Cyrus decided rather early on that he missed the Flatlands.
That wasn't his way of saying that he was dissatisfied with his life traveling throughout the realm. In fact, he was more than happy with the way that he was wandering from place to place alongside the rest of the group. However, he had never left Atlasdam behind prior to this quest, instead spending the first thirty years of his life within the confines of the city's walls. There had never been a purpose for him to leave, and so, he had stayed. That meant that he was only at all accustomed to the wildlife and climate of the Flatlands, and the rest of the continent remained a mystery to him.
Perhaps it would have been less accurate for him to say that he missed the Flatlands. In truth, it was more a matter of him suddenly coming to realize just how much he detested the snakes that laid in wait in the darkest corners of the Cave of Rhiyo. His staff never left his hand, and he was ready to flick out an ice spell at a moment's notice if one of the beasts dared to lunge in his direction.
His hatred towards the snakes had started when one of them attempted to slither beneath the place where he was going to put his foot as part of their trek through the cave. As soon as Cyrus' foot collided with something that was most certainly not the stony ground of the humid cave, disgust began to rise up from deep inside of his body. He could have sworn that he was going to be sick before he stumbled backwards, nearly falling into Olberic along the way. Alfyn cut the snake in half with a quick slash of his axe as soon as he realized that the creature's teeth were bared in preparation for a bite. Tressa was the only one with exposed legs out of their party, so the snake would have only made contact with leather if it tried to bite into Cyrus, but he was unsettled regardless. As the snake's dead body revealed a small pool of blood that seemed almost purple in the Ember's silvery blue light, Cyrus did his best to swallow back his bile and focus on placing one foot in front of the other as they continued their journey towards the infamous blotted viper.
In other words, Cyrus hated snakes, and he didn't think that he was ever going to change his mind.
Ophilia was normally at least somewhat remorseful when it came to killing wildlife that lashed out on their journeys between towns. She preferred to let the monsters live and retreat when possible, but she held no such feelings of optimism towards the snakes. Instead, her lip curled up in distaste each time that one of the monsters dared to get even a bit too close to her, and from there, she reached with an explosion of light magic. She didn't want to get close enough to use her staff, not that Cyrus could blame her. He wouldn't want to risk that either.
If there was one blessing that Cyrus was willing to give to the Cave of Rhiyo, it was the fact that the ground was mercifully dry. The Caves of Maiya had not been quite so kind, and the ground had squished underfoot the whole way there. Despite how close it was to the river, the Cave of Rhiyo was dry the whole way through, the black rocks of the cave's interior so smooth that in better lighting, one could have seen their reflection in it.
"We should be getting closer to the end of the cave," Olberic declared after they had been inside of the confines of the cavern for a few minutes. Those simple words were music to Cyrus' ears, and he did his best to not sigh out of pure relief at the fact that they were going to be free of the cave and all of its snakes soon enough. Cyrus yearned for the simple beasts of the Flatlands all over again when he remembered where he was; at least the Flatlands' monsters, while dangerous, were not capable of inflicting statuses such as poison.
Ophilia nodded slowly and let out a sigh. She was the only member of their group who had been given a reason to use the herbs that cured poison that Alfyn had provided. A snake had gotten in a lucky hit on her earlier in their quest through the cave, and she had immediately doubled over with pain contorting her expression. Primrose wound up throwing an arm around Ophilia's shoulders before grabbing an herb haphazardly and practically forcing Ophilia to start chewing on it. The other four members of the group focused on defeating the wave of snakes that had come their way before swatting at a few bats that called the dark cave their home. Once Ophilia was feeling better, they kept walking, but she seemed all too eager to ignore what had just happened for the sake of her own mental stability.
"The blotted viper has just got to be at the back of the cave," Alfyn said as he took yet another careful step closer to their destination. "I can't imagine that it would jump out at us too early on. After all, it's the one running the show in this place."
