Slime Underground

**Date Started:** September 6, 2021
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Next Role-Play:**
**Users Involved:** Tabor gorilla, ComicMaster619, Njalm2
**Setting:** Joya
**Characters Involved**: Tobias Belthamere, Axle Strider

# Leaking Maze

"Ah, damn banger, why the hell do you have to stop right now when there's still three hours left in the shift!?"

A miner in his mid-forties was cursing at an automated digging machine that had just had the brilliant idea to stop the dismemberment of a great crystalline barrier in the middle of a delicate extraction, interrupting the rotation of the tele-drill with a sinister creak that resembled a steel blade screeching against rock.

He knew, for fuck's sake, he would have bet his liver that Balthamere and Co. had been sold a junk that costed as much as the bread on the table of God knows how many honest workers. The superiors said they wanted to test this new model of golem digger, capable, according to the salesmen's proclamations, of doing the job of extracting and filtering the Lacrima of half a dozen men, with 100% efficiency and 0% complaints. The company selling this stuff was touting it as the future of work, which in the mind of the miner meant the end of poor devils like him and a kick in the ass to all the syndical organizations worth their damn name.

That future had lasted a whopping three days. The big machine, a golem whose telepathic drill and the tube for sucking the minerals were mounted on the body of an immense mechanized tarantula, had stopped working because of four drops that rained down on him from the huge stalactites hanging from the walls of the mine. A shaky shrug, a few signals flashing from his height arthropod eyes, and a series of strange words smoothed out in a corroded, metallic voice:

"*A-A..tention...internal damage… mal… function… lev... dan-dan*."

"Internal damage, from those two splashes up there?" The man asked sarcastically, pointing toward drops of liquid falling from the cracked and uneven ceiling, which by the way he could not even see very well because there had been malfunctions in the magical power source.

"Ya see, man, these are limestone rocks hundreds of thousands of years old, so ancient that even the oldest kingdoms look like ephemeral ants by comparison." The miner spoke addressed to the robot as if the latter were a younger sentient colleague who was beating around the bush.

"The material of which they were composed was carried by water, drop by drop, in fragments so small as to be invisible over entire geological eras. Very ancient stuff, that nature has made and retouched and undone over several millennia, and from which water continues to filter incessantly. It will continue to do so after I am dead, after all the scions of the Balthamere family and their children have kicked the bucket, and after you are nothing more than a pile of rusty scrap metal and worn-out circuits. You'd better get used to the water, ya ugly pile of scrap metal, because ya'll have to put up with daily showers until the last day before your inevitable trip to the dump."

There was a murmur of approval from the miner's colleagues. Since none of the personnel in the immediate vicinity had the slightest idea of what the automatic drill looked like, someone would be due for technicians to make the necessary checks and repairs. An idea that none of those present had, since that rock-eating contraption was kinda the biggest threat to their jobs.

The miner went back to concentrating on his work. Earth magic flowed into his heavy-gloved hands, radiating off the great wall of rock in front of him. Large boulders trembled under the energy, their shape bounding into a border of large cracks; a little more effort, and the miner had pulled out an irregular slab as tall and thick as himself. The miner joined his hands in a clamp, the movement of which was reflected in the boulder shredding it into many pieces. Between the stone and the dust, shining stones, pulsing with power, fell to the earth. The miner smiled all the way.

"You see that, you piece of scrap metal? This is workin’! With my Earth Magic I can still pull behemoths out of the wall like figs out of a tree! And we certainly don't let a little water scare us. Guys, I can bet you that as soon as the Balthamers realize what kind of trash they've been sold for gold, the idiots who sold them that crap had better make their peace with their conscience, kiss their wallets goodbye, and take good courses on how to become successful beggars!"

The miner spoke loudly, craning his neck back. Everyone laughed a little. Water continued to fall over them, gushing from the damp walls. Big drips, to odd degree. *Almost an alarming one*.

Several miners became the target of water spheres too large and irregular to be considered drops, spreading large wet spots on the sleeves of their uniforms.

The miner began to feel a twinge of fear. The water reservoirs under which the mine operated were dug deep into the mountain’s base, there was no chance that a weather event could open the floodgates and drown them all. The miners always had with them various wizards skilled in Water Magic to handle sudden flooding, but such an eventuality was always the prelude to a real string of bad, bad trouble.

He and his colleagues knew what to do, and, that time, they were immediately motivated to act. The earth wizards lifted the whole mass of debris collected during the excavation and lifted it up to the roof; the water wizards shot jets of water to knead the rocks into a pasty slime, which the fire wizards immediately cooked with blazing spheres. So much for preserving the meaning of his whole big speech about the eternity of the place compared to the insignificance of man’s lives and actions, thought the miner, but better being contradicted than drowned.

*Drip, drop, drip, drop, drip, drop…*

The dripping did not stop. Liquid continued to pour from the barely lit rocky ceiling, the work of centuries condensed into mere moment. Fine threads of falling liquid opened their way from the ceiling; the floor turned wet in some spots, which miners avoided like a plague. Every man working in the cave reacted with horror when looking at how the stony floor was reacting in the places where it leaked over. In what it was turning into.

Foam. Foam of rock, foam from rock. Bubbles emanating fumes that carried the smell of wet moss. The same thing happening to the freshly made ceiling, which they could tell it even without raising their heads above. Soon after, large chunks of liquified rock would splash over everyone residing within the cave, melting alive everybody caught in. Deluges of water would burst out and flood those who survived. Then, if things went really shitty, water may turn so acid it would just outright dissolve everything, even the equipment made of magically reinforced steel.

“*Gentlemen, this is a full blown Acamul infestation, Class X. Please, reach the closer emergency exit and evacuate the area immediately by following the holographic signals. Leave every personal object behind. Please*…”

A great clattering of feet swarmed within the stone caves accompanied the blaring alarms. Workers and miners followed a path which was increasingly cluttered by pools of noxious acid, using their magic to push back the gushes closer to them. The cantankerous miner turned his head for an instant, looking at the lifeless spider machine. Drips of acid were already splashing about its mechanical legs, opening small holes in the chassis. The flashing of his eight eyes became more and more incessant. The diagnosis he gave where just broken monosyllables.

“A… A… “

“You weren’t defect after all, pal. It was this acidic water screwing with your inner brain. You were actually tryin’ to warn us” The miner nodded his head with pity.

“Poor pal. Had you been alive, I would’ve carried you on my two legs. At least you won’t suffer while the acid melts ya away. Well, gonna follow yar advice and get the fuck outta here.”

The miner gave a final nod of respect before running, just about as pile of massive corrosive sludge dropped over the mechanical excavation machine, eroding its sniper shape into a pudding liquefying over few protruding bones.

“EVERYBODY, RUN FOR YAR FUCKIN’ LIVEEESSSSS!!!!”

Tobias closed the door behind him with an audible groan as he entered the office of his eldest brother and the current CEO of the Belthamere Corporation, he was a man in his early forties with a dapper suit and a charming goatee, his name was Richard Belthamere and at his side stood the three Ministers of the three wider branches of the Corporation, namely the Minister of Lacrima, the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Research. Since nepotism was a tried and true tradition of the Belthameres, these men were Ferdinand, Robert and Emile Belthamere.

