We all rushed into the nest, ignoring the Eaters that were fighting behind us. Although he wasn't entirely sure. Still, we pushed through, moving deeper and deeper into the belly of the Beast. The walls that surrounded us were a strange mixture of brown dirt with a slightly metallic sheen, and almost black fissures of some strange type of metal that seemed to be covered in a thin layer of clay.
Just by looking around, we all had to admit that this place was strange, and that was being generous. There was nothing really that looked like a regular cave. Even the spacing between walls felt odd. It was too wide but not tall enough to make sense. If this were a natural formation, odds are the entire thing would have collapsed a long time ago.
We continued moving, taking advantage of the sunlight that was being reflected on those shiny metal pieces, but the more we walked, the darker the entire nest became. It was obvious that it wouldn't take that long for it to reach a point where we couldn't see anything in front of us. So, I quickly stopped everybody with a hand sign and started to pass small cubes of dried meat that I had prepared.
Together with some of the cooks back in the village, we came up with a few different quick meals that could be used to buff the army. The ones that we gave to the people outside were all focused on increasing someone's power and their overall regeneration. However, the ones that I was taking here were a bit more specific.
Ever since I first got the System, there was one thing in particular that I really wanted to do. Thanks to the help of the Rodenti and a large amount of meat that came from bobcats, I had achieved this tiny dream. It was a small cube sized piece of dried meat that could give us the one skill we should need the most here.
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Dried Night Vision
When consuming this meal, your eyesight will be sharpened and you will be more receptive to any sort of light.
Duration: two hours.
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It was a shame that we couldn't overlap various effects, but considering what we were about to do here, this seemed like the best option. We all popped the dried bobcat meat in our mouths and waited a second for it to activate. The cold, dark corridor, where we could barely make out the surrounding shapes, became more clear. It wasn't brighter, not really, but the grays were more well defined, allowing all of us to better see what was around us. Even so, the colors were heavily muted.
Moving forward, the tunnel split in two. One was going up and one was going down. For some reason, when we were talking about the nest, I always imagined it would be something that was completely underground. But considering that the Spire where it was located rose about halfway up the mountainside, it makes sense that it wasn't just that. The Eaters were using the entirety of the space to some degree.
I was about to turn to the Rodenti and to my companions and ask for their opinion when the group of Rodenti that Rixnala brought started moving towards the tunnel leading upward.
"What are you doing?"I asked in a whisper, but my voice seemed to be carried by the echo of the cave.
The Rodenti didn't stop and continued moving towards the tunnel, but one of them, a small Rodenti who I remembered asking to participate in the duel when we first met, spoke.
"You bigger. Heavy. Don't know if above sturdy."
I looked at them for a moment. "If Eaters live there, of course it's going to be sturdy."
"If normal Eaters, yes. What if strange ones? What if smaller ones?" the Rodenti replied.
Hearing that, I couldn't help but nod. It was indeed a possibility. Maybe the Eaters that were above would be much lighter than the ones that were outside, making the entire floor more dangerous for us than it would be for them. The rest of my companions, including Rex, didn't seem to be as bothered by the possibility. They just accepted the suggestion and started moving towards the lower tunnel.
Still, since our goals of being there were different, I had to add, "If you see an Eater Hatchling, try not to kill it. We need it."
The Rodenti raised an eyebrow and shook their head, "Can't make promises."
They continued moving towards the upper floors, while we took the right tunnel, heading deeper underground. In just a few minutes, things became so dark that even with our enhanced night vision, we were struggling to see. But there was at least a little bit of light that was still being reflected from the metallic walls and bouncing ever so slightly, which was enough for the temporary skill that we gained by eating bobcat meat.
Even then, things would likely soon evolve beyond this type of darkness. Unexpectedly, we all noticed a new source of light. This one was coming from deeper still and the light was different. It wasn't as bright as sunlight. Instead, it was dull red, almost as if we were looking at the dying embers of something.
While still trying to understand what was going on, we all felt a rumbling somewhat close. We all assumed it was the presence of an Eater. All pulled up our weapons and slowly started to move forward without saying a word, taking a battle formation.
Astrid was in front, followed by me, with Rex and Riley right behind, and Michael taking up the rear. I thought it would be a rough place for an archer to fight, but he agreed that it was better for him to be keeping an eye out in case something was trying to trap us in here.
We continued to move slowly, trying to ignore the noise that was coming from the outside. Even this deep into the Eater nest, we still could hear the battle raging on. It was hard not to think that maybe we should have stayed behind and helped the Rodenti. But we all had our own goals, and as long as we were able to destroy the nest, it didn't matter where we were actually fighting.
We approached the entrance of another tunnel. There was a loud sound of rubble being moved, coming from the right, while the passage we were walking through continued making this circular pathway that seemed to be spiraling down, almost as if it was mirroring the spire above. Being in front, Astrid quickly glanced into the passage that just appeared before sending a message through the System.
