With everything settled for tomorrow, we headed back to our inn. I had a good night's rest as preparation would commence once we woke up. Once I woke up, we had a big meal at the Dusky Dawn Inn. I had sunny-side-up eggs, toast, and milk. Last night, we agreed to meet up at 9 a.m.
Once 9:00 rolled around, Altaria was waiting outside the inn; she had taken care of all the paperwork and preparation beforehand. I loaded all my gear into my caravan, and similarly, a second caravan was loaned to us for the second team. Altaria explained, "Each team will act as one when you find the underground hideout, but before then, you will search Aquamere separately."
The king came to see us off, and I noticed a small teen making his way towards us with a cane in his hand. Altaria gave a worried look, "I told Pilot like you requested; it would appear he is eager to go with you. I haven't seen him so fired up since I first adopted him." Pilot gave us a blank look, "Strong. I must get stronger." Altaria sighed, "I can't deny him when he seems so determined to go with you."
With that settled, the king was here to see us off personally as we made our way to the front. Altaria stated, "The two teams will be Grin Reapers along with my son Pilot, with Lucius as the leader. The other team will be Pylus, Mynus, Gwen, Arthur, Kaiser, and Prince Sorbek, with Prince Sorbek acting as their leader. Each team will communicate every few hours or so if possible once you reach Aquamere. Once one of your teams discovers the enemies' location, you are not to engage until all of you are present. Understand?"
Each of us nodded, approving of the plan, and finally, King Whiteford watched as we prepared to take off, "I name this quest Operation Deicide. Do not fail, Everglint brave warriors; come back with good news. Remember, we are dealing with an enemy that has survived for hundreds of years; they are not a group to underestimate." Altaria added, "You will be on your own after you leave these gates. I have provided you with plenty of supplies, tools, and healing serums, but remember to get plenty of rest." Just as we were about to leave, a bunch of familiar faces walked out from the shadows, seemingly waiting for the right timing. All of the professors were there to see us off; I guess class was not in session today.
Professor Castweaver stated, "Burn bright, young ones, like the eternal flame that has been looking over Everglint all these years. I am sad I can't go with you, but know that you will never fall from our hearts." Professor Princeton nodded, "Let the winds guide you forward, and remember your training; always rely on your allies." Professor Rosewald chimed in with a rough voice, "Never rush in alone; always be aware of your surroundings." Professor Makov added, "Should the enemy seem too big of a mountain, run away." Finally, Professor Berkley laughed, "When you get back, I will treat you all to my world-famous cooking."
Altaria, almost like she was holding back emotions, nodded, "Now get out there and give them hell, you new lights. The covenant has overstepped this time; they made an enemy of a grandmage's students!"
With that and the deep emotions I had in my heart, I yelled back just as I was about to set off, "Prepare the dishes; the enemy will regret the day they set foot in this city, you have my word." I gave the horse the signal, and the caravan behind us would follow as we both set off together. I heard the King shout, "Students today, but heroes tomorrow; may the goddess Azura smile upon you." The journey would take a few hours since the town wasn't that far away. According to the map Altaria had marked, a location of interest; there was a path ahead that we might want to check out first. The path is a segmented cave before we reach the town. The plan was that our group would check out this small cave for any signs of trouble, but the other group would continue ahead first. That was most of the reason why we had decided to split into two groups.
The cave system could be bypassed by going around it, but our group would be the ones that would check it out on foot. The cave system was only about an hour away from Everglint, so in the meantime, we talked amongst ourselves. Lysandra nudged me, "Can we really trust gloomy over there to not stab us in the back? She isn't exactly part of our group." She pointed to Yuna. I nodded, "I don't know if they have the means to break my contract on her, but with her contract in place, she is harmless." Yuna, seemingly hearing a piece of that, sighed, "I would have killed you all here if I could, but yes, for now, you have me by the leash." Quinn changed the topic, "On a brighter subject, I am glad we got this guy in our group." He gestured at Pilot, who looked as stoic as always. I nodded, "Yeah, the little guy is a powerhouse for sure; that was why I insisted on having him in our group."