Naturally, they were all his brothers and most of them aside from Richard thought very little of him for his chosen career, Richard simply could not be bothered to care one way or another and undoubtedly he had been specifically requested to prove to him just how pointless it was for him to waste his time studying magic when he could become their apprentice and be successful. Nevertheless here he was, if for no other reason than to prove them wrong for doubting him in this manner, as he already knew the situation he did not need to be briefed and respectfully he remained silent as Richard spoke.

"Worry not. While we disapprove of your lifestyle we do not forget that blood is indeed thicker than water so we have arranged for a number of additional Magi of more experience to accompany you to the mines, they will deal with the situation when you invariably fail and keep you safe from harm until you have realized what a helpless fool you've been. When that time comes Ferdinand will arrange for a suitable tutor to involve you in the family enterprise just like our parents would have wanted for you."

Clenching his fists, Tobias bit back a retort, it was useless to argue as they would unite against him until he was backed up into a corner, actions spoke louder than words at any rate. Interpreting his silence as assent, Richard continued.

"The real Magi will arrive any moment now or so my secretary has informed me."

"Hugh..." Axle grumbled, setting foot at the base of the mountain and walking for what felt like hours, his vista staying relatively the same with nothing but rocks and trees to fill his view as he trekked through Joya's mountainside. If that wasn't enough, from the rough terrain, his Celestial Gate Keys kept jingling back and forth from across his waist, the only sound accompanying him for the remainder of the excursions as the woods remained ominously silent, almost deafening, stuck with nothing but his keys and grumbling to keep him company for the final stretch of the trip, his contact located somewhere eastern part of the mountain.

"Monsters? Yea, sure, no problem. But monsters at the side of a fucking mountain? Give me a break."

Taking out the poster with the job's details written on it, the party issuing the job was apparently some company whose main trade dealt with Lacrima, and as far as he was concerned, it could simply be orcs or vulcans driving out the workers from the mine, a simple endeavor if that was the case. Taking out a flask of water, Axle took a drink, undoing the top button from his jacket in order to cooldown somewhat, his entire getup consisting of an all black outfit did nothing to help him traverse through such a long hike. As he laid eyes of the building up ahead, his keys began to glow, a Celestial Spirit came bursting forth, the sudden shock nearly giving Axle a heart attack from the his dramatic appearance. From the smoke, a large shield whose face adorned the surface of the weapon's exterior wheezed outload to groan.

"Listen to me boy, a young man shouldn't be groaning about such small things, you're starting to sound as old as I am," he barked, his face inches away from Axle's face, his tone strict, but his honest intentions not being lost on the mage.

"I may be you're guardian, but that doesn't mean I can't whip you back into shape." Hitting him across his head with the edge of his side, Scutum, landed straight against his temple, sending the mage tumbling down to the ground.

"Old man Scutum, for a shield, you sure can do a lot of damage when you want to huh? Okay, you got a point, I'll try to be a bit more optimistic," Axle retorted, giving Scutum a small nod, understanding where he was coming from by the way he was scolding him. Traversing through the front doors, Scutum just as quickly vanished back to his world before anyone could see him, concealing his presence and the idea that Axle was a celestial spirit mage. Taking a look around the room, the first thing he noticed is obvious tension in the air, taking the silence as a que to introduce himself to his employer.

"My name is Axle Strider, on behalf of the independent guild that sent me here, I'll do what I can help mister Belthamere," offering him a handshake as he glanced over to the other end of the room to examine Tobias, bearing some resemblance to his employer, a fact he kept to himself for the time being.

Richard steepled his fingers together as he silently evaluated the newcomer who appeared as competent as he’d hoped, Ferdinand, Rober and Emile appeared similarly impressed though neither of them could hope to guess at his magical abilities. Tobias likewise seemed confident in the abilities of his newfound partner, for it was evident from a glance that this Axle Strider was a competent Mage by any metric and perhaps he felt a sliver of relief given that fact, this would be his first mission dealing with monsters of that particular classification after all and Tobias rightly had no idea what to expect, and Ars Prisma and Leo were both fairly unpredictable even at the best of times so backup was much appreciated, but he could not let that slip under the watchful gaze of his brothers for they would misconstrue any hesitation however natural as a sign of weakness.

Besides, this Axle Strider also happened to be very handsome as an added bonus.

As his evaluation came to an end, Richard rose from his chair and clapped his hands and pointed at a monitor at the furthest end of the room, as he did it lit up and began showing footage from all rooms of the mines, which had been taken beforehand and sent to their database at regular intervals until the Acamul arrived and inadvertently destroyed the system. It was done in order to give those present an overview of the terrain of the mines. Finally, with the push of a button Richard shifted the image to that of a database entry picturing a large horrific-looking slug monster, the mere sight of it causing his brothers, Tobias included, to recoil in disgust.

“These creatures are called Acamul and are dangerous pests that feed on magic, and we have had troubles with them in the past as well across a variety of our facilities, Ferdinand recently issues bounties and jobs to cull their numbers to little avail. It is known that they possess the ability to spontaneously generate acid through mysterious means, as numerous workers at the mine in question confirmed for me. Because of their presence, and the threat they pose if allowed to multiply out of control and above all the significant impact upon our financial assets, the mission is about exterminating them or otherwise driving them out, preferably by preventing their re-emergence. Mister Strider, I would also like you to keep an eye on my younger brother Tobias, who has decided to ignore my good counsel to join you in this endeavor.”

"Brother..." he muttered, the connection and resemblance finally clicking for him, but it was strange with the tone that Richard had, almost as if talking down to him, which was odd but Axle himself was no stranger to. Snapping back to the current conversation, Axle examining the screens, taking particular note of slug-like appearance and their capacity to generate acid, something of which would provide some difficulty if he fought in his traditional manner, all in all still confident in his ability to see this mission through, his hand resting on his key ring tucked neatly around his belt. With this newfound revelation, it became evident that Tobias was more than he seemed, seeing steep disparity between the brothers and their rolls. "I'll make sure your brother makes it back in one piece, but really, I'm sure a man of his stature can take care of himself, so I'll probably be in his care."

From what Richard described, the Acamul must have had a shmorgishborg to eat in the last couple days, devouring as much Lacrima as they could, making it a den of enemies at this point if they weren't prepared. Although it wasn't apparent, Axle could feel the difference in natural ability between Tobias and his brothers, giving him some reassurance that the man was looking after his back while down there. Before he could say anything more, Axle took particular note of someone in their group, or rather the lack of one.

"Wait, wait. I'm sorry, from the what the guild told me, I was under the impression there'd be one more wizard joining us," Axle brought up, the room only filled with what he could see as he and Tobias, the only two combative wizards in their ranks. With the possible number of enemies, especially in an enclosed area, against them, three or more wizards would be the most common line of thinking when dealing with a job of this nature, *strength in numbers* he thought.

