The smooth and silky green liquid filled with flavor from multiple different herbs like lavender and rosemary coated the esophagus of Elijah. Immediately after drinking, a warm sensation started to form within his throat, and spread all throughout his body with a concentrated effect where his mana core is.
'Ohhhh, now that feels nice.'
According to his mission, it ends when he reaches the end of a slightly slanted cavern littered with holes and vines hanging from the ceiling, and a small waterfall that droops down the slanted floor and slowly falls into a very deep chasm.
This chasm is something Elijah should avoid at all costs. It is not known how deep it goes, but hunters who have gone through different cave systems have noticed it above their head, and connected the dots back at the guild. There is almost no room for shifting as the chasm is only a couple feet in diameter.
After relishing in the warmth that slowly dissipated from his body, Elijah calmly stood up, patted the mud and dirt off his clothes as best as he could, and flew back down the curved and jagged tunnel into the first cavern he had battled beasts in.
Elijah either believed abnormal events were always meant to happen close to him, or there is simply something else at play that relates to betrayal.
The first thing that came into Elijah's view were a couple of trap moles, red core trap moles that were slowly making their way towards the sound they had heard earlier. Elijah flew soundlessly into the air with his back grazing the ceiling above him. Again, another stucco-like wall was found that Elijah sliced through without hesitation. Traps moles were instantly alerted by his entrance and began smearing Elijah with faces of anger and disgust.
With a couple waves of his hand, the moles were silently split in half alongside the portion of the floor beneath them. Ten minutes of walking, and sightings of many more simple trap moles ended with a wide opening littered with light. Green vines draped from the ceiling with some of them graciously falling from the floor. Small bugs and flies were flying in between the vines as this place had been named their home. Water, plants, and worms were all they needed.
Vicious gnawing sounds were heard coming from beyond the rainforest-like-cavern. Elijah held his muddy short sword steady, and after passing the small pond that dropped water into an unseeable abyss, Elijah began climbing the slanted cavern along the side of the small river that flowed downstream.
Mole after mole shot through the holes in the walls with a pile of dirt and stone slamming into Elijah's sword. Every strike broke the momentum and direction of the pile of earth while leaving him wide open for a kiss on the cheek. Every single time, the mouth and fangs of the moles opened wide, only to hit a brick wall made of water, and to be sliced in half the next second later.
Easily, the end of the cavern came as the slope evened out. In front of his feet, was a seemingly broken bridge made of stone that led to absolutely nothing. It was more so a broken plank. The last step that you would take before plunging into your death.
The pit of despair…
Below, was a massive and eerie cavern filled with smog, smoke, or mist. Be that as it may, the ground was filled by a fog coming from somewhere, and the heads of different oddly shaped beasts roamed within. The ground was just slightly glowing a greenish-yellow color, as if the ground or air was poisoned. The familiar stone pillars did in fact rise to the ceiling as supports. Twas a necessity for a cavern this size.
Elijah's steady breath and deep blue eyes were staring into the distance. A muddy sword lay to his side.
"Sulfur and unknown beasts… Shall I take a risk for the sake of enjoyment and improving?" Elijah's voice gave him a sense of realism. Moving through the cave with only his thoughts made him feel like a loner.
One fact was for sure, there were beasts down there that were rather tall, and had heads made from either scales or spikes stones. A sense of fear found its way into Elijah's soul just after lift off due to him seeing a spiked head with yellow and green veins within. A mutation from the sulfur? The smell was familiar, so the chances were high.
Elijah's semi-muddy clothes rustled through the wind as he rose in the air. After realizing that a lot of gas was concentrated at the top, he dove down to the middle area, about fifty feet above ground. Shiny spears were seen in the hands of the beasts that were humanoid looking. Elijah suspects Kobolds, but kobolds that have been corrupted by the gas. Nothing would be able to survive, and even Elijah himself was feeling the effects. No wonder he was told to return after reaching this point.
Elijah had always wanted to see the known transition from the different areas of beasts. What makes logical sense is that either the conditions are too harsh on weaker beasts, or that simply the nests are the main factor that contributes to the different areas of beasts.
With a simple wave of his hand, a pearlescent streak of what looked like air, but was not, left Elijah's hand instantaneously. The ripple of space shaped like a ruler cutting the space as it passed sliced the head of the suspected kobold in half.
Remember, if mana is not circulating within a beast, even a red core mage can kill the strongest beast on the entire planet depending on their affinity.
Blood was heard splattering against the ground, and as soon as Elijah felt the distress from the movement and sounds coming from the environment, he bolted behind a thick rugged stone pillar with fear. Hoarse screams and the shuffling of feet echoed through the cavern. Eerie coughs fueled the fear in Elijah's soul. Even with the mind of a one hundred thirty year old, this world was still full of surprises. This cruel advantage he had wasn't necessarily a cheat code with the imprint of instability caused between the crossing of two lives. The only boon was knowledge.
Elijah materialized a spell of distraction by sending a small amount of mana into the air above a group of kobolds. A water ball the size of a head slowly materialized within the air while creating droplets of water that beaded onto the heads of the kobolds.
Elijah was finally able to see the beast he was facing off against. Bright greenish-yellow veins were randomly flowing down the dragon-like skulls, and ending or meeting at the very center of its chest. The creepy ears created a spike-like shape that ran off the top of the flat scale-filled head. However, it seemed the Orange core mole rats and the kobolds had become friendly. Is that possible? Has it always been this way?
Random spells of all sorts of affinities blanketed the sky. The spells were obviously more complicated than normal as they had specific shapes made from fire, water, air, and earth. This is exactly what Elijah struggles to do. The only time Elijah was able to make a semi-complicated shape with magic was the quarter circle that protected the people waiting to flee into the inner city. It was tedious and long, but maybe the qualitative change between red and orange is the ability to shape the spells you make?