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The group descended the valley and followed the riverside.
Soon they stepped into Redrock, the town housing the far west station…and just like they expected, it was full of miasma, and also…

“What the hell is THAT?!”
“We can find out later, just runn!!”

Freya cried loudly as she desperately ran, with Crim following close behind, urging her to speed up.

“I can’t stand looking at that onee!”
“I hate thisss!!”
“Why does it have to be so slimyy?!”

Everyone else was also running.
And chasing after them…a ten-legged monster that at first sight could be confused for a one meter long spider.
But a closer look revealed that it did not have segmented legs like an arthropod, but soft flexible tentacles.
Its main body was mainly covered in crystals and minerals with no head segment, only a wide mouth spanning almost its entire body, like its stomach was opened directly to the outside. Its jaws were also lined with flat round teeth, like human molars, designed to crush and mash hard objects.
The two tentacles to the front, called pedipalps on arachnids, had glowing yellow spheres on their tips, which constantly wriggled around like eyes.
To summarize its appearance…it was extremely gross. It almost felt like it had been designed specifically to make players feel nauseous.
And now…as they ran through the main street lined with abandoned buildings, they saw countless more of them emerging out to join the chase.
It was like a scene out of a nightmare or a horror movie, so it was no surprise that Crim instantly decided to retreat, but…

“Just how many of these things were hiding there?!”
“They won’t stop coming?!”
“Agh, they’re too fast!”

More of them jumped off rooftops, broke out through windows, and slithered along with disturbing squelching sounds, pushing everyone to tears as they desperately ran away.
But the monsters were quickly catching up.
Soon they would have no choice but to turn around and fight back, and as they prepared themselves mentally…

“…Huh?”
“They…stopped?”

The two running behind everyone offering cover…Kasumi and Setsuna, slowed down and looked back with uncertainty.
Crim and the rest followed their gazes…and saw that the monsters had stopped their pursuit, watching them from afar while only moving laterally, like they were scared of getting any closer.

“Over here, come with me before it’s too late.”

They looked in the direction of that voice, seeing a small young girl with silver hair cut at shoulder length, wearing a long cloak.
And behind her…two pairs of wings of light.
They had a lot of questions, but for now it was more important to follow her and get away from the monster-infested town.

***

“Hahh…hahh…we made it, I doubt they’ll follow us all the way here…”

Freya looked at the entrance, letting out a sigh of relief when none of those creepy ten-legged monsters came in.
The little girl had led them…out of the city and down the valley, into one of the many mineshafts.

“Are you…one of the Sephir Maidens?”
“Correct…I’m the Sephir Maiden Eclias. But talk can wait, let’s go to a safe place first.”

The wings of light faded away, and started into the cave, still catching her breath from running there. Eclias made a clear effort not to waste words, did not mince them either, overall showing little emotion, but…

“Huhh, there’s no power down here, but it’s still pretty bright.”
“That’s the light of Mana Crystals that are mined here.”
“Mana Crystals?”

Hinagiku tilted her head hearing Eclias’ explanation.
Despite Eclias’ apparent distaste for talking and disinterest, she instantly explained everything they asked.

“They’re flammable crystals that were used as fuel for magic machines during the dark ages. Normally they exist much deeper, but the river passing by Redrock eroded the ground layer so much that they’re close to the surface here.”
“Ohhh…”

Hinagiku was in awe hearing that, joined by Crim and the rest too.
Mana Crystals had also been the fuel for the railroads, boosting the economy of the town…but now no one lived there anymore, the streets had been turned into the nest of those monsters.

“Could we mine these crystals?”
“Go ahead if you need them. Either way no one here needs them anymore.”

All the devices fueled by them had long stopped working, and it was too dangerous outside to make them run again.
There was no use for the crystals anymore, so the group could take them if they so wished.
And that resonated the strongest on one person…

“Okay okay, could I stay here digging for a while then?”
“Anything you want, but later.”

Jade was drooling at the idea of gathering a new material, and Sara had to drag her along. Otherwise Jade would vanish to collect it the moment no one was looking.

“The ceiling looks like a starry sky…kyah?!”
“We might have light down here, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful where you walk. Look…these are tracks for minecarts.”
“Th-Th-Th-Th-Thank you…”

Lycoris got distracted by the ceiling and almost tripped, saved by Frey’s quick intervention to support her.
While Lycoris’ face flushed a strong red, Frey was more curious about their surroundings.
A short distance behind, watching her flounder nervously… Crim and Freya began cheering her on, telling her “Just a little push and you’ll get him,” “You’ve got this, just be a bit more assertive,” but all to no avail.

“…Crim, I need a gun. Give me a musket.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s go.”

Meanwhile Ryunosuke demanded that with a cold voice, holding out his hand, and Crim had to drag him along, a cold sweat running down her spine.

Afterword:
By the way, the first Maiden twins they met were called Gemmie and Minnie (they never introduced themselves)