With the magic ball of light conjured by Raphtalia to illuminated their way, the Shield Hero leads while the rest followed behind. The dark cave reminded Marius of the time he set his foot into this world. How much the darkness and the silence almost sent him to insanity. But now he is accompanied by his companions, which lessen his trauma while he held Filo's wing on his side.
"Marius?" said Filo.
"Nothing. Just let me hold you." said Marius, "I am not very fond of caves."
"Filo understand." she wrapped her wing around Marius and pulled him closer.
"Afraid of caves?" said Raphtalia.
"Last time I was in a cave, I nearly went insane." said Marius.
"... Okay."
They then entered large cave chamber with a huge sunken bolder in the middle.
"There's a monster over there!" Filo alerted the others as she pointed at the boulder.
The boulder then suddenly moved. They could see four reptilian limbs underneath it as it rose. It then stood up on two legs as its head emerged from its shell, revealing a monstrous horned head and it roared at the invading forces.
"Alright, there's on one here. We'll defeat and then observe the circumstances. You knights at the rear, pay attention!" said Naofumi.
Filo charged first at the monster and kicked it hard enough to sent it flying into the cave walls, cracking its shell. Raphtalia charged in and decapitated the beast with ease. Its severed head fell to the ground and its body violently swinging its claws blindly. Marius shielded Raphtalia from the claws with his spear raised. The body slowly looses its life and flopped to the ground, shaking the entire cavern.
"That was quite disappointing." said Raphtalia, swinging the blood off her sword.
Naofumi waited but there's was no familiar reinforcements or any trap triggered, "Doesn't seem like something else will pop up."
"Shield Hero." Shadow appeared out of nowhere with her knife drenched in blood.
"What the? What are you doing here?"
"I was sent to investigate this place according to the plan, I daresay."
"Right."
"The vikings are still holding off the familiars from entering for now, I daresay. Other than that, the queen told me to ask the Shield Hero for orders, I daresay."
"The vikings will fight till their last breath. They'll give us enough time." said Marius.
"Yes. But some familiars are able to slipped through their defences and made its way here, I daresay."
"We still need to search the cave for the heart." said Naofumi. "We'll set up a base here. The knights will stay and guard this place while we search for the heart. Rishia, you wait here and fight with the knights if any monters got in."
"Understood!" Rishia replied timidly.
"Raphtalia, Filo and Marius. You three are searching with me. Filo, use your nose. We'll be relying on you."
"Okay! I'll do my best!" said Filo
After venturing deeper into the caves, the group found two paths.
"This is taking too long. We don't have much time left." said Naofumi as he grew impatient.
"May I suggest we split into two? It'll be alot faster that way." said Marius.
"You just wanna go with Filo, aren't you?"
"Hmm?" Filo responded.
"He's right. It'll be alot faster if we split up." said Raphtalia.
"... Fine. Me and Marius will take the left. You and Filo take the right. If one of us find the heart, we'll head back here."
"Right. Follow me, Filo."
"Okay!" Filo said as she followed Raphtalia.
"Becareful, you two." said Marius.
"Come one. We're wasting time here." Naofumi walked towards their path.
With Marius lighting the path with his torch, the two walked deeper until they reached a dead end.
"Another dead end." Naofumi said, sounding increasingly frustrated.
"You hear that?" Marius said after hearing footsteps coming from behind. He turned around and saw two large hound-like creature with a turtle shell on their backs. Marius immediately drew his gladius
The two creatures pounched at them. Marius tried to blocked with his torch and the creature bit it down tyring to pried it from Marius's hand. Naofumi activated the Meteor Shield to stop the other creature but it jumped over the barrier and landed on Naofumi. He held the creature off him with his shield while it slashed its claws at him.
Then, a gladius flew and pierce through the creature's skull. It went limp and Naofumi pushed it away. With the other creature still biting the torch, Marius punched the creature's head before he let go of the torch and tackled its head. Naofumi pulled the gladius from the dead creature and threw it at Marius. Marius caught the weapon, forcefully opened the creature's mouth by lifting its upper jaw and stabbed its throat. The creature struggled with its life before slowly becoming completely limp, and Marius tossed it aside.