Richard paused for a moment before he answered Axle's query: "You are either well-informed or experienced, regardless this does much to bolster your worth. As you correctly surmised there is in fact meant to be three of you, but the third and final member is an A-rank Mage of exceptional ability and consequently he is otherwise occupied for the time being, he has been briefed already on the mission, and is well-informed of your objective, he shall doubtlessly arrive enroute or when you've already reached your destination, I am certain that a mage of your caliber will have no issues dispatching some lowly slugs, dangerous though they may be."

Tobias' reaction more or less mirrored that of Axle but he felt confident in their success, Ars Prisma was unpredictable but it was also extremely versatile and he knew its many uses and spells exceptionally well, besides Tobias also had access to Celestial Spirit Magic and that was an advantage when it came to increasing their numbers, even if he had presently no idea whatsoever what kind of magic his compatriot employed.

So with that in mind he spoke aloud for the first time in the meeting: "I concur with my brother that we might at least head to the mines and see what good we might do on our own, besides this might turn out to be for the better don't you think? Without an A-ranked Mage to seize the glory there will be more opportunities for us to shine." he addressed Axle with a confident smile, the first he'd displayed in his brothers' company and one could tell from their expressions that they didn't appreciate it in the least.

Feeling somewhat bashful, Axle turned the opposite way, cooling his head by taking in the gist of everything going on and what they had work with, if it was just them, it would mean using other magical abilities to make up the lack of allies if they ever found themselves in a pinch, hoping it wouldn't have to come to that. Taking a deep breathe, it had suddenly dawned on him that they'd have to tread even further to head to Site E2 of the mining site across the furthest extent of the mountain range, a feat that wasn't very exhausting, but the sheer monotonous nature of the trek with nothing but a repeating scenery held very little appeal for Axle, appearing physically disgusted if he had to see more trees or rocks for another solid hour.

"Okay," he clapped, "If we're doing this, there's gotta', GOTTA' be a better way to get there than just walking, if time is of the essence, it'd be worth our trouble to get to the site before the Acamul have any more to eat." Glancing from across the window, Axle tried to make out any form of transportation, be it vehicular or traditional, like some sort of carriage. Taking a step out of the cabin, Axle inspected their surroundings, finding to his surprise a large aircraft situated a distance away from their location, most likely the property of Belthamere company and their method of transport that got them here. "Now this'll do," Axle mumbled, a smile scratching across his lips as he basked in the enormity of the craft, the elegant design more than emblazing a sense of nobility that reflected the owner accordingly.

The second level of Mining Site E2 contained a large natural water basin, almost a lake, the result of a little-known river that found its course in the bowels of the Joya mountains. It split the area into two halves, separating the already extensively exploited upper levels from the rich Lacrima basins that lurked within the rocks running in the deeper underground. To link those halves, the Balthamere company had built a stone bridge wide and strong enough to allow a maximum of five people to pass at a time with their respective carts.

It was mostly a precautionary measure, as the miners traveled on sturdy wooden rafts with a Lacrima of the Wind engraved in them that ferried them from one side to the other without spending time and effort. Those who wanted to work, the miners who specialized in Water Magic, usually found it amusing to make use of their powers after a day's work.  Sometimes they would take the odd walk on the generally calm waters of the basin, other times those more in the mood for bravado would split the waters in half and let the rest of their colleagues pass.

A man in his late twenties, pale and damp from sweat like a soaked rag, was thankful beyond words for the fact that the miners had decided to leave the boats behind when they evacuated. He was semi-reclining on a boat drifting in the pond, his elbows concealed by a thick black overcoat resting on the wood; next to him was a leather saddlebag, inside of which were contained a series of ointments, gall and spheres containing a lot of magical concoctions. Amid them, many small Lacrimas of the purest kind gleamed in the shadows.

If he had been able to sell his loot, the man would have been able to pay for his bread for quite a few months, and this if he had decided to eat bread and caviar every day. If only he didn't have to deal with a drooling mammoth, overflowing with magic and above all still terribly hungry. Seeing that beast standing there with his acid-filled fangs at the palm of his nose almost gave him a heart attack. He managed to escape just because the behemoth was too busy gorging himself on magic stones, throwing himself into a daring race from one level to another. By the time he had reached the second level, the mine was already filled with a lot of his siblings, equally large and equally gluttons for human flesh.

The safest place for him was being surrounded by water. Amaculs were creatures with amphibious habits, but they were as vulnerable to salt as any slug. The man had immediately thrown magic salt crystals into the pond, increasing its salinity until it was more acidic than the sea. This would only last for a few hours, then the effect would wear off. Meanwhile, the magical slugs were gorging and multiplying, perpetually hungry. If they had assimilated enough magic, maybe even that trick would not stop them.

The man rubbed his gloves through his greasy hair; his eyes were moist, close to tears. He cried out.

"Fuck, fuck, what the fuck am I going to do now! If I stay here, I'm going to get killed, but if I get out of here, I'm a goner anyway! Fuck me, fuck my greed, and fuck everyone who doesn't pay me enough for this giant shit!"

A growl shook the waters of basin, rising a multitude of ripples. He turned quite: they might listen to him. They would, after a short bit. The man had to take a swift decision between a rock and a hard place: either he could send a tracking device and have people discover him, a choice that would have led him straight to the bin, no doubt; or he could keep waiting and waiting, until those beasts had finished their banquet… and he was the only available source of magic and flesh in the nearby. The blood curling scream let out by the giant slugs, convinced him to opt for the former, because a chance of living was better than just being gobbled up and melted in the stomach of some beasts.

He frantically fished within his purse, pulling around a scarab made of metal the color of bronze. It was a tracking device, programmed to send a message and then follow his own magical traits. It could fly fast enough to avoid those big dumb Amaculs, go out the mining site and then rush for help. The man tipped the artifact in the middle of head, a light glow following his touch. The scarab began to open its carapace and shake its extremely fine wings, as if it were a live insect in the flesh, spreading golden dust with their every beat. The man uttered a short formula, then said the following words, his breath still short for the fear and the fatigue.

"Servant, I order you to get out of this cave and find the first humans that come your way. Tell them that there are still people hiding in this mine and that they are in urgent need of rescue. If they reply that they want to lend a hand, have them touch you and lead them to me. Fly until you can find someone who is willing to help. Now go!"

Another short closing formula followed. The beetle gave off a high-pitched buzz for a creature of its size, taking an uncertain flight path at first, as if it had just learned to fly. It picked it up extremely quickly, darting through the corridors and halls of damp rock, one of the few sources of light in the mining area that plunged into semi-darkness.

## Commence!

Tobias Belthamere stepped out of the grand airship that docked some distance away from the mines, it was the private aircraft of one of his brothers but he had forgotten who it was specifically for they all owned ships such as this, which came complete with a dedicated crew and a great deal of luxurious goods. Normally his brothers sent mages away with tickets to local transportation services and did not bother making the trip at all comfortable, some might attribute this generosity to the presence of their little brother but Tobias knew better, having him splurge on public transport with his companion would just be another opportunity to convince him to abandon his career as a mage in their eyes.

As he stepped on the path directly in front of the mine Tobias took the time to prepare his magic, for there was no guarantee that he would have the chance to do later, and so with his hands raised in intricate gestures he spoke two incantations in succession with an imperious voice as multi-colored motes of magical energy danced about his form.

