"I can help end this war!" Eve roars furiously. She grits her teeth as she glares on her own brother and clenching her fist tight with her body feeling rages with mixed emotions.
"You must do what you are told." her brother closes his eyes and unsheathe his sword.
"Faris, you know what I can do-" her brother, Faris, looks away from her sister's eyes, interrupting her.
"Enough." Faris opened his eyes and watches the sunlight falling down on the window to his right.
"There are things I cannot and can do." Faris faces back at her sister with a sincere look.
...
"Miss Eve?"
A realization came upon me when I heard one of my companions was calling me.
"What is it?" I asked.
We've just arrived onto the central cave mine and the sun is already taking a light all across the field, we took way too long to get here. A man on a mining outfit talked to one of my people and it would seem a person will be guiding us through the tunnels of the cave.
Dropping down and tying our horses nooses on the side of the fence, the blonde hair guy called me.
"Miss Eve, we must go in early." The blonde haired knight said.
"I know, we'll have to be back as soon as possible." I responded.
Walking through the tunnels, we were quiet on the long way. We would see hundreds of people mining and people having breaks. However on the long walk, I saw one person that was eating a bread, he looked young and he was already working on a cave mine. He was wearing the same outfit as the other miners with a plain black hair. He looked at me, my eyes went wide and my blood runs boiling as soon as I saw his eyes.
I kept my emotions stay aside and looked away. That kid...had scars all over his face. Was it because of the work? Is it an abuse from another person? I don't know the reason but he reminded me of someone. Looking at the other miners they don't even have the same appearance or scars like him.
"Miss Eve, is there something bothering you?" The other knight with a pony tail asked at her left side.
"Nothing. Why ask?" I respond.
"You are sweating right now or maybe it's because of the heat?" He answered.
"Ah... Yeah it's hot these days." I tried to wipe out my sweat but I still had my glove on. We all left our heavy armor on the barracks since this is just an expedition and only wore light armor. We won't be needing heavy equipment when exploring a cave. As far as we already went deep inside these cave and I haven't seen any single miner before that kid, I noticed.
"These are long tunnels." I said to the guide.
"Well Miss, We have a little way more to go before we could reach at the place." The guide responded.
We are all trained and I also have an experience walking to another kingdom but this is way too long, my legs are getting stiff and I needed a break. I kept going and endured but most of time my mind was filled with thoughts about how stiff my legs are until the guide stopped in front of us with our lantern almost dying.
"Here we are."
"This way is blocked." The blonde haired knight told to the guide.
"Yep, all we have to do is use this light explosion magic." he took out a scroll which is alot used for those who doesn't know much about magic. He placed the scroll on top of large rock and started casting with a magic ore. We all moved far away from the casting, he also dropped another scroll for a barrier around him. For a few seconds the place shake like an earthquake and we dropped on the sides of the dark tunnels. Everyone was coughing because of the smoke.
"Are you guys okay!?" The guide yelled at the other side. We walked towards him and told no one was hurt, the smell of an explosion was all over the place. I could feel my face being cold, how far have we gotten down? The light armor is making us stay in temperature but my face is starting to freeze.
"Look." The guide pointed at a light from the dark tunnel and we were surprised when we saw light in a deep cave. We walked towards it and what we found was huge magic ores all around the place. They were all producing light at every side and it was a huge place but the light source from the magic ores gave no darkness. Everyone was in deep amazement.
"Hey why aren't the Miners from above mine here?" The blonde hair asked the Guide.
"The only reason is they were prohibited to mine any magical ores here and because of the accident." The Guide replied.
"The accident?" I asked.
"There was an accident happened here years ago, I remember a theory behind is because of the magic ores being disturbed. It's my first time here but all we have to do is not touch the magic ores and just see for yourselves." he answered.
I remember when I was young I heard the people in town talking about people died because of a cave but I didn't know it was on this cave. I might have to be careful around these magic ores. Around the place, there was a huge lake at the center of the area but there was something itching me. Looking at the magic ores around us are so bright and everyone can't stop looking at them.
They feel...Alive.
'Touch...'
"Hm?" I look at the right side where I heard the voice yet no one was there. I'm starting to feel heat all around my body. I just noticed, the coldness I felt on the tunnels was freezing but here I feel hot inside this armor. I want to take off my armor and I'm feeling weird all over me nonetheless I endured.
'Touch...me...'
I heard another voice and this time it was near the lake. "Is it just me or can you guys hear a-..." I looked at my other companions but I saw no one, "Everyone? Where..." I started to feel even more heat. When I looked at the other side of the cave they were all moving towards the magic ores.
"HEY!" I yelled and ran at them. I took down the knight with a pony tail and he looked like he was in daze, he looked around him and acted like he just woke up from his deep slumber. I yell, "What are you guys doing!?"
"W...what?" He was confused.
I suddenly had the realization that my other companions are also trying to go to the magic ores.
I took them down one by one and I got all my companions to wake up from their hallucinations. They all woke up but the knight with a pony tail yelled, "Miss Eve look!" My other companion pointed at something, as I turn my head I saw the guide bashing his hand on a magic ore like a Miner.
At first nothing was happening we could just see him bashing his hand, I was walking towards to stop him but then he started slowly bashing his head on the ore. "Hey stop it!" I told him as I grabbed his arms from the back. He was bleeding and struggling on my arms. I kicked his legs and made him drop to the ground, the other knights helped me knock him off.
A few seconds in, he kept struggling more and now was screaming. Everyone was panicking, his screams are loud and it sounded like pain. I looked at the large magic ore he was touching, on it was blood slowly disappearing. The Guide sudden attack broke him free from the knights arms and tried to go to the magic ore.
Before we could reach him, he took a knife under his belt and cuts his throat on top of the magic ore. I yelled for his name and took the knife away from him, he wasn't responding and I couldn't hear his pulse, he's dead. I smell the scent of a blood coming away from him. I closed my nose and mouth in confusion.
"What's...happening?" The blonde haired knight in shock on what he saw. Before we could even get a time to take a break from what has happened in front of us, a huge shake from the cave happened. An earthquake? It stops just after a few seconds but what we heard was a screeching sound on the lake.
Everyone looked at it, intense screaming continues. A long moving thing that looked like a snake came out on the lake and another one shows up and landed on the ground. "Everyone! Take out your sword!" I kept my body calm and ready for what's to come. This is not my first time fighting a monster but we're low on people to fight one, so I was worried.
They unsheathe their sword and readies. Looking at the lake again it was tentacles that were dropping from the ground, Six tentacles had dropped on the front and finally, an arm and a head. A monster was trying to climb up from the dark lake, we were ready, they just need to calm their minds.
"I know all of you that, this, is the first time you'll fight a monster. Keep your mind calm and we'll handle this easily." Everyone nods. I took a wand under my waist and hold it on my chest shouting at the cave, "Thou wish the nature, who must bring us protection on our journey-" I opened my eyes facing at the humanoid monster with six tentacles on it's back and a huge mouth on it's chest. "-shield us thy blessings of the god under the light!"
I held up my wand and the magic stone on top of it shines, "SPREAD!" The light from the magic stone on the wand spreads like a small explosion and drops lights from our armor. Now we can hold and endure off this monsters attacks but it won't last long.
"Get Ready!" I raised my voice to take their grip strong on their swords and take courage from what's about to come.
The faceless and armless humanoid monster screams with a mouth and human teeth on it's chest, charging at us with it's tentacles.
