Elder Nancy, Noxtis, Embervesent, and a group of 5 muscle stage soldiers gathered at the entrance to the cave. Leading the way, the five soldiers entered the cave followed by the trio.
Entering the cave for the first time, Noxtis surveyed the area and saw a few splatters of blood and gashes on the rock face to indicate an older fight had broken out in this small room.
The head soldier (who isn't the captain as he is staying at the camp) reported. "We already cleared this room and the other lesser savage beasts that came from deeper inside. We only stopped exploration due to the need to widen the cave entrance with it being so small. The demonic beasts seem to favor the darkness and avoid light."
Handing each of the group a belt studded with a couple of light stones, the head soldier told us to wrap the belt around the waist which provided a bright light for them to see. "These light stones will only last for a few hours, I have a few more in case of emergencies but we shouldn't spend too long in the cave. The captain informed me that if we stayed longer than 5 hours he would send a rescue party."
Nodding, the rest of the group headed deeper into the cave, and much like the small entryway the next room was also small. Wasting no time, the group kept advancing forward. after a few rooms, they met a small pack of lesser demonic beasts.
Swiftly charging them, the soldiers slashed at the jet-black spider beasts. Either slow because of their low strength or the glare from the light stones, the lesser spider beasts weren't even able to dodge the blows and ended up dying in an instant.
Four spider bodies slumped to the rocky ground dead, but with nothing worthwhile to harvest from such creatures, the soldiers piled the corpses to the side and continued their journey.
As they went deeper into the cave, the group quickly began to face larger packs of lesser demonic beasts and even some feral ones had been spotted. Spiders, insects, and some lizards were all living within the cave. Each room however also became slightly larger and there were occasional stone spike clusters along with very small pocket marks showing along the walls.
Elder Nancy took a brief moment to explain. "We won't come across worthwhile resources for a bit. Some caves in the Ironback Mountains are like this, a savage beast nest. They like to gather near sources of anima which usually means an attributed ore or metal or other valuable resources such as crystals. Some savage beasts are worth harvesting but only some of the stronger feral ones or higher will be worth scavenging."
Nodding in understanding, they kept going and their quick pace slowed down tremendously as the next room opened up to a large cavern where even their light belts weren't able to afford them too much vision. What their light was able to show them however was the hundreds of beady eyes staring at them.
With no warning or warcry, the swarm of spiders sprang forth and attacked. Even though they had prepared for such an occurrence, the numbers in this swarm of Lesser and a few Feral savage spiders were more than the soldiers could handle by themselves. Excited, Ember rushed before the group and waved for Noxtis to join her.
Already armed with her Dragonfang sword, Ember slashed horizontally across the largest pack of spiders and a crescent of blazing flames left the edge of her sword. The blazing crescent tore through many lesser spiders leaving them screeching on the floor as the flames licked their bodies.
Laughing at finally being able to let loose and equipt with the teachings of a true Sword Cultivation master, Embervesent was an untouchable fury of steel and flames that even the Crimson Scale soldiers couldn't help but admire.
Forming a defensive line at the entrance, the soldiers brought out large crimson shields that were shaped like curved rectangles which helped the five soldiers to defend against the swarm that crashed against them. Despite their incredible individual strength, Elder Nancy had ordered them ahead of time to preserve their strength and let the young ones have their fill of battle.
Spindly long legs covered in sharp hairs scratched against the crimson shields furiously as if the spiders had been sent into a frenzy by some unseen commander.
Even though the beasts weren't strong individually, the sheer amount spiders put the soldiers on the defensive to protect their charges. The thick mass pressed heavily against their defensive line, as many sharp legs and fangs tore at any and all spots in their defense. When the swarm had all but piled onto their shields, the head soldier shouted.
"PUSH!"
As one cohesive group, the soldiers pulled back slightly and slammed forward with all their might, their shields creating a blazing magical barrier that burned and disoriented the mass of spiders.
Taking the brief moment of reprieve, the soldiers attacked together and were able to kill a large chunk of the savage spiders before they came at the group once again. With a large amount of the lesser spiders falling, much more of the group began to consist of feral rank.
With their auras being a bright and fiery light compared to the skittering swarm of darkness, Noxtis felt out of place and knew he was the weakest of the group. Noxtis focused on targeting any spiders that attempted to sneak behind them or lept high above the soldier's shields.
'They are not ignoring you, your bloodline combined with my teachings has shrouded your aura from their senses. Use that to your benefit, what is the best use of an assassin? So what if your opponent is stronger than you, all that matters is who lives in the end.'
Cursing himself for being so caught up in his own doubts, he steeled his heart and focused on his own situation and how he might help in the fight. Even though he was still in awe of the fighting prowess of Embervesent and the Crimson Scale soldiers, he knew that now was not the time.
With Ember and the soldiers attracting all the attention from the swarm, Noxtis was practically ignored. Using this to his advantage, Noxtis pinpointed the feral-ranked spiders apart from the lesser ones. The lesser ones were smaller and their legs and body hardly had any hairs on them. Feral ones however were slightly larger and the hairs on their legs were hardened to provide them extra defense.
Assured that the defense was holding, Noxtis approached the feral spiders carefully and was thankful that even when so close they were ignoring his presence. Swiftly slashing the head from their bodies, Noxtis had expected to feel some resistance from the spider carapace but his attacks cut through smoothly.
Appreciating the craftsmanship of his sword, Noxtis shadow-stepped away from the fangs attacking him in retaliation. Noxtis had gotten a good grasp of his speed and agility as well as the power of his weapon to gradually become more efficient. Doing just enough to kill the feral spiders without wasting too much stamina, he was showing the efforts of all his assassin training to this point.
Suddenly, an ear-piercing screech echoed through the large room. The Lesser savage spiders attacked with renewed vigor as all the Feral spiders retreated back deeper into the shadows.
Elder Nancy's brows raised in surprise at this reaction. She could have prevented their escape but decided not to. Even if she did, they would at most kill the Feral spiders but gain not much more. While she had not participated in many excursions into savage nests, she received the reports of them and this one was suspicious.
Even for a spider nest, their numbers were huge and the group they faced was most likely just a small fraction of the entire swarm. Hopefully, the one leading them was just a Major rank. If not, she had ways to escape even a worst-case scenario.
As the last Feral rank left the cavernous room, Noxtis breathed heavily, ignoring the stench of ichor that filled the room. His muscles and eyes ached slightly but his mind was strained as he continued to be on guard against anything lurking in the shadows. Looking around, the soldiers were already clearing the piles of corpses before them while Elder Nancy combed through any noteworthy feral beasts to harvest.
Tired by his first fight against so many savage beasts, Noxtis was amazed at how organized and unphased the soldiers and Elder were after that battle. Even though he had fought alongside them and killed until the enemies all blurred together, he was mentally and physically drained while they were still able to move and clear the currently quiet battlefield.