The frost-hardened path to the mines crackled beneath their boots.
Lan led the group—Venom, Bragg, Garran and Thorn following close behind. Morning mist curled through the ravine, hugging the broken scaffolds and rusted mining tracks like ghosts too stubborn to leave.
The mine's entrance stood ahead, jagged and dark like a wound carved into the earth. It was once the Solaris Kingdom's pride, now hollowed out and left to rot.
But that was before Lan.
He stopped at the mouth of the tunnel and pulled out the talisman pouch, its interior pulsing faintly with spiritual energy. The others gathered around, watching him closely.
"We'll set two per blast," Lan explained. "One Staggered Pulse to break through. One Reinforced Ward to prevent collapse. Together, they'll dig us deeper without crumbling the tunnels."
"Seems a lot safer than explosives," Garran muttered, inspecting the talisman's glow.
