Unfortunately, our time is up, as per previous orders, and it's time for Raven to leave this base, but even though Volkan and I couldn't explore all the rooms, we still managed to get through several rooms.
At the end of the trip, we only had to kill three cultists and four undead of different types, but during these fights Volkan not only watched but participated from the beginning. In fact, with my help, he managed to ambush two green core cult warriors in the final stage of the element of death without the need for a big shortcut, using a very complex magic and composed of several different lower level magics, Volkan took down the two trapping each of them inside a concentrated rock wall that now serves as a tomb for both.
My contribution was to guide Volkan's perception through the barriers and disguise that the two warriors were using to try to stay hidden, using the earth element Volkan has a very good perception but it is still inferior and often his target can perceive elemental energy of him when he releases a pulse of the earth element to see through the ground or earth structures.
If this kind of magic were really hard to detect earth element mages would be the most effective trackers in the entire world, but unfortunately for them mages and warriors can feel the earth pulsing when an earth element mage uses this mapping magic.
But with my skill I managed to help Volkan be able to trap the death element warriors, it must have been quite a terrifying scene. Both were resting while keeping watch hidden behind some boxes in the warehouse, but the tranquility was shattered when the floor beneath their feet, the wall they supported themselves and finally the roof over their heads attacked them at the same time like a monster of land.
Before they could release a large amount of aura and elemental energy the two were being compressed by solid and extremely dense purple, the two pieces of stone were so heavy that the reinforced ground underneath them started to sink slightly because of the weight concentrated in such a small shape.
The result of this magic seems simple enough, but seeing Volkan using it and her traveling the land so far showed me how complex it was.
The templars are going to have a fair amount of work to recover the corpses of these two cultists, but the point was that we managed to recover a lot of papers and books and some valuable items.
That last one was more of a personal choice for me and Volkan, neither one of us was interested in the death element materials or the cult items that decorated some rooms. But we were both interested in the numerous gold cards we found in a safe hidden on the floor of one of the rooms, there were also some earth element materials and some level four mana stones in the deposits we passed that were 'useful' for both of us.
It wasn't even necessary to talk about this subject, it was just a matter of taking a look at the materials and the boxes joined with the boxes full of documents that we are going to take upstairs. It's really a shame that there wasn't even an elemental material compatible with me, apart from the death element materials created here there were some earth element materials that should be used to reinforce or repair the base structure, the death element is really complicated to keep isolated.
So, a good amount of elemental energy from the earth element and great insulation, apart from that there were only materials to feed and create some runic arrangements. These level four mana crystals are quite valuable and small, I can easily carry a fortune in a small leather pouch engraved with isolation runes.
It's not cool to rub your wealth in the face of your other companions or tins during a mission, Volkan must have a tank similar to the one I have to store the minerals and black sea sand he recovered from the thieving cultists. It's only a few pounds of sand, but it's worth a lot to an earth mage like Volkan, he commented that it is an essential material to forge an earth element defensive tool for him.
I have no idea what kind of tool it is, but from the smile on his face I'm sure it must be an amazing tool, one that should be able to do a lot more than just defend. But I doubt he'll tell me the true nature of his future weapon, I'm pretty sure the word magic tool is not the correct definition for what Volkan intends to create with this weird sand.
Just by looking at her I can't see much about the features she has, but seeing that she was being kept in three glass jars that were not only reinforced but had more than four different rune arrangements carved into her life in an almost invisible, I'm told this thing is very dangerous when combined with other rare materials.
"Do you think it's the cultists or the kingdom's army that will find this place after we leave?"
"Probably the army or the people from the temple, but more likely the two will arrive together. After all the shit that happened in Canos more than one temple must be looking for signs and clues to the cult behind this attack."
"And because of that we have to get out of here, last thing we need and be captured right now to be used to humiliate our kingdom. By going out of sight we gain the upper hand, the temples cannot directly influence the war, but with our victory we have the upper hand in future negotiations."
When we left the cave, we saw what was left of some cultists who seem to have suffered a lot during the interrogation made by Raven and Mia. From the stubby body it looks like not everyone survived the interrogation, but when I look at Raven reading through various papers and books sitting on a box, I realize we took a little too long down there.
I hope she doesn't get annoyed if she finds out about the items Volkan and I recovered from the base.
"Looks like you guys had a good time down there, but since you guys did what I said I'm going to let it go but don't make it a habit."
Shit! She knows, but how does she know? We just came out of the tunnel and I doubt Volkan sent her a signal confessing what we did.
"Take these boxes with the others near the mounts, we'll have to take these with us without being able to take a look at them first. I hope they don't have too much junk in them."
She just gets up leaving behind the boxes she used as a chair, it seems that the papers inside these boxes are useless.
"Wolf, before you leave remember to set fire to what's left of this hut, not the need for the flames to be too strong so put low fuel the last thing we need is to be the cause of a forest fire in the enemy realm. The paperwork involved in explaining that we caused a forest fire during a mission in an enemy realm must be ridiculously large, and you will be responsible for doing it so be very careful."
Looks like the cleanup task was left for me this time, after putting away the last boxes full of documents and reports near the mounts with Volkan I went back to the cabin, but not before getting some flammable oil from one of the saddlebag compartments. on my mount.
As I approach the cabin, I see that the rest of the team is finishing making preparations to get out of here immediately after I start the fire, I doubt this location will be hidden for long when there is a trail of smoke signaling its location.
While I spread the flammable oil sparingly since I didn't want to deal with complicated paperwork when I got home, I was the target of pleading eyes from most of the cultists who were left inside the cabin. From the small number of cultists, I can tell that Raven decided to take only a few prisoners and a body that must belong to the leader of this base.
I have no idea who he is, but according to Volkan's description I don't think it would be healthy for me to stay five meters from his corpse, it would be really humiliating and horrible to die because the idiot's corpse releases an elemental energy death so toxic that it is deadly to all living beings with a green core or less.
Finished spreading the oil, one of the cultists burst into tears, I understand that burning to death must be a terrible experience, but this is normal fire. Compared to the cultists who are going to be burned in the fire of Goddess Helena's templars these cultists are having a very peaceful death.
When I follow the little orb of fire I created in the palm of my hand, almost all the cultists have eyes of fear and they convey a cry for mercy. Bunch of hypocritical garbage, how many died at the hands of your cult asking for mercy, if they are going to die at least maintain a little dignity.
I drop my flames on the floor of the cabin and walk away while I hear several screams from the gagged cultists, when I mount my mount, the flames have already dominated the entire cabin.
Looks like we're going to have to get around quickly, it would be really annoying to bump into anyone in this forest.