Reign nodded, understanding the specter's reasoning, though still slightly annoyed at the lack of warning last time.
"Thank you for the advice," he said, leading the team onto the elevator platform.
As they descended into the depths, the temperature dropped, and the oppressive heat of the desert above was replaced by a cool, damp air. The sound of the elevator's magical levitation echoed through the cavern, heightening the tension among the group.
When the elevator came to a halt, they stepped out into a vast underground cavern. The bioluminescent moss covering the walls provided just enough light to navigate by, casting eerie green glows over the jagged rock formations and winding tunnels.
"This... Isn't the same place we were the last time." Reign stated with a solemn expression as the specter suddenly appeared behind them.
"Correct, the elevator will take you to a different place each time you go down, each trip will be different, some more dangerous than the others."
"Great, just what we needed, a randomizer on top of the dangerous place we are exploring.". Shadow said with a growl as the specter chuckled.
"Worry not, you will never be sent somewhere that is too dangerous for you, but the locations have to change each time simply because we need to let other teams that might come in the future have the chance to explore without worrying about other teams."
Reign nodded at the specter's explanation, appreciating the logic despite the added complexity. "Thank you for the clarification."
The specter vanished, leaving them alone in the cavern. Reign turned to his team, his eyes scanning the environment. "Alright, stay sharp."
"Remember the advice—don't stray too far from the elevator."
"Let's start exploring."
The team moved cautiously, their weapons at the ready. The cavern was eerily silent, the only sounds being their footsteps and the occasional drip of water echoing through the space.
They walked in formation, Reign, Greenie, and Wolf at the front, Mia, Aelrinder, Laura, and Shadow in the middle, and Beast, Tank, and Jin covering the rear.
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As they ventured deeper, they encountered their first challenge. A group of lizard-like creatures, each about the size of a horse, emerged from the shadows. Their eyes glowed with a predatory gleam, and their sharp claws scraped against the rocky floor.
"Get ready," Reign said, his voice low but steady.
"Don't forget to keep an eye out for other monsters, you all know what happened the last time we were here."
"We need to work together to bring this one down fast!" Reign called out, narrowly dodging a swipe from the lizard's massive claws.
"On it!" Wolf replied, coordinating his attacks with Reign's to keep the lizard off balance. Meanwhile, Mia, Laura, and Shadow focused on the spiked insectoid.
Mia and Laura unleashed a barrage of elemental attacks, aiming for its joints and softer underbelly. The insectoid, however, was too fast and managed to dodge each attack with ease before being attacked by Shadow, who stepped out of the monster's shadow the moment the latter sidestepped to dodge the attacks.
He stabbed the monster between the joints, but the moment he did so, the insectoid quickly jumped back, dodging what would have been a serious injury.
Shadow grimaced as the insectoid countered his strike, but he kept his movements fluid, dodging its retaliatory swipe. He circled around, looking for another opening.
"We need to slow it down!" Mia shouted, her frost swirling around her as she grabbed her sword, ready to join Shadow if there was a need to do so.
Shadow glanced at her before nodding his head. He quickly used his darkness, causing the ground 20 meters around him to darken before shadowy hands appeared from below, grabbing the insectoid that screeched in response.
Mia didn't wait as she conjured a powerful ice spike and hurled it at the insectoid's legs. The spike hit its mark, encasing one of the insectoid's legs in ice and momentarily halting its movement.
"Nice shot!" Laura said, taking advantage of the brief pause to launch a barrage of demonic fireballs at the creature's exposed underbelly.
The fireballs exploded on impact, searing through the exoskeleton and eliciting a high-pitched screech from the insectoid.
Meanwhile, Reign and Wolf continued their coordinated assault on the armored lizard. Reign's sword found purchase between the scales, creating small, bleeding wounds, while Wolf's greatsword smashed against the creature's back, causing it to roar in pain.
"Keep it up!" Reign urged, sensing the lizard's weakening state.
The insectoid, despite its injuries, lashed out with renewed ferocity. It broke free of the ice encasing its leg and charged at Shadow, mandibles snapping. Shadow nimbly avoided the attack, using the momentum to leap onto the insectoid's back, driving his daggers into the joints near its head.
Shadow smirked dangerously as he poured his mana into his daggers, causing them to turn black as his darkness rushed into the body of the monster.
Nearly at the same time as that, Reign managed to slip between the legs of the lizard before slashing from below, cutting his belly apart and causing it to fully focus on him and roar in pain.
It was just a second, but it was enough for Wolf to jump high up and make his sword bright from the immense temperature contained in it.
He slashed down at the lizard's giant neck, cutting through it in the same moment Shadow pulled his daggers to both sides with full force.
Both monsters were decapitated at the same moment.