Astrid: There's an Eater here. It's a weird one. I never seen something like that before.
I made sure to pass the message along to the rest of the group in that strange game of telephone that we had to play while trying to talk without being seen.
Cassandra: I think it's better if we fight it. If we leave it alone and then it comes back when we are fighting something else, it's going to be worse for us. Even if there's a chance that we will warn the rest of the nest, it's better than ending up trapped somewhere we don't know how to navigate.
Michael: Hang on. What is the thing's level?
The Huskcarver glanced down the corridor again and turned back with a frown.
Astrid: It's called Tunneler Eater. Tier 1. Not saturated. Seems way too weak to be here.
Riley: And what is it doing?
Astrid: Digging a tunnel. I think.
Cassandra: One way or another, we should kill it. Even if it's just an Eater who specializes in digging, my point still stands. It's an Eater, and it might try to kill us if we give it an opening.
Everybody nodded, including Rex, who was quiet during that small interaction. Not that he wasn't receiving the messages, but he didn't seem to want to speak about anything. With Astrid in the lead, we all slowly moved into that tunnel and approached this Tunneler Eater.
The creature was similar in some ways. It had the same spider-like legs, although its legs were both thicker on the back and more slender in the front. The tentacles that were usually on top of its body were actually in front of it, revealing a rough surface above the legs that looked like tree bark, almost. The tentacles were not just existing, but instead spinning quickly, forming a drill of sorts that kept going back and forth to expand this tunnel.
But the most surprising thing of all was the fact that the Eater didn't seem to notice our presence. We continued getting closer and closer, and the creature made no sign of recognition or even worry. Here, we could also see that the area was a bit brighter as there were a couple of glowing rocks near the Tunneler Eater that were glowing a dull orange as if they were heated.
Occasionally, we could see one of the Eater's tentacles reaching out and touching that rock, which seemed to be fueling him ever so slightly. The Eater was using the glowstones as a source of Energy. A network of heat or Energy that allowed the Eaters that existed here to access their skills without having to worry about running out of power.
The idea of fighting Eaters that had unlimited access to their skills made me shudder, and I quickly passed along the theory to my companions.
Astrid: Then we need to kill them fast.
With a nod, I sent the message
Cassandra: If that wasn't the plan before, it is now.
Looking back, I could almost see Riley staring into the glowing rocks and trying to come up with a way to use the Energy connected to them. But something was telling me that even if we could do that, it would require another specific skill that we currently didn't have. Astrid moved closer and closer to the Tunneler Eater, and when she was in range, brought her axe down on it, using {Frost Chop} to do as much damage as possible.
Only after being hit did the creature show any recognition of our presence, even if it didn't have any eyes. Instead, the tentacles that formed the drill snapped backwards, but were unable to reach Astrid as they were not long enough. The creature very slowly started to move around as if it wasn't really built for such movement. I went forward and used {Compression} on my staff to try to pin the legs to the ground and stop it from moving, which seemed to work.
The creature stopped. Michael fired an arrow made out of stone towards the tentacles that could form the drill in hopes of stopping them from recreating that strange appendage. Riley sent a few silk threads to bind the creature and stop it from continuing to move. The last to join was Rex, who simply made a pillar of stone appear next to the monster and slammed it against the ceiling a couple of times, causing the creature to eventually fall back to the ground motionless.
But we knew that it wasn't done, as the particles had yet to flow towards us. Even then, the creature just lay on the ground, emotionless. We took a few steps back, and we waited one more moment for the creature to move again. After all, none of us felt like we had destroyed it. But maybe it was weakened, and we all believed that it was just trying to lure us into a trap.
Even a regular Scavenger Eater would be more troublesome than this. Unlike the ones we would find outside, this one seemed to have an endless supply of Energy to use as many skills as they wanted.
But the seconds went by, and the creature remained completely still on the ground.
"Do you think maybe the nest has a way of absorbing their particles?" Michael suggested, which was something that I never even considered.
In reality, that would make quite a lot of sense. The nest might be using every single particle that came from one Eater or anything that died inside to improve itself. If we were to wait too much, then the putrefying effect the bodies of the Eater would trigger again, and it could warn the others of something going wrong.
"Let's cut it some more," I spoke. Getting a nod from the rest of the group. It was better to be safe than sorry, so really leaning in and wailing on the creature seemed to be a way to solve this problem.
I took a step towards it, but Astrid stopped me and took charge of doing that herself, moving in the direction of the Eater before I could. Just as she got close to the creature, a crack in the ground appeared, and we all fell down a pit. We came to realize that the tentacles of the creature were no longer visible as it landed on the floor.
It used some sort of ability to hide its movements and dig straight down, making us fall into a large open chamber faintly illuminated by a few of the glowing orange rocks that seemed to be peppered around the walls. The landing wasn't as rough as it could have been, but that was the least of our concerns. Coming from the shadows, we saw a swarm of small creatures quickly approaching.