The team had plenty of enthusiasm. That much was sure.
But the task of finding information on demons was turning out to be more difficult than originally thought.
No organization of the subjects could be found, or at least discovered, within the Compendium. The large number of pages they had to flip through was also a pain, with each page being densely covered in hard-to-read text.
It did not take long for them to rethink their strategy and institute hour-long shifts for each member to read through it. It gave the others plenty of time to rest and reduced the chance of someone missing the needed page from negligence.
After deciding on the order they read, Gary explored the expansive room in search of a spot to nap in. He was last in the rotation, so he had plenty of time to catch up on some sleep.
After finding a somewhat comfortable pillar to lay next to, he pulled out a brown woolen blanket from his storage bag and nestled his body against its side, ignoring the thick layer of dust that had formed over the years.
Goosebumps formed the moment he made contact with the ground. Despite the fact that he was inside, the environment was still rather chilly, and he could feel the cold seeping into him from the stone surface.
'hah, I guess it could be worse...' he thought, pulling the blanket over his head to keep warm.
At least now, he had blood in his body to keep him warm. The coldness of bleeding out on the floor was way more uncomfortable.
Anxiety also ate away at him. Despite the confidence he had spoken with earlier, he still had some lingering doubt over if the Compendium could help.
It probably had something helpful, but one could never be certain. He knew of the Compendium's existence, but that did not mean he was aware of its content.
His hands slowly clasped together as he lay there in thought, the action hidden under the blanket.
'Goddess, if you are listening, please let us find our way home.' He prayed, doing his best to be sincere as his eyes grew heavy from exhaustion.
'I swear - if I live - I will give up my vile ways. I will live in peace for the rest of my days... as the richest man on the continent.' He added with a snicker, before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
...
Alfred stood next to the table, squinting his eyes as he read through the Compendium. The abandoned palace hall had a distinct lack of windows, creating a dark environment. This was made even worse with the approach of night, making it a terrible place to read in.
A small orb of light floated above the book, casting a dim white light onto the complicated mess of words on the page. It was a utility spell called 'Light' that every magic-wielding adventurer knew how to use.
Even with the spell's aid, he still had to put effort into reading the small print it had been written in.
The Compendium truly did cover every subject, and the amount of information he had learned from this session was worth more than a thousand visits to any regular old library. On several occasions, he had gotten sidetracked and had to stop himself from reading the entire page, reminding himself that he had a job to do.
The current page discussed the best way to tame and care for gryphons, even going so far as to give tips on how to breed them.
'Interesting, but useless.' Shaking his head, he flipped to another page filled with ancient text and started the process over once again.
Engrossed in his reading, he failed to notice the lurking figure that approached from behind, hidden by the night's darkness.
By the time he felt the presence behind him, it was too late. A cold hand had tightly grasped his shoulder and tried to pull him backwards.
"Dear Goddess!" He cried out as he lost his balance, desperately reaching for the mace that was strapped to his side. Pulling himself away from the figure's reach, he violently spun around with his weapon held firmly in front of his chest, ready to defend against any possible attack that may be sent his way.
But no attack came. Instead, he was met with mocking laughter.
"Pff... Hahaha!" Edwin's body came into view with the dismissal of 'Camouflage'. Tears poured down his face, barely keeping himself from bending over with laughter after his more than successful prank.
"I'm impressed you have the nerve to pull something like that, especially in these cursed halls," Alfred grumbled, returning the mace to his side.
"Heh- sorry Alf." Edwin said, his shining blue eyes showing a distinct lack of guilt. Edwin always enjoyed joking around. There were plenty of pranks that he enjoyed pulling on others, but none gave the same pleasure as scaring someone half to death.
"Besides, it's nice to have a little fun after being on edge for half a year." He admitted.
Alfred answered in silent understanding, reluctant to open that can of worms.
It had been a miserable time for everyone, and he didn't want to discuss it. At least not until his feet stood on his home soil. Until then, he would perform his role to the best of his abilities, and keep his doubts and grievances to himself.
Edwin's smile also began to fade as he recalled the recent incident with Gary. He normally considered himself an optimist, and no number of expeditions had been able to extinguish his attitude toward life.
But this was different. This adventure had made him doubt everything about being a part of the 'Gold Guard'. The risk, the lies, and the lack of care shown by the team leader had pushed him to the point where the main emotion he felt was anxiety and doubt.
He hated these internal thoughts, but they had only become more frequent.
"Hey, Alf... do you think we are gonna be as rich as Gary makes it out to be?" He asked in a low voice, only slightly louder than a whisper. "He really is painting a pretty picture, ain't he?"
"Hah! If it is even half as good as he says, then I will die a rich, happy man. This Compendium is the real deal Ed, I just can't believe we were the lucky sobs who found it."
"I... really hope you are right about that. I am just worried that he will try something else. Trusting him, after what he did to us? I just... don't know."
The promise of riches was a tempting thought, yet it held no sway over Edwin. Rather, it was the darkness around him that occupied his mind, and the thought of what awaited him outside these crumbling palace walls.
Alfred looked on at Edwin with concern. It pained him to see his comrade so disillusioned.
Placing his arm on Edwin's shoulder, he gave him an encouraging squeeze, pulling his friend back from whatever terrible thing his mind was dwelling on.
"...Hey, don't worry Ed." He said with a reassuring pat. "Brandus is planning to keep an eye on his ass until we get back. Forget about Gary; trust Brandus to get the job done. Before you know it, we'll be back at Boulder's as drunk as a lord."
"Heh," Ed halfheartedly chuckled. "So long as you're paying the tab."
"If I'm as rich as Gary tells us we'll be, I will buy the whole damn bar!"