"We've secured the cove, Mira," the Chimaeric Demon said. The clone was visibly tired, and its voice was weary. Most likely because of the constant fighting he had to go through with his brothers to clear the area.
"We lost so brothers in the process, but the imdiate surroundings are now safe."
Mira nodded. "I'm sorry…"
Every loss hurt—the Chimaeric Demons' numbers had already dwindled so drastically during the ocean crossing.
"Don't be. We knew what we were getting into when the master asked us to co here."
"Still, I wish we could have saved more of you," Mira said softly, her eyes downcast.
The clone's expression softened. "Each of us knows the value of sacrifice, Mira. The master taught us that. Our fallen brothers died protecting what matters most—the mission and all of you."
"Your loyalty ki—" Mira started, but the clone cut her off.
"Our loyalty gives us purpose and bonds…"
Mira sighed. She wished there was sothing more she could do, but unless she got more neural links, there was not much she could really help with.
Besides, her brain crystal was weak. It had very little mana, so Mira could not exert a lot of might. If she wanted to get past that, she needed neural links that not only would make her powers more efficient but also make her physically stronger.
Without more neural links to match the thaids' strength, she was helpless.
"So…What about the shelter? We didn't lose people just for us to have failed making it, right?"
"The shelter is complete," the clone said. "We built it not too deep inside the alcove, but far enough that the thaids outside won't be able to reach or spot us. The rock walls provide good cover. We've also fortified the entrance and created multiple escape routes, but there's sothing you need to see."
June stepped in. It followed the conversation between Mira and the clone since he more often than not had to help them with whatever they were doing.
"What is it?" he asked.
The clone paused, looking worried. Sothing was bothering him, and he didn't really know how to say his next words.
His brothers standing nearby had the sa concerned look on their faces.
"The cove connects to a cave system. We have yet to start our search, but at first glance, we already found signs of previous human occupation."
"Blackguards?"
The clone shook his head.
"We don't know," he said. "We are keen on thinking they aren't."
Amber joined them, catching the last part of their conversation. "Is this recent?"
The clone shook its head. "Not apparently. That's the point…"
Amber was a little confused. There had been human presence, but not from the Blackguards. It wasn't a weird thing on Mur, which was once controlled by humans. Remnants of the ancient civilization living here could be found everywhere, based on the information they stole from the blackguards, so it made sense to find so skeleton or ancient artifact. But then why was the clone so worried?
The lack of recent activity should have been welcod with open arms. After losing so many brothers to the thaids during their brief stay on Mur, any positive news was clutched like a lifeline.
That the signs of human habitation were old rather than fresh ant one less imdiate threat to worry about.
"Why the long face?" Amber asked.
The clone sighed. "Because it looks like they were fleeing from sothing…"
That didn't surprise Amber yet.
"Of course they did; if they died in a cave, they were likely trying to escape from the thaids."
Mira nodded, but the clone's next word made her freeze.
"I would agree with you if they weren't fleeing from sothing inside the caves."
That changed everything because it ant there might be sothing inside the caves, which were already infested with thaids.
Ancient humans had no way to oppose the thaids. They had no brain crystal power, after all, but if Erik's experiences taught Amber and the others sothing, it was that things like this usually ant sothing scary was, or at least had been, in these caves.
"That complicates things," Mira said. "But let's be honest. We can't allow this to be a setback. These caves are our only chance to survive. They provide better protection than staying outside, and going deeper will only make things better. There is no way we are going to leave our current position," she said. "I think we should explore the tunnels."
Mira sighed. "If there are thaids living deeper inside, they'll eventually find us. It will be better to deal with them on our terms and before they can find our base or gang up on us."
"I don't know. It's too risky," Amber said. "We've already lost so many clones. The caves could be massive, with countless branching tunnels. Each could hide thaids we're not equipped to handle, and since we are on Mur, it ans the probability is high."
It wasn't like Mira didn't take this into account, but based on experience, most of the ti, it was just bug-like thaids that stayed in caves. They were weak compared to other thaids. Sure, they would be powerful compared to their counterparts on Mannard, but they would still be weak compared to the thaids on Mur, which ant they were weak enough for them to be able to handle them.
"That's exactly why we need to control it," Mira said. "Right now, we're still too exposed. Yes, we've fortified this position, but what happens when sothing bigger stumbles upon us? What happens if sothing cos here searching for shelter from an even worse thaid? The caves give us options—multiple escape routes, defensive positions, maybe even supplies left by the previous occupants—and when Erik cos, a huge space to prepare for our journey through this damn continent. We need Chimaeric Demons if we want to bring the blackguards down, and space is needed."
Amber shook her head. "They could be death traps. Think about it, Mira. If other humans used these caves before and still didn't survive, there might be sothing dangerous even for the clones here! We're exhausted; our numbers are depleted. We need to play this safe!"
"Which is precisely why we can't stay here," Mira said.
"We could end up trapping ourselves," Amber said. "If sothing follows us in there, we'd have nowhere to run."
Mira placed a hand on Amber's shoulder. "We're already trapped on this continent. At least in the caves, we control the battlefield. We can set up choke points and establish fall-back positions. Out here, we're at the rcy of anything that attacks, and that is true even where we made our shelter. Trust on this, Amber. I've done this job for years before eting Erik. I know what I'm talking about."
June and Emily approached the group, having overheard the heated discussion. Emily watched the exchange between Mira and Amber with visible concern, while June maintained a stoic deanor.
He didn't want to take part in the discussion, especially considering both won had good points.
Yet what the clones said made him think. A cave system with human remains. It was like a situation Erik went through in the past, and the clones knew it. That made it so that all of Erik's clones, June included, were actually keen on exploring the place, rather than turtle up the position they already conquered.
June cleared his throat. "There's another reason to explore those caves. Sothing more important than just finding shelter." His eyes t Amber's.
"Think about why Erik ca to Mur in the first place. If there are human bodies down there, and if they were running from sothing from within the cave, there might be structures down there; they might be connected to the Silver Line Corporation."
Everyone fell silent after June's words. Mira had already considered this possibility, and while Amber had too, she remained hesitant about entering the caves. Still, June's reminder made them all think about the chance of finding a Silver Line corporation's lab here and what it would an for Erik.
The Chimaeric Demons exchanged aningful glances with each other. If even their elder brother thought about this chance, it ant they were right.
Amber turned to face the clone who'd reported about the caves. "You knew about this possibility, didn't you? Why didn't you ntion it earlier?" Her voice wasn't accusatory, just questioning.
The clone shifted uncomfortably. "It's just a theory, Amber. Given our current numbers and the dangers we've already faced..." He glanced at his remaining brothers. "We didn't want to push for such a risky expedition without everyone's input. If we're mistaken, we could lose more lives for nothing."
"But if you're right," Mira said, "we might find exactly what Erik ca here to find out."
"Rushing in without proper preparation could be deadly," the clone insisted. "I didn't plan on hiding this from you, just to discuss the situation properly, before taking a decision."
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