Leon and Lydia followed the three injured Knights into the suspicious cave. Tension was high as the group ventured deeper into the dark cavern with a few torches in hand. The cavern was wet and humid, forcing heavy beads of sweat to drench their armoured bodies.
Leading the group was the female Knight whose face reeked with desperation. Her eyes were shuffling about as if carefully observing every nook and cranny of her surroundings. The rest were equally tense, their faces burning with anxiety as the words got stuck in their mouths.
Carefully navigating through the mossy, earthen ground while taking note of the ominous stalactites that hung overhead, the group inched deeper into the cavern without breathing a single word to one another. However, that changed when the lead Knight thrust her arm up high to halt the group's progress.
"T-This is the place where I lost my sister!"
The female Knight blurted out in a panic and turned back to Leon. The young and impressionable teenager nodded furiously as he scanned the vicinity, trying to make sense of the environment.
Sure enough, there were traces of an earlier battle. Some parts of the earth had been scalded through fire, and inklings of blood were scattered all over the cave floor. Tucked far in the corner were ripped armour and clothes, signalling a bitter struggle for escape.
Leon's face hardened, and his mind raced with the dreadful possibilities of harm that may have occurred the female Knight's sister. Likewise, after being presented with some semblance of evidence, Lydia felt her heart growing weary.
Now it became a question of when they could save their captive, not whether.
"N-No! She has to be alive! She has to be!!!"
Not giving up hope, the female Knight ran straight to the tattered clothes and hugged it close to her chest. Her face flaring with determination, she barked: "Look for signs! T-There must be some clues on where they've headed!"
"Orga! Have a look over here!"
One of the female Knight's companions called out her name and gestured for the group to gather. Needless to say, they all rushed over and saw a trail of crimson blood leading deeper into the cave.
"T-That's it! They must have dragged her bloodied body like that! Quick, let's hurry!"
The female Knight ran ahead without even waiting to investigate the immediate vicinity. Only when she was a few metres forward did she stop and wait for her companions and urged them to follow her.
"Quick, there's not much time! Every second counts!"
"Y-yeah!"
The female Knight's companions were the first to jump into action. They made a beeline towards her while Leon and Lydia remained stationary. It was only after a third prompt that the two began to move. While running, Leon's expression was silent and steel-faced, while Lydia had full-on wrinkles covering her forehead. Seeing her cousin's stern expression, Lydia whispered:
"What are you thinking?"
"Something's not right… But I can't put my finger on it."
Leon replied in a murmur, careful not to let the other three Knights with them hear.
"Yes, if there were goblins, they would have made a bigger mess. Those monsters are notorious for being crude and barbaric, after all. The crime scene was too clean to be the work of goblins. And more importantly, if there are goblins, they should leave footprints. So why was there only that blood trail?"
"... you're right."
Leon's instincts were spot on, but he lacked the experience to put it in words. Fortunately, Lydia's analysis hit the nail on the head.
"And look at how rushed they are. Knights are trained to keep calm, even in rescue situations. Investigate, analyse, report, plan and then execute at every juncture. We even learn that in the Academy, so for experienced Knights that have been dispatched into Orders, it should be a no-brainer."
Rushing would almost certainly lead to an early grave. Knights needed to keep calm under pressure, even if it meant wasting precious seconds that may cost one's life. After all, rushing into danger without a plan would jeopardise both the captive and the rescuer's lives.
"For the female Knight named Orga, I could chalk it up to her desperation to save her sister. But the other two are much more suspicious. They should know better."
"So…"
"It's a trap."
At this point, Lydia was ninety percent convinced. The three Knights weren't in distress; it was all a trap to lure Leon into this cave. Whatever their plan was afterwards, Lydia struggled to fathom. However, it couldn't be good since they had concocted this elaborate plot.
"Should we turn around?"
"Let's try and retreat."
Leon didn't second-guess himself again. He agreed to follow Orga in the first place because of the potential of rescuing a comrade in need. But now that the evidence is pointing to the contrary, there was no need for Leon to risk his and, more importantly, Lydia's life.
As Leon and Lydia stopped, the trio in the front noticed it almost immediately and paused. They looked back at the duo with perplexed eyes, and Orga let out a tearful shriek.
"Why are you stopping?! We have to hurry, else…"
"I'm sorry, but I think we need to get external help for this. Lydia and I will return to the checkpoint with all the details here and seek a strong Knight's help."
"B-But, my sister!"
The tears that came out of Olga's eyes were gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. Leon's heart may have caved if not for the overwhelming evidence against them. However, he remained firm and repeated himself.
"I'm sorry… We're too weak to deal with whatever's down there. Please excuse us; we will be back as soon as we can."