“*Rise ye faithful hound of mornings, lights and kaleidoscopes, open palms, clenched fists, refract, unite and divide the stars in seven places... Manus Minor!*”

Upon completing the final syllable he thrust his hand into the air as motes of energy coalesced into five spheres of condensed magic and striking colors, one green, and two red and two orange, which orbited around his wrist ready to be unleashed. Tobias spoke again with a flourish as he extended his left hand outwards and spoke the incantation for his second spell.

“*Rise ye faithful hound of mornings, flares and constellations, tolling bells, rising swords, reflect and pluck the seven from the sky that I might hold them in my unworthy grasp... Manus Major!*”

His right hand seemed to ignite with flickering wisps of ether that soon grew into a raging nimbus of intense violet light and Tobias’ eyes widened in satisfaction, this was precisely what he had hoped for.. with his preparations complete he turned towards Olga as he walked the remaining distance, the shimmering lights not dimming in the least even as he stuffed his hands into his sleeves.

“I presume that you are our missing colleague?”

Following straight behind Tobias, Axle waltzed out the giant aircraft, his sight fixated on the mine directly ahead of them, with the arrival of the third member of their party. He was nervous, not so much of the difficulty of the mission, but rather at the anticipation of waiting, his face flush red as his ears perked up, the elevation in his breathing being a clear indicator that he was psyched up. After the display before him, how could he not contain himself, his switch was flipped, and he could only react in the same manner.

Axle's breathing became ragged, going from a calm rhythm moments ago to heavy panting as he grasped tightly at his chest, his heart now beginning to beat erratically fast and just as fierce. Amidst his breathe, his perspiration began to heat up in the form of steam off of his body, his eyes becoming somewhat bloodshot from the unsettling state his heart was in, "color me impressed, this guy." Before his condition could progress, Axle focused his magic and focused it through his body, regulating his heart rate and blood flow as the side-effects subsided. Letting out a deep breathe, Axle let his hand rest on his neck, leaning it side to side as loud crack could be heard.

Before he could greet her the stranger, Axle took a moment to examine her, trying to evaluate her as best he could, figuring why she wasn't present for their meeting earlier. "She better be, from what your brother said, we could use the extra hand," he muttered. "I figure Richard must have given you the rundown on what's in the mine right."

Tobias was visibly relieved to hear that Olga was an A-ranked Mage, that meant that she was bound to be highly capable and experienced and that was something that set his mind at ease given what they were up against, he was about to offer some words to that effect to improve their personal rapport with one another and possibly boost morale but as he listened to her all such thoughts were banished as distractions.

“Very well. I am Tobias Belthamere and this is Axle Strider and we are your backup it would seem. Ordinarily I would think it prudent to formulate a plan or something together but given exactly what lurks down there I do not think we have much time for deliberation at present. I will summarize shortly, my magic is well-suited to defeating numerous opponents simultaneously, as well as singular powerful foes but my defensive magic is unreliable. I am also well-versed in Celestial Spirit Magic with access to a Gold Key and several Silver Keys if we require additional reinforcements.

He spoke even as he moved towards the mine with decisive steps, time was not a luxury they could afford when a life was at stake after all.

The scarab-shaped artifact trembled in the woman's hand, its little legs pawed hysterically tickling her palm. With a sudden jolt it managed to free itself from the woman's grasp, more to her surprise than for lack of strength, then it spread its wings and armor and restarted to circle the newly formed group. Its narrow, black jaws modulated human words, albeit distorted by a metallic chirp in the background.

"Alarm, alarm! My master beseeches you to reach him in the subwaters of the mining area. Alarm, alarm! The area is infested with creatures with magical powers. Alarm, alarm! The master does not have much time. Alarm, alarm! If you want him to lead the way, make your way to the mine. Alarm, alarm! By touching my head, you will establish a magical bond that will allow me to follow and recognize you in any condition until my mission is accomplished. Alarm, Alarm!"

The creature continued to flutter and prattle, flying towards the entrance to the mining area. The area had been crudely walled off by a series of half-melted boulders baked and kneaded into a mixture of water, giving the impression of a large cake of pebbles and mud. On a few stones shone white and purple runes, the moderate brightness of which indicated a level of power which was average at best. Undoubtedly, this was a rudimentary form of quarantine prepared in a hurry, just enough to prevent the Amacul from understanding that there was a world outside their pasture of stones. The task of stopping these monsters rested almost entirely on the shoulders of the exterminators.

"Alarm, Alarm! This is the quickest route to my master, but the road is barred. Alarm, Alarm! High levels of magic are being registered by the people present. Alarm, Alarm! Destroy the barrier if possible."

Racing through the entrance Olga created, the party had made it into the quarry leading into the mines, Axle taking particular note of the haunting sight before him. Deafening silence loitered the abandoned site, machines and tools laid untouched since the incident occurred, as if time stood still. As far as he could see, there wasn't so much as any signs of life left in what could have been a bustling day at the mines, and by the looks of it, a normal day could have employed dozens of workers around the clock if the scattered equipment was anything to go by. "To think, it only took a couple of days, and things could still get much worse."

From the look and feel, Axle felt as if he and his companions were the only human beings left in the whole world, being little to no difference in saying otherwise at this point as the only company they carried were the footprints they left on the gravel to mark their existence and the echoes from their footstep reverberating off the heavy metal.

It was evident that they left in a hurry, some of the equipment still in mid-use but left to run until the energy ran out or simply ceased functioning from overheating, painting a somber reminder that the worst was yet to come. Spotting the mine railway, Axle signaled the rest of the party, following it to where it would naturally lead to the mine shaft, the true starting point of their job. Turning to face Tobias, he motioned to him with his hand, making dumbly sure the coast was clear, then signaling Olga next.

"Tobias, you should take point, you're magic is better suited to lighting our way, I'll take the rear and cover Olga, if worse comes to worse, I can buy you time," Axle iterated, undoing his collar and rolling up his sleeves as he peered into the mine's entrance, the utter blackness of it nearly suffocating to watch as not an ounce of natural light could hope to pierce it.

Tobias followed Axle's directions but rather than cast any spells that might generate light he merely stepped in front of the group and held his right hand outwards, which still shone with an intense nimbus of violet light from being imbued with Manus Major earlier and in this manner he illuminated the path ahead with a ghost-like sheen of lavender that hardly detracted from the already eerie atmosphere. It was ultimately entirely incidental, but it would just have to do for the moment, he could not afford unfurling spells at this juncture for he had no idea what manner of monstrosities they might face. On that note he kept his left hand poised and at the ready, he would not utilze the spells in his right hand unless he had no other alternatives, but the ones in his left were much more expendable and suitable to facing down most foes.

In this manner they began to descend deeper and deeper into the mine. Just to be sure Tobias would occassionally carve small marks onto the wooden frameworks that supported the mine as they passed to prevent them from getting lost whilst he frantically drew upon every bit of trivia he might find about the mine as a whole for as a scion of the Belthamere Family he had visited this site on numerous occasions in the past though he had rarely paid attention whilst doing so.

