Daryl kicked some rocks out of his way, reminding his team. "Watch your step."
They were back to where they left last time, and the journey though smooth was still deeply unnerving due to the volatility of the cave.
Throughout the almost three hour long descent, they had met a handful of weaker monsters that posed no threat to them.
The upper layers of the silver mine were relatively safe as even though it had been neglected, an original vanguard had cleared out most of the monsters that lived in it. Post cave-in, many of the paths to the lower areas were blocked off or flooded, resulting in a relatively low monster density.
"Hey, Duran, get me an illuminator." Daryl called out of the one with the big backpack. Duran was his name it would seem.
He was small, too small to fight given his lack of talent; but despite that, he had the strength and acted, effectively, as the team's porter.
Pulling from one of the many side-pockets of his bag, he extracted a spherical metal cage that held a transparent crystal about the size of a football.
"Close your eyes." Daryl covered his eyes with one hand and with a pulse of mana in the other ignited into a miniature sun that irradiated the entire cave.
Quickly, as to get rid of this protracted flashbang from his covered sight, he tossed it forward into the water, making a splash before the light dimmed as it sank deeper.
This was the only light source they could rely on.
And as they pressed against the petite blue gem pendants on their necks, five members of the team jumped into the pool, anxious as always when faced with a potential threat to their lives in an unknown environment.
They sank with the illuminator, the light scaring away most of the weaker creatures as they had never seen so much light or likely even had the concept of what that brightness was.
*********
The now lesser-imp peeked out from the right side of the stalagmites so that his horn on the left side of his head was not sticking out too much.
He observed the humans curiously, biding his time, waiting for the right moment to come to him. He would become cunning in time, and even at such a short time since inception, he was already a naturally gifted schemer–patient, pragmatic.
However, lacking the knowledge of human contraptions, the blinding light of the illuminator had almost exposed him.
If he had reacted any later, his location might have been revealed on the other side of the sea-pond.
Plop
Splash
Splash
Splash
Splash
Splash
He heard them jump in and the lights begin to dim.
'Only five', he thought; and he thought though he could likely not articulate them into words. He knew there were six, so waiting for the light to dim, he peeked out again from behind to check out the situation.
The cave had considerably returned to darkness as the illuminator sank to the bottom, but its luminosity still could be felt on the surface. Additionally, Duran had pulled out a glowstick from his backpack to keep himself comfortable while he waited for the rest of his team; and to keep himself aware of any dangers.
He was the weakest and the least experienced in combat of the bunch, but he wasn't useless. He had held on to his own life without dragging his teammates down after all and it was of paramount importance he was aware of any incoming dangers as he was now alone.
Alone
The weaker light of the glowstick did not reach the lesser imp on the other side, allowing it the first move.
Yet, it waited.
It knew that the light wouldn't last forever.
The glowstick will run out
And he would strike in the downtime where Duran was lighting another glowstick.
*******
As Daryl and his team jumped into the water, an ellipsoidal barrier formed around their bodies.
It was not an impressive artifact but practical.
They could breathe underwater for up to an hour and it allowed them to move with better ease underwater.
The problem, though, was that with every puncture the barrier took, water would begin to fill up the inside. With too much water, the artifact would lose its effect until they returned to the surface.
It was a critical flaw in its system–a critical flaw due to their relative poverty–that every member was aware of, yet it was the best they could get for their status. It was better than not having it at all.
They were at the 50 meter mark around this time and swiftly approaching the eel-like lesser deep-hunter.
Yet before they go there, a swarm of vicious piranha-fish swarmed them from all directions.
It was fast and tearing. They could barely react before the teeth sank into their wet leather pads.
Luckily, though they were many in number, the piranhas were only in the middling ranges of the fingerling class. They were not a threat, especially as creatures of an unimpressive bloodline that rarely saw the second tier.
Little sound was made as they fought the piranhas due to the water.
Daryl, Syme, and the team's ranger swung at them with melee weapons, killing them with the semi-practiced experience expected of a long-formed adventuring team, though their strength did lack in certain areas.
"Protect yourself! We can't play the vanguard against this many fingerlings in water." Daryl shouted to the two mages in the back trying to shoot down the swift-swimming piranhas with ice shards and boulders.
With every swing, every spell, the water got bloodier, murkier. It became harder to see but still manageable–there was a lot of water after all.
And after 30 or so minutes, Daryl plunged his austere broadblade into the final piranha that started the remaining fingerlings' retreat.
"Gather up" Daryl called out to the team which quickly responded to his command.
The fight had not been hard, but certainly not easy. They had sustained considerable damage, especially the mages who were more so defenseless without their vanguard able to block all of the enemies.
"We should go back." Said one of the mages whose entire upper body was submerged in water that leaked through the bubble.
"Yeah, we can't go on like this." Echoed the other mage.
After a few seconds of contemplation.
"Fine…" Daryl replied. He knew it was the right decision; it was the obvious decision, but that little hint of unease wanted to get this whole ordeal over with as soon as possible.
But while this battle was happening beneath the surface, above it…