"I understand, then…"
Just as Orga was about to complete her sentence, the cave began shaking. Stalactites broke free from the ceiling, pulled down from gravity and bolted to the ground like flying daggers. The earth rumbled with a divine fury as a deafening roar sent shockwaves into the eardrums of those present. Stunned, both Leon and Lydia cupped their ears and bent down.
As if preparing for this moment, the trio of Knights leapt behind the cousins and over a dozen metres now separated the two groups. And all of a sudden…
ARAGHHH!!!
Slowly, as if drawn by the noise and commotion, a shadowy figure emerged from the cave's depths. Standing over five metres tall, its massive frame seemed to be hewn from its earthen surroundings. Lumbering with a slight limp, the shadowy figure came into the light, revealing its rough-hewn skin mottled with patches of moss and lichen.
Each step it took sent vibrations through the ground as if it were announcing the entrance of a King.
Its eyes were glowing with poisonous green as it scanned its territory like a proud sovereign. Sharp tusks jutted from its lower jaw, curling its lips into a perpetual, sinister smirk. Untamed and unleashed, the enemy that sent shivers down every human's spine let out a blood-curdling roar.
"T-Troll!"
Lydia was the first to yell out. She knew better than Leon and could instantly identify their foe. A self-regenerating Troll with the strength of a thousand oxen. It was a Demonic Beast that required at least a Guardian Knight with Four Suns condensed to hunt safely.
As for Apprentice Knights like themselves, the recommended protocol was only one…
Run.
However, just before the cousins could turn their heels to escape…
BOOMM!!!
A detonation with the force of a condensed earthquake decimated the poor cave. Heavy rocks and debris fell like shrapnel and divided the cave into two. Leon and Lydia fell to the floor while the Troll rubbed its flat-ugly nose in confusion. The escape path was blocked off, giving the pair no chance of retreat. And even if they wished to run, they faced a life-threatening conundrum.
The Troll recovered from its confusion and stared at the two young Knights with undeserved fury. With the intelligence of a wild bear, it couldn't comprehend that it was used as a tool by humans to kill other humans. It could only see two shimmering bodies with weapons drawn, threatening its life.
And that wasn't a notion it could tolerate.
Roaring again, it reached for a gnarled club that seemed as old as the monster itself. Remnants of flesh and blood remained on the branch, which made it far more intimidating than any other weapon it could have chosen. Leon gulped hard as he increased the grip on his blade, while Lydia frowned heavily.
"We got caught in their trap…"
"..."
"The good news is… I pressed the distress signal, so help should be coming anytime now. The bad news is… Can we survive until they arrive?"
Lydia's rhetorical question reached Leon's ears; however, he didn't have the heart to reply. All of his attention was on the yawning Troll, who grew more agitated by the second.
"Leon, if I don't make it out alive… Tell my parents I love them."
"Hah?! Go and tell them yourself!"
While the fear of facing a greater opponent was ingrained into his bones, the young hero felt a different feeling surging in his veins. One that overpowered his despair and empowered his resolve: the adrenaline of defeating an impossible foe, and more importantly, the desire to protect his cousin.
"Sister Lydia, how many points would we get if we defeated a Troll?"
"Huh?! You really are greedy, aren't you?"
Leon's joke eased their fears just a bit. Lydia's hand was still shaking, gripping her sword with added determination. Staring straight at the monster before her, she proudly proclaimed:
"Maybe a thousand points? A good haul, I must say."
"Now, that's a trophy worth hunting!"
With nowhere to run or hide, the duo could only bravely smile in the midst of danger. They readied their swords and prepared for the fight for their lives.
❖❖❖
"Mission accomplished!"
On the other side of the broken cave, three individuals leapt gleefully in the air, giving out high-fives like they were free. The female Knight in the lead was pleased as if her anxiety and cries were lies. No, they were just lies. It was all a deliberate act to lure their target into a trap.
"Orga, your acting skills are phenomenal! Why did you even become a Knight? An actor suits you better."
"Haha, I know, right? Maybe I should consider that as a retirement job?"
The female Knight laughed with utmost joy. She glanced back at the fallen debris that blocked the exit and sighed while tapping her chest:
"It was getting rather dangerous there. They noticed our trap earlier than anticipated, and we couldn't bring them to the ideal spot. Fortunately, we improvised, and they're stuck there with the Troll."
The original plan was to bring Leon and Lydia deeper into the cave and split up from them when the time was right and trigger the explosion that would block their escape path. Alas, their target's observational skills were a tad better than anticipated, and they almost failed their mission just as they reached the finish line.
However, the woman named Orga did look back at the fallen debris and sadly remarked:
"If they're lucky, help will arrive in time, and they can survive. Else, I guess they should curse the day they incurred Elder Horas' wrath."
