The tremors subsided over time, but the frequency of them after the hut on the surface began to sink shows that the fighting below was extremely violent.
But when she finished the cabin had only partially collapsed, I think the tunnels and underground rooms may still be intact. I doubt they're unharmed, but I think her unstable frame is still shaky enough for anyone inside to try to escape.
"We'll have company soon, Light, you stand at the front of the tunnel and catch their attention with your light. I will stay hidden behind prepared to fire my arrows into the blind spot of anyone who comes out of the tunnel."
"OK."
Moving inside the hut I finish knocking down the wall near the tunnel opening up the field of vision around the exit tunnel from the collapsing underground base,
I climb a tree near the hut so I can have a good angle to fire my arrows, I get positioned and ready to fire one of my wind arrows, but I suppress my aura and elemental energy so as not to draw anyone's attention.
I only leave enough energy that I can quickly fire my arrows when a cultist tries to flee. Taric stands a few feet from the tunnel with his normal shield ready for combat, unfortunately what was left of the turret shield he used earlier was left behind as we ran out of the base.
With my eyes I could see that two cult mages started to climb the tunnel; from their speed it looks like the tunnel is not intact. It looks like they're having trouble climbing the tunnel, but with patience the wind element mage leaves before the death element mage who is still right behind them.
Seeing Taric's shield in front of him the mage tried to channel his magic to flee, but before he could accelerate his body to flee my arrow pierced his throat causing him to drop dead to the ground.
The necromancer appears to have been shocked by his companion's death, he was locked just inches away from his former companion's corpse. But it doesn't take long for him to start channeling his magic into his dead companion's body, with a clear lack of options he seems to want to bet on a newly created undead.
He probably wants to distract us while he tries to get away, but unfortunately for him that kind of desperate strategy isn't going to work. From a distance I signal Taric, who in turn illuminates the tunnel entrance with his element of light.
The body that was being targeted by the green core necromancer's death element was interrupted when a purified light illuminated it, Taric's light element purifying properties may not be strong enough to burn a necromancer or an undead, but it is strong enough to 'burn' elemental anergy in the air.
"Necromancer! Leave the cave unarmed and I can promise you that you will not suffer! But if you force my hand, I will take you down and take you to meet the templars of the goddess Helena, dying will be a faraway privilege for you if you choose that option."
Congratulations to Taric, his ominous warning really had an effect on the necromancer. His body's mana got a lot more chaotic after hearing the threat, I would expect that kind of reaction from a gray core rather than a green core necromancer.
He will hardly be young at that level and if he were that it would also mean that he would be a very important seedling for your cult, these kinds of people must undergo a celebratory wash and indoctrination very strong to become a powerful sword for the god they follow or to their cult, these kinds of people are not so easily affected by fear.
"I won't wait any longer! Get out now or I will get you out of this hole!"
With the ultimatum two trembling hands came out of the hole in the ground calmly, the necromancer is really not very young, he must be around fifty or sixty years old. He even has some gray hairs in his beard and hair, the death element seems to be affecting his body in a negative way so maybe he's younger, but he's pretty finished.
The death element really has great corrosive power when not wielded the right way, this guy must have been exposed to elemental energy harmful to his body and development more than once over a long period of time. I shouldn't be too surprised seeing this, cultists aren't exactly a group of people who are famous for caring about other people's health, even their members are safe from an idiot who can harm anyone with his elemental energy.
The cultist who walked towards his enemy was received by Taric in a very normal way, and when I say received, I mean the heavy shield blow he received in my face, the cultist was sent to the ground with such force that from afar I could hear the sound of some of his teeth bouncing on the stones scattered on the ground.
It was a violent blow, after which the necromancer was tied by ropes and had two nails pierced through his hands. This is a very cruel magic tool; it burns the mage's flesh when he tries to channel his mana through his body.
Since most mages channel or shape their magic with the help of staves or other types of equipment, the hand is a great place to put this tool of torture. Having your hands burned while channeling mana is enough to stop many mages from casting stable spells.
Taric threw the unconscious necromancer against one of the hut's still unbroken walls, but he was placed outside the hut and not inside it, wouldn't it be interesting for us for a second cultist to see one of his companions immobilized on the ground as he emerged from the hole.
Taric returns to his position and I go back to watching the tunnel from afar looking for any more cultists trying to make their way to the surface, over the next half hour Taric and I ambush three more cult warriors from different elements that have made their way through the partially collapsed tunnel.
One was killed by Taric's apple when he charged like a madman on him after trying to pretend to redeem himself, the idiot was actually surprised when my arrow pierced his only uninjured leg forcing him to fall to his knees on the ground in front of his executioner. But I also have to say that I was very upset with Taric when he popped the death element warrior's skull as he fell to his knees in front of him.
He just had to use his shield to take him down like he did the other cultists, I still don't understand why he used his mace to destroy the cultist's skull. I doubt a warrior like Taric would have panicked, and more likely he recognized this cultist or simply has a deadly hatred for death elemental warriors who should be very angry with himself for not having strengthened his skull's resistance.
An enhanced skull would have been able to withstand the blow of Taric's mace, but considering the cultist would end up in the hands of Templars in the future a quick death like this might have been a more pleasant ending for him.
The other two warriors were stunned by a hit from Taric's solid shield and ended up stranded alongside the necromancer, these where our gains before a massive group made their way out of the underground base. I wasn't the least bit nervous about this group which is clearly bigger than our entire unit, this is because I easily recognized Volkan's mana and elemental energy that led all these people.
I easily recognized Volkan's colorful silhouette as he created a tunnel to the surface, I know this is not a foolproof method as dwarves can be cultists, but in the current situation I highly doubt cultists have a dwarven mage with a power exactly like Volkan's.
As the large group emerges from the tunnel to the surface beside the hut, I can see that there is no one missing from our unit and that they have captured many cultists. A chain is binding eight cultists still alive and I see two bandaged bodies being dragged carelessly by Raven.
It looks like the mission was a success, but with my eyes I could see that it wasn't easy. Although the black cloak worn by Raven conceals her armor, I can easily see that she was injured because of the death element that is still within her body.
And she wasn't the only one, Sean and Mia also appear to have been injured during the fighting down there. Sean appears to have been pierced by countless enemies, his body is covered in spots where the element of death appears to have been applied like a lunge.
Mia's wound is the smallest, but it appears that this and due to the treatment, the goat gave her and the fact that she appears to have only been hit once, it appears to have been a violent blow but it's still just a wound. There's a good amount of life element energy in her body unlike Raven and Sean.
I come out of my hiding place and head towards the team who are a little surprised that Taric is dragging the prisoners towards him, adding up all the captives it looks like Raven will have more than ten cultists to interrogate today. This mission is far from over.