Crouching low in the brush of the forest, I stared out over the empty clearing before sneaking forwards, my boots gliding over the leaf covered grass as I made my way forwards, flitting between rocks and boulders to reach a point near the back of the Monster Den.
The Ants and other monsters were all gathering at the edge of the clearing, staring out into the sky and observing the billows of smoke that rose lazily into the air, each of them grunting and growling at one another as if asking what that was and what happened.
Seeing that they were all still so distracted - and that the flying monsters were taking to the skies to go scout the battlefield - I decided to scale the Monster Den and take position above the gathering of monsters, sticking low to the cluster of boulders and mud that comprised the entrance of this structure.
I looked around the forest and located the others, before focusing on Jahi as she made eye contact with me, her amethysts hidden from this distance, but the flash of gold wasn't.
A sigh escaped my lips as I watched that flash grow to a blinding brilliance that stole the attention of the monsters, their grunts and growls growing louder as they made their way towards the light.
Jahi leapt forwards with her mana spilling from her palms, creating a trail of shining gold that she hurled towards the monsters - daggers made of Light Mana sliced through the air and embedded themselves into the monsters skulls, killing them instantly.
"I guess that's the signal... hah..."
Shaking my head, I stood up and traced out runes swiftly, waving my hands and sending out a barrage of icicles that shattered amongst the crowds, lacerating the monsters and spreading my frost.
I switched to single target spells after that initial volley, picking off the stronger enemies as Anput and Nirinia streamed forwards, their blades raised as they crashed against the monsters, carving their way through them and making their way towards the entrance of the Monster Den.
Leone stepped out of the forest and mirrored me, lobbing lances of flames through the air and putting down anything that looked dangerous or that got too out of line.
We made short work of the monsters, with the Ants requiring the most attention as they molded their chitin with Earth Mana, turning the already hardened plates of armor into impressive defenses, but...
Enough pressure or speed made those plates of mana imbued chitin worthless, and I got to watch as Nirinia and Jahi slashed their heavy blades through the armor like butter, while Anput pierced them with a rapier of her own.
Besides them, Leone and I brute forced the Ant's defenses and overwhelmed their mana with our own, killing them with powerful spells that cost us little to cast.
It took not even a minute to reduce the clearing to little more than puddles of blood and blood stained rocks, the monsters still not reaching a level where they were past a minor inconvenience for us when we were fighting them 'seriously'.
Dropping off the top of the Den, I landed beside Jahi and nodded to her as she led us inside, her palm radiating a bright golden light that illuminated the path into the earth while her other arm was hoisting a large tower shield that Anput made for her.
The earth around us was dark and packed, with pillars of stone holding up the ceiling and supporting the walls, expertly made and crafted by - presumably - the Ants that we saw outside, or at least their worker equivalent if they were the Soldier Ants...
We descended for a dozen or so feet before the tunnel evened out, and we sighed as we saw the various tunnels branching off of the path we were on, which lead further into the earth and farther away from where we were now; this was a massive complex beneath the surface, and just a cursory glance around was enough to tell that this place was going to be a pain to navigate.
"This is... something. I doubt this would be as simple as plug the entrance and leave, since these tunnels... some look freshly made. Besides, the mandibles on those Ants outside were quite powerful, and even if the workers only have a third of that power, they could still make their way through frozen soil. So..."
Letting the sphere of light float down the tunnel, Jahi planted her shield down as she glanced over her shoulder, asking "Should we delve deeper and get a better understanding of what's happening here, or should we leave and head over to the Bone Fortress? Either is a viable idea."
Approaching her, I stared down the tunnel and inspected the various entrances, my ears twitching as listened to the sounds of the monsters approaching us steadily, replying "Perhaps a slight investigation would do us good? Maybe we'll find out what is creating them, or where they come from?
However, let's not commit to being down here; I can already hear a vast number of monsters inside these tunnels."
Anput nodded, flourishing her sword and gesturing towards the end of the tunnel we were on as she said "Let's just go down the main path. Kat and I can block the entrances with our magics to stymie the flow a bit as we poke around. Though, I do hear something larger coming from this main path, so maybe not..? Are we risking it, or..?"
"No pain no gain, right? Risk is always balanced out with something needed, so let's head down. Sound good, Bluey~?"
Jahi let out a huff as she glared at the grinning Djinn, picking up her shield and stepping further into the Monster Den, making the rest of us settle into the usual formation as we followed behind her, trusting the Demoness' judgement like we always did.
Besides, despite her jovial tone, Nirinia was right; risk and reward usually balanced one another out, and while we might not make away with any physical treasures from this, the knowledge and experience gained would make it worth it.