Elise-"It's got to be getting late out now"
Damion-"Probably"
Elise-"You been hearing that voice still?"
Damion-"Yep"
Elise-"I'm starting to run pretty low on mana"
Damion-"Me too"
Elise-"Ugh. Looks like we'll have to set up camp. I'd prefer to keep bashing these things in but we can't risk running out of mana in here. Do have any support skills?"
A plant monster runs up to attack Elise. She casually punches it in the face which makes it topple over and roll into a wall.
Damion-"I can remove the damage to heal someone but I can't restore someone's stamina"
Elise-"You can't just 'unbind' the exhaustion from me?"
Damion-"It needs to be a physical thing to unbind it"
Elise-"I really don't get how your magic works"
Damion-"I can unbind things"
Elise-"That doesn't explain it. Like if I shoot a fire ball at you, I know you can remove the heat from the fire so it doesn't burn you. The heat isn't a physical thing"
Damion-"I can remove one physical object or attribute from something"
Elise-"So the heat counts as a physical attribute?"
Damion-"Yes the heat is a physical attribute because heat affects things physically"
Elise-"So how is exhaustion not a physical attribute?"
Another plant monster jumps down to attack Elise from above so she grabs its leg and slams it into the ground.
Damion-"Exhaustion doesn't exist. It's the lack of energy. I can't remove something that doesn't exist because that would just be creating"
Elise-"What about when you use your healing ability? That's just creating flesh to heal the wound"
Damion-"Injury is a physical thing. I can touch a bruise and cut"
Elise-"And yet space counts as a physical thing? You can't touch that"
Damion-"I can't touch it but it's obviously there"
A vines reaches out to wrap around Damion.
Damion-"Unbinding skill: mana unbinding"
The mana is removed from the vine and it falls to the ground.
Elise-"It seems like your power just depends on whatever you think is a physical thing"
Damion-"It could function like that"
Elise-"Since you can move yourself around by removing the space between yourself and something else, can you remove the space between us and our friends"
Damion-"There is a lot more space between us than I can remove. I also don't know where they are either"
Elise-"Is there any way you can use your abilities to search for them?"
Damion-"Well I have the plan to-"
Elise-"Is it about the voice?"
Damion-"They will probably go towards it too"
Elise-"I don't hear it. If I don't they probably don't either. Besides it's obviously going to be a trap"
Damion-"If it's a trap that means whatever created these caverns are there. So if we kill it the monsters will disappear"
Elise-"That is true. But like I said we are low on mana, I doubt that right now the two of us could beat whatever is there. At a minimum we need to regain our mana"
Damion-"So set up camp for the night and head to the voice?"
Elise-"It's a risky idea? It would be better to meet up with the rest of our group to fight it"
Damion-"..."
Elise-"What?"
Damion-"I thought you like to fight stuff"
Elise-"Well yeah. But I don't want to get myself killed. I'm not gonna walk into a cave and fight a hundred foot talk dragon on a whim"
Damion-"You think it's a dragon?"
Elise-"No it's definitely not a dragon that would do... that"
Elise points to another plant monster running towards her.
Elise-"Honestly I don't know what would cause something like this"
Elise roundhouse kicks the monster which explodes its torso and the pieces fall on the ground.
Damion-"We'll find out what causes something like this when we go to it"
Elise-"You're really certain about this aren't you, (sigh). Alright, first we need to set up camp, then after we rest we'll find out where that voice is coming from"
Damion-"How will we set up camp?"
Elise-"I'll burn a hole into the ceiling and then a bigger space inside. We can then take turns dealing with monsters that get in while the other sleeps"
Damion-"Sounds good"
Elise-"Adam and I went over this before. Whenever we are in an area with a bunch of monsters. We dig a hole and take turns guarding the opening"
Damion-"How many times have you had to do that?"
Elise-"A couple times. Let's hurry up"
Elise and Damion grab onto the vines on the cavern walls and start climbing upwards. Once they get to the ceiling Elise starts creating the hole.
Elise-"Evolved skill: small solar beam"
Elise makes a beam of plasma to start melting into the rock. She then breaths in and climbs into the molten rock.
Damion-"She really is just climbing through lava"
More lava continues pouring out of the hole as she hollows out an area. Once she made the area big enough she stopped burning away more rock. The last of the lava pours out onto the ground.
Elise-"Alright you can come in now"
Damion-"Unbinding skill: heat unbinding"
Damion removes the heat from the rock inside the small cavern Elise created and then crawls inside.
Elise-"You good to go on first watch?"
Damion-"Sure I can do that"
Elise-"Alright well I'm gonna take a nap, wake me up in uh, two hours from now for me to take my shift"
Damion-"How will I know when two hours pass?"
Elise-"Uh... just kind of wake me up when you feel like it's been two hours"
Damion-"...ok"
Elise-"Once the nights over, we'll follow whatever that voice is and find out what's making it"
Damion-"Ok"
Elise-"If you try to go to it alone I'll kill you"
Damion-"Wasn't planning on it"
Elise(in her head)-"I need to go ahead and fall asleep quickly. I don't think he'll leave. I hate to admit it... I'm glad he wants to fight whatever made this cavern. Adam told me not to pick fights with creatures stronger than me... but I really want to"
Elise goes to sleep with a smile on her face.
Elise(in her head)-"I'm gonna beat that thing to a pulp"
The scene changes to a larger cavern underground. There are hundreds of hanging cocoons with their mana being harvested. In the center there is a white sphere filled with holes like a sponge. The sphere is pulsing while emanating a sound.
???-"Help me, why am I still here"
End of chapter 82