The couple returned to the hanger. The oppressive aura from the cave prevented them from even attempting to enter it. There was also the issue of the essence of the demon. It didn't dissipate.
They didn't linger. It was easy to get sidetracked and they were both eager to move to the tunnel. It had been almost a year since they had first discovered it. The long wait to try this Avenue had finally arrived.
They both walked towards the edge of the cliff. Braxton said "I'll see you at the bottom." Then dove off the cliff. Call it a leap of faith, he had yet to test the glide skill. He had faith because of all the other skills he had used in the past. He was no longer a green rookie on this world.
Vixen dove off right behind him. It was also her first time testing this skill. It suited her much better. She found this experience exhilarating. She was able to maneuver more than Braxton because her skill was higher level. As a result, she was able to land closer to the tunnel entrance.
The tunnel was huge. It was two hundred feet wide and fifty feet high at least. The color of the light emanating from inside the tunnel was blue, it was a darker blue shade. It pervaded the whole area the same way the red covered the surface. The trees on this level seemed petrified. At least the ones at the cave's entrance did. There was also grass, it was black in color but, color aside it looked like normal grass.
Vixen waited for Braxton to return to the cave. This was a moment they had been working toward together. It wouldn't be the same for either if they proceeded alone.
There were no creatures in view at the entrance. The couple crossed the threshold of the cave together. "Welcome to the Blast Furnace." Alpha chimed in.
"How did Alpha know what the name of this new level was?" Braxton asked aloud.
"What do you mean?" Vixen inquired.
"Think about it. There has to be some connection. No matter how you look at it, there has to be information transmitting between some being and someone in my father's company. How else would they have known the creature name I killed and that it was from the Hellforge level. Now we walk into this level and we are told it's called the Blast Furnace. Initially it seems very cool, just like playing a video game. But it's really quiet creepy. Unless we are not the first to reach this area." Braxton stated.
"It's possible someone climbed down and came in here." Vixen responded.
"It's possible. I doubt it, but I suppose it's possible." Braxton replied.
"Well it isn't going to do us any good to dwell on it right now. Maybe the answers to those questions will present themselves. I could just be that guy that kidnapped you." Vixen responded quickly.
The couple moved into the blue environment further. It took a little for their eyes to adjust to the new surroundings. It was darker but still light enough to see easily. The more they walked the more it opened up. In places the roof appeared flat. It was almost another like an atmospheric layer that had been piled on. There were hills that rose close to that layer, yet didn't touch it. It was like they had entered a whole new world. It was hidden behind the vale of mountains and walls.
The creatures looked stronger here. The nonaggressive ones all had more spikes and horns. Some had blade like appendages. They all looked better able to defend themselves. The creatures without those types of defenses had very thick hides or armored shells.
"Looks like we may as well pick some targets here. We can clear out a space for a base camp, while we sort out how hard it will be to get our kills. Sound like a plan?" Braxton suggested.
"Let's kill something and see how it goes. At least we don't have any humanoids to deal with in this space yet." Vixen decided.
"Ok, let's pick something besides ants." Braxton said dryly.
The couple took some time to locate a creature that was alone. They also made sure it was the only one of its kind nearby. The creature was similar to the thick armored armadillo they had killed above. This one had quills on the top of its spine. It also had horns. They weren't long and they looked more like hooks than horns. The body of the creature was close to four feet around and six feet long.
It wasn't more than three hundred yards away and it was facing them. Braxton said "I'll see if the Regal sniper rifle will get the job done first. If it won't, we can move through the other weapons."
"Go ahead. I don't think this creature is likely to attack at all. It looks like a defensive only type." Vixen said casually.
Braxton summoned the trusty sniper rifle. He zoomed in on its eye. There wasn't any wind and it was close. It took less then thirty seconds to setup the shot. Then he squeezed the trigger gently. His aim was true it blew the eyeball out. It didn't attack. It turned around and started waddling away quickly.
"That was a bust." Vixen said as she stood up and drew her new sword. She started moving towards the target, increasing speed as she went. She got about twenty feet away when the ground opened up under the armadillo. It was a sandy section of earth and a insectile creature came out of it. It started attacking. The armadillo like creature sank into the depression and curled into a ball after the first sword like claw pierced it abdominal region. The horns locked into the last armor plate on its body.
Vixen was moving to fast to stop on such short notice. She launched herself over the entangled creatures.
The insectile creature's sword-like forward claws were hammering into the armor plating repeatedly searching for any chink. The armadillo's quills were launched in all directions. Three of them pierced Vixen's armor. Out of the hundreds that hit her that wasn't too bad. They did poke through the thin areas near the joints on the back of her knees. It was a crippling injury, thankfully the armadillo had no more quills.
The quills also pierced the insect's armor causing it to try to flee. It was tangled and half of its body was under the ground. Braxton switched to the auto laser rifle. He blasted away at the insect. As usual targeting the eyes. The eyeball blew up easily. The laser cracked the armor but didn't penetrate it. With the second failure he switched to his new sword. Vixen's cries of pain had him worried and he was eager to put an end to this battle.
He activated the laser beam that ran around the edge of his sword as he ran into the fray. The sword braced and aimed at the wounded eye. The blade went in like it was slipping into warm butter and burst out the opposite side. "Are you ok?" Braxton called into his comlink.
"I'll be ok, but I can't pull these things out and they have barbs. Hurry the fuck up and get over here. They feel like they are burrowing in deeper." Vixen cried.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. I still need to finish the armadillo. I just killed the other one." Braxton replied.
"Just hurry!" Vixen repeated, clearly she was in agony.
Braxton looked over the armadillo and quickly located the hooks. After two clean blows the horns were severed. It still took a little effort to wedge his blade between the armor. Without the horns locked in place, he was able to kill it quickly.
After he finished the second kill, he quickly went to Vixen. "I guess that's what you get for rushing in. Hold still." Braxton ordered.
He tried to pull out the first quill. It was in deep and held fast. He was picking up her leg by the quill. "Ow fuckhead! That shit hurts!" Vixen cried.
He stepped on the back of her calf to hold it still. Then grabbed ahold of it again and yanked it with all his might in a quick motion. Blood spurted out of the wound. Vixen screamed, cried and cursed all in one. The process was repeated twice more. Vixen's face was streaked with tears. After the quills were removed, the nanites were able to seal the wounds. "Alpha said, I'll need surgery to removed the rest of the quills. Six of the barbs broke off. The nanites can track them easily enough but can't remove them." Vixen informed him.
"That's odd. Did it give a reason why?" Braxton inquired.
"The barbs are toxic when they dissolve. It a paralytic toxin with permanent effects if it's untreated. So you need to get me back soon. If they breakdown it might not be treatable. It has to be done at your father lab. The nanites have to be turned off so they can operate." Vixen stated calmly.
"Good thing we have portals." Braxton responded sincerely. Then he added " I'll get it setup and we can leave right now."
"It not a big rush. Load up the kills then we can go. I want to eat that fucker for revenge." Vixen stated savagely.