The icy floors soon turned into soft mush, so it was agreed to walk against the walls on the expanding cave to progress further. Freezing was not an option due to how much mana Theon had used previously. According to the mission, the final cave that the party needed to reach while clearing the beasts in the cave system was a ravine with a ceiling that couldn't be seen. This ravine occurred after they exited the current cave. However, it seemed like they weren't going to be there for quite some time, as this cave stretched far into the distance with all kinds of oddly shaped stone formations that supported the ceiling.
This cave had all kinds of obstacles blocking their view, and was littered with greenery that stretched through the entire ceiling.
"Why do you think there is so much nature above us?" Emelia brought up the question that Elijah had running through his mind.
"I think there is a bunch of water above us. These water drops have to be coming from somewhere right?" Alexia added while twirling her staff.
"You're exactly right. But where would the water even come from?" Elijah was confused, then remembered the water in the sulfur cave, and the whirlpool. There are places where the water reaches into the openings, but also places where water stays hidden.
Novius was the furthest ahead with his sword lying to his side. "Did you guys hear that?
"What?"
Small rocks began to fall from the ceiling that increased in number. Ahead of the group was a safe area where the cold stone returned, that would lead the party through a very rocky terrain. "We have to move faster! I think the ceiling is going to fall!"
The party started running along the side of the cavern while being hit with bigger and bigger rocks until boulders started to fall. Elijah was at the back providing protection to Emelia.
BOOM!
The ceiling behind them completely collapsed and what came with it was a water torrent filled with an uncountable number of clagmires. They had been above the ceiling this whole time frolicking in the brown viscous water that seemed to have been mixed with the earth.
The only words that anyone heard were, "RUN!!!"
Elijah was following behind everyone as quickly as he could while making sure everyone stayed protected. A spatial barrier within the environment was created that acted as an immovable barrier that spread almost half way across the wide cave. However, the moment they reached safety, they realized they were surrounded by at least thirty clagmire's that did not count the ones that fell from the ceiling. Shadows were moving through the distance underneath the natural light of the cavern.
Without any form of discussion, the group quickly reformed themselves while unleashing all kinds of spells.
Elijah laid a thin layer of water across the ground close to them which Theon quickly froze. While this did limit their mobility, they didn't have anywhere to go, and would much rather limit the amount of earth the clagmire's can manipulate. Bright lights were coming from Novius and Raylen as they unleashed concentrated energies of fire and lighting that practically incinerated the beasts that were developing mud around their bodies. Alexia and Aslan were unleashing barrages of small wind blades that severely mutilated or killed the clagmire's even within their mud and earth shells.
However, the large wave of water had now reached them as it covered their shins. Theon yelled at the top of his lungs. "JUMP ON 3! I WILL FREEZE THE WATER!"
A quick countdown was playing in the minds of the party as they started to receive hits from earthen sludge. The clagmire's main way of attacks was by drowning their prey not in quicksand, but in mud. They had no mental ability to form complex shapes which was a huge advantage for the party.
The "THREE" was heard as everyone's feet rose out of the water. However, at this time, Elijah had secretly split the space of the water in a large distance, which crippled a huge number of beasts and lessened the attacks. All of this happened within a single minute, and from now on, the battle would be alot harder as the beasts from the ceiling were piling in, and surrounding the party on all but one side.
Theon noticed Elijah's act of mystery but did not pay it any mind as chaos was everywhere. It felt like they were fighting a losing battle, the numbers were too much, and they hadn't even absorbed any mana after their last fight.
"I can't do this much longer!" Aslan and Alexia were in the same predicament as Theon.
The only option for survival was Elijah's trump card. However, with him also being fairly low on mana, he would have to be extremely careful with his next steps if this wasn't the last of them. The only conflict was how this could spell disaster for him.
This affinity… Is something special.
"WHAT WOULD HAPPEN!" ELijah screamed at the top of his lungs to alleviate his splitting mind. Nothing bad would happen if the people currently fighting for their lives found out. NOTHING! Why am I hiding!
All the eyes were focused on his random outburst, but Elijah was only focused on what was in front of him. With a swift motion, Elijah flew above the battlefield. Voices of shock were everywhere. Even within Novius and Alexia's voices. He could tell everyone was struggling, and instead of trying to solely benefit himself, a quick thought was turned into reality.
"EVERYONE DUCK!!!"
Elijah waited for not even two seconds, then sent a large amount of mana into the environment once he saw everyone on the floor. An ear piercing thunderclap that sounded like a jet breaking the sound barrier echoed multiple times as it shattered rocks in the distance, and some of the eardrums of his friends.. Exactly like how tectonic plates shift, Elijah had shifted space on the horizontal plane. Everything on the top side was separated and slightly shifted from its position. Rocks, walls, and beasts.
Most of the beasts were still moving while jumping over each other, while others slumped to the floor. Elijah had damned his friends to save everyone, and now he was left with cleanup after more than seventy percent of the beasts had perished. This much would not work on something like the blazing lions, or ice bears if they had mana coursing through their body. But these frail creatures were red core beasts, and Elijah's magic was something special enough that he knew he must not just show and tell anyone, but to keep it close to his chest while allowing people he deemed worthy to know.
Elijah flew straight towards the mud floor area, and stabbed the large heads of the beasts that were dripping in mud. Black blood began to cover his clothes, and during the barrage of stabbing knives, A beast had awakened that only came about in practice. The principles of weight shifting, full body movements, and efficiency was what shaped his battle style. A simple mixed martial arts with the added effect of being able to fly.
Multiple sludges of mud were sent towards Elijah from behind him that were instantly blocked by a thin water barrier that stopped and absorbed its force.
Lightning started to resound in the cavern as Novius had stood up with blood dripping out of his ears. Theon and Raylen shortly followed, while the rest were laying on the ground holding each other tightly.
"I CAN'T HEAR!!!" Novius had words that didn't sound completely right.
Elijah was deep in his thoughts flying from beast to beast. Eventually, he completely disassociated from himself and felt like he was playing a video game. What Elijah did not realize was that almost everything he was stabbing was completely dead. Novius, Theon, and Raylen had been shouting at Elijah for more than twenty seconds while being scared to approach. The only thing they saw was a kid they once knew, completely covered in black blood, that didn't seem to care for anything but the death of anyone opposing him.