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You followed a map towards the clearing.
It's past use by your clankers created a chaotic path that slowly healed. It was one of many smaller pathways, winding between the woodland and the deeper forest.
The place seemed like it'd been claimed by the living dead for years. The forest—now a dark mirror of what it once was— had fog seeping from the distance and glowing, yet lifeless, eyes watching your every move. Leaves and branches choked out the sunlight, giving the canopies an unreachable appearance. The thickets became a haven for higher level monsters to hide in.
Thankfully your clankers had no need for such simple worries like "ambushes" and "near blindness" as they crushed mixed hordes of undead, monsters, and undead monsters.
Yet they weren't the only ones to help you purge the forest: Gerty had fighting talent and a tactical mind. Cattleya used her speed, strength, and animal senses. And Bertha, bringing her raw strength to the table, was a formidable foe.
And after a day of clearing out monsters, you'd retaken the forwarding base. In the same spot where you landed <span class="mu-i">The Vixen's Luck</span> you, Gerty, Bertha and Cattleya were now setting up some tents and mortars.
"I don't wanna sound like I'm complaining, but why are we doing this again?" Bertha asked. "Like, I get that we should set up the big guns, but isn't that why you have the BoatMech, Master?"
"There's no need to take more risks than we need to. Once we establish ourselves here again we'll have better control over most of the forest." You explained the concept behind the plan.
"Our Master has the right idea, Bertha." Gerty said. "Making sure we can gradually pierce through while relentlessly moving forward."
Ruby, Gerty and you were the main heads behind this idea— the former's cartographical scheming and your Holy Knight's tactics had good chemistry with your strategies.
"Doesn't change that this place is in a pretty sad state, innit?" Your catgirl, competing for the most at ease in the group thanks to her night vision and greater senses, meowed as she kicked one of the inactive turrets. They'd long since seen use, showing signs of deterioration. But a bandit's skeleton nearby told you they'd done some good work before ceasing to function.
"It could be worse." You said optimistically, almost feeling like Mel would smile by seeing you look at the bright side. "With some patrols and some repairs I'll be able to get things going again here."
"I'm not doubtin' you'll sort it out, guv." She responded. It was good to hear that your catgirl had such confidence in you.
"Master," Gerty said. "There's another horde of undead approaching. Shall I send some clankers to intercept them?"
"Go ahead." You gave the order to your undead-sensitive wife. Her class as a Holy Knight was a blessing in times like these.
A clear path towards the cavern's entrance was finished, yet you didn't use it. Instead, you approached the hill from the side and drilled into it with the clankers.