"You're okay?" said Marius.
"I'm okay. It really doesn't want us looking for its heart." said Naofumi, "There's nothing here. We should head back."
Marius and Naofumi returned at the meeting point and saw Raphtalia and Filo waiting for them.
"Found anything?" said Naofumi.
"Nothing. Just more familiars." said Raphtalia.
"What now? We've checked every path and still no way to the heart." said Marius, "Just more dead ends."
"Was there a mistake in the legend? How did they find the heart in the first place?" said Naofumi.
"Part of the cave must have collapsed."
"That can't be it. All the dead ends we found don't look like it was collapsed." said Raphtalia.
"Hey! The ground felt really weird!" said Filo while she kicked the ground.
"What's so strange about it?" said Naofumi.
"It's a living thing."
"Filo. We are inside a giant turtle." said Marius.
"No. I meant this ground I'm stepping on. Look." Filo started smacking her talon on the ground and it rippled with a boing sound.
Naofumi approached the spot on the ground Filo showed her. He took out a bottle of acid from his shield, "Filo, stay back."
"Okay." Filo replied.
Naofumi scattered the acid on the ground and waited for a reaction. And soon enough, a huge eyeball opens up.
"It's a mimic type familiar!" the Shadow shouted behind them.
"Kill it!" Naofumi shouted, and all three of them attacked the eyeball without hesitation.
The attack killed the mimic familiar instantly. It shrunk into a slug-like form before disappearing into a vapor.
"The path as been concealed by that thing, I daresay."
"I see. And where have you been?"
"Searching the cave but I did not have luck finding the way to the heart so I came looking for you, I daresay."
Then, a path appeared between the previous two paths they went in.
"Wise move, Filo." Marius complimented.
"You're making me blush." said Filo.
"Let's go." Naofumi walked towards the new path with the others followed along.
After advancing through, they felt the warmth of the walls as it pulsated and a faint sound of a beating heart.
"This must be the right way." said Naofumi.
"This... Feels strange." said Filo.
"Are you not well?" said Marius.
"I feel a little sick."
"Yeah, me too." said Raphtalia.
"I wonder if we entered the Spirit turtle's body? Let's keep going." said Naofumi. He and the rest continued on.
As they got closer to the heart, more caterpiller-like familiars emerged and attacked them but it was easily dealt with. After they went even further, their path was blocked by a red muscle. Naofumi ordered Raphtalia to cut the muscles apart and it opened a path.
"Those meat look very yummy." said Filo.
"Is this really a good time to think about food?" said Naofumi.
Marius took out a piece of seasoned meat and present it to Filo. She took the meat right off Marius's hand and gulped it down.
"Thanks!" said Filo.
"Let's move."
After advancing, another wall of muscle blocked their path, but this time it was blue in color. Raphtalia cut the blue muscle and it opened to another path but the red muscle behind them regenerated. Then, more caterpillar familiars emerged in greater numbers. The group advanced through the tunnels while fighting off the familiars. They could hear the beating of the turtle's heart drawing closer. Another blue muscle blocked their path and Raphtalia immediately cut it, but two red muscles closed like a double doorway.
"Raphtalia! Cut it down!" Naofumi shouted his orders.
Raphtalia struck the red muscles open with her sword. While Shadow, Filo and Marius fended off the familiars from the rear, Naofumi used the Meteor Shield to blocked the familiar's attack. All of them walked through the teared muscles.
"There should be another muscle somewhere! Tear it!" Naofumi commanded, as he hold the familiars back with the Meteor Shield blocking the creature.
Filo looked around the area and found the muscle. She teared it with her Spiral Strike attack and it closes the previous muscle back.
"That was too close, I daresay." said Shadow.
"Come one. We're getting closer to the heart." said Naofumi.
And with that, they continued through the path. The sound of the beating heart grew louder as they advanced closer.