"Remain vigilant and alert. Whilst its true I can light the way for us common sense tells me that the Acamul are most likely highly sensitive to light and I suspect will be drawn towards its source before long. Creatures used to living underground such as them seldom take kindly to this kind of intrusion. I do not particularly want to find out what happens if their acidic saliva touches bare skin when it can melt through stone with ease."

Following his own advice Tobias' eyes had started to dart to and fro scanning every nook and cranny for potential threats as he trekked along through the windining corridors with his eyes fixed squarely upon the unusual scarab implement sent to fetch him.

The lavender glow of Tobias' spell cast a faint light on the rocky sides of the great mine. Many of them bore the typical signs of nature and of digging and building activities, but in other places a series of perfectly round holes opened up, leading to turreted tunnels that dug into the rock with such a depth that no one would have been able to see their exit.  No human being would have found any use in digging such holes.

The deeper the group went into the bottom of the mine shaft, the more frequent and larger these signs of devastation became. Some of the rock walls showed as many holes as a moth-browned dress; even the wooden framework, in places, was all corroded and eaten away, as much the wooden scaffolding as the metal joints.

Beyond the three patrons, not a soul was audible. Not a trickle of air from some underground duct, a trickle of water. Only the chirping of the lead beetle, which continued to direct the group toward its master without saying a word. The golden dust it generated with each beat of its wings was overpowered by the powerful glow of Tobias' nimbus.

*Crack.*

A dull snap. An all-corroded wooden pillar that supported a large platform suddenly snapped, causing the entire structure to collapse. A few slabs of wood and steel pipes crashed into the path in front of the group of wizards, the rest plummeted into the void, which was followed by the faint echo of wood recoiling against the water. A large cloud of dust and splinters spread out, blending against the lavender spell until the two clouds became one for a moment, occluding the view.

When that was gone, the Acamul came in.

They were hints of slimy creatures; bodies of every shade soaked in slime and mucus that appeared fleetingly from one hole to disappear into another. From their holes, the sound of dozens upon dozens of fanged jaws clashing against each other began to be heard, coupled with the low grumbling of hungry stomachs. In the rocky gaps between one hole and the next, stone began to melt, disentangling into clusters of black foam.

"Alarm, Alarm!" Chirped the mechanical guide, too late. "A high number of beings armed with magic are perceived. Alarm, alarm! The creatures have hostile intentions!"

The Acamul had tracked them down, following the inkling of their magic. Although the Lacrimas scattered across the ground constituted a rich feast, their hunger knew no bounds. *Never*. Dozens of jets of magical acid erupted from their Eternano-soaked bodies, spilling out in green streams at extremely high pressure.  Everything they touched-wood, stone, metal-dissolved in smoky fumes. The acid magic showered down on the group of wizards like an implacable and deadly rain.

Watchful and alert as he was, not to mention the alarm of a very helpful scarab Tobias spun into action to meet the Acamuls assault. His right hand moved in a sweeping crescent, middle fingers extended as though in emulation of a blade before he thrust it forwards at the rain of lethal sludge that fell towards them, and spoke two words with an imperious voice as one of the orange balls of light that orbited his wrist winked out of existence.

“*Prisma Ventus!*”

Tobias’ cloak flared out behind the mage as a high-pitched screeching sound echoed across the walls of the dungeon, even as the air itself seemed to ripple and undulate around him, coiled to strike, and so it did.

Instants before Tobias were to be drenched in acid and meet an undoubtedly horrific end, the spell erupted from his fingertips with all the force expected of a mage dedicated wholly to the element of wind. It seemed for a moment as though the jets of acid had frozen in mid-air owing to the brief struggle of momentum and force, but then they were all deflected violently and repulsed backwards upon the very creatures that unleashed them as Tobias caught himself wondering whether or not they were immune or resistant to their own magic.

But the gale did not end there, it roared down the corridor to sweep across the acamul, hopefully sending them crashing backwards with great force though he had his doubts whether or not soft mollusks like these would suffer much from blunt force trauma of that kind. It was a gale of exceptional strength given his B-rank classification, but focused and small in scope compared to what he might accomplish through Manus Major, but he hoped that even if the damage was superficial or non-existent that his comrades would be given an opening to attack from his efforts, deflecting the acid has been his primary concern after all.

Using the opening created by Tobias, Axle crossed his arms and closed his eyes, taking a moment to inhale and exhale a large breathe as steam began to radiate off his body like aura, a magic circle growing and expanding underneath his feet while adopting a martial stance. "**Heat Shell**!" With his utterance, the temperature around him began to rise exponentially, his clothes flickering with magic as he contained the pressure solely around his person, causing his hands and body to glow an iridescent red and yellow all the while the air around him began to catch fire whenever he moved. In his current state, Axle made sure to mind his distance from the others, moving to the front to face the acamul, his steps melting the ground he was stepping on, leaving nothing behind but pools of footprints filled with melted rock.

If the acamul were anything similar to actual slugs, it was better to leave them in a state where they were unable to divide or regenerate, to evaporate them at the point of contact before they had any chance to counteract. Extending both arms outward, Axle stretched his fingers open and curled them in a shape reminiscent to teeth, more accurately fangs, lowering his stance as he hissed in a low growl, the visage of numerous tigers began to form around him. Growling with their target in sight, Axle drew his arms to his side, violently thrusting them outward as a volley of fists fired through the air.

"**Fang Destroying Tiger Parade**!" A burst of energy escaped from his arms, transforming the volley of blows into individual ethereal tigers, each racing to dig their fangs into the numerous acamul scattered around the mine's ceiling and walls. Violently shredding their targets to pieces through a combination of slashes and tears, their bite caused steam to radiate at the point of contact, their fangs intensely hot due in part to his Heat Shell still active, as the tremendous flames caused the slug-like creatures to burn and evaporate, leaving nothing but ash and a lingering pungent smell of arsenic acid in the air.

Letting a deep sigh out, Axle's appearance reverted back to normal, examining the site where the battle had taken places moments sooner in order to check if the coast was clear, his battle revealing nothing but traces of scorch marks, while acid burns marked wherever Tobias had reflected the acid previously, loitering the ceiling and walls. Without a doubt they were headed the right way due in part to the number of adversaries they were encountering, and things would slowly progress the further along they went, making it all the more clear that this job was a race against time, with the longer they took in completing it, the likelihood of them not making it out becoming a real possibility for them.

"As if," Axle spat out, pushing the thought out of his mind, more so on how ridiculous he thought it was rather than out of concern. Turning back to check of his allies, he turned to see if anyone was injured, wondering if any acid had strayed off its intended path, but considering who was the one reflecting it, Axle didn't have to wonder for long. "Everyone okay?"

Glancing at his teammates, Ale could breathe a sigh of relief, wiping off the sweat from his face as the group made their way even deeper down the mine. Hoping to break the silence, Axle mulled the idea around in his head about everything that led up to this, the meeting with the Belthamere Company, the wizards with him, but what stood out in particular was the callous nature that the brothers interacted with each other. A flood of memories came rushing back to his mind, a sense of nostalgia came flooding in before the reality of it all came crashing down, as he had a similar relationship with his own family due in part to his upbringing—the nature of his magic being a testament to that fact.