"I can't believe that it gets worse than the snakes we've already seen..." Ophilia murmured with a shake of her head. She shuddered before forcing herself to concentrate once again on putting one foot in front of the other. Tressa, who was closest to the cleric's side, did what she could to make sure that Ophilia didn't lose her balance due to the sudden wave of nausea that came with remembering just what their mission was. Cyrus found himself concentrating on the way that the light of the Ember caught Olberic's battle-honed blade as a way of distracting himself. His hand curled around the edge of his cloak to ensure that it wasn't next to fall victim to a rogue beast lunging towards them.
"We're gonna have to take care of it if we want to get back to Zeph and Nina," Alfyn told her. "I'll make sure that we get our hands on that venom one way or another. It's not going to get away with what it's done." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small empty vial. It was clearly his planned method of collecting the venom so that it could be brewed into an antidote.
"I can't imagine that the snake is going to be kind about letting us take its venom," Primrose frowned. She flicked her wrist stiffly, and a blast of dark magic slammed into a beast that was attempting to swing down from the top of the cave. Ophilia, Cyrus, and Tressa all released a collective sigh of relief at the revelation that the beast was a bat rather than a snake. Cyrus was left to wonder how in the world any bat could hope to live in peace with something as dreadful as the snakes. He couldn't imagine that the beasts were good neighbors, but then again, his bias was most certainly prevalent and blatant.
"Maybe not, but I'll take it anyways," Alfyn assured her. The sheer determination in his voice did little to match the calmness of his tone. His care for Zeph and Nina was showing, and Cyrus had to admit that he appreciated it. Alfyn's dedication was boundless, and he was glad to see someone so passionate about their work. Cyrus would have been more vocal about his fondness for Alfyn's demeanor, but he was too distracted trying to not step on a rogue set of scales to even think of how to phrase his words.
It only took another small handful of steps for the ground to suddenly give way to something that looked different from the rest of the cave. Sunshine was filtering in through cracks in the ceiling overhead, and bright blue flowers were gleaming among the gentle light. Cyrus could certainly see why these blossoms held the title of waterblooms; they were the same color as the most pristine water found in the Coastlands, and such a beauty could also be found within the Riverlands. The grass and flowers swayed gently in the wind that was coming in through the overhead segment of the cave, beckoning for all to draw nearer and see what greatness they were truly able to hold.
"They're beautiful..." Ophilia said breathlessly. The Ember seemed to bring even more value to the flowers, and Ophilia seemed to be resisting the urge to reach down and pick a few between gloved fingers. Primrose was staring at the flowers as well, though her eyes were filled with grief and yearning rather than simple want.
"Lookee here. A patch of waterblooms," Alfyn commented as he strutted forwards. "Then this must be the place!" He crouched down among the flowers and ran one hand through the blades of grass carefully.
Olberic's grip on his sword tightened, and it was clear that he was remembering what Alfyn had mentioned previously. Nina had been bitten by the snake while in the patch of waterblooms, and that was why she was sick to begin with. In other words, the beast was nearby, and since Alfyn seemed to lack any hesitation, Olberic had to take up the burden for him.
"Then... That means the snake must be around here somewhere, right?" Tressa questioned, her voice shaking slightly. She had brought her spear between her fingers, and upon closer examination, Cyrus could see the sickening color of crimson rust along the tip of the weapon. She had defeated more than a few snakes with the weapon already, and she was not afraid of being forced to repeat such an action.
"It has to be," Cyrus murmured. He wasn't at all satisfied with the idea, so he kept his staff handy and prepared for the moment where he might need to lash out with a blast of ice magic. The past creatures that had been fought were difficult and frustrating on their own, and he couldn't imagine that the leader of this den would be much easier to deal with. In fact, the mere idea made him want to let out a few haphazard attacks just so that he didn't have to remember the awful sensation of scales beneath his boot. He was a logical person, but knowing that the snake could strike from any direction hardly did anything to help his nerves.
