"Good Morning, Lady Malty and Lady Melty. Countess Formal is eagerly waiting for you in her study.", Kaine said, with a warm smile as she opened the door for them.
"Thank you for the warm welcome.", the two girls said, bowing their heads before heading inside.
"Alright you two, we will be back around dinner time to pick you up.", I told them, as the rest of my party turned to leave.
"Sir Cole, could I bother you for a moment of your time before you leave? I know you are searching for the Fire Dragon, but something was brought to our attention last night that I would like you to look into.", Kaine called out, stepping outside with a piece of paper in her hand.
Handing it over to me, I quickly read it over and passed it to the others. In a nutshell, several remote settlements and villages had been found completely abandoned near the eastern edge of the Western Desert a few days ago. Unsure why they needed me to look into it since they had agents in the area, I was about to get clarification when Tyuule beat me to it.
"I am sorry…you want us to look into a few villages that have gone missing in a warzone?", Tyuule remarked, after reading the note, "You are kidding, right? You employ two of my people in your home, they will tell you that these things happen during war. Enemy forces raid villages all the time to resupply and sate their lust on the women of the villages."
"Believe me, I am well aware…", Kaine stated, narrowing her eyes, "The Warrior Rabbit nation is not the only country that suffered under the Empire's ruthless expansion. My country was wiped out nearly thirty years ago, I know the hardships and aftermath of war very well."
"Then what makes this special?", Tyuule pressed her.
"As it is commonplace, why would our agents report it if something was not amiss?", Kaine argued, "They did not give us more details on the matter so this is all we have to work with. I am sorry if you feel it is a waste of your time."
"No, that is a fair point. We can investigate it for you and let you know if anything is wrong. If nothing stands out, we can continue our search for the Fire Dragon afterward.", I said, receiving the note back and tucking it in my pocket, "Thank you for the information Kaine, see you this evening."
Bowing her head, the Head Maid quickly retreated into the mansion and shut the door behind her. Looking at me with a questioning gaze, Tyuule was still adamant that it was a waste of time and that we should just continue chasing down the Fire Dragon.
"Luna, Evelyn, and Isola told me all about you…do you think it is worth our time?", Tyuule inquired, assuming I knew something more that was not shared by the agents.
"You forget, we still have not located Cedric yet so this may be linked back to him.", I reminded her, "There is a place in that region called the Arrun Labyrinth where horrid experiments were conducted by the Arrun Kingdom. Cedric may be using the labyrinth as a base to sow even more mischief using the research hidden there."
"...so we are going to that accursed place…", Yao said, as the color drained from her face.
"I can send you back to my home if you wish so you can sit this out.", I offered.
"No, there are relics there from my ancestors that need to be brought home. This is a golden opportunity to bring some peace to their tormented souls.", Yao stated, clenching her fist tightly.
Looking at us in confusion, Tyuule did not know what we were going on about. Leaving it to Yao to tell her what happened there, I generated a Light Platform beneath our feet and quickly flew off toward the Arrun Labyrinth.
—Western Desert, Eastern Edge—
Flying over the battle-scarred wasteland that was once a beautiful prairie land, we noticed a caravan of several hundred people desperately trying to fend off a group of ten Cockatrice. Confused by this, as they would never attack such a large group normally, I guided us toward them for a better look. Firing crossbows and spells at them, the monsters did not bother dodging and instead charged right through the barrage.
"Something is very wrong here, this is not normal Cockatrice behavior.", Ciri commented, pulling her crossbow off her hip, "Let me take a crack at them."
Pulling out a poison specifically for Cockatrice, she coated the tip of a crossbow bolt with it and carefully aimed for one of the monster's hearts. Firing the moment the beast was in her crosshairs, the bolt flew true striking the beast straight in the heart. Waiting for the monster to stumble and collapse to the ground, Ciri froze up when continued moving without even flinching.
"So it just as I thought…Cedric is planning to up the ante yet again.", I said, forming a Cruel Sun over my head, "This confirms we need to investigate the Arrun Labyrinth now."
Unlike the other attacks, mine garnered the monster's full attention. Reacting on instinct alone, the pack attempted to break apart and run, but they were too slow. Lobbing it at them before they got a chance, the sphere of superheated fire slammed into the group and violently exploded. Killing them before they could let out a scream, the civilians turned to look at us fearful of what we might do.
"Do you think we can outrun them!?", one of the men shouted.
"We cannot keep this pace up, we have to stop before the horses give out!", the lead coachmen exclaimed.
Acknowledging this fact, the caravan began slowing down and pulled over alongside the road. As we approached the group, several of the men jumped off their wagons ready to fight us to protect their families. Having witnessed what I had done to the Cockatrice, they had to know this was foolhardy yet here they stood ready to die for those they cared about.
"All of you idiots settle down, I am not here to rob you or do anything to your families. We are here to investigate the strange happenings in the area.", I assured them, "Is anyone among you hurt or in need of treatment?"
"Yes!!", one of the wives shouted, jumping out of her wagon, "My baby girl came down with a fever yesterday, and nothing we do will break it. Do you have any healing potions or magic that can help?! We do not have much, but we will give you everything if you can save her!!"
Using magic to quickly diagnose the girl, I confirmed that she had contracted the Arrun Virus that started in the Labyrinth. Removing the disease and healing her body, color began rapidly returning to her face as she recovered instantly. Applying the same spell to everyone in the caravan as a safety precaution, I proceeded to create a large barrier that would serve as a refuge for them to sleep and let the horses recover.
"Nothing will break through this barrier, not even the Gods themselves can breach it.", I assured them, with a confident smile, "Take your time before continuing on your journey, the barrier will disappear in about a week."
"Thank you, sir?", the mother asked, motioning to her husband to fetch something.
"The name is Cole Bolt, and do not worry about payment. Put it toward your family's future, you will need it considering your family is about to gain one more.", I chuckled, giving her husband a nod.
Understanding what I was hinting at, her husband jumped off the wagon to hug his wife. Leaving the couple to enjoy this moment, we quickly got back on the road and headed for the Labyrinth.