With some ways until their destination, Axle turned to Tobias, hoping to shed some light on recent events. "You know, its been bugging me for a while now, how is it that a family of entrepreneurs ended up with a mage for a son?" Checking periodically for any acamul, it was clear they had some time to kill before reaching their next destination. "I don't mean it in a bad way, it's just—when I look at you and then your brothers, you justa kinda' fall off the totem pole, know what I mean?"

Tobias grimaced at the question but it wasn't as though it was altogether that unexpected given how frankly obvious his brothers were about their distaste about his chosen profession. "Because we did not originate as a family of entrepeneurs, in the past our great-great-grandfather was a Mage of significant ability and a master of our own specialized brand of magic, Ars Prisma. He started a guild and everything and was apparently a notable figure for his time."

Much like Axle, Tobias too was actively looking around the perimeters even as he held his left hand aloft to bathe the path forwards in the violet light of the bound magic of Manus Major. "Well. It didn't work out for whatever reason and the family landed in debt until his children managed to pull it all together again by distancing themselves from our magical roots and focusing on honing their respective crafts. Its not really that I am the only mage, its just that my brothers, though they have the potential for sure, simply have no interest in pursuing this kind of lifestyle when better opportunities exist elsewhere."

"Huh, well I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, but in your case, shaking the damn tree until you find the right apple." Continuing at their pace, the group encountered a small ravine in the mine of significant distance, with the rest of trail located on the other side. "What about you?" Axle took a couple paces back to prepare his jump, "I guess the 'better opportunities' wasn't your slice of the pie either right? Seeing as where you are right now. Not that I'm complaining." Dashing against the ground with his hind legs, he quickly sprinted on all fours similar to a wild animal before pushing off the floor, leaping at the last moment to gain as much momentum as he could to push past the bottomless pit separating him from his destination.

Flying through the air, Axle took note of the numerous railways and mine carts leading down the ravine, barely held together thanks in part to the acid from the acamul, disappearing into the darkness. Landing on his feet, Axle slid on the soft gravel, arriving safely as he came to a full stop. Waving to his group on the other side, Axle signaled that the path was safe.

A strange snorting sound was heard in that moment, perhaps it was a precursor to another acamul attack or perhaps some long forgotten evil stirred awake by the pitter-patter of feet in its lair or maybe it was nothing more than the wind playing tricks as it rushed through the tunnels from above. It was neither of those things, it was Tobias laughing if one could call it that. Much like the man himself this raucous laughter didn't rightly know what it wanted to *be* so it settled for some sort of impossible middle-ground between high-pitched nasal whines and rambunctious gasps like the clumsy mating calls of horny sealions.

For whatever reason the smartly dressed scion of the Belthamere dynasty found Axle's words to be hilarious and the laughter would not abate at least not until Tobias saw something horrifying, even if that something was a trivial thing for his comrade to overcome, Tobias was not exactly athletic by any reasonable standards; it was not as though he had spent much time hiking mountains or practicing martial arts like other mages did, he had shut himself in and studied while occasionally hitting on gentlemen he found interesting. Ars Prisma was a difficult magic to master after all, doubly so because he had no one to teach him aside from aged grimoires.

If he truly wanted to cross the ravine, he could employ Prisma Ventus to do so, allowing it to carry him across on a mighty gale of wind but to unfurl such magic for a simple act of motion was extremely wasteful when he would in all likelihood require it later. Nothing for it then, it was time to use his Trump Card, he supposed it was just as well given the situation. Reaching into his robes he pulled out a Gold Key and with his magic rushing through his system he spoke aloud as the key was illuminated in a lustrous golden light.

"Gate of the Lion, Open!"

Flames seemed to part the air behind him, streaking down and cresting upwards like burning rose petals before the flames coalesced into the form of a hulking monstrosity that filled most of the corridor, the creature resembled something of a mix of a massive ogre, with a canine face, powerful horns and reddish-brown skin.. its claws massive and foreboding and with a muscular and toned chest.

"Brat. So you have decided to summon me at last, fine, I was getting bored anyway." Tobias looked at the ravine that divided him from his comrade and it was plain that this Aspect of Leo understood the implied order as he burst out laughing, a dark sound that shook the mines and caused the earth to rumble and dirt to trickle down from the ceiling. "You are such a priceless brat. Fine then, I'll help you across.."

With a gentle flick of his massive claw Leo sent his summoner flying across the chasm with great force and causing him to land on the other side, Tobias stood up in a huff, dusted off and unleashed a colorful string of words at the Celestial Spirit who simply brushed it off with a rumbling chuckle and cleared the obstacle in a single leap.

As the massive leonine spirit had completed its leap, the mechanical scarab began to hover around, releasing clouds of golden dust. It flew towards the holes that housed the Acamuls, which remained empty for the moment, until it covered a perimeter that extended a few dozen meters around the group of wizards. It no longer blurted his "Alarm, alarm!" incessantly, his jaws remained closed without making any more noise. The danger of a new assault seemed to be vanquished, at least temporarily.

The magical artifact resumed its path towards the belly of the mine shaft, leading the trio into increasingly narrow tunnels riddled with holes and open burrows, which also showed no trace of Acamuls in the vicinity. The path, however, remained anything but safe: the way became increasingly bumpy, at times obstructed by boulders or remains of platforms collapsed from the upper levels of the mine, at other times the route itself seemed mangled and full of cracks that the mere natural erosion of the stone would not be able to explain. Natural light was completely absent; the air became increasingly humid and weighed down by the magic in the surroundings.

The trio arrived near what may have been a spur of rock once large enough to accommodate a large group of miners at a time, but which the Acamuls had dissolved almost into a strip of rock that the three of them would have struggled to get across if at least one of them had not decided to get behind in single file. At the end of the gangplank was what must have been a large platform used to transport the miners, but there was barely a landing pad left and a few boulders in the outer shell, completely devoid of any form of magic. Everything magical around seemed to be devoured or about to be.

The scarab swerved to the right of the group, toward a path that lined the rock. The lavender light emitted by Tobias revealed that the Acamuls had passed this way, leaving signs of their extreme voracity. At the end of the gangplank, the scarab hovered toward a thick staircase with a tattered handrail that plunged toward even darker, wetter depths.

"Alarm, Alarm! All of Belthamere Company's magic platforms have been entirely consumed by the Acamuls. Alarm, Alarm! It is suggested to take this ramp to reach the lower levels. Alarm, Alarm! High odds of rough and dangerous paths are reported."

There could hardly have been more warning words; an immediate roar shook the belly of the rocky ramp, its reverberation dropping rubble and fragments of destroyed scaffolding from the highest points of the rock cliffs. Something indistinct breached the rock, breaking through with the same ease a battering ram would penetrate an average home. A version several times larger than the slugs it had just faced flashed its fanged, slobbering face at the group, which it shook repeatedly to get rid of the gravel irritating its several pairs of blood-red eyes. The creature's entrance was accompanied by a tremendous roar, the sound an alligator would have made if it were the size of a full-grown elephant, as that hungry monster was, even considering the fact that only its upper-body stuck out from the bedrock.