"Waterblooms aren't just a pretty sight," Alfyn commented as he reached down and picked a few of the waterblooms. He examined them carefully before tucking them away into a side compartment of his satchel. "They make good bitters too. No wonder they're Zeph's favorite."
"Nina truly was sweet to come so far for the sake of her brother," Ophilia murmured with a shake of her head, and that all too familiar wave of grief passed over her eyes once again. Primrose looked away with an unreadable expression.
Alfyn was quick to nod his agreement, and the group fell silent. The quiet didn't take long to be pierced though, and the most awful sound that Cyrus had ever heard reached his ears a moment later.
It was a hiss.
The noise was much louder than any of the previous snake cries had been, and Cyrus knew before he turned around that this was the beast they had been looking for. Sure enough, as he pivoted slowly on his heel to keep the snake from lashing out in fear, he saw that the very creature that Lily had described was waiting there, watching the group with vitriol clearly defined throughout its posture. It was a striking amber color with spots lining its back, and Cyrus could see venom dripping from its fangs already due to how close he was. Once again, he yearned for the simplicity of the beasts of the Flatlands. At least they weren't poisonous. However, there was no way of going back, and he knew it.
"And if you ain't just the fella I was looking for," Alfyn commented with a casual laugh. Cyrus didn't understand how the younger man could be so cavalier about this situation, but when he glanced in Alfyn's direction, he saw the true dedication that was glazing over Alfyn's eyes. "Sorry to drop in unannounced. Say, don't suppose you could spare a nip of snakebite, could ya?"
The snake responded with another hiss, and Ophilia, Cyrus, and Tressa all took steps back. Primrose slowly and carefully reached for her dagger as Olberic primed his blade for the inevitable strike. Alfyn, on the other hand, sighed and shook his head. "Oh, no, don't get up. I'll help myself," he said, taking a small step forward. Cyrus realized why when his gaze dropped to the ground. The snake's hissing had released a small amount of venom on the ground, and while Cyrus didn't know if it would be enough to make the cure for Nina, it was certainly a start.
As soon as Alfyn dared to stray too close though, the snake hissed yet again. Alfyn stepped backwards and shook his head a second time. "Well, shucks, if you insist," he remarked. Clearly, he was referring to the fact that the snake was intent on striking and thus providing even more venom for the cure. He pointed his axe in the snake's direction, and a playful smirk spread across his lips. "But let me give you a hand."
Everything happened quickly after that. The snake lunged forward, teeth bared threateningly. Olberic took a step in the direction of the beast, his blade flashing. The sword made contact with the side of the snake's head, sending the creature crashing back down to the ground. The noise echoed throughout the quiet of the cave, and the waterblooms beneath the snake were crushed due to the harsh nature of the landing. The blotted viper was quick to return to its normal upright position though, and it remained poised to strike at the next potential attacking point. Its snake flickered back and forth dangerously.
A pair of other snakes appeared at the side of the blotted viper, and Cyrus observed them carefully with narrowed eyes. Their undersides were white while their backs were a dark black color. The crowns of their heads were orange to match the spots that lined their backs. They were much smaller than the blotted viper, only appearing slightly bigger than the snakes that the group had dispatched of along the way.
"Mottled asps," Alfyn explained through gritted teeth. "They're not as dangerous as our main little friend here, but you still shouldn't mess with 'em if you can avoid it. Be careful; they've got poison in their fangs too, and you don't want to deal with that kind of damage."
"Then we'll get rid of them so that we don't have to," Primrose said simply, not bothering to mince words. She lunged towards one of the asps and struck it with her dagger. The creature screeched and reeled backwards, leaving it open for an attack from Olberic's sword. Ophilia and Cyrus were quick to follow up with attacks of their own, this time based in ice magic. Their icy blasts attacked all of the snakes instead of just the one though, dealing damage to both the second asp and the blotted viper.
