take away something very precious to Lev. Something no one else could replace.
Enchantments on his armor were carved again at impressive speeds, though the idea of checking the notifications didn’t even cross his mind. He had a lot of mana, did he not? That could make a difference. Maybe he could-
Reality came crashing down on his shoulders when the Hunter pinged him with their aura. They, too, were running away from the battle, knowing damn well that any attempts to be useful would only be a hindrance.
I hate this. Lev breathed out deeply, leaning against the tiny bubble and blinking repeatedly. I hate this so much.
It was so incredibly frustrating to be beyond useless. His presence wouldn’t just be negligible. No, it would actively add another variable that all the Exalted would need to protect and divide their attention for.
Head hung low, Lev guided the drill downwards. Catching his drift, the Hunter carved a tunnel for him to move underground, towards a safe shelter.
****
Several kilometers underground and far, far away from the battle, the unconscious humans were lying on the ground. Those still alive were provided with pillows in one corner, and food was prepared in advance for when they woke up soon.
On the other side of the bubble, Lev wiped his face for the tenth time, feeling his stomach finally settling down. The tear streaks on his cheeks were marred with more than a little blood, a consequence of his walking around with such a battered body.
The past ten minutes had been the hardest of his life. Creating bags for the corpses was easy. His practice allowed him to easily soften his barriers at the right places, forming a material similar to clothes.
Picking up the corpses with his own hands and setting them down in the bags, however, was infinitely more difficult. None of the faces survived despite the brief contact with the Stormfury’s lightning. Their bodies were also mostly held together by burned bones.
When he sealed shut the final bag, it had not provided him any relief. If anything, the thought of so desperately seeking something like relief in front of the bodies had caught him completely unprepared, and Lev had spent the next few minutes retching until even his Master body hurt from head to toe.
“Thank you,” he voiced out loud, knowing the Hunter would hear, for they kept him company during the depressing moment. “I’m going to wake them up now.”
The Hunter’s presence vanished almost completely. Lev looked up, staring at the stone ceiling beyond the barrier cube they were inside. Invisibility and concealment enchantments didn’t hide what was outside, and he could almost see the storm through the stone.
Let’s get this over with, he thought to himself with a sigh, feeling more drained than he thought possible. I can’t wait to return to the fort again.
Not even a few days had passed in subjective time, and yet, it felt like years had elapsed in the short time they had run away from the fort to escape the ant. And now, three of them were dead.
Sighing again, he went over to the unconscious humans. Starting with Beatrice, he sent a dense pulse of healing mana through her body, mainly her head.
With a strained gasp, she shot to her feet, barriers forming around her while a spear appeared in her hands.
Lev took in her immediate response with dull eyes. She wildly looked around, her armored feet clinking as she spun in circles. Only when she deemed the location to be safe did she turn to him, freezing when their eyes met.
Slowly, she turned to the distant corner of the cube. Three body bags were arrayed there, painting a picture that needed no explanation.
Ignoring her after that, Lev sent pulses into the scouts one by one, and he almost wished he hadn’t. Both teams were seasoned, possessing a wealth of experience and just as much callousness when it came to life and death.
And yet, all of them reacted with palpable grief, tearing up while forgetting about the harrowing event they had just lived through.
Their world narrowed to the corpses, and nothing else mattered. Lev closed his eyes tightly and opened up the bags slightly. Retching sounds echoed in the bubble, making him wish his ears would temporarily stop working.
His soul almost jumped out of his body when soft arms wrapped around him from behind. Beatrice didn’t say a word when he turned to look at her, only hugging him gently, her armor stored. She didn’t try to comfort him with words, nor did she try to show her gratitude for saving her.
Instead, she just existed, knowing that no rational thoughts would get through to him right now. She provided the much-needed company as the scouts came to terms with their new reality.
A few minutes later, the only remaining scout leader got up and moved up to the duo. Beatrice took a step away after that, giving Lev a barely noticeable smile.
“Was it quick?” the scout asked.
“It was,” Lev replied without hesitation. “Faster than I could possibly contend against.”
Her eyes didn’t change, just as dead as before. “I see.”
Then she walked up to a corner of the bubble, sat down, and quietly hugged her knees. Occasional sniffles echoed in the construct, each as loud as a blaring alarm despite being barely audible.
A while later, both teams were in a similar condition. Lev and Beatrice sat on their barrier seats, whereas the scouts huddled close together on the bubble floor, finding comfort in the company of those who survived.
He considered saying something, as much for them as himself, but what could he even tell them? That they were incredibly lucky for surviving? The same survival had come at the cost of three lives, and they didn’t even know just how bad things had gotten.
In the end, he also decided to tell no one about why the scouts had to die in Beatrice’s stead. That was going to be his burden alone, and he was going to remember the misery and cost of weakness till his dying breath.
For a long time, they just remained where they were. No thoughts passed through Lev’s head, only the constant drowsiness from being mentally and physically drained.