The Acamul did not waste a moment in attacking and spewing out a bursting stream of pure magical acid. Although three of its eyes were blinking at the group, indicating a clear craving for human flesh and magic, it did not shoot the bile directly at them: the jet of corrosive slime was directed right at the wall the three adventurers had to cross, near the base where they still rested their feet, and both began to liquefy at an alarming rate. The ground beneath the mages became steep, landslide-prone, in a few seconds they would all be free-falling toward the underground pond.

As if that were not enough, another blood-curling roar indicated that there was not a just single Acamul on the hunt. A fellow slug monster, roughly the same size as its brethren, had emerged at a point far higher in relation to the adventurers, shooting gallons and gallons of corrosive magic at the wall above the trio of mages, hitting the base of another immense mining platform. A behemoth of steel and magical wood, capable of holding loads of dozens of tons, which gave way under the force of the acid bile in little more than a flash, collapsing into the void. The staircase melted quickly, but not enough to haul the adventurers before the mass of beams and planks had crashed down on their heads, crushing them completely, unless they found a way to destroy the platform or stop its fall.

Tobias had been alert every single moment of the way, ready to act at the slightest hint of danger, he was terrified for sure, he saw what the acamul could do to stone and he didn’t want to imagine what that bile might do to flesh, he could not afford to be careless with creatures of such lethality potentially lurking around every possible corner. Consequently when they faced a new set of enemies he was more than ready.

As parts of the ceiling began to collapse Tobias had already raised his left hand, the one emanating that familiar violet sheen that they had depended on to light their way, but this time it would be required to fulfill its primary function. Even as the staircase began to crumble underneath him he retained his footing for long enough to cast a spell, the most powerful spell he *could* cast, and one he only had the chance to cast a small portion of the time. It was fortunate, it was one of the few spells in his arsenal powerful enough to deal with this situation perfectly.

Trouble is, once it had been cast it would be spent, and it was extremely unlikely that he would regain it when next he cast Manus Major. He hoped that this was the worst they would face today.

“*Prisma Ruina!*”

Its name was aptly chosen for no sooner had the spell been spoken before an incredible radiance of violet light spread across the heart of the mine, even as a vast magic circle spread underneath Tobias, glimmering with thousands of patterns.

Then the world around them just shattered into fractals, as though someone had taken a massive hammer and shattered a mirror, leaving just a small piece around them untouched, specifically the platform upon which they stood which for now at least had stopped crumbling.

“Prisma Ruina is the cornerstone of Ars Prisma and the spell I always hope to cast, it is a form of magic that shatters space itself in a significant radius around me and allows me to rearrange the pieces as I want. Its name was chosen for its stunning visuals.”

He did not strictly need to tell his comrade about its effects, but he felt like showing off since this was such a rare occurrence. Its effects did not last long however, and that was the crux of the issue so it was imperative that he knew what he wanted to do when he cast it and Tobias had always been good at thinking under pressure, most likely because he often had to argue against all of his brothers simultaneously whenever they ganged up on him. Hard lessons for sure.

The massive amount of debris that was about to crush them, or rather the space that it inhabited, replaced the space underneath them of the crumbling staircase and thus a new foundation was formed to support their weight perfectly, even if it was not nearly as fine and smooth as the original staircase had been. Like a child playing with puzzle pieces, Tobias then directed the space that the crumbling staircase had inhabited elsewhere, dividing it into two distinct streams as he hurled these *shards* of fractured space at the two massive acamul, seeking to cleave them both in twain with these impossibly sharp fragments that might easily slice through any known materials, seeking to cleave them in twain, or at the very least viciously injure them, the acamul that had furthest above would suffer the largest assault as his comrade could more easily deal with the closest one, he wanted to make sure he at least destroyed that acamul before it could complicate matters even further with more artillery fire.

After this attack was completed, whatever its results the world would snap back into alignment but the changes that Tobias had made would endure, then the raging nimbus of violet magic that had surrounded his left hand until this point winked out of being, its magic spent and now the only source of lumination would be the much weaker radiance given off by the four magical beads of Ars Prisma that rotated about his right wrist.

"The manipulation of space? One surprise after another huh." With the area in complete disarray, Axle took the opportunity to spike up his magic energy in preparation of the next attack, with the Acamul overhead more than taken care of, he could focus on the one that had almost sent them tumbling down. Punching the wall, numerous rocks fall directly ahead of him providing him adequate cover if acid came his way. Running across the ground, Axle leapt across each falling rock and railway, leaping in rapid succession to recover the distance between him and the slug. Adopting a different style than what he'd used prior, Axle's stance stood close to the ground, resembling some kind of serpent.

Take a deep breathe, he inhaled and exhaled several times, if to prepare himself "**Iron Shell**." Axle bellowed, his magic rising even further as his muscles began to expand drastically past his clothes, almost doubling in size as veins began to bulge all across his neck and face, appearing like some sort of muscle-bound brute before they began to contract and warp, shrinking in size slowly into their original form without losing an ounce of strength but still retaining the magnificent power he had gained, compressing his muscles as tightly as he could as his skin darkening as a result. With the added defense, Axle focused his magic along his limps, glowing in a bright blue aura, his attention was set squarely on the Acamul in front of him that was dozen of times larger than what he had previously seen, and it stands to reason that it would require even more effort on his part to eliminate given their gelatinous body.

"You slugs...are getting on my damn nerves," Axle said callously, a vein swelling along his temple, sighing in irritation, the breath escaping from his lips being more akin to steam as smoke filled his immediate vicinity. Of the types of enemies he had encountered, the Acamul weren't the worst, but the nature of their being made them difficult to handle in the conventional method he was accustomed to. A relatively soft body, with the ability to spit acid and multiply or divide, required him to apply more force than he wanted to use for such a simple opponent, and in some ways by doing so, felt that he was devaluing his own technique for wasting them on such an unworthy opponent with the most basic of instincts. All he could do was bear with it, and swallow his pride if he hoped to complete the job and escape with his life in one piece.

Axle folded his fingers into a fists, extending his index middle, and thump fingers out to resemble a dragon's claw, his aura gathering around his hands and fingertips, gritting his teeth as they grew sharper and jagged the more magic energy he gathered, his eyes becoming blood shot and his hair becoming unruly to match. Waving his hands through the air, blue streaks of light stretched from his initial spot all across the rocks, darting and weaving in all manner of directions to confuse the Acamul, the trail of magic leaving lines in the air if trying to keep up with Axle's movement while racing to his opponent. With the rush of speed, Axle's hands began to blur, leaving behind afterimages from the sudden moves as he flashing to the creature's blind side, slashing at the air in a great many ways, drawing them to a close as he tried to snap at the Acamul from the side.

The Acamul's six evil eyes fixed themselves on the space-time curvature resulting from Tobias' Manus Major as he sped toward the monster's lair, warping and twisting the airspace as it passed. Where a human would have seen a phenomenon akin to a bubble made of air ascending upwards at an impressive speed, Nature had provided the Acamuls with the ability to pick up the magical energies on which they fed. Those shards of space would have been a treat for the Acamul if they were bound to a physical body to digest and consume. To him they meant only mortal threat.