"The snake appears to be vulnerable to dark magic," Cyrus declared. Many of the snakes in the cave had been weak to ice magic, but he could tell by the posture of the blotted viper that it was a different beast entirely. He gave a brief glance over to Primrose, and she nodded in return. She was quick to show off her prowess with dark magic, and the blotted viper pulled back on instinct.
Alfyn was the next one to rush forward, and he swung his axe towards the viper. When the two asps tried to strike at him for getting so close, he hit them as well with his blade. The blotted viper was most impacted though, and he took note of that as he retreated. He took a deep breath and let out an attack of ice magic as well, though it was far from being as powerful as Cyrus' icicles were. Alfyn's blast was much smaller, and if Cyrus had to guess, it was because Alfyn taught himself magic rather than learning it officially.
The viper took in a breath before exhaling, and the air began to grow thick. Cyrus realized a bit too late that the snake was not only capable of biting; it could also breathe out its venom, though it was much weaker in this incarnation. It was more effective for debilitating the skills of multiple foes though, and Cyrus understood the creature's logic behind this move.
Cyrus sent out one last blast of ice magic before shoving one hand into his bag to pull out an herb that would negate the impacts of the poison. The rest of the group was doing much the same, and as soon as Cyrus' teeth bit into the plant, he felt infinitely better. The fog that was hanging over his head began to lift right away, and relief flooded through his body. The poison that he had endured from the other snakes felt like it was nothing in comparison to what the viper was capable of distributing, and he decided that he would prefer to never go through something of that nature again.
Once Cyrus was able to fully snap back to reality, he could see that all three of the snakes were dazed due to their collective weakness against ice magic. He gave a brief nod in the direction of Ophilia, and it didn't take long for them both to shove their palms forward, releasing two sets of icy blasts. Ophilia's attack hit them all once while Cyrus' lashed out twice.
Primrose was the next to unleash her full power, and the shadows in the area stirred before lashing out with excessive force. She followed up with a single dagger attack to the chest region of the viper, and a line of blood started to drip down despite the thickness of the beast's scales. Olberic was next after her, and he swept his sword outwards. The outline of a blade appeared around the weapon, and it struck all of the snakes that were waiting before him. Alfyn did the same with his axe, and Tressa pushed her hands out before unleashing an attack of wind magic.
The overwhelming damage was too much for the asps to take, and after Tressa's windy strike, they both fell to the ground. From there, neither one of them moved again, and when Cyrus looked in the direction of the snakes, he was met with the familiar shade of scarlet that marked bloodshed. He forced himself to look away before his stomach showed just how much it disagreed with the fact that he was in this situation in the first place. After all, he couldn't afford to be distracted yet; the blotted viper was still waiting for him, and he had to take care of it as soon as possible.
The blotted viper started to recover soon after Cyrus noted the fact that the mottled asps had fallen. It appeared that the snake was much more durable than one would have originally anticipated, and it wasn't going to be falling quite as easily as its companions. The blotted viper hissed at the rest of the group, and the thin line of blood from Primrose's attack continued to drip down the front of its chest. The viper's scales were tough, and since Primrose's weapon was so small, it was unable to do substantial damage despite the fact that it rattled the snake to its core at first contact.
"I guess that a negotiation is out of the question still, huh?" Alfyn asked, his voice still the same casual drawl as ever. The snake hissed back, and Alfyn chuckled before shaking his head. "I suppose not. I had a feeling you'd say that." His gaze fell down to the deceased snakes, almost as if he was certain that the blotted viper was lashing out due to a deep desire for revenge against those who had killed its fellow snakes.
The blotted viper lunged in Tressa's direction, but rather than biting her, it wrapped its coils around her small body. Tressa shrieked at first, but her cries fell silent when the snake tightened its grip. She attempted to shake it off, but soon afterwards, her spear fell from her grasp. The snake only started to shift its grip when Tressa's eyes fell shut due to a combination of what was likely shock and air loss. The viper was on the verge of biting at her when the blunt edge of Alfyn's axe slammed into its neck, knocking it sideways. It scrambled away from Tressa soon afterwards, and the girl crumpled to the ground.
