Recently I purchased a little Squirtle plush. He's the best thing I own.
So come in my cave
And I'll burn your heart away
Come in my cave
And arrest me for my mistakes
~Cave - Muse~
Chapter Seven: The Shadows
~March 20th, x800~
As Hunter and Craish step into the left tunnel, they find that the glow is caused by bushels of tiny mushrooms that congregate around cracks and crevices in the cave wall; they shift from red to blue to purple to green in a steady synchronized rhythm, almost like a heartbeat. More importantly, a dozen or more snakes slither away as soon as the light from their lanterns exposes them. Hunter and Craish give chase. They manage to catch two snakes a piece, but halfway through the tunnel, thick tree roots dangle from the ceiling and weave together, blocking the walkway.
"How are we going to get through this?" Hunter asks, tapping the roots with his knuckles.
Craish answers by drawing his sword and striking the roots. When that fails to do anything, he summons a different sword from his Requip space: a green glowing machete, to be specific, with the rune for "acid" carved into its hilt.
Arcane Smith Magic, is what Craish told Leflin his magic is called; a caster type that allows him to enchant objects with various effects.
"That works," Hunter says, watching acid drip from the blade. "Just try not to hurt any of the snakes or Ria will murder us."
Craish nods and gets to work hacking away at the roots; they sizzle and shiver away when struck, leaving behind a bitter, smoky odor.
Hunter follows close behind, his eyes peeled for even the barest hint of a snake, though they're all doing an excellent job of staying hidden. He dodges a stray root that swings back towards him. Some acid is still dripping from where it was severed and nearly lands on Hunter's arm.
"The acid might have been overkill," Hunter mutters.
Craish either doesn't hear or ignores him and continues chopping away at the roots until there's finally enough space for the two of them to walk through. Fortunately, the roots were acting as a bit of a curtain, and once the two pass them, the rest of the tunnel is clear.
Unfortunately, a man in a black cloak that covers most of his face is waiting for them on the other side.
Craish immediately crouches down into a defensive position, and Hunter begins calling upon his magic: wisps of green light start rapidly circling around his hands.
"Identify yourself!" Hunter demands.
"You're very rude," says the man. His voice sounds like it's coming through a radio with a poor signal. "People normally start with a 'hello,', but seeing as you barbarically slaughtered your way through those poor trees, I don't expect much from you." He lifts his hand. "My name is Racer, and you should have more respect for nature."
He flicks out his fingers, and black tendrils of shadows shoot out from behind Hunter and Craish, wrapping around their ankles and wrists. It feels like razor blades are cutting into Hunter's skin, and Craish thrashes about as they burn through his armor.
"You'll be coming with me now," Racer says as he turns to walk away.
"I don't think so! Himmel's Flash!" Hunter shouts as he snaps his fingers. A blinding flash of light bursts forth, chasing away the shadows and causing Racer to fallback.
"Let's go!" Hunter grabs Craish's arm and runs, doing his best to keep him from stumbling. "Sorry I wasn't able to warn you! You should get your sight back in a minute or so!"
Of course, that meant Racer would also get his sight back, and Hunter wasn't sure just how effective his magic had been against the shadows. Himmel Magic is a type of light magic that draws the purest form of light from the heavens into the caster, flowing freely inside before being released in a spell. Normally, it's quite effective against dark magic and shadow based magic, but there was something off about those shadows.
Hunter just needed a minute to think of a plan.
As if in answer to his thoughts, the light of his lantern lands upon an alcove, just big enough for him and Craish to hide. Without ceremony, he shoves Craish inside and squeezes himself in right behind him.
"Turn off your light!" He hisses, quickly doing the same.
Craish, still unable to see, fumbles around before finding the switch. Once his lantern is off, the two are left in darkness. Out in the tunnel, the mushrooms still blink and glow, but their light doesn't reach the alcove.
Hunter watches, waiting and listening for some sign of Racer even as his mind races. He leans in close to Craish, and whispers so quietly he almost doesn't make a sound.
"Do you have a weapon you can fight the shadows with?" He asks. Hunter can't see him, but he can feel Craish nod in confirmation. "Then when I give the signal, you come out swinging, alright?" Craish nods again.
He'll never let me get close enough to fight, he thinks, but if we manage to keep our cover, I can ambush him as soon as he passes. I should be able to get in a few good punches before he can call on his shadows. That should buy enough time for Craish to jump in, assuming he has a light-infused weapon of some sort. While he fends off the shadows, I can knock out Racer. After he's secured we'll need to meet up with Ria and Leflin. If he's not the only one down here, they'll be targeted as well and might need our help.
The two of them hear the scraping sound of Racer picking himself off the floor, followed by unsteady footsteps walking towards them.
He's still disoriented. Good.
With bated breath, Hunter listens as step by step Racer approaches the alcove. His body is tense, a trigger on the verge of being released. The light of the mushrooms allows him to see Racer's shadow take form the closer he gets.
Just a bit more.
Hunter digs his heels into the ground, prepared to spring. The edge of Racer's shadow touches the cave. Hunter jumps.
