Chapter 309 – Extreme Measures

Chapter 309 – Extreme Measures

Kai had extensively considered why collapsing the cavern was a bad idea—a whole lake of bad floated above their heads, together with several tons of rock that might or might not crush them into mush.

Extreme problems require extreme solutions. Uhm… Do I remember that wrong? It has been a while… Not that it matters.

He would worry about the semantics after they survived. Right now, a cave-in was the only solution he could find.

The fleeing prisoners would never manage to shake off the cultists if there was a trail. Even if he goaded/taunted/lured the cultists in a different direction, some would still chase the main group. He had to remove the possibility entirely for Flynn and Kea’s sake.

Why do I always end up doing reckless stuff? I swear I try to avoid it.

Alas, time was too short to pity his unjust fate. The thumping steps of the escapees were fading in the distance. Beside him, Rain rested his back on the rock wall, scanning the cavern. The siren had gone silent after he heard his plan.

He must already be regretting this.

Kai bit his cheek, masking his nerves behind an impassive veneer. He shouldn’t have dragged someone else into this mess without explaining the danger; perhaps he was still in time to send him away.

He was about to open his mouth when Rain spoke first.

“Are you sure about this?”

Well…

Rain tapped the rocky wall with his less bandaged/injured arm. “The cavern vault looks pretty sturdy. And I know Earth Magic isn’t one of your strongest elements. It’ll be hard to bring it down.”

Kai blinked as his brain attempted to make sense of what he heard.

Is he worried not enough boulders will fall on our heads?

“I can give you a hand,” Rain said, head tilted to stare at the ceiling. “I’ve never destroyed anything this large outside the sea, but a Gravity field should add a little oomph to your spell…”

A little umph…?

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” Kai said all too quickly, then softened his tone to not sound ungrateful. “I’ve had some experience cutting stones inside a cavern. I can manage it.”

His experience mainly consisted of building shelters in the Hidden Sanctuary. Not the same, but he only needed to collapse one tunnel—how hard could it be?

“If you’re sure…” Rain turned to the farthest tunnel.

Kai was almost certain he detected a hint of disappointment in his tone. “I’m sure. Just cover me. I’ll focus on blocking the passage that the others took first. Depending on how it goes, we might have to run and lead the cultists elsewhere.”

“Okay. I’ll leave it to you…” Rain raised his good arm to his face, a gold-speckled marble suddenly in his hand. He popped it into his mouth and grimaced as if he had bitten a lemon. “I still won’t be able to run for a while.”

“That’s fine… I can carry you…” Kai frowned. Where did that golden candy come from? There hadn’t been on him anything when he had bandaged his wounds. “What was that?”

Rain arched his split brow. “You mean the rejuvenation pill? Liquid potions aren’t very practical underwater. And the ones you gave me weren’t strong enough… Not that I don’t appreciate it!” He hurried to add, wiping a drop of blood running down his cheek. “I would have taken hours to wake up alone. I didn’t share the pills because I don’t know if they’re safe for humans.”

“I see…” Kai nodded and buried a dozen questions threatening to spill from his lips. “But where did you take that pill from…?”

“Hmm… my storage space?” Rain unwound the bandages around his wrist to show a bracelet of seashells that Kai was certain hadn’t been there a moment ago. “It got hidden when I lost consciousness. Uh… yours doesn’t?”

No… Is there anything it can’t do?

Kai assumed the cultists had stolen the spatial artifact since Rain often used it in front of Caeli. How could he have forgotten to consider the anti-theft guarantee that came with underwater purchases?

Note to self: Never touch Rain’s stuff without permission.

One day, he might trigger some anti-snooper ward and get turned into a pupperfish without knowing why.

“They’re here.” Rain’s cold tone slid between his thoughts.

A flickering glow lit the passage across from them. Boots scraped the ground, and jumbled whispers echoed. Hobbes’ disdain confirmed their identity—the cultists were here.

Stay hidden, I can handle this. Well, probably.

Kai kept the last thought to himself. If they got buried under a few tons of rock, he’d rather his familiar stayed well away.

C’mon, I can do this.

There were three tunnels leading into the cavern. The one the main group used to flee on his right, the one lit by the cultists across from them, and the smallest one where he and Rain stood.

With just seconds left, Kai started gathering Earth mana toward the ceiling.

Guess getting crushed is better than drowning, at least. Hmm… can a siren breathe underwater in human form?

He didn’t remember seeing any gills on Rain, though the siren was a bottomless pit of mysteries. Even now, slouched against the stone, he shaped streams of blue mana into strange patterns with no sign of nervousness. Kai would hardly be surprised if breathing were optional for him.

