"Glad to help, Sparky."
"Alright, then let's get going," Felix said. "Everyone, off the mounts, we move quickly."
The Haarguard were already dismounted and they simply moved closer to the cave entrance, while his friends clambered down. Packs were loaded onto avum, and Pit gave Felix an excited headbutt in his shoulder. It was time to begin.
"Leaving? Without me?"
Felix looked up, confused and surprised. A figure emerged from the forest shadows atop a pale avum wearing enameled armor and holding a blue-white spear. A dimple creased her cheek as their eyes met.
"Vess! How?" Evie exclaimed, moments before a voice like thunder shook the trees around them. Literally shook them.
"FIEND!"
"We should flee," Vess said and her smile turned a tad brittle. "Now."
The cavern was completely dark and the ground rough and uneven. Neither feature stopped them, as most of them had Night Eye, a Mana Skill that allowed them to see in the dark. Aside from Vess and Felix, all of their eyes burned a bright, chemical green in the black. Vess utilized her Elemental Eye, which made her irises swirl with a combination of Mana colors.
For Felix, his Manasight served a similar purpose. With it, he could see the strings of Mana that composed everything in the world. Rocks were collections of earth Mana, threaded with various metal Mana types, and even the air and shadows swirled with their own magic. It was everywhere, but it wasn't uniform. For one, even strands of the same Mana type varied in their coloration. Potency and concentration of Mana meant the colors were richer, more saturated. For earth Mana, that meant where the rocks touched they were a deeper brown, and where the stones were exposed it faded to a dustier hue. Even the air was a mixture, white-green swirls interspersed with fainter blue motes andat least in hereundercut by thick wafts of grey-black shadow.
Despite the chaos of color and movement, Felix had grown used to his Manasight. It let him look at the world as a series of contours and lights, reminding him every time that he was in a world of magic.
"So you gave him the slip?" Evie asked Vess. Her voice was low, but it couldn't help but carry in the caverns.
"Is now really the best time for this conversation?" Atar said, pointing all around them. "What if the Hand hears you and comes after?"
"Caverns are warded against sight and sound, Atar," Harn said from the front. "No one outside the caves are gonna hear you."
"Oh, well"
"It's the monsters inside here that you should worry about," Harn continued.
"Something up ahead!" hissed one of the Haarguard. Kikri, he thought. The Elf.
"Name, Type, amount and level," Harn demanded.
"Water Beetles, Insect Type," she reported. "At least twelve of them. All level thirty plus."
Felix could see them, small bits of water, life, blood, and earth Mana congealed into the form of chihuahua-sized beetles. Horns jutted from their face and their bodies were covered in a dense exoskeleton. They skittered forward along the ground, quickly closing the distance.
"Stone's own, those are strong bugs," Nevia hissed. Purple-white Mana swirled atop her staff as she turned in the direction Kikri faced.
"Atar, Alister," Felix said. "Take care of them."
The two mages nodded and stepped forward, the latter unsheathing the thin silver rapier at his waist.
"Just two? That's a lot of enemies for" Kylar started, but was interrupted by two brilliant bursts of fire and force. Felix watched as the Water Beetles were annihilated by Imbued Sparkbolts and kinetic lances. It was over in seconds.
"You conjured those quickly," Alister said in approval. "No Crown?"
"This many Sparkbolts is simple now, even without the Crown of Ignis," Atar said, tilting his nose into the air. "I noticed your blade work has improved as well."
"Kind of you to say, though I think I only got six of them."
"Five," Atar corrected, his face shifting to a grin. "I took care of the rest."
"Tch."
The Haarguard were clearly impressed, but they didn't waste time. The team kept moving forward, stepping nimbly through the charred and smeared remains of the Water Beetles.
"Are there many monsters in here?" Felix asked Harn.
The man shrugged. "Some, same as any place. The ward on the front doesn't stop things from coming in, so who knows. But we won't have to worry about em for long."
The further they walked, the colder it became. While above it was the height of summer, now it felt like a clammy cellar, cold and wet. It also became darker. Felix saw that the Mana was being leached from the grounds, not in huge amounts, but enough to dim the threads of vapor that thrummed through everything.
"Mana is thin here. I assume we're close?" Atar said. The others were all panting hard, though it hadn't been a tough trek. "It's like the air's too thin to breathe."
Harn grunted and pulled out the crest. It was like a flashlight in the dim surroundings, small enough to fit in his palm and stamped with some shape. Felix saw a flash from a point a ways down the path.
Wards.
"We're close. Come," Harn said and led the way.
Soon enough they came to a clear demarcation in the cavern. The rough floor gave way to smoother stone, and a few cross-braces were visible in the gloom. As the ward key in his hand passed near it, the invisible barrier became a riot of colors, like an oil spill. Reaching into his pouch, Harn pulled free a piece of jerky and held it up. When everyone was watching him, he threw it into the ward, where it was burnt up in a vivid rainbow display.
"Don't touch it," he warned. Then he tossed a loose rock at the ward, and it passed through without effect. "Keyed to living creatures, or once living. Keeps the monsters contained." Full helm and all, it was impossible to tell if Harn was smiling, at least for the others. Felixand likely Vess and Eviefelt his Spirit spark with amusement as he looked at their faces. "I got the key, so c'mon."
Another wave of his hand and the rainbow shimmer parted like a curtain. Felix sent the Haarguard first, followed quickly by the mages and Evie. Vess lingered a tad as she passed him.
Pit cooed at her and nuzzled against Vess' shoulder. She smiled and scratched his jawline, which made him coo all the more.
"I am sorry for the deception, Felix," she said. In his Manasight, her eyes swirled with color, but they still clearly pinched at the edges as she gave him a nervous smile. "It was necessary. Darius is a...dedicated servant. He would have discovered"
"Listen, it's okay," Felix said, smiling himself. "I'm uh, I'm just glad you're here."
The Heiress of Pax'Vrell, daughter of the Duke vanished for a moment. In her place, Vess smiled deeper, her cheek dimpling. "I'm glad I'm here too."
"Alright, enough jabberin'. Can't keep the wards down all day," Harn complained. The four of themPit and avum includedmoved through the curtain of light, followed swiftly by Harn. "Let's keep movin'. And no talkin'. Can't have you wakin' up all the monsters down here."
"Wait, there's more?" Kylar said with surprise. "I thought we were inside the city mines?"
"Yeah. Didn't I mention it?"
"Monsters are everywhere, we can deal," Felix said, moving to the front again. "Harn is it a straight path back to the surface?"
"Eh, more or less. Can be confusin' at times." Harn shrugged.
"Sure. You take point with me then. Evie and Vess, cover our flanks. Pit, Atar, Alister take up the rear. Keep the mounts in the middle and the Haarguard can cover any other angles from there." Felix pointed at each of them in turn before spinning back around. "Eyes open, ears sharp."
Despite it all, however, as he walked to the front Felix had a big, dumb grin on his face.