Aster struggled midair, trying to find anything he could grab onto. Thankfully, he was falling close to the edge of the cliff, and with a little bit of fast thinking, he pulled his sword and stabbed it into the wall, trying to slow down his fall.
"ARGH!"
But as expected, using his non-dominant left hand to hold the sword was a little bit too rash. He could feel that his shoulder had dislocated from the sudden stop, but through sheer force of will, and the fear of death, he kept his grip on the handle, not letting go.
"STAR! Oh no, hang on!"
Cassy, who peeked down the edge with the others, quickly found him dangling dangerously by the cliff's face. Their expressions were filled with worry and panic as they moved around, rummaging through their packs and finding anything that could help.
Kali was the first one to find a thick rope, and without hesitation, she tied one end around her waist, while running to tie the other end to a nearby rock. Then, without saying anything to the others, she jumped down the edge!
"...!"
Tina and Liz, fortunately, were alert. They quickly grabbed the middle of the rope and tried to pull it up. The impact due to Kali's weight, however, was so great that it caused rope burns to the two's hands, as they gradually gained control of it.
Kali was single-mindedly heading closer to Aster and quickly grabbed him in her embrace as soon as he was within arm's reach.
"Good! Pull us up!"
"Hmmmph!"
Cassy and Lory moved too, assisting Tina and Liz in pulling the two up. It didn't take a minute before they finally reached the edge, and were pulled into safety.
"Ugh... I almost died..." Aster sighed, panting hard from the mix of pain and relief.
He suffered a dislocated shoulder and a slight burn on the back of his hand. Kali, who went to save him, had rope burns around her waist, where the rope bit, with a part of it bleeding lightly.
Tina and Liz both had rope burns on their hands. They literally had the skin of their hands peeled off from the friction!
After that, Kali prepared to scale the cliff face again. This time, she made sure to tie the rope around her more securely, and not only around her waist. It was like an impromptu harness, wrapped around her waist and thighs, keeping her in a safe hold.
After making doubly sure that she was ready, they slowly dropped Kali down to the same part where Aster fell. They lowered the rope slowly, making sure that it wouldn't snap from rubbing against the edge of the cliff. Experience magic at m v le mpyr
A minute or so later, the rope's length had finally reached its limit. At that moment, Kali's voice was heard from below.
"Shit! There's really a cave here!"
"...!"
Everyone gasped at this revelation. A cave entrance was hidden in the face of a deadly cliff. Without a doubt, it's an untouched part of the fifth floor!
"Is there a platform where you can land?!"
Aster shouted toward her, trying to communicate. Kali descended even more, before shouting back. "There is! A small protrusion of about one meter from the wall!"
After that, the following events went fast.
First, with Kali's help, they set up a rope guide from the top of the cliff and into the cave. Then, they reinforced the rope and added a few ascender or friction knots using extra rope, allowing one to go up and down the said rope guide easily.
After that, everyone carefully went down to where Kali was and stood at the entrance of the dark cave. Everyone managed to descend safely, with Aster being the last one to descend.
"..."
Aster stared at his right hand, seeing that the Magic Carved Seal of the Frostfire Legacy was glowing once again. But this time, it didn't come with pain, but more like a gentle glow.
"I think you already guessed this, but..." Liz commented lightly, pointing into the cave. "Judging from the proximity, this must lead us into the crypt's interior too."
"I think so too." Aster nodded. "Then, everyone. Let's go check it out first, and see where this cave truly leads."
They quickly took out portable flashlights—a part of their emergency supplies—and carefully entered the dim cave. Nobody knows what was waiting for them inside just yet.