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.'

Aina turned tail and ran. She felt it was unfortunate that she had placed herself in such a difficult situation for such a worthless Ore she couldn't even mine, but

shot back in the

And, if she got lost in these tunnels, there would be no one to come

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 didn't need to

confidence, only to come to a

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

her jaw

she go forward? Or run

was the only way for her to continue following her arrows. But, the latter would force her to forget her initial plans entirely. There was no way she would be able

it wasn't for this, there was no way that Aina would only meet

her teeth.

this was the best choice she had. If there were Invalids on her way back, that only meant that she had been very lucky not to run into them on the way here. If that was the case, there might very

a faint red hue covering her blade and her

a thought, she shot forward,

fast as Fourth Dimensional humans, their joints would often bend at odd angles

humanoids and more like some alien species just learning how to walk on their own two feet

sight send a cold shiver down Aina's back, but this was a good thing for her.

remaining two, she shot by the gap

as she could, no longer minding the noise she might make. As long as the Invalids she came across continued to be so uncoordinated and slow, she just had to

couldn't she had traveled in a straight line before? What possessed

them. But, a few came in groups of two and three. Still, it wasn't

so many Invalids here? Why did none of them become motes of

more she ran into, the more she began to