After that, Vy left the town and headed towards the cave. The surrounding forest was different from the Green Forest. The plants that resided in the forest were different too. But she paid them no mind, for her objective was the portal.
The cave was dark, like a black hole. Vy cast a small spell of light and used it to light her way through the cave. She also used her heightened senses to ensure that she was prepared for whatever there might be in the cave.
Much to her surprise, nothing jumped out to scare her, all she could hear was the crunch of her shoes against the rocky cave floor and the trickling water that dripped down from the ceiling. Instead, it was Dotty's voice in her mind that scared her.
"Oh my goodness Dotty, you scared me."
Vy cast a few more spheres of light to light up her surroundings a little more. The light revealed a circular cave room, with a structure in the centre. It had five pillars of stone that formed a circle around a platform. The platform had a spiral design on it that began at the centre.
-How do I activate it, Dotty?-
Dotty flew forward and circled each pillar. This revealed a series of runes that covered each and every pillar. Vy examined each of them as Dotty did the same. She noticed that the runes on each pillar were different from the other. Each of them seemed to be referring to a certain element.
"Elven magic is closely linked to nature, do each of these symbols must be referring to each of these elements!"
Dotty returned to Vy's side.
Vy felt like a fool, she overthought the situation. Following Dotty's instructions, she moved forward and stood in the centre of the spiral. From her leather bag, she held out the letter. As soon as she did, each of the pillars lit up.
One by one, they lit up from the bottom all the way up. A beam of coloured light shot through the darkness from each pillar and converged in the centre. Vy was showered with a beam of light and the spiral beneath her began to fill with light as well.
As soon as the spiral was filled, she disappeared into thin air.
The harsh sunlight assaulted her eyes as it deeply contrasted the darkness of the cave. It took her a while to adjust her eyes but once she was used to the surrounding light, Vy gasped in awe. Before her were the tallest trees she had ever seen.
The trees were even taller than the tallest building she had seen in Nook town. Each bark of each tree was melded together to form a solid defence wall. Vy realised that she was standing on a platform that looked identical to the one in the cave.
She looked around her surroundings and took a mental note of her location before she walked towards the wall. When she was just a few metres away from it, the wall parted ways and a guard clad in light armour came out to greet her.
"Welcome to the Elves Alliance. Is this your first time here," the guard asked in a melodic voice.
Vy bowed and showed her endorsement letter, "Thank you. And yes, it is my first time here."
After authenticating the endorsement letter, the guard returned it to Vy and handed her a rolled-up map.
"As this is your first time here, take this map to help you navigate the city. The map will show you the Prism Sector of the Elves Alliance, which is the area you will enter. If you need any assistance to find the place you are looking for, please look for any of the guards you see. We would all be wearing this pin on our collars," the guard said as he pointed at the pin on his collar.
The pin was the crest of the patrol guards, a shield with an eye in the centre. Vy thanked the guard who nodded in return. He stood on the side of the wall and allowed Vy to pass through it first. The sight was breathtaking to take hold of, everything was uniquely different from the human towns and villages that she had grown accustomed to.
While there was a degree of similarity, it felt largely different too. There were roads paved of stone, but each building was carved out of the bark of a tree. Each building was not closely spaced to each other. It was spaced out to ensure there was sufficient space around each building.
Vy looked at the map the guard had provided her and realised it was detailed and precise. It had all the important buildings marked out for her. There was the Elves Alliance council building, the traders market streets, residential areas and recreational spots such as bars and restaurants.
Dotty circled around the map as well, making sure to create a mental copy of it, just in case. Vy noticed that there was a Guild district as well, with varying professions gathered in that area.
"Mrs Rudy mentioned a Trade Union for Jewellers. I think that is where I shall start my search."