"Hm? Why are you here?" A puzzled voice came from deep inside the cave.
"Woof, woof!" Erha barked twice and puffed out his chest, as if to say there was nothing wrong with him coming. He could handle it just fine.
A man emerged from inside. It was Volga of the Abyss Club!
Volga looked rather worse for wear. His body bore the marks of a recent fight, blood stained the corner of his mouth, and his face was pale. He was clearly injured.
Erha was secretly startled. He had learned on his last visit how strong Volga was. What kind of enemy could have left him in this state?
Erha had a nagging feeling this trip would be no easy assignment. But when he thought of the delicious Dragon Bone Green had promised him, his spirits rose again. He barked twice to cheer himself on.
Then Erha followed Volga into the cave.
They wound their way through the darkness before reaching a spot with some light. Phillips sat leaning against a large rock. He glanced at Erha without expression and said nothing.
Beside him, the woman who had lost an arm looked to be in agony, but she held back her cries. She was the sensory-type Transcendent from before.
The other member of their original team was nowhere to be seen. He had probably met a grim end.
Volga sat down beside Phillips with a weary slump. "You guessed right. That guy didn't come. He only sent a dog. Looks like he's determined to stay out of this."
To his surprise, Phillips smiled. "That's fine. Sending a dog means he hasn't completely written us off. Once he sees a big enough payoff, he'll step in." He looked at Erha. "The dog must have Spatial Coordinates on him. That guy