The climb back out of the Blackstone Mine was a frantic, shadow-haunted sprint. The groans of the wounded hive followed them, a psychic aftershock of pain and rage that made the very stone tremble. Fey's charges detonated behind them with a series of muffled crump sounds, collapsing the access tunnel and sealing the corrupted cavern—for now.
They burst out into the fading daylight, lungs burning, covered in grime, ichor, and a fine, sparkling dust that was the residue of the drained energy pool. The cleanish air was a shocking relief after the mine's psychic and physical miasma.
Back at the warehouse, the atmosphere was a mix of exhaustion and tense triumph. The team peeled off their gear, the adrenaline crash leaving them shaky. Beatrix and Clarissa immediately began tending to minor wounds and signs of psychic fatigue, using a combination of first aid and Clarissa's gentle, reassuring presence.
