Assessing his surroundings, Jake recognized the cavern where he and Carmin had been grounded earlier, as well as the same rock structure full of man-sized holes. These multiple tunnels together formed a complex network of galleries where darkness reigned supreme.
The reason his comrades' attention was elsewhere was because countless pairs of yellow lantern-like eyes were multiplying dizzyingly all around them.
"Hiss!"
A wrinkled, clawed paw poked out of one of the holes, soon followed by thousands of others. The skin was a sickly gray with a network of dark veins, while the claws were ink-black, long and curved enough to slit their throats effortlessly.
The group immediately identified these Hunters by their simian morphology, the thin tentacles acting as furs and the row of long translucent fangs filling their grotesque jaws dripping with saliva. Yet these parasites were significantly different from those they had already faced.
For those wondering how they got their second element back, the Hakkrasha brew solved much of the problem, but like Jake it was the absorption of a large amount of pure Fluid and the innate insight that came with it that allowed them to overcome this handicap.
They can now convert Aether and Fluid into these two elements to recharge and increase their elemental core.
Edit non priv readers:
Thank you for the warm messages that wished me my birthday. I am back. I still owe you two chapters and I'll try to catch up this week as I' m off until next Monday.