12: The Corridor of Flesh and Blood

Alton, clear the way! We need to move quickly into the right side.

Old Mage Weidel's voice echoed in the narrow cave, his eyes gleaming with determination and resolve.

We moved swiftly; Alton's agile figure led the way, heading first into the right fork.

I followed closely behind Mage Wizard Wedell, treading cautiously, while Lavinia guarded my back, her eyes filled with vigilance.

Turning a corner, after a short passage, a stone hall appeared before us. It was unusually quiet, and the scene was different from before.

There were far fewer bodies in the corners, and even the bats on the cave ceiling were gone, making everything feel strange.

We saw Jones's mark about six meters ahead.

Alton ran to the mark and began using his unique hunter's trap detection ability, carefully scanning the ground, ceiling, and walls behind the mark, not missing any potential dangerous traps.

I heard Pastor Gary's voice coming from the other fork behind me; he seemed to have started circling two golems in the limited space.

I guessed the furthest safe distance he could enter was similar to ours.

Alton began disarming the traps using tools like a probe and a dagger.

His movements were skilled and swift, not taking long at all.

Two minutes later, Alton successfully disarmed the first trap ahead.

We advanced another meter, each step taken with extreme caution.

Alton continued to detect the next potential trap.

It seemed the next trap was exceptionally complex, and Lavinia had to step forward to assist him.

Three minutes later, as Alton's dagger hovered three inches above a rock crevice, beads of sweat rolled down his cheekbones, evaporating instantly by Lavinia's flame spell just as they were about to fall into the mechanism.

"Triple Arcane Trap," Alton said. "Fireball, Acid Spray, and finally..."

His explanation was swallowed by a sudden burst of flames.

The moment the crimson fireball tore through the darkness, Wizard Wedell and Lavinia instantly deployed their Mage Shields, protecting me behind them.

Mage Wizard Wedell, even as he activated his Mage Shield, had enough energy to cast a magical Force Field Wall.

The Mage Shield and Force Field Wall collided, creating emerald ripples. The double protection split the flames into two fiery dragons, licking at the stalactite jungle hanging from the cave ceiling.

Alton's path as he rolled on the ground left scorch marks, and the braid at the back of his neck curled into ash from the high temperature.

After one fireball, the cave returned to quiet.

"This magic trap has no corresponding tool; it cannot be disarmed for now," Alton said as he stood up. "But I clearly saw the trap's sensing area just now."

With that, Alton threw several pieces of glowing moss ahead, their green light exceptionally bright in the darkness.

He outlined a discontinuous rectangle on the ground, and inside this rectangle was the sensing area of the triple arcane trap.

Any living person passing through here would trigger the trap.

"Ryan," Alton continued, "when you come out later, remember to bypass this rectangular area, or the consequences will be dire."

After speaking, he moved along the cave wall, bypassing the trap trigger area he had marked, and continued forward to scout.

The few of us followed behind him, each step taken with trepidation.

We advanced another three meters, and it seemed that if we could just disarm one more trap, we would reach beyond the next turn.

However, just then, I heard the sound of someone being knocked back from a distance behind me, followed by a scream of "Ah!" It was Pastor Gary's voice; he was injured.

My heart tightened, and I couldn't help but look back.

"Don't lose focus!" Mage Wizard Wedell said expressionlessly, his tone resolute.

Alton turned his head back and continued to focus on disarming the trap.

I, meanwhile, strained my ears, listening to the commotion behind me: Pastor Gary seemed to have gotten up and triggered another trap.

A faint gurgling sound, possibly Pastor Gary drinking a healing potion.

The thudding of the golems running and Pastor Gary's hurried footsteps.

Pastor Gary's scream rang out again, then abruptly ceased, leaving only the thudding sound of the golem's fists hitting the rocky ground.

I thought Pastor Gary might no longer be with us.

I saw Lavinia in front of me crying silently, her shoulders shaking rapidly and uncontrollably.

"Don't lose focus! Speed up!" Mage Wizard Wedell's hoarse voice was like a broken bellows.

He held my hand, which was burning hot. I thought I saw tears welling up in the corners of his eyes too.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

The heavy footsteps of the Meat Golem seemed to return to a normal rhythm, and one of the golems began to return to the right fork.

"Alright!" Alton said softly.

He used a few pebbles to jam the pit trap ahead.

Before that golem entered this stone hall, the few of us managed to enter the next passage in time.

Just as I sighed with slight relief, dozens of arrows shot out from above the stone walls on both sides of this narrow passage.

The passage was narrow, and just when I thought there was no escape, Wizard Wedell and Lavinia once again cast Mage Shields, protecting me in the middle.

Alton also retreated two steps, constantly deflecting several arrows that might hit him with his dagger and tools.

His footwork was exquisite; many arrows seemed destined to hit him, but he narrowly avoided them.

"I found the spot to pause this trap mechanism! It's there!" Alton pointed to a high spot on the left cave wall.

"It's a magic mechanism!" Mage Wizard Wedell said. "Alton, come back and protect Ryan. Lavinia and I will close it together!"

As Mage Wizard Wedell's words fell, Alton retreated to my side while defending against the arrows.

At the same time, I raised my small round shield to my chest, protecting my vital areas.

Although this round shield was not large, it still gave me a sense of security.

After the three of them successfully changed positions, the two mages began to cast spells.

It was just that Lavinia's Mage Shield was not as strong as Mage Wizard Wedell's.

Arrows shot at her energy shield, creating ripples, and it looked like it was about to collapse.

Alton had no choice but to divide his attention to help Lavinia block some of the arrows while also looking after me.

"Lavinia," Mage Wizard Wedell said, "your Mage Hand is not as solid as mine. I will push that mechanism up."

After the Old Mage finished speaking, he promptly cast Mage Hand, pushing the magic lever on the opposite stone wall upwards.

"Lavinia, when I push it to the highest point, cast Icebound to freeze it!"

"Okay!"

"Now!"

As the mechanism lever was pushed to the top, the arrow rain intensified before stopping, increasing the number of arrows in one final volley.

When an even stronger volley of arrows shot over, I panicked, not even knowing where to block with my small round shield.

The sound of crossbow bolts tearing through the air was like a swarm of locusts flapping their wings, and my pupils contracted violently with fear.

My dark vision automatically analyzed several fatal arrow trajectories, but my body was slow, stiff as if petrified.

Alton's leather boots pushed off the rock wall, and the Halfling hunter became a spinning blade wheel, kicking away six short arrows aimed at me and blocking the rest of the arrows aimed at Lavinia's heart.

The price was several rusty arrows piercing his left leg, and a sweet, bloody flower of crimson mist bloomed on the Mage Shield.

My small round shield groaned under the strain, and two rusty arrows penetrated the cracks in the shield face, their arrowheads just half an inch from my knuckles.

Warm blood splattered down, splashing all over my face.

The entire corridor suddenly roared like an organ, and the arrow trap mechanism paused.

I looked in horror at the fallen Alton, and Lavinia, who had just finished her Icebound spell, turned and rushed to her husband.

As Wizard Wedell turned to look at them, I heard the footsteps of the golem behind me growing closer and closer.