Aroth led his group through another dark tunnel of this seemingly endless cave network.
They came to investigate reports of dimensional breach, not to Tho, but to some other, unknown, dimension.
8 days ago, they started on their journey, and now, it seems, they've reached their target.
Since Aroth is an experienced energy user and trusted member of the Ministry of Dimensional Affairs, he has been given two elite soldiers alongside a handful of regular soldiers,
one of them steering a floating chest containing provisions, various measurement tools and additional weaponry, just in case.
Their objective is to locate the exact position of the portal and gather as much information about it as possible.
Even though the group is armed, they are not to engage in combat unless provoked.
Now, the tunnel finally opens into a large cavern, dimly lit from the open top.
Aroth lets his view wander through the cavern before he lets out a pleasant gurgling sound.
The Thorruka have a natural connection to another dimension, called Tho.
Their name basically means "touched by Tho".
They see that dimension as their deity and are able to absorb the mysterious energy leaking from Tho and store it by mixing it with their blood.
Said energy can also be transfered into crystals, which the Thorruka grow on large crystal farms.
Tayktho, a grayish metal, has the capability to block the energy and thus can be used to control its flow,
making it possible to use the energy for various things.
Every Thoruka has a connection to Tho, but some are stronger than others.
Even though Tayktho is not as hard as other metals, Thoruka with a stronger connection to Tho tend to wear Tayktho armor in and out of battle to avoid accidentally leaking energy into the surroundings.
Those with weaker connections prefer Taykduya armor, an alloy of bronze and small amounts of various other metals.
All Thorukka learn to utilise the energy they absorb at a young age, but most of them never manage to use the energy directly.
More talented individuals however can become quite powerful, starting with moving small and later larger objects around.
By the time they hit puberty, they usually learn how to influence the temperature around them.
But even for the most talented Thorukka, years of training are required to form and shoot bolts of pure energy,
and blocking incoming energy is even more difficult.
Only the most gifted become masters, and a small percentage of those even manages to directly access Tho, using it for communication, long-distance travel, and other powerful things.
Regular squads normally don't have more than one capable energy user in their ranks,
having to rely mostly on regular and energy-powered weapons and the few advantages their weak connections give them.