The gathering at the wall's base was impressive, nearly 200 level 10 warriors assembled for today's mission.
Enid joined her team, exchanging quiet greetings. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation; everyone knew what today meant.
Von Lucien stood beside Von Elio at the front of the assembled group, his presence lending additional gravity to the moment. When he stepped forward to speak, the murmur of conversations died instantly.
"Today," his voice carried clearly across the gathering, "we stand at the threshold of our greatest endeavor yet. The fourth deposit isn't merely another source of power, according to God's books, it is the key to reclaiming part of the outside world."
A ripple of excitement passed through the crowd.
The outside world, it seemed like an impossible dream, yet here they were, on the verge of making it reality.
Von Elio took over, his eyes scanning the assembled warriors.
"We've come this far together," he said, his voice carrying that quiet authority that had drawn so many to follow him. "Let's make sure we all return together, just as we did after the water artromus."
Enid felt her heart skip a beat when his gaze passed over her section. She wasn't sure if he actually looked at her specifically, but she liked to think he had.
♢♢♢♢
After climbing the 500 meters wall...
They moved as one toward the edge, where the sea of cores stretched out before them.
The landscape had changed dramatically since they began their campaign, large sections now lay clear of locus, the accumulated cores of a century almost fully harvested were now just some meters from the floor.
The descent into the monster sea was almost routine now.
Even with their enhanced perception, the ground seemed to rush past at dizzying speeds as they fell in formation toward the tunnel entrance below.
Once inside, they settled into a steady pace through the winding passages. At level 10, they could easily maintain speeds approaching 200 kilometers per hour, but no one pushed themselves to the limit.
"Ten chambers," Mei murmured while studying the challenge before them, her analytical mind already working through the patterns. "Each with ten Locus. The progression is fascinating..."
Lila barely heard her companion's observations. Her thoughts wandered down the other tunnel, wondering if this way of group division had really been necessary. Couldn't she have been more effective if...? The questions plagued her mind, each one a fresh twist of the knife in her heart.
"Concentration!" Brok's voice ripped her from her ruminations just in time to catch a particularly aggressive Locus's attack.
With her bare hands.
What happened to the poor monster would remain forever sealed in the memories of Brok, Kriz, Mei, and Aria only. The scene that unfolded... Lila's idea of "relaxation therapy", was both impressive and somewhat disturbing.
Her sad, desperate laughter did little to soften the impact of what they had just witnessed.
♢♢♢♢
Meanwhile, in the parallel tunnel, Elio's group faced their own challenge. Waves of three Locus appeared in perfect synchronization.
Level 10 power made these encounters seem almost routine, but nobody lowered their guard. The memory of fallen comrades kept them sharp, focused.
When the final Locus fell, the emblems remained in Lila and Elio's hands...
As they emerged and found themselves facing the chamber of the lesser Fire King, the two groups reunited and Mei acquired all the data. The analyst in her couldn't help but see the patterns emerging from their challenges.
"It's as if the system is trying to make us test different configurations," she observed, her mind connecting the dots. "The long tunnels are 1, 2, 3, 4... And in the other tunnel: 10, 20, 50, 100."
Zara nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes. "As if it's trying to teach us something with each type of challenge."
When they decided the positions for the final encounter, Kriz approached Lila. His usual mischievous energy seemed subdued, tempered by concern for his friend.
"Looks like you'll fight alongside Von Elio after all today," Kriz commented, trying to lift her spirits with exaggerated eyebrow movements and playful faces.
Lila nodded weakly. Yes, she would fight beside him... but not in the way her heart yearned for.