Chapter 60 The Earth Vortex: We can face it together no matter what. ...

The Yeti shook off the arrows, sawdust, and pebbles from its long fur, then turned and walked toward her.

Ashlin regretted not asking more questions earlier, such as the specific steps to tear open the maze entrance.

One of the labyrinth's entrances was right beneath her feet, on a patch of land before the Spirit Keeper's Creek. In her terror, she had stirred up the slush here, dragging down the Yeti.

She only needs to do it once more, this time even bolder.

The Yeti stepped onto the top of the entrance.

Right now.

Ashlin gathered all the magic in her body and pressed her hands hard into the snow, which was icy cold.

At first, nothing happened. Ashlin felt like a clown. The Yeti probably felt the same way, even smirking at her inexplicable actions.

"What are you doing?" Ray asked. "Feeling the temperature of the snow?"

Click. A very slight sound, almost inaudible.

Then came a deafening roar from the depths of the earth, like an army beating drums underground. The ground beneath the Yeti's feet transformed into a swirling vortex of white and brown quicksand, expanding and spinning continuously.

The Yeti let out a miserable cry and fell into the snow and mud.

"Well done, little witch!" Rae cheered, throwing a few pebbles at the Yeti.

The mechanical monster struggled fiercely, but Ashlin raised her hand, making the vortex spin even faster, scattering ice and dirt everywhere. The yeti was dragged inch by inch by the dark entrance, several parts flying out and nearly scratching Ashlin's cheek.

Ashlin felt herself being drained. The vortex slowed down, and the enormous white figure finally disappeared into the abyss.

An unprecedented sense of power surged through her veins, making dizziness and fatigue insignificant. It was as if the entire land was under her control, and the heartbeat of the snowfield synchronized with her own.

“Keep spinning,” she told them, “Don’t stop…”

The earth beneath her feet responded to her every thought, and she had nothing to fear anymore.

Ashlin smiled, but then lost her balance and almost collapsed inside. Luckily, Ray caught her in time.

"I did it!" Ashlin exclaimed in surprise, looking at her hands. "See? It fell down as soon as I raised my hand!"

Ray stared at her, dumbfounded. "Hey, sure, but we're still one short!"

"Aisusa," Ashlin used the connection again, "could you lure the Yeti outside of Guardian Creek?"

"No problem, Ashlin." Little Dragon readily agreed, "But I'm almost out of fire! You should really look at this guy, he's bald."

Ashlin hadn't even had time to imagine it before she saw the Yeti.

It was indeed bald. All the white fur had been burned away by Aizusa, revealing a smooth metal shell, making it a complete giant machine. Its movements were also clumsy and frantic, on the verge of collapse. Sparks flew from the joints of its left leg, and each step was accompanied by the clattering sound of gears spinning aimlessly.

Aisusa swooped down, its dragon breath brushing past the Yeti's horns, and even Ashlin felt the intense heat of the flames.

Enraged, the Yeti swung its giant arm and smashed it at the Red Dragon.

Aisusa quickly dodged, somewhat pleased with herself for her cleverness. She flapped her wings and lingered in the air for a few moments.

The Yeti grew even angrier, grabbed a beastman treehouse, and hurled it at her. Aisusa dodged again, but her wing was grazed by the Yeti's sudden metallic claw.

Fear gripped Ashlyn.

The dragon struggled in the sky for a while before falling to the ground.

"Aisusa!"

Ashlin's cries faded into the wind. After a two-second pause, she remembered that she could still save Aisusa.

Just before Aisusa was about to crash to the ground, Ashlin raised her hand.

"Get up! Catch her!"

Rumble.

Beneath Aisuza, a patch of snow covered in shadow suddenly rose up. A whole row of the closest pine trees was infused with new energy, their thick branches growing wildly upwards and intertwining to form a giant buffer net.

It supported the injured dragon, giving her a cushion.

Despite it being winter, Ashlin's forehead was sweating.

The Yeti came to the buffer net, excitedly trying to pick up the little dragon.

Just then, an arrow pierced the...

Its metallic nostrils.

“I told you I could hit it, didn’t I?” a familiar voice said. “You lost your bet, Zach.”

Ashlin almost burst out laughing, her heart pounded, and suddenly a few wildflowers bloomed at her feet.

Lucas, in his human form with cat ears, wore a forget-me-not wreath and had Zach the rat perched on his shoulder. The happier Ashlyn was, the bluer the forget-me-nots on his head became.

He raised his wooden bow and shot another arrow.

This time, it was inserted into the other nostril of that thing.

“Hmm.” The mouse on Lucas’s shoulder shrank back. “Your aesthetic sense when it comes to archery is quite peculiar.”

The bald yeti roared in fury.

“Lucas! Bring it to me,” Ashlind shouted.

"Roger that, Miss!" Lucas rushed over, baring his teeth and brandishing his claws, trying to attract the Yeti's attention.

Ashlin once again stirred the ground with magic, the slush spinning faster and larger than before. Her heart pounded, a sharp pain shooting through her. The Twin Grass poison still made her dizzy, so she dared not look closely at the vortex. Magic surged through her body, making her tremble.