The beast trumpheted, its slimy form glowing with the magic devoured in the mining strands; it leapt from its lair, diving toward the platform where the adventurers stood. Not quickly enough to avoid being hit; the space curve was too fast for such a large creature. But smaller snails had no such problems. For that reason, the instant the magic was about to hit him, just as the lavender aura completely enveloped his field of vision, almost dazzling his gaze, the Acamul activated its own splitting magic. Dozens of small slugs emerged from the one large flesh, raining down on the improvised platform. Parts of the large Acamul failed to dodge the deformation in time, ending up completely smashed into an acid green pulp; a huge portion of the wall where the monster stood crumbled so completely as to leave nothing but a cascade of dust plummeting into the void.

Several small Acamuls fell onto the platform, making the same splash that a piece of mochi would make if it fell onto a table. From their sizes, they looked like a pack of dogs, rabid, drooling hounds. The magic of the two adventurers, so close to their fangs, energized their instincts like few things. Part of the pack began to crawl toward Tobias, eager to fill him with their slime and liquefy the man all over to calmly suck up what was left. Others, a little larger, had the idea to merge again, forming bull-sized creatures. All the others fired acid magic toward the mage, making him the target of at least a dozen acid jets at close range.

Even the Acamul's twin had his eyes drawn to the magic released by Axle upon the release of his own spell, but the gluttony was if possible even stronger, for it was magic infused into flesh and bone, all to be sucked. Gluttony that, however, was compounded by a good dose of anger resulting from the excessive speed of the prey, of which the Acamul could only perceive the mirages. Axle's aura that jumped and bounced in every corner of his field of vision infused him with the same murderous desire of a drugged bull that is waved in front of a red cloth.

The beast opened its mouth wide, seeming to let out a voiceless scream. Ripples of magic began to spread all over its body, starting from the tip of its still hidden tail until it excited the smallest ganglion of its antennae. The monster's flabby flesh pulsed with a yellow-orange glow, its eyes glowing with a crimson blaze. Power was building up with each passing wave, making the Acamul grow brighter and brighter, more and more charged with power, until it became something resembling a magic bomb about to explode. And so it did, detonating all that devoured magic in an explosion of fire and lightning. It didn't matter if the Acamul wasn't able to predict the enemy's movements, because that attack would have burned everything in the vicinity, consuming it in a red-hot dome. Axle's steel muscles would find a furnace of swirling flames and electrical charges perhaps too powerful even for their mettle.

Ars Prisma had many advantages, and amongst the greatest was the sheer speed with which its spells might be cast following the preliminary ritual, and that meant that using it was expedient and swift provided he still had charges remaining.

“Prisma Morbus!”

Tobias instinctively stepped closer to the protective shadow of Leo before his hand burst into motion, emerald light gleaming as the tiny orb scattered into sickly rays of effulgent light that then seemed to coalesce into a rising wall of green acid and bile. Swallowing up the acid-based attacks of the Acamul and expanding due to their efforts, their magic becoming part of the greater whole, it churned like a great green serpent at his behest before it was unleashed like a sickly tidal wave. Propelled forwards through the raw will of Tobias. It crested upwards just slightly before slamming down to wash over all of the Acamul within its disintegrating bile.

But this was not the full extent of his actions, he suspected that these creatures had some natural resistance against acid so his spell was mostly to gather and immobilize them briefly as up behind him shot the form of Leo, the creature drew its large head backwards before its maw opened wide and a great inferno of incredible proportions unfurled in a column of searing flames, setting the acid ablaze with the intention of incinerating all of the remaining monstrosities.

No time to run or summon a spirit in time, Axle cursed to himself, he should have seen this coming, it was only natural that if they could eat magic, the energy they had stored could easily become volatile after certain amount was ingested. Without bothering to waste time on anything other than was in front of him, Axle simply extended the range of his spell to fully encompass his entire body in an instant, the shade of his skin becoming black like solid steel as he focused the magic he had used to attack the acamul and redirecting it into pure defense. With an iron-clad shell, he let the explosion wash over him, the heat emitted was something he was accustomed to as it was similar to his Heat Shell but to a much more compact proportion, his spell providing enough cover as the electricity bounced off his skin. But where it lacked in its elemental components, it more than made up for it in the power from the sudden release in energy, his clothes torn the moment it touched him, but standing his ground as blood began to trickle down his nose during the explosion's aftermath, his defense holding as he stood motionless, falling on his rear end a moment later.

Slowly standing back up, his ears were ringing, extremely displeased that all that remained of his uniform was the sleeve on his left arm and up, being torn completely clean off from his right shoulder down and across his right bicep. Moving his neck from side-to-side, it began to creak and crack, undoing his armor as his skin reverted back to its original peach hue, the explosion shaking him up and leaving him bruised across his chest, but still able to proceed with the mission as he tried to make it back to his partner. Plugging up one of his nostrils with his hand, Axle blew as hard as he could, blowing out whatever blood was stuck up his nose as he turned to see Tobias' spell in action, decimating the acamul with his celestial spirit with fire, a most reasonable choice since their biology was mostly liquid in nature. *Explosions, acid, division*, *absorption,* these words came rushing to his head, figuring that he couldn't allow himself the luxury of restricting himself based on something as fundamental as pride to get in the way.

The two mages' counterattack had had the desired effect on both sides, above and below, wall and platform. The Acamuls had vanished, evaporated in the pair of swirling flames. Most of them were consumed in an instant, with no time to utter a single groan; the larger ones launched into a drunken bellow of fury, the closest thing to a human curse that could come out of an animal's mouth. Their screeching, all the same, vanished in a blaze, worn away with the swiftness of a match thrown into a fire.

As the hurled blasts dissipated, darkness resumed its dominion over the great wall of the mine shaft. They no longer had a source of natural light other than the distant glow of a few stones left in the bottom of the shaft, so that looking around was almost like holding their eyes. Luckily for them, the dark stillness was broken by a chirping of wings scattering golden dust: the mechanical scarab emerged from the belly of the platform, where it had found a hiding place during the assault of the two slugs. Wordlessly, the scarab glided toward the stairs and followed their path, descending into the blackest darkness.

Down, down and down, the stairs unraveled into a ribbon of rock that looked like it would stretch on forever. Stuff that would have crashed a normal man, but that the most experienced miners were used to navigate, traversing attached to the wall to avoid slipping, given the absence of any handrail. The further down the group went, the wetter and more slippery the steps became, to the point that an unsteady foot would dash off on them with ease.

At the end of their path waited the sound of water, both the one flowing through small rock drains and the incessant dripping coming from the stalactites. They were now on their way to their destination. The scarab flew around the adventurers, surrounding them with circles of golden dust. The chirping of its wings had become much louder; in the almost monastic silence of the subterranean lake, it seemed almost deafening.

"Alarm, alarm! My master is nearby. Alarm, alarm! Acamuls' presence detected. Alarm, alarm! Extreme caution is advised..."

"Alarm, alarm, REACH ME, SHIT! I'm down here, can you hear me?!?"

Shrieks came from a particularly dark spot in the lake. The mechanical scarab made its way there, revealing the source with its luminous wings. It was a man sitting in a boat, sweating all over, waving his arms like flags. He was squealing like a maniac, desperately trying to get noticed by a living soul that was not a ravenous monster.