Okay, let’s focus on bringing down the cavern.

Exhaling out to clear his mind, he focused Mana Observer on the ceiling five meters above them. While the rock to collapse was massive, a few cracks in the right places could easily cause a chain reaction. The issue was ensuring those cracks didn’t extend over their heads.

He was still tweaking the spell when fourteen people with masked faces entered the chamber. Two trackers opened the formation, followed by rows of armed warriors and casters with gnarly staffs of ebony in the back. The ease of their postures showed their readiness to fight.

Kai was relieved to have sent Kea away. These weren’t amateurs; ambushes or tricks wouldn’t have worked. The cultists slowed upon seeing them waiting, their auras pulsing with eagerness.

“…told you we were close.”

“Only two of them?”

“These two rats probably got ditched by the rest.”

“Do the flesh knitter need them alive?”

The cultists chatted among themselves as if Kai and Rain were of no consequence. But despite the sneering comments, they didn’t lower their weapons or break formation.

Kai was too busy weaving streams of Earth mana to complain about the extra time. Not a dark brown mote remained in his veins—he had one shot at this. If the spell was too weak to block the tunnel, the cultists would chase after Kea and Flynn, making his gamble useless; if it was too strong, he risked a very unpleasant death.

It’d be easier if I could see through those damn rocks…

The distance and dense ambient mana blurred his senses. It was like drawing a portrait blindfolded, and one wrong line would kill him.

He wouldn’t attempt it without Hallowed Intuition. Whispers buzzed in his mind, swaying widely every time he tried adjusting his spell.

“They’re getting close.” Rain said with just a hint of impatience. “I can’t hide your casting much longer.”

“I’m almost done.” Kai let the world fall into the background as he focused on manipulating the threads of Earth mana toward the ceiling. His mind honed in on his intentions.

The danger from the approaching cultists mixed with the whispers from his spell. In seconds, they would be upon them, but Kai continued to tweak the spell without hurry. Like when keeping his breath underwater, panicking only worsened the situation when your lungs screamed for oxygen.

Almost… there!

A thread of mana pushed deeper into the stone, making the whispers fall by more than half. Kai released the spell before some twitch ruined the precarious balance.

Opening his eyes, shattered ice, shouts and whistling projectiles assaulted his ears. Frozen palisades and bubbles had risen against arrows and crackling black fire. Rain sent icicles flying in retaliation while the cultists advanced behind walls of inky water and spears.

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Kai just managed to grasp the mayhem when a dry groan echoed through the cavern. The cultists slowed to watch their surroundings, not realizing the danger came from above. A web of cracks spread on the ceiling.

It’s working!

The fissures kept expanding. Crumbling dust and rock lifted every eye as the first massive slab of rock began falling.

There wasn’t time to run. Kai flattened his back against the wall and cast a layer of ice to protect them from the debris. His panic was mild compared to the cultists scrambling to escape with shouts and curses. Instants seemed to stretch.

Crash!

The slab shook the cavern with a loud rumble upon impact, and many lost their footing. Cracks continued to spread in the ceiling on his right, and boulders rained amidst the thundering crashes.

Shit, it worked!

The crystal lights shattered, and darkness engulfed the cavern. Kai protected his ears from the deafening rumble and pressed himself harder on the cold rock.

Spirits, why did I think this was a good idea again?

The gods of the archipelago were too far to answer, but rational thoughts were remarkably difficult at the moment. He’d even take Zervathi’s help at the cost of listening to his narcissistic nagging.

A rock shattered not far from his feet, showering him with pebbles. He felt like suffocating. The ceiling and walls were closing on them; meters of rock and water lay above their heads. Craning his neck, he wished to see the sky instead of dust and darkness.

We’re gonna be fine. We’re gonna be fine. We’re gonna be fine.

Only one person remained unbothered while the underground shook. Crouched on the cavern wall beside him, Rain used his good arm to aim ice spears at the fleeing cultists. His first spell pierced a swordsman in the leg. As the man turned to seek his attacker, the second spear impaled him through the chest.

With a serene smile, Rain moved to the next target through the rising cloud of dust. He never once glanced at the falling rocks, either incurant or confident they’d be safe.

I wish I had his confidence.

Kai unclenched his teeth, forcing a thread of calm through his drumming heartbeat. Why did the cultists have to build their hideout beneath a lake?

I hate this place.

It seemed an eternity before the cavern stopped shaking, though it probably wasn’t more than a handful of seconds.

We’re alive. Never doubted it.