Lulith explained, "Plus, with my contract more stable now, I can begin to discover how to utilize this power. The covenant will be the perfect dummies, right Yuna?" Yuna made a malicious face, "I can't wait until they shut that stupid mouth of yours, fledgling. The way of the old gods is not taught; it is learned, and I would wager you're a slow learner." Tensions rose as Lulith brought out her claws, but it was interrupted with a mutter from Pilot, "Cave close. Power... unknown." I could see the cave now; it was pretty large on the horizon. I had no idea what he was saying with the last part, though. Quinn asked, "Power unknown?" Pilot gave a small nod, "I can feel it. Strange power." I asked, "How can you sense that from here?" Pilot responded plainly, "Gravity. I can feel it. Movement, and strong magic."
We were still a few miles away; this kid is incredible. For him to sense anything so far away, how massive must his range be? He was almost scary in a sense, but he was on our side; the enemies should be the ones who are scared. I put my hand on my jaw, "Magic, huh? We'll check it out no matter what, but someone is using magic? That doesn't sound like the covenant. Anything else you can tell from here, Pilot?" Pilot nodded shyly, "They are fighting. Something large... they are in danger." I still didn't fully understand how his magic worked, but it seemed like he could sense depth, height, magic, and anything else like in a 3D scale. I nodded, "Thanks, Pilot; we need to hurry then; there could be someone that needs our help."
Within 20-30 mins, we arrived at our location, the other team passing us to move on ahead; we wanted to be quick since Era was still their hostage. The cave was giant; it was marked on the map too. Unlike the unknown cave from before, this one had a name. "Godbound Seclusion Cave" was written on the map. The cave entrance wasn't terribly big, but big enough that we could all fit in with ease. I marveled, "What an ominous name." Quinn chuckled, "You humans are so easily bothered. Names only have meaning as long as you humans let it." I frowned, "Am I the only one a bit bothered by this?" They all continued ahead, ignoring my pleas. I sighed; should a merchant really be going into such a place? I mean, is it weird that I am a little on edge?
Once we got inside, Pilots face lit up, "This way." Without explaining, we followed him deeper in, taking the right corridor. We took a tight formation as we didn't exactly understand what lay ahead. Once we got closer, Quinn perked up, "These thoughts, what is this?" I asked, "Huh, do you sense something?" Quinn stated plainly, "Yeah, I hear someone's thoughts, but no, this isn't right.." Lysandra stated, "Spit it out, shrimp." Quinn gasped, "This person is two people? How is this possible? I am sensing multiple thoughts at once from the same person's body." Lulith asked, "How is that even possible?" I shook my head, "Let's hurry; something is clearly off here."
We followed behind Pilot in a hurry; we reached a small section of the cave that got really wide; the space was open. Once we entered, we all recoiled in surprise. There was a giant serpent in the corridor on the north side of the room that led deeper into the cave. The giant serpent coiled within the expansive cave, its immense, snow-white scales gleaming softly in the dim light. Towering over us, the serpent's body undulated with a sinuous grace, filling the cavernous space with an imposing presence. Each scale seemed as large as a shield, reflecting a pristine, otherworldly sheen.
Its eyes, a piercing shade of yellow, fixed on us with an ancient intelligence. Slitted pupils constricted in a focused gaze, capturing the essence of an ageless creature. The snake's head, adorned with delicate patterns reminiscent of intricate frost, hovered above the ground, swaying wildly as it fought something. The air seemed to shimmer around the serpent, giving it an ethereal quality. Every movement echoed a silent power, and its breath, a gentle, icy breeze, hinted at the vast magic coursing through its colossal form. This mystical creature embodied the mystique of the cave, commanding both awe and trepidation in the face of its majestic, ancient existence.
Perhaps even more unnerving, it seemed to be fighting someone very small; I almost didn't notice them. The person was in full iron armor from head to toe; I couldn't make out their features, but they were young. In terms of size, they were small, around Pilot's height, and they were fighting somewhat clumsily. The snake was biting at the small figure, but they didn't try to avoid it, or rather, with the bulky armor, they couldn't. Almost equally impressive was the fact that the snake couldn't land a fatal hit. Its giant fangs tried to crush them, but the armor was almost superpowered; the figure barely lost any ground as they parried. In the confined cavern, the armored enigma's unwavering dance defied the serpent, revealing a prowess that left us all in awe.