Darkness spread out in front of the group, and a quiet breeze silently rustling what sounded like leaves. The portal had been sitting flat on the ground, and Edol had expected to appear in an underground cavern or similar dungeon-like space, reminiscent of the games back on Earth.
Instead, they found themselves in what seemed to be nighttime in the woods.
Edol immediately tossed all his mana into the ground, pushing around his feet in preparation to bolt at the first sign of danger.
Looking around, he started getting a better idea of his surroundings.
There were trees in every direction, big strong oaks and poplars, their fallen leaves and the forest's shade choking out any chance undergrowth had at surviving. Edol's sight faded away into the darkness after a few meters, the faint light of the moon's sliver failing to penetrate the canopy. The wind swept past, and the slightly fishy scent of a river accompanied the breeze.
"Probably an isolation, darkness, or forest tomb."
Ghost's unusually calm voice broke into Edol's mind, analyzing what type of dungeon they'd walked into.
"Since it's up here in the north, this tomb was probably created by an ancestor of one of the villagers. If it's one of the original settlers, then it could also be fear of a sneak attack or finding a new home."
Hearing Ghost's analysis, Edol realized that their entering of the dungeon without first discussing it was quite stupid.
"Willow, what do you know about the villagers? This tomb is probably from one of them."
The dark-haired girl nodded, rubbing her nose while searching her memories for the East's history.
"Most of the villagers were wealthier people from the city-state of Edain, they fled up here when the war started looking like a lost cause. I don't know a lot of what happened for the first few generations of the villages…"
Ghost nodded to himself, adding starvation to the list of possible tomb themes.
"By the way, Edol, we should be safe here. The entrances of tombs are normally pretty tame, it'll only get dangerous as we head further in."
Reassured, Edol nodded to their new companion to continue talking.
Willow glanced around nervously before continuing.
"Please don't tell anyone else this. I'm not even supposed to know this yet, but I overheard it on a trip up here. You know the Goddess, Danu? 163 years ago, she was born in one of the villages."
Ghost instantly became more guarded, the idea of this tomb belonging to a legendary mage suddenly becoming a possibility. If this was the case, he would advocate for the group quickly evacuating and abandoning this adventure.
"Also, she didn't just create the cleansing spell. Before her death, her genius managed to craft a much, much more advanced and dangerous spell. Summoning. Somehow, the spell can let someone summon and contract with a wild animal, pairing the duo and letting them communicate and form a bond. Even before her sudden passing, the villagers had already decided to keep the spell locked within their communities. The practical applications for it in a war would result in thousands of lives lost…"
Edol and Ghost finally had their first hint at how they had arrived in this world, as well as an incredible piece of information.
'Danu became a legendary mage to the point of being revered as a goddess... And her strongest spell was never even revealed to the public?!'
It also provided a possible motive for whoever had decided to attack the villages.
"So this is an important secret to them, one that could potentially start a war, right?"
Willow nodded, failing to process just how stupid she was.
"And you just go around telling strangers?! We've known each other for half a day!"
Willow jumped back in fright before her expression suddenly darkened.
"Oh lord- don't tell me you told other people too!"
Tears started to form at the edges of the girl's eyes as she nodded her head slowly.
'Hanging out with this girl definitely is a terrible idea! She finds out a war-causing secret by chance, then travels the country telling it to anyone who'll listen!'
"J-just my uncle…"
Judging by the look on Willow's face, it seemed that she'd just realized her uncle probably had a similarly loose mouth.
"He- he also went missing. A few months ago, right before when all the soldiers were gathered in Edain…"
Willow fell to the ground, crying. The realization that she'd doomed not only the villages but also her own family members' lives to being hunted by an unknown enemy was too much for her to process.
Edol was too dumbfounded by the girl's stupidity to even try and comfort her for a few minutes.
"Bro, this girl might be the dumbest creature I've met in my entire life. I regret even thinking of inviting her to our competition."
After multiple slightly awkward minutes of listening to Willow's quiet balling, Edol finally decided it was time to move. He turned around, facing the exit of the tomb.
"Well, we're in no shape to explore the tomb now. I guess we should head out and be more prepared next time."
'And not bring an idiot like this with us, next time. We could just send her out and explore with just the two of us, but it would be nice to have another experienced relic hunter with for my first time in one of these.'
Willow, still collapsed on the ground crying, shook her head.
"N-no. I can still help, I'll stop crying."
'As if I want your help! I'd be better off trusting Pepper to watch my back in here!'
Before Edol could deny her, Ghost's voice rang out in his head.
"I agree that she's probably just a burden, but I think we should still go in a little further, with her. If Danu really lived and died here… this could be her relic tomb. Let's just go a little way in and see if blabbermouth here can recognize anything related to the Goddess."