Chapter 23 - CHAPTER 22

"Sh*t!", Ren cussed when 1 man was able to pass through him. It's the first time Eleanor had seen him with a very serious look that his aura before and now were so different that you'll think he's a different person if you don't look at him.

She also can't help but be surprised at how he just cussed like he's used to it. "Eli! Ugly! Stand aside!", just like before, the thing that Anette noticed is Daniel's insults, but she was not able to retort back to him again because Eleanor pulled her on the sidelines.

The man who went pass through Ren smirked inside knowing that he is a wizard based on his red wand and that wizards take time to cast spells. He ran towards Daniel with a great speed and expected him to point his wand at him and cast a spell, but he was surprised when instead of doing that, what he did is block his short sword with a dagger that he pulled out.

And what's more shocking is that while he's blocking his every attack, he's casting a spell at the same time. And right before he finished casting it, he was able to pin him on the ground, with the tip of the wand right on his face. The wand shone and the man soon fell unconscious.

"You're done? I'm done here as well", Ren said, making the 3 glance at his way. 4 men in black suits are all unconscious on the ground, wounded, and all are bounded in one rope. Eli went on to check on them with Anette. While checking on Daniel first she heard Anette said, "Here! On his arm, there's a wound!"

Ren face palmed at the sight of a girl older than Eli tattling to her like a kid…tattling on him like a kid.

"Come here Ren", Eli's beckoned to the young boy, she put her hand on top of the boy's wound and the familiar blue dome-like barrier covered his wounds. Second later, it was healed completely.

"Let's go", the 3 nodded at Daniel as they continued on searching for the dungeon where the imprisoned villagers are. They soon came face to face with Raul's team that consists of Rohan and 2 members of Historia's guild.

One of them is trying to pick the lock of the door that they presume is the gate leading to the dungeon. "Why can't you just destroy it with weapons or using a spell perhaps", Anette asked.

Raul shook his head and glanced at the lock. "For some reason spells and potions doesn't work on this. We tried with swords but", and they showed them the sword that was now broken into 2.

"No choice then", and they all waited for the lock to be picked. Soon enough, the lock was opened and what greeted them are a flight of stairs going down. It was so dark and there are no torches on the walls.

"Wait, don't use spells, it might alert them if someone was keeping watch down there", Anette said stopping Daniel and Raul from casting a spell using their wands.

She took out a potion from her pocket given to her by an alchemist earlier before they started the raid. She shook the bottle and soon its contents started glowing. She gave it to Raul who came down first, followed by Rohan, the 2 guild members, Ren, Eli, Anette, and Daniel who came last to guard their backs.

Before reaching the very bottom/ end of the stairs, they all prepared themselves just in case someone is guarding the villagers. But it came out that no is in there except the imprisoned ones. Rohan immediately took the keys hanging on the wall not far from the stairs and gave the others some to help in setting the villagers free from the cells.

Once they're all free, they led them up the flight of stairs again. Daniel looked at the surroundings and made sure that the coast is clear before beckoning the others to come out.

They all went back towards the lobby. Why you ask? The headquarters on the other side of the cave was found out to be a maze with only one entrance and one exit. And that's the opening of the cave where they went in.

The only way you can enter and exit the place is through that passage/way only, which is very unusual. There are no emergency exits and only 1 entryway, so in case something like…well…like the raid…happens, the only way the members can escape is through the entrance which will be very hard and almost impossible to do, especially if the ones attacking this headquarters are smart people, like the team.

So why is this place built that way?

Daniel and Ren who are leading the others while dragging the members of the org that they caught were the first ones Historia and the others saw. When the Group A and some Group B saw that the villagers are all safe they felt satisfied knowing that the raid was a success.

"Sir, a note came brought by a carrier pigeon", a knight exclaimed. He was the one who left earlier to go sent a note/message to the Marques who's in charge of the northern region. Veiron took the note and read it.

"They'll be waiting for us in the main city in the North. We'll head there and interrogate these people in order to find their leader who somehow was able to escape from us", he said as he glared at the men in black caught by them earlier. All of the knights supervised the members who are caught as they all proceed to go outside the headquarters.

Dan and Ren both stopped when they noticed Anette shaking Eli who seems to be in a deep thought. They came close to them and asked, "Something the matter?", Anette look at the girl making Daniel and Ren glance her way. "Hey, you okay?", Ren shook Eli, who snapped back from her deep thought after that.

"O-oh! Yeah I'm okay. Where's everyone?", she asked as she glanced all over the place. "We're the only ones left here Eli, is something wrong?", Daniel asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"O-oh…nothing is wrong! Let's catch up to them!", but the green-eyed boy held her hand, stopping her. "Eli, come on, I…we know you, there's something in your mind. Tell us", he encouraged her.

