Welcome back and enjoy!
"I understand we need to beat them before they get to the flower but is this the fastest way to do so?" Camila asked as she and Lilith rented a small riverboat to cross the boiling river.
"I understand your skepticism but it's a much safer route than going on foot," Lilith stated as she stared out of their cabin window and looked at the sky. "It's a good view, never seen anything like this in your life?" Camila looked outside seeing the large sun of the area set down as candles and torches magically lit up as it became darker and darker with every passing minute.
Camila smiled briefly before wondering about her ex and the journey he and the emperor's coven were taking.
"Hurry up or we'll be stuck by morning!" Fuchs shouted from the carriage as a few scouts and guards cleared a path through the woods, cutting down a few trees little by little as the agent sipped tea from inside with Flora as she researched the next object for the temple.
"You must bring back something from which is its home." She read and pondered on what the item would be as the carriage then stopped as she got out as Mateo went to her.
"We'll have to go from foot here, take any supplies we need for this, and..."
He was cut off as Flora pressed her fingers on his lips. "Time is something we don't have, they're at a day's headstart at this point and I need my research to be with me understand that?"
"As head of the emperor's coven I..."
"As head of this expedition, you are to listen to my orders and my orders alone and I say to keep pushing on so we must stay ahead of them," Flora stated all while Mateo's hand then curled into a fist as the knife he had been sharpening slipped his grip causing a small cut on his palm. Instead of blood only drips of sludge leaked from his wound. "And clean that cut your going to get an infection from that."
She then went back into the carriage as Mateo stormed off and opened a crate with the healing coven symbol, only to find it full of shovels, potions, and a pile of fruit that had turned into mush from the metallic exposure. He then opened another only to find more digging and charting papers. He slowly walked up to a scout and asked them.
"When was the last time we ate?"
The scout responded with. "When we were in the castle and the hotel why?" Mateo held his wound before taking a small needle and thread and winced as he began to stitch his injury as his troops continued clearing a path.
It was late morning when the boat stopped as Camila and Lilith got off and began to head to a small town near a large pool of boiling water and a deep jungle with the two stopping by a small bar where they discussed their plan.
"So if I remember correctly the map stated that this sacred medallion was part of the old savage ages back when wild magic was ordinary and the medallion was supposedly a gift from the titan itself that would guide them to a source of healing that was thought impossible to achieve," Lilith stated reading from one of Flora's history books.
"The bloom of enteral youth," Camila replied.
"Yes. though there was the legend of a price for enteral youth inscribed on the medallion, which was lost after Belos took rule of the Ilses until now, we find the medallion we find the temple and the Bloom." Lilith closed the book and pulled out the diamond remembering the hieroglyphs the diamond showed which she had written in her notebook. "Now all we need is a spot and location where the medallion was hidden and you might need to wear something for the heat."
"Heat?" Camila asked puzzled.
It became almost as hot as the sun with the two of them walking through the desert on top of a few desert-type rat worms. Lilith pulled out a pair of binoculars and adjusted them while walking as the two stopped to camp for the night. Inside the tent, Camila curled up in a sleeping bag as Lilith lit a lantern to continue her research into the diamond's symbols while looking at a small torn photo she had of Eda. "Hopefully you can last just a few more days, just hold on please."
At sunrise, Camila was woken up by a large pressure on her head that went away and quickly came back with more weight on her Lilith slowly opened the tent and the sand slowly poured in as a few voices came out.
"Let me have the last drop at east!" "You drank almost half of it!" Two voices shouted as two scouts began to tussle for a canteen of water before being restrained by their fellow soldiers.
"Enough, there's still enough for all of us here," Mateo stated as sweat dropped from his head as he took off his mask and his cape wrapping it into a head scarf that covered his mouth. "Everyone just follows my lead and trust me I've had experience with this."
The scouts then did the same while Flora simply had a sun hat on her as Fuch took off his hat and swept his forehead while Ray was washing his face with his canteen of water and folded cap as they all marched and then stopped a few minutes later as they began to set up a large campsite as they settled their gear and supplies in a tent as Flora had a private tent where she kept to herself.
After managing to get out Camila and Lilith lay low on the sand as a scout had left the area to search the two quickly subdued them with Lilith taking the uniform and Camila wrapping her face with a cloth as they blended into the crowd of troops who were still organizing everything.
"You!" A scout yelled causing Lilith to stop and salute as the scout handed her a crate. "Head wants this in his personal tent." Camila quickly took the crate as Lilith went to blend in with the rest.
Camila went into the tent which was currently empty except for Ava who was setting a down a table and clothes hanger with a mud-soaked uniform. "Scrub."
"What?" Ava asked as Camila placed the crate on the floor.
"You have to scrub it with soap and water before you hang it to dry, get the mud off quickly," Camila replied as Ava gave a glare to her.
"I don't need advice from a civilian volunteer." Camila gave her a confused look. "We paid a few of them townsfolk to help us with this expedition and..." She stopped as Mateo walked in haven wore a spare uniform he took off the scarf and looked around as Camila hid Ava and herself behind a screen divider while covering Ava's mouth. Mateo then went back and slowly removed the eyepatch and the bandages that were still covering his eye socket and coughing out a bit of blood before cleaning and putting on new bandages on his injury and re-wearing the eyepatch as Ava stepped on Camila's for causing her to let out a small wince of pain.
He turned around seeing the screen divider as he spoke. "That you there? mi amor?" Camila thought for a second before talking in a soft tone with a deep pitch.
"I didn't hear you come in, so how's it going with your duties?" She spoke with a pitch.
"Well not sure long this expedition will last but I want to tell you something if you can come out of there?" He asked as Ava struggled to release from Camila's grasp Camila continued to speak.
"Well I can hear from here so go ahead." Mateo was slightly confused but went along with it.
"We've been together for almost five to six years now and with Philp it almost feels like... I don't need Camila anymore."
"QUE!?, I mean what are you talking about? You mention her almost every time..."
Mateo sat down on a stool. "I do but the more I've stayed I've begun to run into her from time to time along with that witch friend of her's who I still can't put my finger on why I have such a hatred for her, but enough about them I just wanted to tell you that I'm ready to move on from her and I'm now asking you something very important, I want to..."
He was then cut short as Flora and a scout rushed inside. "I want every scout and guard to search the area and further now!" She yelled as Mateo quickly put on his uniform, taking his staff, holster, and sword leaving Camila and Ava as the two quickly struggled before Ava managed to get away from Camila's grip and walked before being knocked out via a vase to the head from Camila who looked at the vase.
"Replica, oh good." She said to herself before fleeing the tent as the bright light of light spells and torches was visible from all directions as a hand grabbed Camila who quickly pinned the person to the ground before stopping and seeing Lilith wearing a scout uniform.
"You got it?"
"Knowing Fuchs and Ray those two can't stand besting each other in a drinking contest especially hard apple blood," Lilith replied before pulling taking out Flora's journal and a few shovels. 'And it turns out not everyone supports covens." She said as most of the volunteers were behind her as she read the journal. "Well, we have a head start and Flora might be the best she is not that mindful when it comes to obvious answers."
Showing Camila that research the two noticed a detail so obvious they quickly said it at the same time. "They're digging in the wrong spot!/They're digging in the wrong spot!"