"Hmmm? Why are you hoping they survive? If they do, won't they just implicate us?"
"Haha, they won't have proof. At best, we can say we tried to escape when we heard the Troll. As for the explosion that covered the path could have been the Troll's doing, not ours. Our backs are covered; don't worry about it."
Orga smiled and waved off her compatriot's fears.
"But, I highly doubt they can survive. A Troll is hard for us to kill, let alone two Apprentice Knights. Also, even if they manage to do something about that monster, this entire cave is a Troll's nest. God knows how many of them are hidden inside?"
"So… Their deaths are all but confirmed?"
"Affirmative! Now all we have to do is collect our reward from Elder Horas!"
Hearing the reward, the other two Knights pinched their fingers as their eyes gleamed with greed. The other female Knight declared proudly: "Haha, I will be taking a long vacation to Zephys! It's been a while since I've been to the capital."
"I'll probably buy a new house. I've always wanted to live in a mansion with a pool."
"Hargh? Don't you guys have any imagination? We should get wasted at the casino! And who knows? Maybe I'll make back all of the money I lost there before."
Orga laughed like a stereotypical, sinister villain while rubbing her palms together. Watching their comrade fantasise about gambling once more, they couldn't help but rub their foreheads with their sweaty palms.
"One day, gambling will destroy you. Be careful not to lose all of your reward in one night."
"Haha, how is that possible?! Elder Horas is generous with this mission. Even if I…"
Orga was just about to blurt out the last sentence of her speech, but everyone froze. They felt a foreign presence, one that hadn't been there before. Even though they were scum, the three individuals were bona fide Knights. Fighters that had trained for thousands of moons. They could feel that something was amiss with the air. And when they turned the corner, their worst fears were realised.
"..."
A black-haired, golden-eye, true-born Solaris member sat silently on a broken rock. He was so still and silent that it seemed like he blended into the surroundings. Their eyes widened in horror, and they couldn't fathom why they hadn't noticed him until now. But what frightened them the most… was the recording crystal in the young teen's hand.
"Are you done?"
Amon asked nonchalantly.
"..."
The trio remained silent. Amon blinked lazily while the tension rose for the perpetrators. Once he realised that they weren't going to speak, he shut off the recording crystal and leapt down from the boulder. Dusting off his pants, Amon's interest in Orga and her comrades diminished, and he walked past them and onto the blocked path.
Amon's ability made it easy to break through the fallen rocks, but it would cause a commotion that would alarm Leon, Lydia and the Troll. While Amon wishes to save Leon, he also wants the young hero to grow into a warrior. And fighting a Troll was an invaluable experience.
So, he had to break through the path secretly, but that was easier said than done.
As his mind wandered on all the possibilities, the sound of metal being pulled from the scabbards echoed through the cave.
"Give us the recording crystal… And we can all move on like nothing happened."
Orga's earlier flamboyance and arrogance were nowhere to be found. The other two Knights were also angrily glaring down at Amon; the tips of their blades flickered like they were laced with poison. Amon glanced back with calm eyes. The trio's actions didn't threaten him, and his focus was still on secretly entering the covered path.
"Hey, don't make me repeat myself! No one has to get hurt, just…"
"Annoying…"
Without even giving Orga the chance to blink, Amon charged forward and indented his fist in the woman's stomach. Spitting out all the air in her lungs, Orga could not do a thing as her body flew right up into the ceiling and bounced back like a bloated balloon.
"O-Orga!"
Her two comrades were unable to comprehend what happened to their leader. All they saw was a blur, and Orga was already incapacitated. And it wasn't long until they suffered the same fate.
The male Knight felt his entire body tremble as it was flung onto the ground. The force created an impact crater that deeply pressed him into the gravel, and he lost consciousness instantly.
As for the remaining assailant, she wasn't even given the chance to think. Faster than she could think, her body was pressed into the side of the cave, and her mind blanked out, not even knowing she had become a cave painting.
The 'battle' lasted less than three seconds. They would have instantly died from Amon's casual strikes if not for their physically trained bodies. And no one was more aware of it than the remaining Knight, who barely held onto her consciousness.
"W-Who a-re…"
Orga struggled even to ask a question. Her vision was foggy, and her brain was unable to compute the damage done to her body. All she could do was watch as the young Knight walked casually towards her before lifting her by the neck with his hand.
"Go to sleep; I will need your testimony later."
Amon lost all interest in the trio after that. He flung Orga's body back like a ragdoll, causing her to black out after her head bounced against the hard cavern ground.
And just like that… Elder Horas' diabolical plan had imploded on itself.