Still hesitating, Eleanor looked at the 3 of them and finally sighed. "This raid, it all seems…simple. I mean it's a good thing yes, but…it's TOO EASY. I just can't seem to figure or grasp it out but something's wrong here", she said making the 3 look at each other in wonder.

'In the novels that I read in my previous life, a lot things will happen during fighting/ battle/ war scenes if they're not part of the background, but today, it all seemed too simple. Besides that, this raid…, everything regarding to this unknown organization…it's weird that in the novel of 'The Hidden Saintess' there are no circumstances nor incidents like this were mentioned in any of the chapters. This must be what goddess Anchora is talking about before. Events that the INTRUDER caused or created that made changed and ruined the whole story, but what's the purpose of the INTRUDER? Why do they want to gain?'

While Eli was stuck in a deep thought, again, the 3 looked at her as Daniel tried asking her again, "What do you mean by tha…", but the boy's words were cut off when they heard screams from the entrance of the cave causing them to take off in a hurry to check on the people.

What they saw at the entrance of the cave made their mouths open. It's a monster made of thin air! No, they can't even call it a monster. It's more like a big hurricane with a pair of silver eyes floating in it like it's its eyes. "And this is why I said it's too easy!", Eleanor shouted at Daniel, Anette, and Ren who barely heard her because of the noise caused by the commotion.

"Bring the villagers, the wounded, and the captured members inside!", she shouted to Veiron who snapped back to his senses and issued an order. "Everyone go inside!"

They all ran towards the cave and came to the lobby huffing. Veiron looked at the captured org members. They're all smirking. He grabbed the one who looks like their leader in his collar and intimidatingly shouted, "Tell us how to stop those monsters of yours!"

But the man just laughed at him. "Why would we even tell you that? You'll die here with us", he smirked. Eli who's on the very back of everyone felt goosebumps on her skin and she embraced herself. Then she felt something on her shoes, something cold and…damp?

"First mud, then flaming ones, ice, hurricane, then…wait…no, if you try to rephrase it in some fantasy novels that will be earth, fire, ice, and air, in those elements 3 of them are from the 4 elements, the only one missing if you don't consider ice is….", Eli who's murmuring to herself look down and saw that water is coming out from the floor.

'Earth, fire, air…water is missing!'

"Ren…", she said in hurry and pulled on the young man's sleeves, Ren look at Eli as he pointed the floor. "Water! Water is coming out from the floor!", he shouted gaining the attention of everyone.

Eleanor looked at the leader of captured organization members; you can still see him smirking behind the covers of his mouth. That's when Eleanor remembered something…the things she noticed before and the things that she didn't.

The reason why this place is built with one opening that served as its entrance and exit….why they designed the dungeon to be on the very bottom of the place….the reason why there are only 2 guards on the entrance...

She looked at them and noticed that the number of the ones they captured is not that many now that she thinks about it. And if this is indeed not all of the members of the organization added to the clues and stuffs she noticed earlier, then that means….

'They're the sacrificed members. The whole raid, they actually know that there will be a raid! Of course! The moment people outside the palace knew that there will be a raid; of course they'll also know it! News travel fast after all, just like what Anette said. This raid is not a success one; they knew it right from the start!'

Eleanor's face grew paler and paler.

'They sent that ice monster just to buy some time so they can escape. Then in order to trick us, they left a few members here together with the villagers in the dungeon thinking that the raid's purpose is indeed to capture them and rescue those villagers. They intentionally made their security lax so we can enter easily. They fought us and put those villagers on the dungeon to buy more time because these mongrels are planning to release the monster outside so we'll be stuck in here and drown to death! This…this is a trap! It's my fault! I….I'm so stupid! I….'

"Eleanor! Snap out of it! We have to get out of here or else we'll drown!", Daniel shouted, that's when the girl noticed that the water is on their knees-length now. "In order for us to escape from here, we need to remove the barricade on the entrance of the cave", Veiron said, but while they're still discussing what to do, the panic they felt caused the fast rising water was doubled when Anette shouted,

"The floor, it….it's rising!", they all look at where she's pointing at and saw that the floor is indeed rising. If it continues to rise the people inside the headquarters won't be able to go out and will be squashed like flies.

Eleanor who's growing paler by the minute tried to calm herself, knowing that this won't help in their current situation.

She then remembered what she told to herself before,

'I should not compare myself to the novel's female leads that are very witty and smart. I should take things, experience things, and grow in my own pace. Making mistakes is also a part of how you'll grown, but accepting your mistakes and trying to make things right is what's more important'

Her determination went up after that, though the guilt she felt because she's the cause why this happened still remained. But Eli knows that this won't help now. Instead of feeling guilty, she needs to think of a way to help.

