The chieftain was now a frozen corpse with a gaping hole through it.
It was finally over. Icard, the finisher, lay unconscious on the ground.
"Is he...dead?" Alia asked, fearing the worst.
Eric crawled up to him to check and...Icard was still breathing.
"He's alive" he said with relief.
"Do you know him?" Albert said, barely managing to walk up to them as he had been battered enough.
"Albert" Luna muttered but she was inaudible to him.
"Yes" Eric answered.
"I see. I don't know who you people are, but your strengths are commendable. Especially him" Albert said, referring to Icard.
Eric nodded. Even he was amazed at what Icard had just done.
None of them had ever seen anything like it.
"Earlier, he used really powerful techniques and got drained. I suspect this must have hit him even harder" Albert said. "But don't worry. He will be fine"
Just then, Gremit walked up to them.
"Albert - the core stone" he said.
Both Eric and Alia's eyes widened on seeing the talking porcupine.
Most especially Eric who backed up, dragging Icard with him.
"Hahaha!" Albert laughed at their reactions immediately. "Finally, a normal person's reaction" he said. "Don't worry, he is not a threat"
"How sure are you? The last talking animal I saw nearly killed us"
Gremit's eyes narrowed.
"You have seen an Erwald? What did it look like?"
"A big white cat with blue lightning" Eric described, still wary of Gremit.
"Katar" Gremit muttered
Then he turned and started walking toward the frozen chieftain with Albert.
"He's a snow cat with a terrible temper so I'm not surprised. Just know not all Erwalds are that way"
Albert and Gremit walked up to the chieftain.
The ice attack on it still glowed.
"What kind of ice is this?" Albert asked in a low tone.
Gremit studied it for a few more seconds.
"It makes sense now, hearing Katar joined them. He must have trained them ruthlessly and even refused to join them in their first gate" he explained.
"Erwalds like us seek for powerful incarnations and try to grow them as much as we can. Katar is really lucky"
Albert glanced at them one more time before fixing his gaze back on the chieftain.
Looking at its chest, he could see a faint glow gathering inside its body, just under its neck.
"The core stone is the essence of a gate. Once removed, the gate will collapse" Gremit said. "We must head out immediately we retrieve it"
Albert nodded.
Slowly, the glow increased more and more until it cracked the frozen corpse.
Until it became steady, that was when Gremit nodded faintly.
Albert then surgically, with his hands, broke through the frozen body and took hold of the source of the light, before plucking it from the chieftain's body, leaving the rest to break apart.
He took a look at it then.
A large stone glowing yellow and overflowing with dense mana.
"One can absorb a core stone and gain immense leaps in their capabilities and growth. It is the fastest way to grow" Gremit said.
Albert looked at it for a few more seconds but he wasn't really tempted.
"You said we must feed the Maire unless this vicinity is gone" Albert said. "That was what I came to do"
Gremit smiled in approval.
"Albert" Luna called again, leaning on Marcus who supported her.
"You're still here, Luna" he said with a faint frown.
However, her face reflected the much relief she was feeling.
"I thought you were..."
But then, the collapsing gate interrupted her. Cracks began appearing everywhere as the earth began quaking.
"What?" Alia muttered as both she and Eric's eyes darted around.
"Let's leave at once" Albert ordered.
Eric heaved Icard over his shoulders, managing to support Icard's weight.
And together, they left the green chamber, a portion of which was frozen with blue ice.
They hurried through the tunnel and finally made it out of the hive.
In the distance beyond the deterrent stick barrier, people were gathered there waiting. And there, they could see the exit, a bright yellow rift just like the one they had entered through.
They all hurried as the yellow cracks could be seen even in the sky as though the space in there was being torn apart.
Alia helped Marcus with Luna as Eric managed to keep up with Icard while Albert, limping, strode as well.
"Hey. They made it! They're here! I knew it!"
A lot of people were still within the gates, cheering as soon as they sighted Albert and the rest.
Some of them had escaped the chieftain earlier and knew just how scary it was. For them to be outside now could only mean they managed to kill it.
They clapped and cheered, making way for the group.
Soon enough, they made their way through, as the rest helped them out. Everyone now headed through the exit.
And in seconds, the feel of the city returned. The yellow lights around them faded, letting them out at the same place they had entered in.
A lot of people poured out the gate and from there, Albert and the rest emerged.
A lot of people had already gathered around there. The reactions from the crowd were pretty much mixed.
There had been a lot of casualties. Dead and injured people with deep wounds and missing limbs.
It wasn't quite the welcome as people who had been cautious not to enter felt really lucky.
But then, some celebrated life still, making it from such a terrible place, they couldn't just hide their relief.
"Albert!" someone called.
As soon as the group surfaced, they met the mayor who had stood there waiting.
"Albert! You did it. Well done!" the mayor greeted them relievedly, with a humble bow.
"Luna!" he called upon seeing her state.
"I'm okay sir" she said. "It's not much"
"Still, you need to be treated at once!"
Standing by was someone who quickly rushed to help Luna off Alia and Marcus and helped her away to get treatment.
"You're in a bad shape too, Albert" the mayor began but Albert cut him short.
"We'll rest when we're fully done with this, Maxwell" Albert said to the mayor and Gremit strongly approved.
"We must get the core stone to the Maire as soon as possible" he said.
Seeing their resolution, the mayor nodded softly at them.
"We must get going then"
Before Albert left, he remembered Eric and Icard who were already taking their leave.
"We should meet again, young men" he said to them. "Tell your brother when he wakes!"
Eric nodded and Alia gestured slightly before they both left to take Icard home.
It was then the mayor noticed them.
"Who are those kids? Were they with you?"
"Ha! They were. Without them, we may not have survived, mayor sir" Albert said with a grin.
"Are you sure we should let them go that way? We should invite them to join us"
"I don't think that will be possible. They already have an Erwald with them, and the worst kind of all" Gremit said.
"The worst kind of Erwald? You mean..."
"Katar the snow cat"
"Ohh" the mayor muttered. Obviously, he had never heard or seen Katar before.
Together, their group walked toward the very center of the city.
"How has he been" Gremit asked.
"I don't know but our territory has shrunk so much that the spawns can now reach the gates" the mayor answered.
"I see. Then we came on time then"
It was inside a building; a large warehouse.
There, from the outside, one could see root-like structures from within, spread throughout the walls and the ground.
From a long distance away, they could already feel it. The dreadful presence.
Even Gremit was uncomfortable near it but he had to follow them.
And Albert, he could say for sure that the chieftain was nothing compared to this creature.
The first time he heard it growl, it made him shudder. But now, he had to get even closer to it.
"This is enough" Gremit said, stopping at the entrance to the warehouse.
"Maire's are territorial. We must not get too close"
Albert nodded and then, just as they had discussed, he brought out the core stone.
Gremit had taught him how to repress its mana signature as it could draw the Maire out.
They had to repress it until they brought it to its doorstep.
As soon as Albert revealed it, the yellow stone began to glow again.
Then they dropped it at the entrance of the open warehouse and then began to back off to a safer distance.
A few seconds later, they heard a deep growl that resonated throughout the whole city.
Just like it was after the plague, everyone froze from its terrifying presence.
Albert and the rest had backed off to a safe distance but while they watched, they could see movement in there for the first time.
They were tentacles, numerous and they slowly reached for the stone, circled around it and quietly took it inside.
That was the first time they had seen a part of this mysterious creature.
A while after the core stone was taken inside, the radiating presence finally ceased and people could breathe again.
"Just what is that creature?" Albert muttered.