Boom! The charges went off. A swarm of spiders emerged from the opening. Hikari unleashed a stream of fire from her handcannon, setting the entire entrance alight and incinerating those caught in the flames.
Charred spider corpses dropped from the ceiling. A few slipped through the flames. The men opened fire.
"Sharpnel! " Rey's speakerphone sounded as his launcher lobed a bomb into the breach. His men with motors did the same. A series of explosions ensued, along with the sound of shrapnel pecking against Hikari's shield.
The remainder of the swarm scurries away.
"It's clear up ahead." Hikari declared.
The mana presence was getting stronger as they got deeper underground.
Hikari dragged several giant spiders laying in ambush out of their nests and stomped them under her boot.
Hikari pressed forward through the breach. Her smaller companions huddled behind her, more tensely than before.
As the wall collapsed, Hikari marched into the next room.
The men behind her paused. Listening out for anything clanking against her steel shield.
Once she cleared the opening, they rushed into the cavern, fanning out and burning the spider eggs and webs.
While the breachers swept the room, Hikari noticed something. She bent down and pressed on a dead spider with her finger.
"Odd. There's trace amounts of the dark mana from the crystal I found in the mana vein."
The squad formed up for the next breach.
"Good work ladies and gentleman! We just cleared our second dangerous cave without casualties. Keep up the good work." the megaphone sounded.
Hikari scanned the next cavern.
"There's something big ahead."
"Can you tell what it is?"
"Four legs. Crystals on its back."
"A stalagmite beast. Anything else in there?"
"None."
"Makes sense. They are extremely territorial beasts. Hold your shield tight this time. You might even need to reinforce it with your mana. "
"Plan?"
"I need you to tank it. Slowly step into its territory, it will eventually challenge you to a melee. Use your hammer and avoid its bite. Don't try to but it, its carapace is very heat resistant."
"Got it. I'm ready."
The breachers primed the charges and nervously ran behind Hikari.
Boom! The wall was blown. A deafening roar came from the cavern beyond, followed by a hail of spikes pelting against her shield. Hikari picked up her shield, pushing out the spikes stuck in the steel.
She advanced. Another barrage came through the smoke.
She put up a telekinetic field, deflecting the trajectory, causing the spikes to bounce off the curved sides of her shield.
She advanced into the stalagmite beast's lair. On the opposite end, she saw the huge rock formation that was constantly growing deep blue spikes and firing at her.
Undeterred, she pressed on. She could sense the heartbeat of a creature buried beneath the stone.
As Hikari approached, the beast unburrowed itself. A massive beast twice the size of a steam tank.
It crawled close to the ground, growling as it slowly approached Hikari. Its crystal teeth glittering in the blue light.
Suddenly, it shot its mouth out, making a loud sound as its jaws closed around the empty air.
Hikari stood her ground unintimidated.
The two circled each other.
The creature's mouth snapped forward again.
After a few tense moments, it snapped again.
But Hikari didn't flinch.
After growling frustrately, it started to back off, crawling backwards towards its burrow before lowering its head back down into the ground, tunneling away into the depths.
After a pause, the rest of the breaching team cautiously makes their way into the cavern.
"Well! That works too. I can't believe you just beat a stalagmite beast in a staring contest. I expected it to charge you the moment you step into its cave. "
Hikari puts away her hammer. She stretches her shield arm and her back and then her waist. It was a little stiff after holding the heavy chunk of steam tank plating.
"Thats why I hate shields"
Rey began scanning around the cavern. His armoured suit clanked against the rocky ground as he moved.
"Hikari. Could you find a huge ball of organic material wrapped in stone?"
"It's over there."
"Perfect! Now could you crack it open. Get ready to burn it once you do."
Hikari raised an eyebrow.
She walked over to the boulder, placed her hand on it and channeled her mana. As the boulder cracked open, a pungent odour seeped out from inside. The breachers put on their gas masks.
"Quick! Burn it!"
Hikari ripped open one of the sides and torched the inside with her handcannon. The pungent odour gradually faded as the sticky matter hardened from the heat. She pried away more of the rock and kept burning it to kill the smell.
Once the once sticky matter had hardened, Rey walked up and drilled several holes on the surface, allowing Hikari to pry it open with her hands.
It was a treasure trove inside. Filled with glittering stones of a myriad of colors and textures.
"Praise Herda's blossoms! This alone settles our expenses. Look forward to a feast as well!"
Hikari's eyes lid up.
"Let's move."
"Certainly, the most dangerous part is behind us. The next cavern onwards is just going to be trekking up an upwards slope."
"Form up then" Hikari walks to the next breach.