Griff's expression was grimmer than it had ever been as he stood before the magic well. The scene here was an absolute shambles; the squad assigned to guard the entrance lay scattered across the ground. Judging by the tracks and the state of the bodies, the squad hadn't managed to put up any semblance of a decent resistance.
He didn't doubt the loyalty of these men. This simply meant the gap in strength was so vast that they were utterly powerless against the intruders. It also confirmed that the enemy's true objective from the very start hadn't been the camp, but this magic well.
The situation was giving him a massive headache. Truth be told, they weren't entirely sure what lay in the depths below; they were merely stationed here under orders to guard the site and assist the mining teams should they encounter danger.
And now... it was glaringly obvious that their mission was a failure. All they could do now was try to mitigate the fallout as quickly as possible.
"Professor Morillan, what is our next move?"
"Bring the lift back up first," Morillan replied after a moment of silence, shaking his head. "As for the people below... we cannot help them for the time being. We can only hope nothing catastrophic has occurred."
Griff nodded, his heart heavy with the weight of the situation.
"The space down here is truly immense..."
Mohg narrowed his eyes, peering down into the subterranean cavern as it gradually revealed its full scale. He focused his gaze, meticulously scanning the area below. He wasn't sure what kind of defensive force awaited at the base of the magic well; if it proved too formidable, he would have to reconsider his options—or simply flee.
Soon, stacks of supplies, flickering campfires, and various defensive fortifications came into view. Alongside them were a significant number of Carian soldiers and several Carian Royal sorcerers.
It wasn't exactly good news, but fortunately, he didn't sense any overwhelming threats from them. In other words, while they were numerous, there were few individuals capable of truly challenging him.
Having established this, Mohg began searching for the path leading further inward. It turned out to be the easiest task of all; directly facing the magic well was a cavernous opening so massive it was impossible to miss.
"Going down further on the lift will likely get me spotted by those closing in. It's easier to just fly in..." Mohg murmured, watching the Carian soldiers and a leading sorcerer begin to converge on the landing point. He unfurled his massive black wings and gave a powerful flap.
BOOM!
The sudden, violent crack of breaking air echoed through the relatively quiet subterranean cavern, instantly drawing everyone's attention. The men below looked up in sheer bewilderment, watching Mohg's silhouette streak directly toward the inner tunnel.
Even the guards waiting at the bottom of the lift blinked in confusion, wondering what had just happened and what that flying creature could possibly be.
"What was that thing?"
"How should I know..."
"Could it be some high-ranking official coming down?"
By the time Mohg's figure had completely vanished into the deep shadows of the tunnel, none of them had made a move. Since the intruder hadn't attacked them or shown any intent to communicate, the safest course of action—given they didn't know his identity—was to do nothing. After all, if the stranger turned out to be one of their own, making a move would be a disaster for their careers.
Mohg, for his part, was slightly surprised at how smoothly he had slipped past. But since they hadn't tried to block him, he wasn't going to complain.
"The space inside here is even larger than I remember..."
Mohg squinted at the surrounding environment. There was enough clearance for him to maintain a low-altitude flight, which was convenient but also a potential red flag. Excavating a tunnel of this magnitude manually would require a staggering amount of labor. According to his knowledge, this place was home to a certain "specialty" creature—creatures that loved nothing more than digging tunnels everywhere.
If the tunnels were this massive, it meant their numbers were likely high—perhaps high enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Speaking of which... what do ants use to sense biological activity again?" Mohg wondered, stroking his chin as he folded his wings.
He assumed the initial stretch of the path would be relatively safe. He glanced at the wooden crates and oil lamps lined up along the ground before continuing deeper into the passage. This explained why there weren't many people back at the lift; the rest had likely entered the tunnels as part of the exploration teams.
This meant he had to be wary of more than just giant ants; he also had to stay alert for Carian explorers.
"Well, it's been a while since I've walked through a place like this. I almost feel a bit nostalgic."
Mohg expertly left a hidden mark on the cavern wall before following the trail of oil lamps. He ignored any paths that showed no signs of foot traffic, assuming they were likely dead ends.
Before long, after traversing a considerable distance, he heard movement coming from up ahead. It sounded like people talking.
"This gods-forsaken place is too damn winding! We've been exploring for ages and found nothing but those cursed ants!"
"Sigh... that's the underground for you. But at least we've found some items washed up by the current. It proves there are ancient ruins nearby."
"Ancient ruins. Probably more of that 'Uhl Dynasty' junk. I didn't want to come here at all; I'd much rather be on the other side..."
"It's all down to luck. Our luck just happens to be rotten, so we're stuck here. Maybe when they rotate the positions, we'll get a chance to head over there."
Hidden in the shadows, Mohg listened intently. He immediately realized the Carians had already secured a path leading toward the Eternal City.
However, he remembered one crucial detail: the ruins of the Eternal City accessible from this side were essentially a dead end... unless you could fly. Otherwise, it would take a massive amount of manpower to construct the necessary infrastructure to cross over.
Furthermore... there was a "big guy" waiting over there. From the sounds of it, they hadn't officially reached that area yet. On the Uhl Dynasty side, there were also numerous Claymen and a certain "Naturalborn" to contend with.
It seemed the obstacles they had encountered so far weren't too great, but judging by their progress, it wouldn't be long before they bumped into the "old-timers" of the underground world.
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (328 Chapters – Ongoing)
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