"Tressa!" Ophilia cried out. She took in a deep breath before exhaling, and her healing magic spread throughout the area, blanketing all of them in an immediate sensation of relief. Cyrus sighed out of gratitude, giving Tressa a nervous glance. He wished that he could do more, but it wasn't quite so easy. He had little experience with healing magic, though he wished that he had tried to learn at some point in the past. Cyrus made a mental note to ask Ophilia to teach him after the battle drew to a close so that he would never again have to feel this deep sense of helplessness.
Alfyn was quick to jump towards Tressa, and he reached into his satchel before pulling out a small vial. He tipped it backwards after opening her lips carefully, and the liquid within the bottle started to drain not long after the fact. After all of the medicine had slipped between Tressa's lips, she let out a small grunt and started to stir. She opened her eyes carefully, though something about her still seemed exhausted.
"Phili, look after Tressa," Alfyn told the cleric quickly. He got to his feet soon afterwards and lunged towards the snake before lashing out with yet another blow from his axe. Ophilia's eyes went wide at first, and she appeared to be shocked that he had referred to her by such a name, but she shoved it aside as soon as Tressa let out yet another clipped moan of pain. There were already bruises starting to show their warning signs across Tressa's skin, and Ophilia crouched down beside the younger girl with a fierce need for protectiveness shining in her eyes.
Alfyn lunged towards the snake, and after dodging a quick lunge on the part of the viper, Alfyn slashed his axe at the creature's chest, widening the gash that Primrose had already created. The dancer herself was quick to follow up on his attack with a swirling blast of shadows, and Olberic used his sword next to continue damaging the snake.
Catching on in full to the fact that they were going to destroy the snake then and there, Cyrus took a grounding breath and concentrated his energy. He shoved a plum into his mouth at the last moment when he realized that his magical energy was running low, and as soon as the regenerative rush of power surged through his veins, he released a blast of magic that soared through the air before slamming into the snake.
The icy strike left the viper dazed as could be, and Alfyn was all too quick to shove his axe into the top of the snake's skull. The air seemed to swell with something solemn and almost terrifying. The snake let out a weak hiss of pain, its eyes as wide as could be. The cave remained tense and heavy for a long moment before the snake's body crumpled, and the creature was left bloodied and spread out against the ground. Crimson started to stain the grass below, and the waterblooms nearby were dyed with the color of blood.
Cyrus had no way of saying for sure if the viper was dead or unconscious at first, but upon closer examination, he became confident that the snake would never be causing any trouble again. Alfyn smiled to himself, almost as if he was happy about the fact that the issue had been resolved. He pulled his axe free of the snake's head and let out a small chuckle as he reached into his bag, rubbing at the blood that had clamped itself down against the edges of his weapon. "Sorry, my hand slipped," he said apologetically.
"Did we get it...?" Tressa asked, her syllables slurring together as a result of her exhaustion. She was still cradled in Ophilia's arms, and even though the cleric was staring at the dead snake, she refused to let go of the younger girl in her grasp. Ophilia's eyes remained wide, almost as if she was afraid that letting her guard down would prove to be a fatal mistake.
"We did," Primrose confirmed a moment later. She walked closer to the snake, and after a moment of watching, she nodded to herself. "It's not breathing anymore, so I would say that the problem has been taken care of permanently." She slid her dagger back into its sheath, her expression poisoned with the same apathy that Cyrus had seen from her when Helgenish was killed. There was something darker and sadder to her gaze this time as well, and Cyrus felt his heart seem to shatter silently even though he didn't know how to fully describe what she was going through.