'The mistake already happen, you need to move on and instead think of what to do in the present!'

That's when she remembered something in a TV show she watched before when she was still a little child. She hurriedly came close to Daniel and asked,

"Is there any spells that can suck anything like a vacuum cleaner?"
"A vak…what?"
"Nevermind that, is there any spell that can suck anything be it a liquid, solid, or gas?"
"Well yeah, but the spell can take a bit of time because it's a high level spell"

She look at Daniel in the eyes, grasping his shoulder and asked again, "Can you do it?", Daniel look back at her, they had a 10 second staring contest before he sighed and smiled, "Yeah I can do it, but I need a bit of time", Eli smiled at him.

"Good", she then look around and came towards an alchemist who joined the raid per the king's order. "Excuse me. May I ask if you perhaps have any empty potion bottles?", the alchemist nodded.

"How big is it?", the alchemist took a bottle out, it was as big as a bottle of mineral water. Eli looked at the bottle, doubting if it can work. But she has no choice, it's the only idea she knows.

She nodded and took a deep breathe. "Excuse me!", she shouted, getting everyone's attention on her. "I…", she gulped then continued, "I think I have an idea"

Veiron immediately came close to her with hopeful eyes. "B-but please, I'm not that sure if it might work"

'I already failed when I made the decision to dragged all this people in this raid'

"Tell us", one of the leaders of the mercenaries who are with them said. "Well okay, here's what I think"

After a few minutes of explaining the plan, everyone looked at the water level; it's on their thighs now. "We don't have much of a choice or ideas left, let's do it", and with that everyone proceeded to go on the opening of the cave. They can feel the cold temperature added with the cold wind caused by the hurricane monster.

"Okay, let's do this!", in front of the cave, everyone took their positions. The wizards came out, including Historia, Daniel, and Raul; the knights shielded them with their big shields. While they're preparing and started casting the spell, the knights protected them while the mercenaries tried to buy some time with Veiron and Ren.

The alchemist all formed a circle, a big potion bottle the size of a water bottle in their midst, they're behind those wizards. The priests on the other hand including Anette were divided into 2. Anette's team are surrounding the alchemists, while the other team is beside the wizards.

The captured men were at the back of the wizards being guarded by some mercenaries and knights. Eli was with the villagers near the lobby of the headquarters, covering themselves from the cold temperature. She concentrated and tried to warm up the room secretly through her light.

The water's temperature is already in their waist. Then they felt and heard it. The plan goes like this. The wizards will cast a sucking spell and suck the hurricane monster, while doing that, the mercenaries will get its attention away from them and the knights will protect them so they can cast it properly, they will then pass it little by little to the alchemist who will put the monster inside the potion bottle and seal it.

She remembered it when she saw Meridia creating potions before. She used the little magic she has to convert an ingredient and add it to the potion inside the bottle, that's how alchemists can use and show their abilities, through potions.

The priest finally, will strengthen the power of the wizards and the alchemist through prayer, that what they do, asked through prayer. She hoped that the plan worked. She then looked at the weird structure of the headquarters.

The floor is going up but so is the water level, it's like the water is pushing the floor up or the floor is like a wood floating on top of water. She doesn't get it. Is it prepared with some gravity spells or something, because they don't have technologies here so it's the only way, through spells and maybe potions?

She tried to check on the others for a while and saw them all celebrating. The plan did work! She then ran inside the headquarters and gave them the news, letting the villagers go out from the headquarters that looks like a pool now one by one.

When the villagers were all evacuated she came out last. "It worked! Where did you get all these ideas?!", Eli scratch her head in awkward as Anette continued to praise her.

'I can't say that I got those ideas by watching cartoons and anime in TV and reading fantasy novels or books'

"Ahehe", she awkwardly laughed. "Now then, let's all go now", everyone started walking when Eli who's still at the entrance of the cave felt something on her feet.

She slowly looked down and her faced paled. It's water wrapping itself on her ankles like ropes. She looked at Anette's back and,

"Ane...!"

Anette who heard that looked back at her smiling. "What is it….ELEANOR!", her shout caused everyone to look back as well and this time, Ren can't help but shout, "What kind of bullsh*t is this?!"

The water that they thought was just a flood in the headquarters all came out and soon formed into a very big monster made of entirely water. It took form and now it looks like a giant octopus with large tentacles. One of them is holding Eli's hand who is now hanging in the air.

The water monster attacked the others using its gigantic tentacles. "Scatter! And put the villagers and the captured men somewhere safe!", Eleanor looked at the water monster who's now hunting everyone and trying to squish them like bugs or ants.

'This thing, it always happens when the main characters are in a place! Trouble chases them! And I'm with some of those characters now! Ughh, goddess Anchora…help meeeeee!'