Mary finally caught up to the other two after several minutes of weaving through the winding tunnels. By the time she reached them, Liam and Tatiana had already finished dealing with most of the beasts. Their surroundings looked like the aftermath of a one-sided massacre. Corpses were scattered across the cave floor, black blood mixed with slimy fluid seeped into the cracks between the rocks, and dozens of glowing beast crystals lay beside the remains where the creatures had fallen.
Liam was crouched beside the final corpse, his hand buried inside what remained of its shattered upper body. His expression was as calm as ever despite the unpleasant task. After digging around for a few moments, his fingers finally closed around something solid. He pulled out another beast crystal, wiped the sticky residue off against the creature's own skin with obvious disgust, then inspected the faint blue glow before slipping it into his storage.
Tatiana wasn't any cleaner.
