A tremor brought her out of her reverie. Just then, hundreds of things crawled out from the darkness, and rushed at them. Elizabeth and Freon immediately ran in the opposite direction. Elizabeth cursed inwardly, because she was not done thinking yet. She wanted to leverage the fact that they fell straight down to somehow find a way back up. They would not need to fumble around and get lost in the caves. Their party members might be nearby too. It was their best shot at rescuing everyone and escaping. She had little Magic Energy left, but Freon did, and he had the spell, Spring Step. There was a good chance he could use it to climb back up to the main cavern. However, there was no chance of that now. The vast number of insects furiously chasing after them proved that. Rushing headfirst without a plan… This was the worst possible outcome!
She tripped over a rock and nearly fell until Freon caught her. Her condition was still bad. Every bone in her body was aching, practically screaming out in pain. Her breathing got more haggard every second. Despite her incredible willpower, there was a limit to her body. Her head started overheating, and her movements became slower. The stale air, flickering light, and extreme exertion made it worse. She clutched her head. This was bad. Freon noticed her situation and spun around. There was some distance until the bugs reached them, except at this rate, Elizabeth would not make it. He had to seize the initiative! Double casting! Infernal Gate! A huge flame wall blocked the tunnel. Freon knew that the bugs had a strong resistance to heat, so this would not kill them, but it could buy them more time. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and yanked her along. They needed to gain as much distance as they could, before his spell or Magic Energy ran out.
Elizabeth knew that, so she let herself get pulled along. She looked behind her where that flame wall was. Although many of the insects were wary of the fire, some brave ones charged through unscathed. Their numbers cut down but there were twenty or thirty remaining. Once they saw Elizabeth and Freon, they screeched furiously, pointed their mandibles, and assumed a stance. She realized their plan and paled. Freon had to concentrate on two spells, one for illumination, another for Infernal Gate. He could not cast a third defensive spell! She made her decision in an instant. Clutching her bow, her last wisps of Magic Energy poured out into a spell. The strain on her body and mind made her dizzy. She could barely complete the casting. The insects shot their silk projectiles at them, right as a powerful gust of wind swept out from Elizabeth. The projectiles rapidly lost their stability and scattered in the air. It worked! Except with this, she had used up all her Magic Energy, including the small amount she barely managed to recover.
They abruptly stopped, making Elizabeth question Freon, but then she understood why. It was a dead end! Looking at that solid rock wall blocking their way, they felt despair. The bugs began making their way past Freon's flame wall. There were probably over a hundred! Just one of them required an entire team to kill, a team of some of the most powerful people in the world. How much would it take to kill a hundred insects then? Freon could not imagine. In that case… he dispelled his flame wall and prepared a new spell. The Magic Circle was a familiar one, Infernal Dragon! And he decided to use his Bloodline Ability on top of that. Even though the Magic Energy consumption would be great, he had no time to hesitate. It was all or nothing! He would wipe them out in one go!
In moments of crisis, Elizabeth's mind became extremely calm. She thought rapidly, as time slowed down to a crawl. They were in a dead end, so there was nowhere to go, except back where they came from. However, Freon did not have that much Magic Energy. Even if he could kill all the bugs in one go, there was no guarantee there were not more bugs behind. Those Rank 2 Beast Lords could be waiting for them too. Exhausting Freon's Core would be catastrophic. Then, what about charging through with Spring Step? Elizabeth shook her head. That also would not work. His defensive methods were not strong enough. They would be cut into pieces. No, there must be another way. She looked around frantically. Ever since they ran into this tunnel, she had this nagging feeling on the back of her mind. What was it? What was wrong? Nothing looked out of place. That was when Elizabeth realized.
Of course! Why didn't I think of this sooner? she thought. This tunnel has a consistent width and height, and even the floor is fairly smooth. This isn't the work of nature. The bugs must have dug it out themselves! They wouldn't waste their energy for no reason. Since there is nothing else here, then that means… Is it left? Right? No! It's up!
"Freon, there!" She pointed in a hurry.
"Got it!"
He immediately switched spells and stopped using his Bloodline Ability. They might argue and bicker outside of battle, but during battle, they had absolute trust in each other. That was the comradeship they nurtured over years of fighting together! Pulling Elizabeth into his arms, he concentrated on the place that she pointed out. There was a small opening near the ceiling to the level above! Although it was a tight squeeze and in an awkward place, anything was better than fighting. Spring Step! Power surged in his legs, and he jumped. Elizabeth let go of Freon midair and latched onto the rocks. Her feet almost slipped, and her hands struggled to find a crevice. Peebles dropped, but she was fine. The hole was too small for both of them to get through, so she needed to do this. Freon misjudged his landing and smashed into the wall. The impact made him dizzy. Elizabeth risked falling and grabbed his arm, pulling him back up. She managed somehow.
Freon shouted, "Go! I'll cover your rear!"
She nodded and started climbing towards the hole. Everything pained. The feeling in her fingers disappeared. It felt like somebody else controlled her body. Her consciousness tottered dangerously on the edge. Left hand, right foot. Right hand, left foot. She repeated those instructions in her head to stay awake. Despite landing close to that hole, that small distance felt massive. The insects were getting closer, and the nearest ones prepared their silk again. Freon responded with another Infernal Gate. A wall of flames filled their vision. Even though the flames would not do much to the bugs, he still chose to do this. Like Elizabeth thought, his defensive spells were inadequate against projectiles that would pierce through plate armor. It would be a waste of Magic Energy if he tried to block them. Therefore, he gambled that the flames would work again, to deter the insects from approaching. At the very least, it would make it harder to shoot their silk.
The dropping Magic Energy in Freon's Core made him tense. He climbed after Elizabeth, while concentrating on his two spells. Since he had to concentrate on so many things at once, his head became a mess. Elizabeth finally reached the hole, but she was too weak to pull herself through. Right at the worst possible time! Pew! Pew! Pew! Some impatient insects started shooting their silk through the flames to strike where Elizabeth and Freon were. Although the silk projectiles ignited, they maintained enough momentum to punch through rock. They were lethal! They pierced into the wall around Elizabeth and Freon, as the two tried their best to ignore it.
There was no time to hesitate. Elizabeth quickly poured World Energy into her bow to create a small wind-type spell. The wind lifted her from below, giving her the necessary leverage to squeeze through the hole! Freon was right behind her, barely managing to clamber up while casting two spells. Using her entire body weight, Elizabeth heaved him up. The two sprawled on the ground, exhausted; however, they could not rest yet. They needed to seal up the hole. After finding the largest boulder they could move, they rolled it over the hole. Only then, did the two slump to the floor in a pile of sweat and tears. Against all odds, Elizabeth and Freon survived!