Dimensional Descent

Aina pulled her sword out quickly.

She didn't quite understand what was happening. Shouldn't Invalids be creatures of instinct? They shouldn't have any intelligence or sense of comradery. Something like signaling one's allies was a distinctly human trait. Sometimes beasts of higher intelligence would engage in such matters as well. But, Invalids? That should never happen.

'It didn't become energy?'

Aina was shocked once again. The Invalid before her collapsed, but it didn't disappear into energy she could absorb. Just what was happening?

Aina's heart seized. Did she make a mistake? Was it not an Invalid at all?

No, that was impossible. Its eyes, its aura, its demeanor, it all screamed Invalid. So, what was happening exactly?

Aina didn't believe that she would make such a rookie mistake. Plus, what existence other than an Invalid could shriek like that even after having its head pierced through?

Aina was certain, it hadn't been a shriek of pain or unwillingness. It had no emotion behind it all, it was completely hollow and without conscience.

'I need to move.'

Aina thrust these thoughts to the back of her mind, taking a glance at the wall the 'Invalid' had been scratching at.

If Leonel had been there, he would immediately recognize the Tier 5 Black Ore embedded into the wall. It wasn't very valuable, but it wasn't worthless either. At the very least, it could sell for a couple kilograms of Black Urbe Ore.

'I don't have time to dig it out and it doesn't seem like a very high level ore either.' Aina nodded to herself. 'Run.'

unfortunate that she had placed herself in such a difficult situation for such a worthless Ore she couldn't

shot back in the direction

if she got lost in these tunnels, there would

that screech was really a signal as she thought, then it likely meant that there were more Invalids on their way. If she was correct, then her arrows wouldn't mean much if anything to them. With their low intelligence, she

a corner with confidence, only to come to a grinding

were three of them blocking her path, all of them with their backs facing her. But, they all simultaneously rotated their heads in her direction as though

her

go forward? Or run

There was

wasn't for this, there was no way that Aina would only meet these Invalids on her way back and never even sense them during her first trip down this

her

here. If that was the

to boil, a faint red hue covering her blade and

a thought, she shot

as fast as Fourth Dimensional humans, their joints would

some alien species just learning how to walk on their own two feet thanks

down Aina's back, but this was a good thing for her. The

in quick succession. Without even bothering with the remaining two, she shot by

long as the Invalids she came across continued to be

almost lamenting her previous actions. Why couldn't she had traveled in a straight line before? What possessed her

more Invalids. Many were alone, allowing her to easily bypass them. But, a few came in

were there so many Invalids here? Why did none of them become motes of light? Why were they all acting so

many here. The more she ran into, the more she began to question how she had traveled so deeply without running into even a single