The ground rose up, not simple spikes of stone but molten and flowing. A wave carried Lucanus away, tearing his grip from the two Crimson Temple elders he had grabbed onto. The wave carried him across the pool of molten rock onto his back, where it instantly solidified back into rock. It only took a moment for Lucanus to melt it away with his blue flames, but as he pulled himself to his feet he exhaled a cloud of flames, slowly taking a breath to repeat the process once more. However, he couldn’t delay long as that left Yustina with more opponents than she could handle.

The Golden Tomb Guardians had broken through the enemy lines, which allowed Deidre to back up Yustina against the elders and the Lava Turtle. Her spinning glaive-staff flickered between having an extended blade or not depending on what was best. When the enemy chose to block, she would usually retract the blade- unless a conflict of energy suited her in that moment. She remained in constant motion as the elders attempted to capture her in molten rock.

Renato’s heavy stone club came down on the back of the distracted turtle. The resulting crack was a testament both to the power of Renato’s swing and the turtle’s shell. Any of the elders, should they have taken the attack head on, would have found themselves little more than a pile of flesh and bone. The shell of the lava turtle was made to withstand the heat of the Molten Sea, durable to an extreme. With the conflict of opposing forces, the shell merely cracked- but it was sufficient for the turtle to react on instinct.

The turtle charged forward- surprisingly mobile despite not having proper feet. Instead, its front flippers shoved backwards, causing it to lurch towards the molten pool created by it and the elders. Yustina, on the back of its neck, did not appreciate that trajectory and rolled off to the side before it landed with a splash.

Neither side appeared to be winning, but the natural inhabitant of the area- a stone frog- was currently in the back lines of the Crimson Temple, causing havoc. Their elders exchanged looks, and without a word they focused their efforts on the molten pool. Rock and turtle together rose in a wave towards them, forcing away everyone around them- but they didn’t go through the effort for a temporary repositioning. The elders rode the wave back into the rest of their forces, then beyond. Other members of the Crimson Temple joined in, adding their own efforts to the flow. Their retreat didn’t leave them completely unscathed, but there was only so much that could be done to punish them without chasing wildly after them- a risk to anyone who chose to do so. Some of their weaker cultivators were cut down as they joined the motions and the expense of energy was sufficient that their elders would be fatigued.

The rock frog slashed at a few more individuals as they retreated, its tongue grabbing a leg and slamming someone into a wall- but once they left its domain it focused on those remaining.

“Lucanus!” Renato called towards him, “You’re closest to the gemstone. Secure it while we deal with this! Amber Heart, watch the exit!”

If they secure the entrance to the room as well as retrieving the prize, then it didn’t matter if the Crimson Temple returned- they could simply turn and leave themselves.

The rock frog picked a target from the three strongest approaching it, its tongue darting towards Renato’s arm. He shifted his large stone club to block the tongue instead, finding that the weight was not so different between himself and the stone frog. They both dragged closer together instead of one being flung about.

Yustina and Deirdre moved in from either side, globes of flame launched from Yustina’s hand while Deirdre momentarily blinded the creature with a flash. Dwelling in the Prismatic Chambers which had inconsistent light at best, the creature was not ready for such a thing- though it was tough enough to shrug off the effects after a moment.

That moment was sufficient for the three to close the distance, and the frog found itself dealing with the coordinated assaults of three Consolidated Soul Phase cultivators. Though its own strength was quite high, at best it was stronger than one of them. If they were other beasts it might manage to overpower them, but despite its intelligence it could not match the teamwork of humans. Renato’s heavy attacks forced it to dodge while Yustina blanketed the area with flames it could not avoid. Deirdre’s flashing glaive forced it to take some hits from her weapon to avoid the heavy stone club.

The battle quickly finished, and with everything secured it could be called their victory. No, it was a victory- but it was clear the Crimson Temple simply didn’t find the risk equal to the reward. A single elder’s death would completely outweigh the potential benefits. The same was true for the other side- none of them wanted to die- but they had displayed enough confidence and power that the enemy backed down first.

“Let’s get moving,” Yustina said. “I’d prefer not to stay in the area where they might come back for us.”

“Agreed,” Lucanus said. “Those guys were… particularly difficult to ignite.”

“That’s the water element,” she explained. “They made use of your own heat to form the molten rock that pushed you away. I can help you figure out ways to deal with that… later.”

-----

“Who else is here, I wonder…?” Melanthina said as they passed by several unfamiliar sects.

““Uuuugh,”” came the twin groans of Ursel and Tirto.

“What?” Melanthina looked genuinely confused. “Shouldn’t we try to anticipate our potential enemies?”

“You were just thinking about Nik,” Ursel commented.

“N-no!” Melanthina stammered. Perhaps she hadn’t been, but she certainly was now. “Anyway, the Combining Luster Sect is on good terms with us so we should… avoid conflict where it is not necessary.”

“Did you hear that, sis?” Tirto said. “She wants to ‘avoid conflict’ now.”

“Hmph. Careful now, I’m not the one getting awfully close to Emilia.”

“That’s… different,” Tirto frowned. “Our parents would approve.”