"Found you," Racer says. His shadow knocks into the entrance of the alcove and one tendril stabs Hunter through his shin.
The cave wall collapses.
Halfway down the right tunnel, the water level gradually rises until it covers Ria's waist and Leflin's hips. Steady drips fall from the ceiling and land on their heads every so often while great stalactites hang so low that Leflin has to duck to avoid some of them. The tunnel had started out wide enough that three people could walk side by side with plenty of elbow room, but it had quickly narrowed; now they have to walk single file and there is hardly any room to turn around.
"Is it just me," Ria asks, "or is it getting colder?"
"It shouldn't be," Leflin says. "Caves tend to have the same average temperature all year round. I'd say this cave stays between fifty and sixty degrees."
"So your saying I'm imagining it?"
"Basically yes, though you may just be colder because there's a slight draft and half of your body is in water." Leflin notices Ria's shoulders shaking. "Are you really that cold?"
"Yes, but I'll be okay." Ria rubs her arms. "I just need to keep my mind off it. Can you help distract me or something?"
"Here, I'll do you one better." Leflin places both his hands on Ria's shoulders and suddenly she feels enveloped in great warmth.
"Oh," she says before breathing out a sigh of relief. "How are you doing that?"
"It's simply an illusion. I'm just making you think it's warmer than it is. It's only temporary."
"Thanks. I'll appreciate it while it lasts." Ria closes her eyes to bask in the false warmth for a moment. "I always forget you have Transformation Magic and Illusion Magic."
"That's because, despite our deep and profound friendship, you and I rarely team up for missions," Leflin says. "This is your first mission without Catie or Evander, isn't it?"
Ria shrugs. "I guess so."
"Why haven't you gone off without them before now?"
"I don't know." She sighs. "We were the only members for a while, and my dad wasn't going to let any of us go off on our own. Going on missions together just became a habit."
"Is it difficult not having either of them here?"
"Not really. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." Ria sighs again. "But it is weird. I keep turning around to tell them something or ask them something only to remember they're not there. It's throwing me off balance."
"The three of you are close."
"Yeah. Shared childhood trauma will do that to you." Ria starts to shiver again, and Leflin renews his spell. "Thanks. It's too cold down here. I should have worn pants."
"Or put your boots back on," Leflin says and Ria makes a noise in agreement. "I wasn't going to bring it up, but Craish told us about your fight with Evander."
"Really? That's embarrassing," Ria says, and now it's Leflin's turn to shrug.
"Families fight. Even close ones." He examines Ria's body language. Her shoulders are more relaxed and she's holding her head up higher. "Did you want to talk about it?"
Ria pauses as if considering it but quickly shakes her head. "Thanks but at the rate, we're going I'll have to start paying you."
"Who said I haven't already been charging you by the minute?" Leflin grins. "You already owe me 5000 Jewels."
"What kind of overpriced therapist are you?" Ria asks, mock offended, but Leflin can hear the smile in her voice. "I should sue you for malpractice."
A gust of wind from behind steals whatever answer Leflin was going to give as the temperature drops to below freezing in an instant.
"W-what's g-going on?" Ria asks, her breath forming white puffs with each word.
"Magic, I'm guessing," Leflin says, turning to face the back of the tunnel.
"T-there's someone else d-down here?" Ria whispers, teeth chattering. It's getting colder and colder by the second.
"The Rune Knights must have missed them."
"H-how?"
"They probably lost them during the cave-in." Leflin is shivering now too. "The water is just making the cold worse. Can you manipulate it away from us?"
Ria tries to create a dry path for them, but she's shaking so much she can't focus. After her third attempt at parting the water just makes a wave that brushes against them, she gives up.
"I-I can't."
"What?"
"I CAN'T!"
"Keep your voice down!" Leflin hisses, but it's too late. Suddenly, the water turns to ice and traps them.
"L-leflin!"
"Don't panic. Keep quiet. Don't move." Leflin places his hand on top of Ria's head and takes a deep breath. "False," he whispers and Ria shivers at the feel of his magic falling over her.
The tap of footsteps echo in the cave, getting closer and closer until they sound like they're right in front of them, but Ria doesn't see anyone.
Suddenly, a woman drops from the ceiling, landing hard enough on the ice that cracks spiderweb from beneath her feet. She's tall, with thin limbs. Her skin is pale and her eyes are black as her hair. She looks like someone drained all the color out of her. Even her clothes are black.
"Where did you go?" The woman asks, her voice delicate and thin. "I heard you. Didn't you want to play with me, Sirenita?"
Leflin feels Ria stiffen beside him and risks turning his head just enough to glance at her; her eyes are so wide they take up half her face.
"I saw you earlier, Sirenita, just for a moment." The woman takes a step towards them. "You're so pretty from afar." Another step. "I'd love to see your face up close." She's so close now, Ria covers her mouth to muffle her breath. "I'm dying to know if you have her eyes."
The woman reaches out a hand as if to lovingly cradle Ria's face, and Leflin gets ready to transform as soon as the illusion breaks.
