Chapter 2126: Althea’s Descent

The windless state of this side of the world generally lasted a few days every time, and several times each year. It so happened that the one time Althea visited, she experienced it while she was out in the open.

The cave was not airproof, and they certainly would still want to breathe, so the monsters would inevitably have an idea where their ’food’ was hiding.

They’d even find ways to dig. The other holes were okay; they were rocks, and the openings were small, uneven shafts with two ends far apart, so even if the monster dug a ventilation hole from the other end, it would take them a long time to reach their side of the shaft.

BANG!

BANG!

That was just applicable for the ventilation shafts. The main entrance, barely blocked by Althea’s earth wall, was too big and definitely not stable enough to last half a day.

It had only been an hour, and Althea could already see cracks at the top corner of the wall. The windless period would last days.

"How do you usually handle these days?"

They definitely could not go out and search for a new place during those times. They’d be completely exposed, especially the weak in their party.

"We fight," they said, with a straightforward tone of voice as if there was no other way to do so.

Normally, they would create a battle line in front of the cave entrance, with each batch capable of handling at least one level 30 beast or a number of smaller ones together.

Anyway, a level 30 would find it difficult to fit deeper into their cave, while the smaller ones would be more manageable even by those deeper in.

They would do a wheel battle where each batch changed every couple of hours, and there would always be serious injuries, if not deaths, every day. Althea had seen four orcs lacking a leg or an arm, just from this tribe.

This was indeed one of the only things they could do in their situation. It was already intelligent enough, if Althea could say so herself.

Of course, this seemed to have changed a bit considering she just showed them another way, even if it was not sustainable since she was the only earth user around.

However, seeing her did give them ideas. What if they found big sturdy rocks to reduce the size of the entrance? This way, the orcs could fit in well, but monsters would struggle by default.

That said, a big rock would probably only be okay for situations where only a few monsters attacked the entrance. Right now, the entire area was surrounded by them, and it was getting even denser.

As if to make her point, the ground shook, as if there was an earthquake above them.

This was a sign that more and more monsters had found their location, and that the temporary would last even shorter.

"No, we cannot stay here. More monsters will come."

Some loose rocks started falling down. While the orcs’ skins were hard and wouldn’t be damaged by small, falling rocks, some bigger ones could still hurt a bit.

Soon, the walls couldn’t handle it anymore and began to crack. Althea could use her mana—she had recovered a bit, not to mention that she still had some consumables—but she chose not to.

It was because things would end up the same; she’d just delay the inevitable while wasting precious mana and mana potions instead. She’d rather see what else they could do.

ROOOOARRRRR!!!

Althea and several orcs went to fight against the monsters trying to head in, creating the spontaneous first batch of fighters.

There were diggers and avian and slithering snakes amongst the monsters, so even if the passage was narrow, the monsters might find other angles.]

Slash!

BANG!

SQUELCH!

The battle lasted an hour before the first injury landed. By this time, there were several monster carcasses in the way. Sadly, the bodies could not serve as an impromptu wall that blocked the way of other monsters.

Perhaps because the monsters here had higher levels, they were also a bit smarter. They knew to pull the bodies blocking the way.

The injured orc was Brit, the beast-repelling avian. His wing was bitten by a monster that had taken advantage of his limited mobility inside a cave. Brit was pulled back and replaced by another orc, continuing the fight for another half hour.

"There are a lot more beasts this time."

"Yes, and the average is stronger, too."

"It seems like we’re the unlucky tribe this time!"

The monsters were nomadic and went around the world. Many even follow the erratic winds, so a monster on one side could very well end up far away a week later.

So, during the windless days, there were some tribes that experienced harsher mobs than others.

The last time the Feyun tribe experienced it...they had to move bases.

Thinking of this, many orcs felt like weeping in fear.

Fortunately, orcs were born fighters. So rather than mope around and actually cry, their instinct was to deal with their anxiety with fists and claws. In the fifth batch of fighters, there were many of the ’weaker’ orcs and many women fighting.

While the battle continued, Althea—who was now resting—suddenly remembered a tunnel deeper into the cave. She hadn’t thought of it at first because it was too small. It couldn’t fit her, let alone the orcs.

However, hearing the fact that this mob was much harsher than usual made her want to think of more alternatives.

It was then she thought: What if it was just the entrance of the tunnel that was that small? What if the actual tunnels were bigger? This meant they could just widen the entrances instead.

"Cover me," Althea said, looking at the next batch of orcs guarding the weaker ones, ready to fight next. She was part of the next batch of fighters, but it looked like she’d have to opt out this time.

She looked at the children who were not required to fight such big mobs. "Can you guys come with me?"

Ohara, who had just finished her own fight, looked at her. "Where are you going?" she asked, curious.

"Trying to make another path."

....

The Orcs were mostly nomadic, and this cave system was just one of the places they hid in. They naturally couldn’t develop a back door, but now many were pushed deeper into the tunnels. They could only hope that there were no dangers inside.

Even if she went berserk now, she couldn’t kill several level 30 beasts without endangering herself. This was not Alterra, not her home base, so she could not lose consciousness at any time if she wanted to leave alive.

The tunnel entrance in question was really not that big, just a meter or so in its largest dimension. However, as an earth user, Althea felt it was just a surface blockage.

Further, it was fronted by a hard rock in front, leaving just enough space in between for a large orc. If this would really become an entrance, then the hard rock would be something to block monsters above level 15.

Althea stood in front of the entrance and touched the walls. This cavern system was partially karstic, but the cave itself was hard rock. It took her a bit of effort, but using vibration skills, she softened the earth, partially inducing liquefaction.

A small landslide occurred, but it wasn’t much. However, Althea didn’t want to waste the mana spent here.

"Dig!"

Dig!

The children rushed over and dug together, revealing that there was indeed a bigger tunnel inside!

She looked at Apis, who was being treated nearby, and their eyes met. Information and decisions were silently being passed over.

To risk or not to risk?

"Let’s do it," Apis said after a moment of thought. He was not the kind to think too deeply, but he had always trusted his instincts.

They immediately mobilized, creating a sandwich formation. Those with decent fighting and mobility abilities would go in first, followed by the children, the pregnant woman, the old, and the injured.

The last would be the last batch of fighters in the wheel battle, and they would defend while slowly backing up to the cave as well.

While the orcs passed through hurriedly, with Apis and the others holding down the fort, Althea found the time to message her husband.

They had no idea where the tunnels would lead yet, if it would lead outside at all. They could get stuck underground and be forced to dig their way out, which was extremely dangerous.

If the place was big enough and had ventilation, maybe they’d even stay there during the disaster instead.

[I’ll be stuck for a few days. Please avoid overexposure during the windless days, husband. See you in a few days!]

After this, she immediately joined Apis and the rest to push back the stubborn monsters. Fortunately, the cavern limited the monsters’ movements too, so not many could get inside.

Such a pity for all the carcasses left outside, though. Those could really help their food stockpile, but also serve as important ’potions’ for the orcs.

Sigh

If only her space was bigger...