Melanthina nodded, “And you think I would pine after someone our parents would disapprove of? A light element boy who couldn’t possibly benefit the Tenebach clan? Preposterous.” Melanthina folded her arms across her chest.

Ursel tilted her head, “He’s a few years older so… isn’t he just a man now?”

“It’s not age that matters,” Melanthina said. “It’s maturity.”

“So of the three of us, maybe only Tirto…” Ursel commented.

That was the essence of their discussion as they led the pack of mostly younger cultivators- generally in the Foundation Phase or lower. Quietly following along with them, though with a clear protective aura, were Asih Mulyani, Yonit, Zacharie, and Aydan. Three Consolidated Soul Phase cultivators with the first on the threshold. Nobody was going to leave the triplets or any of the younger generation completely undefended- but they would still be responsible for facing their own trials. With so many potential dangers or enemy factions, they couldn’t be completely free to move as they wished.

They angled towards a place that seemed to have some worthwhile resources, but as two tunnels merged together in a Y, they came across another group. Melanthina spoke confidently for their group. “The Quartz clan, is it? Though we are on good terms, I don’t know if you have the strength to compete with us.” This particular Quartz clan was the one from the northeast specifically, not one of the others.

The situation was somewhat awkward for the other side- though there were some elders guiding their youth, there was a serious gap between their individuals in the Foundation Phase and the triplets. Specifically, most were in their twenties while the triplets were only fifteen. Nearly adults, but still obviously young. The one ‘leading’ the group was nearly a decade older than them, but he answered appropriately. “Perhaps in a direct battle we would lose out, but as you have said, we are on friendly terms. Would it not be better to compete with each other in another manner? According to my senses, there is not merely one single prize ahead. They should go to those who have the strength and speed to obtain them.”

“Oh? Interesting.” Melanthina nodded. “Then we’ll do that.” Her stance relaxed, not because she was becoming unready but instead leaning towards mobility. “On the count of five, then.”

Behind the various weaker cultivators, the guardians of both groups exchanged glances. There was no need for them to step into this situation, as the terms were reasonable- if vague.

When the count finished- Melanthina calling out the numbers at a steady pace with no trickery- both groups took off running. The Quartz clan cultivators ran as if the uneven floors were flat and comfortable- but they could not match the enthusiasm and coordination of the triplets. There was little to impress in the combined tunnel, only minor increases in speed that put the triplets perhaps half a step ahead of the others- followed by others from their alliance.

The tunnel opened up into a larger cavern with dozens of pools of water filled with dense spiritual energy. Above each pool sat stalactites like sharp teeth, slowly dripping water from above. The triplets charged towards one pool, intent on sweeping up the prizes within. Yet Tirto stopped at the edge, taking a defensive stance- and his sisters understood he would not do so without reason.

When the water rose up, anyone that had been standing in it would have been swept up as well- then the water itself reached out tendrils of icy water towards Tirto.

Ursel was the first to attack, smashing her stone club through the elemental creature. Her attack was at best partially effective- momentarily destabilizing the form of the creature and forcing it to expend more spiritual energy to piece itself back together. But it was impossible to actually damage water, so the effects only went so far.

That gave Tirto time to respond, his own spiritual energy swirling around his spear. As the figure reincorporated, he pierced through it- sending a moderately sized section of back a dozen feet in a waterspout. However, that movement carried him a step into the pool.

Melanthina used her free hand to yank him back as the stalactite fell upon him. Even as it crashed into the pool of water, it was shifting to be a strange figure of spikes and bladed rocks. “Ursel? How about you handle that one…” Melanthina said. She would be better fighting something intangible rather than rock itself.

Ursel didn’t hesitate, her club smashing into the rock formation. It did not shatter, but staggered back under her repeated blows.

Meanwhile, water and darkness fought against the water creature, wearing it down. Melanthina fired bolts of darkness from her free hand at the separated portion of the creature, desperately trying to recombine. In the other hand, her dagger sliced into the other part, forcing bits and pieces of it apart. Along with Tirto sweeping his spear around, it quickly disintegrated, combining its remnant energy with the spirit water in the pool.

A sharp blade struck Ursel on the neck- slicing through her earth energy and but leaving only a bloody line as the force pushed her back. What would have been a deep gouge turned into a more minor wound because of Diamond Defense, though Ursel knew if she didn’t improve its strength it would quickly fall behind. Maybe she could find something worthy in these caverns.

The rock creature was quickly defeated by a combined attack from Ursel and Tirto- his spear pierced through it, led by a jet of water. The damage to its structure provided weaknesses for Ursel to smash through, cracking and ultimately shattering the living spiritual energy. It did not have the fortitude to reform itself.

Spirit water and stone were left behind, some potentially bait or yet-unabsorbed food for the living energy. Those were quickly swept into storage bags- Tirto being prepared with flasks to store liquids, whereas the stones could be placed loose into a bag with little concern.

Other groups were still dealing with their first pool, finding quite similar results- though there were sometimes mixes of darkness as well. The triplets went on the move to claim more, both for the sake of the rewards and to prove what was already spent on them was not wasted.