Chapter 74: Inside the Yellow Dungeon III

It had dealt with the Ridgeback about as easily as he expected. What interested Leon more was how often the monsters’ tails had forced the other summons to change their positions.

There had been plenty of room in this part of the dungeon.

Inside a narrower passage, avoiding the tail without getting in someone else’s way would have been much more difficult.

"Good choice sending the Boar towards the left." Lex said as he approached Caleb. "You kept the return route open."

Caleb nodded.

"If you had driven it straight back, you would have ended up fighting across your own way out."

Lex looked towards Leon’s Skirmishers.

"Keep those inside your group’s space like you did. The next group needs enough room to move through."

"All right."

Leon just unsummoned them alongside the Swordsman.

...

Linda’s group moved forward and took their positions.

Mara summoned a long-legged Hound, while Iris brought out a large Tortoise with a broad shell, both Grade 3.

Linda’s Yeti appeared beside them, its white fur reflecting the pale light from the mineral stones on the walls.

The remaining two Ridgebacks emerged from the opening on the left.

The professional stationed there moved aside once Gareth had their approach covered. One of the creatures snapped at him, but he used the shaft of his weapon to turn its head before allowing it to move into the wider passage where the students were already waiting for it.

"Linda, slow the front one." Mara said.

Linda directed the Yeti forward. On command, ice spread across a small area of the floor in front of the Ridgeback and rose to encapsulate its legs once it stepped on it, breaking its pace.

Mara’s Hound rushed in from the side.

The Ridgeback began turning towards it, and its tail rose behind its body.

"Tail." Mara warned.

Linda directed the Yeti to lower one hand.

Ice formed over the base of the Ridgeback’s tail and connected it to the rocky floor.

The creature’s first attempt to swing its tail only dragged a harsh scrape through the ground. The second broke part of the frozen surface away, but the tail had already lost most of its momentum.

Mara’s Hound passed the Ridgeback’s shoulder before it could try again. It caught the inside of one front leg and pulled the limb out from beneath the creature while the Yeti moved closer.

Iris kept her Tortoise between the students and the second Ridgeback.

The creature bit down on the shell and pushed against it. The Tortoise planted its feet and held its position, giving Linda enough time to have the Yeti strike the first monster.

Its fist slammed into the side of the Ridgeback’s neck, sending the creature sliding across the ice that the Yeto had formed behind it, with its partially frozen tail twisting behind it. Mara’s Hound followed and went for the exposed throat when the lizard fell.

Leon looked towards the second Ridgeback when it gave up trying to move the Tortoise and started circling around the shell towards Iris.

"Stay behind it." Lex instructed.

Iris moved with her summon instead of trying to call it across her path.

The Ridgeback had to turn farther if it wanted to continue approaching her, giving Linda’s Yeti enough time to reach it.

Ice rose beside one of its rear legs and stopped the foot from landing where the creature intended. It stumbled before swinging its tail towards the Yeti.

Linda had her summon catch the tail against a thick layer of ice forming over its forearm.

The impact cracked the frozen covering, but the Yeti remained in place.

Mara’s Hound rushed in low while the Ridgeback’s attention was still on Linda’s summon. It bit into one of the leg joints, then released and moved away when the Yeti pulled the tail sideways.

The Ridgeback’s body twisted. The plates across its back remained intact, but the movement left its head and the softer underside of its neck exposed.

The Hound attacked again, biting into its neck and tearing away as blood flowed from its neck.

Linda kept the Yeti holding the tail until Mara called her summon away. Only then did she release it.

The Ridgeback remained on the floor as it bled out, still alive for a while until not.

Leon looked across the frozen area.

Linda had kept the route behind her group clear. Most of the ice had been formed around the monsters’ legs and tails, instead of covering every part of the ground. It was good.

Gareth approached the second Ridgeback and checked it before signalling towards the other professionals.

The side passages were clear.

Nobody had needed to use the withdrawal signal.

Walking back to the students, Linda couldn’t help but feel unfulfilled. Her teammates celebrated, but she didn’t as much as smile. She felt like her teammates were holding her back and she just had to go with the whole teamwork idea, but there was nothing she could do about it.

The students remained back while the professionals checked the area, while the rear guard stayed in position until both returned.

Lex checked the two groups that had fought. There were a few scrapes, but nothing serious enough to remove them from the expedition.

"Dismiss them once you’ve finished checking." Lex said. "We’ll move after the materials are recorded."

They all dismissed their summons after completing their checks.

Without the different beasts occupying the area, the wider passage looked considerably larger again.

The professionals removed the cores from the four Ridgebacks. Each core was placed inside a separate container, while the Grade and the group that had engaged the monster were added to the records.

"Same groups. Stay together." Gareth said as they went ahead.

Nolan moved beside Caleb, and Leon followed behind them. His lamp revealed a change in the level of the rocky floor beneath their feet.

The pale mineral light became weaker as they approached the next tunnel. Beyond it, the approved route continued through another group of smaller chambers.

Leon adjusted the strap of his side bag and continued deeper into the dungeon with the rest of the expedition.