"Bandy," a man says, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He wears a thick black cloak, but what can be seen of the bottom of his face and beard is just as monochromatic as the woman.
"What are you doing to that stalagmite?" He asks. "Didn't I tell you that touching them damages them?"
The woman, Bandy, blinks and pulls back.
"Sorry, Racer." She smiles, but the gesture feels empty. "I got Lost again."
"Your delusions are getting out of hand." The man sighs. "Did you find them?"
"No. She must have used the water to escape somehow." Bandy swoons. "That's what Marcy would have done."
"They can't have gone too far. I'll leave my pet to monitor the entrance." Racer turns on his heels. "Now come with me. I've managed to corner the others, but I'll need your help subduing them."
"Alright." Bandy skips after him. "You'll let me keep her right?"
"I don't care so long as you can keep her from escaping."
"Don't worry!" Bandy sighs, forlorn and lovestruck. "Once I have her, I'll never let her go."
As the two leave, the temperature returns to normal and the ice starts to melt. Leflin waits until the sound of their steps has faded before he ends the spell.
"We need to go help Hunter and Craish," he says.
"She knows." Ria whispers. All the blood has drained from her face and her hands are shaking as they cover her mouth.
"What does she know?" Leflin asks.
Ria swallows and shakes her head hard as if resetting her mind.
"Nothing. It doesn't matter. Let's get out of here." She turns back to go the way they came.
"Hold up," Leflin whispers as he grabs her shoulders. "Look there." He points to a mass of shadows far down the cave. "Something's waiting for us."
Ria squints. She can't see anything unusu-
"Oh!" She gasps. Tendrils of inky darkness and inching up the cave wall and drifting towards them slowly. "What is that?"
"I'm not sure," Leflin says. "Whatever it is though, it can't see or hear us, or it would have attacked us by now. Judging by the way it's moving, I'd say it navigates by touch."
"I guess we can't go back the way we came then."
"Definitely not, but we need to keep moving. Stand back to back with me." Leflin guides Ria behind him and grabs her hand. "I'll keep an eye on it. Lead us out of here."
"Okay," Ria says, wading forward through the water.
They move quickly, trying not to draw attention while keeping a steady pace. Leflin has a spell prepared on the tip of his tongue should the shadows attack, and Ria keeps her hand poised above the water, which is getting deeper and deeper. Her head barely sticks out of the surface now. She tilts it back to keep from breathing in the water but doesn't lose her pace.
It must only be about ten to fifteen minutes, but it feels like hours before they reach the end of the tunnel. There's a ledge that Ria pulls herself onto slowly, and a small opening she has to wiggle and crawl through. Once through to the other side, she gives the all-clear for Leflin and starts to pull the water away from her body when the light of her lantern lands upon a gruesome sight.
Still inside the tunnel, Leflin also pulls himself onto the ledge and examines the opening. He can't fit through it like Ria did, at least not in his current form. Taking a deep breath, he starts to transform: his skin turns red as fur rapidly grows, his entire body shrinking down as his bones rearrange themselves and a long tail emerges from the base of his spine. In the end, where Leflin once stood is now a small red cat that easily scampers through the hole and joins Ria on the other side.
He nuzzles against her calves and meows, but she doesn't push him away as he expected. He looks up at her face, shocked to see her openly crying as her eyes remained glued on something in the distance. He follows her sightline, his vision in this form much better than normal, and hunches his back with a loud hiss.
A pile of forty or fifty snakes lies before them. All of their bellies are facing up and eviscerated while their heads seem to have been bitten off.
Leflin transforms back and places his hand on Ria's shoulder.
"Why did they do this?" She asks, hiccupping as she wipes away her tears.
"I don't know, but we can't stay here," Leflin says.
"I can't just leave them like this. It's awful!"
"I know. We'll come back, but right now Hunter and Craish need us."
Ria nods, biting her lip to hold in a sob.
"You're right." She takes a deep breath and forces a look of determination on her face, though Leflin can easily see the cracks in the facade. Turning her back on the snakes, she runs towards the second tunnel.
This chapter is shorter than I'd like, but the other scene I wanted to include isn't going to be finished in time for me to post today.
Review Responses:
SimpleStories24: Hello! I'm happy you're enjoying Leflin's teasing. When he and Blue are together, they will be insufferable! I hope you liked this chapter as well!
MaMcMu: Thank you for still reading!
Malfel: Hello and thank you for reading! I'm happy Leflin is coming across well!
Torsa: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the characters! Leflin would only say it to Ria's with Hunter in the same room for maximum effectiveness.
There are currently four character drawings on the Phoenix Refuge tumblr. I plan to draw Evander and Catie next. After that, I don't know who I'll draw so let me know if there's anyone, in particular, you'd like to see.
I also made a floor plan for the guild to help keep it straight when I'm writing it. It is very basic, but I'm willing to post it if people want to see the layout. I might draw the actual building at some point as well.
Thank you all for reading! Whether you leave a review on every chapter or just silently follow along, know that I appreciate every one of you.
I'll be back within the next two weeks!