Alfyn shoved his hand into his bag and pulled out the small vial that he had designated to hold the venom. "What's that? Take all the venom I need?" he questioned of the snake, his tone so sincere that it almost seemed mocking. He popped the cork off the top and held it up to the snake's fangs. Venom was starting to drip from the viper's teeth, and it wasn't long before the bottle had been completely filled with every drop that Alfyn would require. "Don't mind if I do."
"Can we get out of here now?" Ophilia questioned, her tone edged with anxiety and nerves. She glanced over to Tressa to make sure that the other girl was fine with standing, and the merchant nodded in her direction. Ophilia carefully rose to her feet, allowing Tressa to continue clinging to her for support. There was little difference between Tressa and Ophilia in terms of height, but that still seemed to be more than enough support for the merchant, and she gladly leaned against Ophilia without any objections.
"Yeah," Alfyn confirmed. He put the cork back on the vial and held it up to the sunshine before examining it in the light. Once he was satisfied with his findings, he nodded to himself and reached down to pick a few more waterblooms, likely for the sake of Zeph and Nina and the unfulfilled mission of familial love.
"Tressa needs rest immediately," Olberic remarked, his gaze dark and intense as he focused on the path back out of the cave. He had only spared one glance in Tressa's direction, but that was more than enough for him to make his decision. Luckily for him, nobody disagreed in the slightest; Tressa's condition was certainly worse than anything that could be applied to the other members of the group, and her dark bruises were only becoming more prominent as the seconds passed by.
"Those bruises are gonna have to heal on their own. I can't do anything about 'em, I'm afraid," Alfyn said as he started to walk towards the entrance of the cave. The rest of the group followed in his footsteps, concentrating on moving as quickly as possible while still taking care to not disturb the local wildlife.
Cyrus nodded faintly, trying not to think about everything he had learned about ecosystems during his time in Atlasdam's Royal Academy as both a teacher and a student. If the viper was dead, then that would likely send the rest of the creatures of the cave into some other type of turmoil, and Cyrus decided firmly that he didn't want to be around to see what happened when the other snakes recognized this. In fact, he would be more than happy to never set foot in another cave that even loosely reminded him of the Cave of Rhiyo. He was done with snakes, and he was done with poison.
Alfyn had sped up in the moments while Cyrus was caught up in his caution, and when the scholar glanced up, he saw that Alfyn was starting to practically dash to the entrance of the cave, only remaining somewhat slow for the sake of allowing Ophilia to help Tressa along the pathway. In the end, Olberic wound up coming to the aid of the two girls, and he used his impressive strength to scoop Tressa into his grasp. Ophilia gave a nod of thanks to the warrior, but she still remained by his side, seemingly wondering if she could reach out and take Tressa's hand. It was impossible to say if Ophilia was seeking such more for Tressa's comfort or for her own.
"Hold tight, Nina. I'm on my way," Alfyn murmured to himself. He let go of all ideas of pacing and started to move even faster. The rest of the group remained hot on his heels, and Cyrus' concerns of snakes were shoved to the wayside. Instead, the forefront of his mind prayed with everything that he had that Nina was still holding on. They were almost there, and everything would be fine soon enough.
Alfyn's chapter one really does have different pacing compared to the rest of the group. I've said it before, but it never really ceases to impress me whenever I'm working on this part of the story.
I have to admit that I really wasn't expecting the boss fight to already be done with the conclusion of this chapter. I was thinking that the fight would wind up split over the end of this chapter and the start of the next one, but here we are! I love the extra chances for team bonding that this different pacing has provided though; I'm glad that H'aanit's story is pretty lax in terms of dialogue too since that will offer us with yet another chance to get to know how everybody gets along as a full team.
There's not all that much to say about this chapter because it was mostly combat, so I'm not going to bore you all by going around in circles here. For the time being, I'm going to head out and try to sleep soonish since I'm once again posting very late at night. Next time, we'll be closing out Alfyn's chapter one! Until then, I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter. Feedback is always appreciated. Have a nice day, everybody!
-Digital