Chapter 217: The Wounds of Victory

Kellar emerged onto the surface with ragged breath, his forehead slick with sweat and soot. The cool ambient light struck his face, providing relief from the suffocating heat of the cavern below.

Just a few meters from the tunnel entrance, Bighorn lay resting on the ground to catch his breath, while Ignis remained motionless beside him. The great bear was covered in a layer of black charcoal and smoke; his glowing runes had dimmed, and his breathing was heavy and weak.

Without wasting a second, Kellar rushed to his companion’s side and knelt beside him. Extending both hands over the animal’s charred chest, he invoked [Healing], channeling his remaining mana into the deepest burns. The spell’s golden light enveloped Ignis’s scorched flesh, soothing the damaged tissue and restoring the faint glow of his runes. Though the injury was severe, the bear’s colossal constitution and Kellar’s quick action ensured he was out of mortal danger, needing only a couple of days of rest to recover.

"Good job, Ignis...", whispered Kellar, giving his warm snout a pat before standing up.

Lennis approached him, wiping his brow with a cloth stained in runic dust and pointing toward the supply carts lined up near the camp entrance.

"What happened down there, Shaman?" asked Lennis with concern. "The ground shook as if the cave was about to collapse."

"The vein’s guardian showed up," replied Kellar, glancing back toward the shaft opening. "A giant golem that reassembled itself over and over. But we made it out in time." Kellar turned his gaze toward the carts overflowing with glowing crystals. "How much did we manage to extract?"

"It exceeded our expectations," said Lennis with a smile. "Thanks to the soldiers’ help, we managed to harvest just over three tons of pure runic crystal ore before the evacuation."

"Excellent," said Kellar. "Now we need to research what these crystals can do. They were difficult to obtain, so I hope they prove valuable."

"As soon as we return, we will crush them," said Lennis. "If they are of the earth-fire element like you mentioned, they could make even better bullets than the wind ones. There’s plenty to experiment with."

"Do it," ordered Kellar. "Have Garik prepare more bullets and weapons. To subjugate this place, I have no doubt we’ll eventually have to wipe out that giant golem. Prepare more wind bullets as well; even if these new ones turn out better, we don’t know if they’ll have the same effect on the golem."

"Why do you think that, Shaman?" asked Lennis, raising an eyebrow.

"I have a theory," said Kellar. "Neither Ignis’s claws nor Bighorn’s horns did anything to them."

"Is it because they were stronger?"

"I don’t think so," replied Kellar. "I believe the concentrated force of the wind made their fire core unstable, since it isn’t a pure fire creature, but rather earth-fire. If you use earth-fire weapons, they might not explode; it would be just like Ignis hitting them. Remember that every element has its strengths and weaknesses, and none are equal to the others."

"I hadn’t thought of that, but it makes sense, Shaman," said Lennis. "We will prepare enough bullets to return and slaughter them."

Brak stepped forward and bowed slightly. "What should we do, Shaman? I don’t think it’s safe to maintain this camp. Continuing to mine the ore might weaken whatever is keeping that thing confined here."

"I agree," said Kellar. "Leave a few sentinels to watch the area. The rest will relocate to the Eagle Mountains. We will start extracting windstones; now that we know their true purpose, we have reason to mine as much as possible."

"Understood, Great Shaman. We will pack up," said Brak.

"There’s no rush," said Kellar, waving a hand. "We will stay here one more day. Ignis needs to rest; his injuries were severe this time, and he’s in no condition to move."

Brak nodded, turning to direct the soldiers to establish a perimeter guard while Lennis organized the logistical layout. With the immediate threat contained, the camp shifted into a methodical rhythm. Servants and craftsmen set up makeshift medical pallets for the wounded, while others began cataloging the wooden crates packed with the newly mined runic ore. Kellar spent the remainder of the afternoon assisting with the inventory and overseeing the construction of reinforced timber stables for Bighorn and the other beasts.

As twilight settled over the camp, the soldiers gathered around communal campfires, cooking rations and exchanging conversations about the battle inside the shaft. The atmosphere was a mix of exhaustion and victory; three tons of runic crystal was a haul that would secure their military advancement for months. Kellar took his time walking through the ranks, offering words of encouragement to the injured and ensuring that sentinels were posted at elevated positions overlooking the cave entrance. After a inspection of Ignis’s condition, Kellar retired to his quarters to rest, leaving instructions for the night watches.

The following morning, the sun began to crest over the peaks, illuminating the camp as it prepared to relocate toward the Eagle Mountains. While the soldiers secured the three tons of runic crystal onto the heavy supply wagons and the miners dismantled the extraction equipment, Kellar walked over to where Ignis was resting.

The great fire bear kept his eyes half-open. His charred fur was beginning to shed the layer of soot, revealing skin regenerating beneath the steady flow of mana Kellar had channeled into him the night before.

Freyja leaped onto a nearby rock, stretching her front paws.

"It seems the fire doesn’t burn him as much as last night, master," transmitted Freyja through the mental link. "In a couple of days, he will be ready to smash rocks again."

"Yes, but I won’t risk him blindly again against beings we don’t fully understand," replied Kellar, stroking the bear’s head. "Lennis and Garik will work on the new ammunition while we settle into the peaks. Green will also handle moving resources between outposts so we don’t waste time."

The giant eagle let out a screech from atop the main hut, beating its forty-meter wings to shake off the morning dew.

Kellar took one last glance at the shaft opening, where the colossal golem’s incandescent rocks remained sealed in the darkness of the depths. He knew that creature would not stay dormant forever, but with the harvested ore secured and runic weaponry production about to multiply, the next time he descended into that cave, the outcome would be different.