Lina understood exactly what happened as soon as the breeze blew in from the new tunnel. It hit her quite literally.
Oxygen.
At the Shining Abbey, it was customary for fledgling Pyromancers to first learn a spell that would siphon off oxygen from their surroundings and keep it close to themselves, and they were later trained to keep it on at all times.
No wonder. This was the spell the Silencer was talking about.
Now they had to get the three unconscious ones to that tunnel, where fresh air was blowing in. She didn’t know where it led to, but it was more important for Jereziah and the others to be awake and conscious.
But that daemon creature was blocking the way between them and the tunnel, and she couldn’t risk casting another spell and consuming more oxygen. She tried to think quickly as the Legionnaire got up from his feet.
She turned to the Earth Elemental, talking loud enough so that the Legionnaire could also hear her. “Tarn, Pebbles, we need to get to that tunnel. Tarn, you’re feeling the lack of oxygen, but it should become better the closer we get to that tunnel; fresh air is blowing in. Can you open up a path for us?”
The Legionnaire didn’t need to spend excess energy speaking, but nodded his accent. He readied his axe.
“Pebbles, just focus on bringing Jereziah and the Silencer to the end of that tunnel; the closer they get to oxygen the faster we can revive them. I think I know how to save Lizarb.”
The Earth Elemental nodded its understanding and prepared to follow after the Legionnaire.
With a short huff, the Legionnaire charged at the daemon, his axe trailing behind him. The daemon recoiled, seemingly terrified. The Legionnaire’s sudden change of stance had seemed menacing. It backed up, just enough for them to go into the tunnel!
The Earth Elemental made short bounds towards the tunnel, diving into it as the Legionnaire stood between the daemon and the tunnel it had dug up.
Meanwhile, Lina dug in her robes for what she knew now was the mask Scouts kept with them all the times. One of the mask’s supposed properties was the ability to allow them to breathe despite poison.
She was counting on it.
Quickly ducking down, she clumsily slipped the mask over the Scout’s face in the dark, praying to Sol that she was not too late. Ahead of her, the Legionnaire menaced the daemon back, but it was slowly regaining its confidence in attacking.
Was he breathing? She couldn’t tell. It was too dark right now.
“Took you long enough,” came the coughing voice of the Scout. He was awake.
“Good grief, Lizarb, why don’t you keep your mask on like most properly trained Scouts?”
“Nevermind that, what’s the situation? I noticed we’re stuck in the dark.” The daemon’s shriek echoed throughout the tunnel in the dark. Lina watched as it slowly moved towards the Legionnaire, swaying back and forth, looking for a chance to strike.
“And what’s Tarn doing playing with giant bugs now? I thought we were past that…”
“Get into that tunnel. Air’s blowing in from it, which means that there must be an exit somewhere.”
“Do I look like I’m currently in any shape to move that fast?” the Scout grumbled as he slowly moved towards the opening of the tunnel.
The daemon shrieked again, and began charging them.
“Nevermind, I am GLAD to be going into that tunnel,” muttered the Scout, scrambling towards the entrance as Lina followed closely behind.
“I’ll hold it here for a bit longer,” shouted the Legionnaire, brandishing his axe at the daemon’s head as his left arm grappled with its appendages, “Get the Prince to safety first!”
“We’ll only need thirty seconds, Tarn,” she replied, “run after us when you can!”
And she, too, ducked into the tunnel.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ophelia frowned to herself as she paced at the minimum distance the Malphai would allow anyone to venture forwards. They had been kept here for the past day, unable to proceed further as the three Malphai had challenged their every move and forced them to back up.
But now there were only two. Where was the other?
“What would make your brother suddenly release a Malphas?” she asked the Blacksmith.
He shrugged at her in response, “There may be many reasons, but none of them are very likely.”
“Tell me them.”
He listed them off on his fingers, “He may have lost control for a moment, may have decided two are enough to stave us off, made an incomplete contract, or be diverting his forces elsewhere.”
“But with his experience, it is impossible for him to have lost control or made an incomplete contract…” the Blacksmith added as an afterthought.
“So he either decided two are enough for us, or he needs his forces elsewhere.”
“Those are possible,” replied the Blacksmith, “and as you say, two are quite difficult for us to…”
One of the last two Malphai suddenly blinked out of existence in a flash of fire.
“…there is no way he thinks one Malphai could keep us tethered here for long.”
The last Malphas disappeared as well.
Ophelia tensed, waiting for any signs of a trap. But there were none.
“We must go,” she said, “and take this chance. I do not know what happened, but now is the time to attack.”
But she noticed a troubled look on the Blacksmith’s face.
“What is wrong? There are no traps set…”
“No, that’s not it,” was his reply, “He recalled three of his Malphai despite earlier instructions for them to keep us here. What is his goal then, allowing us to proceed? He must be backed into a corner for him to be recalling his Malphai.”
Ophelia waved her arms at the army that had assembled in this past day, signaling for them to march, and then turned to face the Blacksmith.
“There is no point second guessing his motives. We can only take the opportunities that are presented to us.”
“Yes, but…” the Blacksmith seemed doubtful, “Even though he is currently restricting himself and he has not completely recovered his powers, what could make him gather his forces?”