"Damn, flame serpents, fire mephits, red goblins, burning drakes and even scorch lizards, this really is a war between elements." Ladius who was under strict supervision literally bounded up and down in an attempt to get a better view of the enemy.
The monster species weren't anything she hadn't seen herself or at least read about but seeing them here in Yangmir and the Glacial mountains was...unique. Fire monsters may have a distinct advantage over ice monsters but the chances of them actually meeting and duking it out in nature are slim to none given their opposing habitats habitats. This whole scene was an impossibility, naturally speaking.
Ladius' eyes sparkled and despite Terrance and his team doing their best to restrain her the avid investigator still managed to wriggle free from their grasp and run to wall's edge with her many scanners. She desperately needed to document this unique scenario, never before had there been such an elemental clash of this magnitude.
The federation would be singing her praises and then some once headquarters got their hands on this data.
"Miss Ladius please don't leave my side again or I'll be forced to abscond with you to the lower levels." Terrance who promptly appeared next to her at the wall's edge grabbed her shoulder hard and smiled in a way that wasn't a smile. He was mad.
Ladius however completely ignored his words and withdrew more and more scanners with her free hand. Nothing would get in the way of her research not even Terrance and her team. Unfortunately her excitable actions and booming voice got the attention of the fire monsters who looked over in confusion.
"Commander there's a group of sapients among the enemy." A D-rank flame crow reported the situation to the C-rank fire serpent who was the newly designated commander.
"Sapients? What are they doing interfering in the war? Why didn't Lord Karrick's brother devour them beforehand?" The fire serpent commander frowned, confused by the situation. Karrick ordered for all those currently delving in his dungeon to be consumed hours before the war was even set to start.
Their bountiful DP thus served to facilitate their mass offensive and prevented any untoward intrusions into their glorious war.
"Are they slaves?"
"Unclear but the enemy is completely ignoring their presence." The crow responded with what it knew before flying back into the air.
"Strange....you send a team to quickly take care of them."
'Whatever their purpose or reason for being here it doesn't matter they'll die all the same.'
"Yes ma'am" Another D-rank monster responded before ordering a team to take out Ladius and Terrance.
"Hoh looks like we've got company." Terrance muttered under his breath after noticing a group of fire monsters heading in their direction and Frost's forces wilfully ignoring such actions.
"Get behind me miss Ladius."
"But."
"Perhaps we should move to another area lest you continue to interfere." Findlay appeared amiable but his words were tinged with irritation. This was supposed to be a war between dungeon cores and yes Frost did allow them to take part and document the event but was it really necessary to use their B-rank strength and their auras against a group of E and D-rank opponents, overkill much.
"We'll take you up on that suggestion....sorry." Terrance, Quintep, Ariana, Mammon and Ladius thus followed Findlay away from the battlefield so the war could continue properly.
"Ruined, a perfectly good opportunity to observe and catalogue an impossible war and you had to go and blow it just for a chance to show off your strength." Ladius sulked and berated Terrance and his team who hung their heads in shame.
Terrance just wanted to guarantee their charge's safety and for the fire monsters to stop aiming for her and thus interfere with her research never imagining it would backfire to such a degree.
"I'll inform my master about the situation, but I think it'd be best if you don't show up on the battlefield anymore. He wanted his brother to learn something and perhaps hit a wall not collapse into complete despair." Findlay continued his accusations.
"Sorry." And Terrance apologised once again.
The situation back in the second floor's final section remained awkward even after Terrance and his team left with Findlay. The shock among Karrick's forces was just too much. There was at least 3 B-rank fighters among the enemy, opponents that could easily crush them without batting an eye. They felt like children playing war.
On the seventh floor of Karrick's dungeon Frost was marching through the second section with sweat trickling down his brow, the heat increased another grade once they entered this floor making it very, very uncomfortable.
"Why did I ever agree to this war?" He questioned this decision several times throughout the delve, the heat even with the use of the ice veil and the conjuring of cold flames was still getting through every so often and he despised it.
"What's so good about warm weather anyway?"
"Absolutely nothing milord." Khuno who was wreathed in white fur was no less irritated by his discomfort.
"Let's just finish this as soon as possible and get back to where we belong." Frost summoned a few tendrils of cold flames to wrap around his body, lowering his body temperature.
"Master are you busy?" Loki's voice suddenly appeared telepathically.
"Another report? Did Karrick make it to the third floor already?" Frost asked with no small amount of shock. Perhaps he underestimated his brother.
"Umm not exactly there was a little incident." Loki then went on to explain what happened with Ladius and her security guards.
"......" Frost was silent in response.
'Didn't they say they'd be discreet and only interfere when necessary.' He wanted to teach Karrick a lesson, to eventually show him the power that sapients could bring to the table not have it blow up in his face. He didn't want Karrick to give up now that he'd started to truly enjoy this war, bar the heat of course.