Beatrice’s passive aura helped increase his regeneration to actively heal the body, but that did nothing for the mind.
Eventually, the stone next to the bubble parted in a circular tunnel, shaped specifically to allow for the bubble’s passage. The Hunter didn’t reveal themselves, only silently telling them to start moving.
Lev glanced at the scouts, noting the tiny hints of surprise but no alarm, and commanded the bubble to move forward. The tunnel was smooth, keeping them well below the surface while also being hardened to protect against intrusion.
Behind them, the end of the tunnel also closed. Stone seamlessly joined together as they progressed, removing any traces of the carved path and creating more of it in front.
“We should eat,” Beatrice voiced after hours of silent travel.
Lev soundlessly created a table and summoned all the previously forgotten food on top of it. Small barrier plates formed under the tableware, enchanted with mild heating runes. A bit of mana later, the aroma of many dishes spread throughout the bubble.
The promise of a tasty meal somehow got to them. The surviving girl leader stood up first, a bit of life returning to her gaze. One by one, she took the hands of all the other scouts and led them to the table, staying there until they were seated and actually looking towards the food.
Beatrice and Lev also joined them, electing to just drink water. He also realized just how dirty he was, and how his throat was parched and filled with dried blood.
Though, for some reason, his feet remained glued to the bubble floor. He couldn’t move to rinse his mouth, for this was probably the only opportunity he would get to come clean. But he also didn’t want to come clean, for that would make things worse for no reason. There was nothing in his power that he could have done to avoid some deaths, so taking extra blame was just pointless.
“It was a conscious choice,” Lev blurted out before he could stop himself. “The lightning only hit one person because that was the best I could do in that situation. That single attack also killed the other two closest. Had I chosen someone else to be in its way, more of us would’ve died, or, most likely, all of us would if I had been as much as grazed by the element.”
Blessedly, or incredibly stressfully in Lev’s case, the meal progressed in silence after that. The implications were obvious, almost jumping out of his words, except no one called out for him.
Everyone just accepted that he might’ve chosen Beatrice or himself over the scouts.
To distract himself, he opened the notifications waiting for him.
[
Advanced Barrier Carving has evolved into Augmented Carving.
Augmented Carving - 2nd Level 1:
Speed is your friend. Barrier Enchanting is accelerated to accomodate for your fast-paced battles. All Carving speed for your element is increased by 71%
2nd Rank: Expend Willpower to drastically accelerate the process. Furthermore, while your carved runes are empowered by willpower, the harmony between enchantments is slightly easier to perceive.
]
[
Advanced Mana Perception has evolved into Arcane Intuition.
Arcane Intuition - 2nd Level 1:
Peer into the surface-level workings of mana. The intent behind skills and other manipulations is easier to observe, letting you plan for their effects better. The effectiveness of Perception for perceiving mana is boosted slightly.
2nd Rank: Slightly heightened effectiveness inside your manipulation range.
]
[
Arcane Barrier Authority has reached 4th Level 8
Expeditious Empowerment has reached 4th Level 7
Dance of the Elements has reached 2nd Level 3
Your title has upgraded
]
The upgrades were ridiculous, containing a wealth of new possibilities. Daunting Steps VII was also a nice upgrade, something he hadn’t seen in a while. It provided him with 10 more points for each attribute. Still, regardless of how much he wanted to dive into the new additions, he stopped himself from doing so before proper rest and a bath.
More hours passed, and at some point, the bubble’s speed increased. The Hunter easily kept up with that, and after yet another two such accelerations, they finally reached their destination. Some tunnels deep under the fort, to be precise.
The Hunter’s presence, the sliver intentionally revealed to Lev, vanished completely. On their own, Lev double checked his armor and Stargazer’s enchantments, not finding anything immediately wrong.
Good enough, he inhaled deeply. Looking back, he gauged the readiness of his fellow humans and created a door in the bubble, stepping out onto the stone floor.
A step behind him, the ground rumbled. Lev waited, keeping a large, enchanted, and invisible plate floating over him.
Less than a second later, a rat burst out of the stone and impaled itself on the barrier spike that formed in a blink.
[
You have slain [Tunnel Rat - Level 188]
]
Dozens more died in the next minute, and each time, a plate was already waiting for them. None of the monsters had the presence of mind to notice the traps, nor were they fast enough to dodge them even if they did.
When no more enemies were forthcoming, everyone else stepped out of the bubble. The bubble was also dissolved entirely, currently possessing only a few enchantments that could be recreated with ease.
More importantly, the kills were detected. A few heartbeats later, the tunnel they were in brightened to an extreme degree.
“WHO’S THERE!?”
“Two scout teams and two Masters. Just returned after fleeing for a while,” Lev replied, his voice calm yet loud.
The flashlight dimmed, letting him see the astonished look on the young man’s face. Competence, it seemed, was valued greatly in the fort, for the man immediately led them towards the shelters instead of questioning or keeping them down there for even a second longer.