Columbina's chest heaved, her breathing somewhat rapid. She clasped her hands tightly on her knees, fingers intertwined.
"I'm sorry," she said in a low voice. "It seems I was too conspicuous. We were spotted the moment we went out..."
Coppelia maintained her alert stance with her bow drawn, turning her head slightly to let her gaze linger on Columbina's tense fingers for a moment.
"No need to apologize, and don't blame yourself," she said evenly. "I bear responsibility as well. If I had scouted the situation inside more thoroughly beforehand, perhaps I could have come up with a safer plan instead of charging straight in."
She paused, locking her gaze back on the tunnel, listening to the rumbling that was gradually fading but still audible. She waited a few breaths, until out of the corner of her eye she saw Columbina's clenched fingers slowly relax, before speaking again:
"Let's wait for things to quiet down completely, then we'll think of a way. Next time, we'll scout the surroundings together properly and understand the situation before acting."
Columbina raised her head, looking at Coppelia's focused, vigilant profile, and nodded gently.
"I will try my best," she said.
...
The continuous explosions outside the cave subsided bit by bit, eventually leaving only the noisy roars of the Vishaps echoing faintly in the empty underground space.
Coppelia and Columbina approached the edge of the tunnel entrance carefully once more.
The fierce attack just now had destroyed this area beyond recognition. The entrance, not wide to begin with, had half collapsed, with rubble scattered everywhere. Further ahead, the stone pillar that originally blocked the entrance had completely snapped into several sections, lying heavily on the ground.
Without the pillar's obstruction, the scene inside the cave was fully exposed to their eyes.
In the wide space below, the Vishaps had lost their previous lethargy. They paced anxiously on the ground, their thick tails sweeping across the sand and grass. Occasionally, they threw their heads back to emit short or long hisses, jostling one another in a chaotic and disorderly scene.
"Crouch down." Coppelia lowered her voice, dropping her body low first. "Observe carefully."
The two hid in the shadows at the edge of the shattered entrance, compressing their silhouettes to the minimum, and began to systematically observe the structure of this underground space and the Vishaps' behavioral patterns.
On the towering rock walls all around, several dark cave openings of varying sizes were distributed, leading to unknown destinations. Near every opening hovered at least one or two Vishaps, and vague moving shadows could be glimpsed inside some of them; the number of Vishaps inside the caves was likely even greater.
I didn't expect the path the Seelie pointed out to be so hidden. Coppelia silently thanked the Seelie a few times in her heart and continued observing.
Besides these caves on the ground and walls, several deep water pools of different sizes were scattered at the lowest points of the underground space. Streams seeping from rock crevices trickled into them, the pool water dark and gloomy. The water surface was occasionally broken, revealing the outlines of Vishap spines or thrashing tails.
Looking at those deep pools, a trace of enlightenment flashed through Coppelia's mind.
No wonder they had only encountered one Vishap on the way following the Seelie. These deep pools likely connected to the outside world through underground water systems. For Vishaps, who were adept swimmers, water routes were far more convenient than land-based cave networks.
Speaking of which, how did the Seelie lure that Vishap into the maze... After thinking for a moment, Coppelia realized she was distracted. She shook her head to cast away stray thoughts and returned to the matter at hand.
Her gaze swept over all the pools and quickly stopped on the largest one.
Strangely, the area around that pool was empty, with almost no Vishaps to be seen. Nearby Vishaps would also consciously detour around that area when moving, as if something existed there that they were unwilling to approach.
That inside... what is there? Just as Coppelia's thoughts turned to this, her shoulder was tapped lightly twice.
She withdrew her gaze and saw Columbina pointing below, urgency in her voice: "Look over there! They are eating the stones!"
Coppelia immediately looked in the direction of her finger.
Amidst the chaotic group of Vishaps, a deep purple Vishap was furtively sidling up to the pile of Moonlight Stones. Its head turned left and right to confirm no kin were paying it special attention, then it quickly extended its long tongue, curled it around a shimmering Moonlight Stone, and stuffed it into its mouth.
Coppelia's heart sank, a sense of urgency gripping her.
She was just about to tell Columbina to stay calm when, in the next second, she saw that Vishap shudder all over as if scalded. It threw its mouth open violently and spat the stone out again, then panic-strickenly rushed to the nearest stream, burying its entire head in the water and gulping mouthfuls greedily.
No wonder the Vishaps seen before only dared to lick... Coppelia let out a sigh of relief and turned to whisper to Columbina, who was staring tightly below: "It seems they can't swallow them. If they could really eat them, that pile of stones would be gone long ago."
Columbina's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She turned back and asked, "Do you have a plan? What do I need to do?"
Coppelia's gaze swept over the entire underground space once again. Her eyes passed over the restless Vishap herd, the dark deep pools, the cave openings on the walls... finally stopping on a shoal near the edge.
The water level there was very shallow, only reaching the Vishaps' ankles. In stark contrast to the chaotic noise around the Moonlight Stone pile, the few Vishaps gathered near the shoal seemed exceptionally quiet, even somewhat shrinking back. They had most of their bodies immersed in the cool shallow water, heads bowed low, almost motionless.
That shoal was quite a distance from the Moonlight Stone pile, a remote location suitable for drawing attention away. The most critical thing was—there was water there. A large amount of water, spread out water.
The outline of a plan formed rapidly in Coppelia's mind.
She pointed to that shoal: "We'll wait a moment, then find a way to lure most of the Vishaps over there. Then..."
Columbina listened intently, her gaze following Coppelia's finger, and slowly nodded.
...
Coppelia completed the preparatory work in advance. She individually crafted dozens of explosive arrowheads, retaining only the elemental spheres, keeping them by her side to serve as spherical bombs ready to be thrown at any time.
Columbina stood quietly to the side, eyes closed in concentration, her breathing rhythm becoming long and steady, adjusting herself to the optimal state for exerting force and dodging.
"Let's begin," Coppelia whispered.
Columbina opened her eyes, and an invisible force simultaneously lifted Coppelia and the pile of dangerous goods on the ground.
The two left the shadows of their hiding cave, ascending rapidly to the top of the underground space, hovering above the restless Vishap herd.
The moment their figures stabilized, Coppelia pressed both hands downward. Geo elemental energy surged forth, instantly constructing three layers of thick hemispherical shields beneath their feet and around them, isolating them from any attacks coming from below.
Immediately after, she pushed her palms outward. Blazing Pyro elements spread, evenly adhering to the surface of the outermost shield's spherical shell.
Flames rose, the brightness increasing abruptly, turning into a light source that could not be ignored in the dimly lit cave.
The Vishap herd below was instantly alarmed. Countless heads reared up, vertical pupils locking onto the conspicuous ball of light in the air.
Low roars merged into a single wave, and immediately following, water columns, ice shards, and lightning balls tore through the air, shooting upward from every angle.
Columbina immediately acted according to the pre-set route. She carried Coppelia and the glowing shield, beginning to circle in the air along an inclined arc. She continuously made small ascents, descents, and lateral shifts, deftly evading the dense "anti-air projectiles" striking from below. Elemental attacks grazed the edge of the shield, bringing up ripples of energy and explosive booms.
Meanwhile, Coppelia leaned over and grabbed one from the suspended pile of "bombs".
She took brief aim, her arm tracing a short arc, and hurled the sphere containing unstable Electro and Pyro power forcefully toward the area below where the Vishaps were most dense.
____
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