There was barely any chance of escape I could think of if I reveal any cause for offensive actions.
"What would be the best action in this situation!? I hate this feeling of not knowing!"
-{That Is A Good Sign.} Athena scoffed.
We traveled from dawn to dusk before we finally caught sight of the location.
A tall and high standing elevation of land stood before us, with what seemed to be a forcefully created crevice at its end.
It towered high above us with a peak that seemed to almost get lost in the clouds, another mountain range.
"Are all crypts in the mountains?" I asked.
I couldn't help but ask actually.
"No, but most of them are. The various Guardians have fetishes for things like this for some reason." Zane replied.
The area had an opening that was most likely carved out by people that were here before, it didn't look natural.
There was a bold sign near the opening, this was the second time I encountered those initials.
[AO. Keep Out.]
Madden put her hand forward and the sign scattered into weird insects with broad wings and they
fluttered away.
-{I Have Seen Her Somewhere!!} Athena suddenly screamed out.
I had to admit, the Sorcery was weird but I didn't think it was weird enough to make Athena burst out like that.
"What?"
-{Look, Azur. Things Have Changed, This Is Much Worse Than I Could Have Imagined, Do Not Go In There, Separate From This Group Now!} She warned.
"What, why? Just because some circus creep can turn things to insects won't make me not get what I want." I exclaimed.
Just to come out as more stubborn than I already was, I pushed forward to Whitlock's side and walked in with him.
-{Why are you acting so dumb!!!?} She screamed and just kept on ranting.
I managed to tune her out and continue on my path, I cared very little for any of this. I was fascinated by all of this and I won't stop until I learnt what I hoped too.
I felt both Anastasia and Athena's vexed gazes peering into my soul from both realms, but I didn't care.
Things were just beginning, this was merely the start of my story, I can not turn tail and run when one of the things I want is right in front of my eyes.
…
We kept on hiking into the cave, going lower and lower into it until we found vague signs of life.
According to Ashford, this was a way to know that we were getting closer to the loot, since some Beast may have lived around these items so much that they evolved to only be able to live off of the energy that these items are responsible for releasing.
This made things all the more fascinating.
Eventually, the closer we got, the more aggressive the Beasts became and we found ourselves in the heat of battle.
We encountered what Ashford called Fiends.
Various regular animals that have evolved to be able to assimilate the Processed Energy being released by the items.
Most of them were bears, bats and wolves but unlike the Iron Canines and Abyssal Chiropterans they were mostly powerless.
I had a fun time doing the normal thing I was used to; scorching every hindrance in sight.
"Ahh shit, shit, shit!!" Ashford hollered like he was in pain.
"What's wrong, Ash!?" Whitlock yelled from over his shoulder while he was testing his unaided strength with that of a bear.
He easily overpowered it and proceeded to swing the spear's sharp end right through the bear's gut and let its insides scatter before him like a sacrificial offering.
He smirked and leapt to Ashford's location as though he didn't want Ashford to yell what he was about to say.
But it was clear Anastasia wasn't about to let such an opportunity slide, she stopped battling and began lurking.
I gave no fucks and I continued in my travails.
"Things are going too well. I like this." I thought to myself.
I was completely drowning in my own delusions. Until, as usual, it happened.
-{Best to watch out}
"What, now!!" I screamed as I felt the sudden urge to drop straight to the floor.
But I never trusted my own instincts anyway.
I leapt as high as I could into the air, turns out that was the best thing to do.
A huge boulder that was as wide as the dark pathway inside the mountain just randomly became a projectile and rushed towards me.
Staying on the ground would have flattened and disemboweled me in the most horrific way possible, I managed to jump high enough to steer clear of it.
Zane seemed to have the exact same idea and he burst into the air as soon as he saw the instrument of doom approaching.
Whitlock, Madden, Anastasia and Ashford didn't expect it and were hit by the boulder.
I leapt down only to find Madden on our side and completely safe, I didn't even see her move yet she was here.
This was the first time I had seen Whitlock get caught off-guard but in a quick second, it turned out that it didn't matter.
I heard a loud breeze swishing about and Whitlock and Ashford appeared on the other end of the moving boulder, just slightly shifted to one end.
He used his Energy aided spear to cut a hole small enough to not be affected by the boulders movement at all.
"What the fuck is that!?" Whitlock screamed as he emerged safely on the other side.
[A/N: If you didn't get it, this boulder is so huge that Whitlock couldn't break it in half but only make a hole small enough for him and Ashford to emerge unscathed.]
"Anastasia!!" I yelled. she was the only one who didn't manage to avoid it.
"Oh, that's her name. Someone's voice echoed throughout the pathway.
The boulder stopped as abruptly as it had started to move and then just shattered into tiny pebbles.
A man in regal attire stood at the end of the wide pathway with Anastasia in his grasp and his other hand in his pocket.
He held onto the young dazed dragon from the back of her collar and held her off the ground.
"A guardian!!" Ashford exclaimed in disbelief.
"Not at all. Criminal Zephyrs, although I do have to guard this place because of you people." The regally dressed man replied.
I wanted to step forward and get Anastasia but I just couldn't.
In fact, I found myself stepping back because I knew exactly what was going to happen next.