The Yeti roared at Lucas and stepped into Ashlin's trap.

"Bye-bye." Ashlin waved triumphantly, her blonde hair fluttering in the wind.

Nova. When did Nova go back in?

Ashlin was momentarily speechless, frantically trying to stop the whirlpools. But they wouldn't listen, spinning wildly. She had just wanted them to keep spinning, and now they kept their promise.

However, the dwarf and the Yeti had already fallen. Ashlyn couldn't believe she had made such a careless mistake again; she had to find a way to bring Nova back. But what could she do? She knew nothing about the Edoro labyrinth.

She stepped back, and the sensation under her feet suddenly disappeared.

Without her noticing, a vortex appeared behind her.

She used too much magic.

Ashlinn couldn't think of anything else; she only felt a violent dizziness, and her heart ached as if it were about to explode. The slush was still flying around relentlessly, and the feeling of weightlessness suddenly gripped her.

"No no no no no..."

Her toes slipped, and she was plunged into the vortex.

A slightly cold hand quickly grabbed her.

"Hang in there, Ashlin!" Lucas put his other hand on hers.

The maze tried to suck her in, and Ashlin felt like she was being torn in two.

She tried to control the whirlpools and stop them. But she was so dizzy, her brain cells seemed to be soaking in alcohol, and the magic just kept spinning with the whirlpools.

More whirlpools began to form from the snow. The land turned into waves, surging and humming. The snow and mud collided with each other, startling the surrounding pine trees into shaking as well.

She really shouldn't have gotten so cocky.

"Get away!" Ashlin screamed, still dizzy. This was what Lucas, Ray, and Zach had said. Ray quickly leaped over the whirlpools, landing on a safe rock.

But Lucas and Zach weren't as lucky as her.

The vortex was incredibly powerful. Soon, most of Lucas's body was also drawn in.

Ray rushed forward and grabbed his arm with her right hand, preventing them from falling. Behind her, Billy, who had also rushed over, dropped his axe and pulled his sister along.

Before she could finish counting, Ashlin felt herself sinking even deeper.

"Don't even think about escaping," a voice whispered from the depths of the earth. "Come on, Ashlin, jump down."

“Let go,” Ashlin said, mainly to Lucas. “You can’t pull me up. It wants me in, and I think I’ll be fine. Once I’m in, I can come out again, right?”

Lucas exerted all his strength, his face turning pale.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” The vortex roared, but his voice was clear. “I’ve read all the information about the Labyrinth of Edoro. It’s a magical space full of illusions, with entrances and exits scattered across the continent. All the illusions you can’t see and the darkest monsters are trapped inside. Once you’re completely inside, no one knows what you’ll encounter.”

“That’s why I said let go!” Ashlin cried, tears streaming down her face as she thought of the dwarf who had fallen. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have dragged you all into this! Nova has already…”

"Your responsibility alone?" Lucas almost laughed, looking somewhat insane. "How come I remember back in Elf Valley you said this was a journey for both of us? I won't let you fall into the Dark Labyrinth alone. We're going together!"

Zack protested: "Hey, I didn't say I was going to the maze."

“No man or mouse can fall into a maze, you fools!” Ray said.

Billy held on tighter. "Come on, we can get up here."

They used all their strength to pull Ashlin and Lucas back, but the maze seemed to be getting into a frenzy, causing all five of them to go even deeper at the same time.

Suddenly, a red blur came into view.

Aisuza, dragging her injured wing, bit Billy's tail and pulled them back halfway.

“Hey!” Billy complained, “Isn’t there a more elegant part?”

However, no matter how hard Ray, Billy, and Aisusa tried, Ashlin and Lucas were essentially trapped in the vortex. Soon, they were all exhausted.

"Why doesn't my dear mother teach her how to close the maze?" Ashlin thought bitterly.

She then realized that if her mother had known how to close the maze, she probably wouldn't have been executed.

Lucas glanced at Ashlin, then at Aisuza. This movement caused his wreath to fall into the abyss, and his cat ears snapped back.

“Fernando’s log,” he said abruptly.

"Why are you bringing up a damn journal at a time like this?" Ray asked.

“The entrances and exits of the labyrinth are scattered across the continent… We can continue through the labyrinth.” Lucas murmured to himself, “Yes, that’s it.”

"There's no time to explain. Aisouza, could you give us Fernando's logbook?"

Aisuza released Ray and breathed fire. A book fell, but Ashlinn caught it with her remaining hand.

"What are you doing?" Ashlin asked, feeling dizzy, only to find that the effects of the Twin Grass were incredibly realistic.

Lucas gripped her wrist tightly, his blue eyes fixed on her. He looked utterly exhausted, his face scarred, but Ashlyn thought he was more handsome than ever.

Zack yelled at him on the shoulder, "You crazy cat!"

“Don’t let Arachnia get too comfortable up there, Ray.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lucas released his grip.

The three of them fell down together.

(I'm just rambling on because I had fun drawing this.)