Eight Intertwined

115 - Tiger

The rest of the journey through the caves was silent as could be. No one wanted to be the first person to speak up and break through the silence as long as there was a chance there was a creature still following after them. Tressa gripped tightly at the map just to make sure she didn't lose it, knowing it would probably be the first thing to end up gone if there was a scuffle that distracted everyone from their current purpose.

The other travelers were quiet too, not wanting to be the first person to speak up and shatter the silence in case it drew their opponent to their location. The chances of them being caught were slim, but there was still a possibility of it, and as such, they needed to be as careful as possible. Tressa could have sworn she heard a few other noises after the first one caught the group's attention, but she couldn't tell if it was just her paranoid mind playing tricks on her or if there was actually something there she should have been afraid of. Both were unfortunately fully possible, but picking apart which was which was much easier said than done. 

Tressa stopped when she heard the sound of scraping claws against rock. Whatever creature it was that was in the caves with them, it was big, and it was waiting for them. Tressa swallowed back her nerves to the best of her ability, her grip on the map getting so tight that she feared ripping it if she put out any more force into clinging to it. She shook her head and forced herself to concentrate on the path ahead once again. They were getting close, and once they got the eldrite, the travelers could leave the cave behind and never have to think about being there again. 

A few agonizing minutes later, Tressa arrived at the end of the path, and her eyes went wide when she caught a glimpse of a chest halfway sticking out of the sand and silt in the middle of a large clearing. The caves had opened up to offer a greater view of the outside world. The rocks overlooked the ocean just outside Victors Hollow that led to the seas surrounding Orsterra. For a few moments, Tressa was captivated by the sight of the waves crashing against one another in a gentle but mesmerizing song, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape. 

She forced herself to concentrate on the objective at hand again though, instead crouching down in front of the chest once she had approached it. She tried to pull at the lock, but she quickly discovered the chest was both sealed shut with a mechanism and much heavier than she had expected. Tressa winced and looked over her shoulder at the rest of the travelers. "Can I get a bit of help?" she asked. 

Therion was quick to jump into action, reaching for a lock pick and shoving it into the lock on the chest. After a few seconds of tinkering, another scraping sound reached Tressa's ears, and she instinctively winced. Whatever monster was in there with them was getting closer, and if they didn't get out of there as soon as possible, they were going to end up as its prey. Tressa could only assume the creature had moved in after Baltazar had left behind the map for Leon. After all, from what she had heard of him from Leon, Baltazar didn't seem like the man to send an old friend into a cave that contained a deadly monster. This creature must have been a newer development. 

Therion let out a small sigh as he managed to flip the lid to the chest open. Tressa rolled the map into a tube and tucked it away in her bag as she peered over the edge of the chest at the contents found within. There was a grand gemstone waiting at the bottom, and it certainly seemed to fit the descriptions Cyrus had mentioned before. 

The jewel was primarily a resplendent turquoise color, and thanks to the various ways in which the light caught it, the stone glowed. Even though the scholars who had written about the eldrite had never seen it themselves, Tressa knew they were right. It was the of the goddess and the breath of the sea simultaneously, creating perhaps the most beautiful thing Tressa had ever laid eyes on. 

The merchant pulled the stone out of the chest slowly, her eyes wide as she stared at the gem. She never would have thought she could find something this beautiful, and yet there she was. She could see why Leon had wanted to find it for so long. It was certainly a precious treasure for Baltazar to stake their final bet on... And it would be an even more precious gift for Tressa to give Leon so he would have something to remember his old friend by.