Asa had never had anyone sing for her, not even once in her life, but she swore that last night she fell asleep to a gentle hum.
Was it Joan? He didn't seem like someone who sang.
Whoever it was, they succeeded in making Asa feel warm when she woke up.
The morning had finally come, greeting them. Asa entered the hut and gathered her belongings.
Madelyn and Dunn was already awake, eating some biscuits from the supplies they had as her breakfast.
Asa noticed Joan was missing.
"Where's Joan?" she asked, scanning the vicinity.
Dunn yawned. "He left early. Said he was going to scout the area ahead."
Asa's brow furrowed. Joan's actions continued to puzzle her, but she decided to feed herself a breakfast instead of thinking about that man.
It didn't take more than ten minutes for Joan to make it back into the hut.
"Cleaned all the Crys on the path I walked. We can feel more at ease going towards," Joan informed. "I've marked places where the clusters are; I can take the lead from here."
Asa acknowledged Joan's report with a nod. Despite the lingering mystery surrounding him, she appreciated the information about the cleared path.
The group continued their journey through the enchanted mead woods, half of their faces once again hidden by the masks made from their pillar's cloth.
As Joan had assured, the path was clear, and they did not encounter a single Crys until they finally arrived at the cluster.
"See if the flowers are any good as a sample," Asa instructed.
Madelyn nodded. "However, it's dangerous to go to the clusters if I don't hold my breath. So, I need to hold my breath, but I can't do that for so long. Meanwhile, I need a lot of flowers, and I…" her words hung in the air as she felt a bit reluctant to ask for help.
"I will help," Joan said, taking a bottle from Madelyn's hand to put the sample in.
"Mhm," Madelyn nodded. "Thank you. Remember to hold your breath at all costs."
"I will," he assured.
"Make sure you pluck them all the way too," Madelyn repeated.
"Will do," Joan said. "Let's go."
"Wait," Madelyn reached into her bag again and took out two glass bottles, handing them to both Asa and Dunn. "I need the blood of the Crys that live near the clusters. If there's any approaching, make sure to collect their blood into these bottles after you kill them."
Asa and Dunn took the glass bottles from Madelyn, understanding the task.
The group proceeded cautiously toward the clusters of Crystal Flowers, Madelyn leading with Joan by her side.
Madelyn, with her nose and mouth covered by the makeshift mask, carefully approached the Crystal Flowers. Joan followed closely, ready to assist and collect the samples.
As they gathered samples, Asa and Dunn maintained a vigilant watch, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of movement.
However, none of the Crys ever came.
Asa clicked her tongue, annoyed. "That Eve guy truly cleaned the whole site," she remarked, turning to Dunn. "Dunn, you keep on guarding here. I will go deeper into the forest to find a Crys and take their blood. After Maddy and Eve are done, just come look for me. I won't be too far ahead."
Dunn nodded. "Take care."
Asa ventured deeper into the enchanted mead woods, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of moss covering the forest floor.
The atmosphere remained eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional distant rustle of leaves.
After a short walk, she encountered a small group of Crys.
They moved with erratic, unpredictable motions, their crystal flowers pollen-infested bodies making them formidable opponents.
Asa took a deep breath, steadying herself for the impending confrontation.
With swift, precise movements, she engaged the Crys. Her sword cut through the air as she expertly dispatched each creature.
There were around four Crys, and she dispatched them all in the blink of an eye, thanks to their lack of awareness of her presence.
Using the glass bottle that Madelyn gave her, Asa crouched down and took some blood for the sample.
Their blood was indeed different from the blood Asa usually saw from Crys. Although not obvious, as someone who fought countless Crys, naturally, she noticed a difference.
Although she had no idea what that difference was supposed to mean, she still curiously looked at the blood and noticed the blood seemed to be darker than the usual ones.
Out of childish curiosity, Asa brought the mouth of the bottle near her nose to take a scent of it… "Ugh!"
A bad decision. It smelled so bad that she wanted to throw up, but she held it in.
After filling up the bottle and making sure she sealed the bottle back and put it in the safety of her small waist bag, Asa intended to get up on her feet, but her eyes caught something.
Hidden under scattered dry leaves and the body of a Crys, there was a round metal object among the soil.
Asa's eyes noticed something under one body of Crys, she quickly shoved that Crys away, and it was indeed what she thought it was—a handle.
"A door?" she wondered all by herself as she reached out for the handle.
The door was surprisingly easy to open. When the door opened, it only revealed a small stairway leading down, and other than that, only darkness met the eye.
She was expecting a scent of damp earth and some musty odor from such a place, but what met her nose was instead a scent similar to incense.
"Huh?" Curiosity grew in her.
Just when she was about to descend into the underground room she had just found, her ears caught a rustling sound.
Snapping her head back, she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that it was just her team.
"Done with the sample?" Asa asked casually. Somehow she felt a bit nervous, as if she were doing something behind their backs.
"Yes," Madelyn nodded, "All complete. I'm guessing you have gotten the blood sample too?"
Asa nodded and took the glass bottle containing blood, handing it to Madelyn as she walked to her side.
"What is this?" Joan and Dunn asked as they both leaned down a bit to take a peek.
Asa shook her head, "No idea. This doorway was hidden by leaves before. I accidentally found it and was about to go down right when you guys arrived."
"Going down all alone? Without us?" Joan shifted his attention to Asa.
Maybe she imagined it, but she saw a glimpse of offense on his face.
"Yeah," she answered as if it were the most natural thing to do, to go down to a strange hidden place all alone.
Joan scoffed, "Idiot," he said under his breath.
Fortunately for him, Asa didn't clearly catch what he said because Dunn and Madelyn had started scolding her about being reckless and expressing relief that they arrived before she went down there.
"I get it, I get it," Asa said with a half-smile, trying to ease the tension. "I won't go exploring dark underground places without you guys. Happy now?"
Madelyn sighed, "You're impossible, you know that?"
"Alright, alright, I've made my promise not to do dangerous things alone again. Let's go down now," she said as she took Madelyn's hand into her hold.
Joan, still visibly annoyed though no one knows the source of his irritation, mumbled something under his breath.
He trailed behind the group as they descended the narrow staircase into the darkness below, ensuring to close the door with a resounding thud behind him.
The scent of incense intensified with each step, wafting through the chilled air as they delved deeper into the abyss.
The faint luminescence that filtered through the forest floor vanished completely.
"Wait," Madelyn halted their steps.
She rifled through her small bag and produced four tiny wooden sticks. "These are portable lights. Blow on them, and they'll ignite a fire."
She then exhaled onto one of the wooden sticks, and a flame erupted from it. "See?" she proudly displayed it with a wide grin on her face, a clear sense of accomplishment shining through.
Asa grinned back, equally proud, as she took one of the small wooden sticks. "You're the one who crafted these in the blue pillar, right?"
Madelyn nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Aren't I smart?"
Asa nodded in agreement. "Mhm, you certainly are."
With their newfound portable lights illuminating the underground space, the group descended further into the unknown.
The stairway seemed to stretch on indefinitely until, finally, it opened up into a vast underground place.
Using the light in their hands, everyone moved around to get a clearer view of their surroundings.
"This..." Dunn uttered in disbelief as he comprehended where the staircase had led them. "Am I seeing this right?"
A collective sense of awe overcame the group as they absorbed the sight before them.
"Yeah," Joan Eve affirmed, "You're seeing this right."