I was silent for a few seconds, then sighed and shook my head.
"Derek, I don't have time for you right now..." I shifted my gaze around the cavern, catching glimpses of curious faces in the dim light. "Or anyone. Whether you believe I defeated the gate guardian or not, it's been defeated. And as we were taught—"
'Not that half of you paid attention.'
"—in three hours, the gate will begin to destabilize. Complete collapse in six. The Scavenger teams should be entering soon to harvest the mana crystals and clear the corpses."
I paused, letting that sink in.
"If they aren't here already. Which means..." I pointed at myself, then gestured to the assembled crowd. "You and I need to find the others and evacuate. Or you guys can handle the search party while I get out of this death trap."
I slung my bag of cores over my shoulder — Christ, when did loot get so heavy? — and stepped forward.
Derek blocked my path.
His gaze was steady, challenging.
'Of course he is.'
