Return of the Fallen Volume 3 Chapter 22
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch22
Tilly hid behind a floating cloud. Gripping her body in pain, she was lucky that the wounds on her body had been closed. Her insides though would still need a long time to properly heal.
(Damn that bastard. His armor was completely removed but he still had his guard up against me, even in my weakened state. Were he not so cautious and my power so drained, I would have killed him then and there.)
Tilly wondered about her son. Last she saw he was alive but unconscious.
(It’s clear that I have nothing to do with him. They saw me do nothing when he was first attacked and only saw me fight for my self. As far as I and my son go, anyone can tell just from looking I don’t care for him. The King will probably leave him be.)
*Cough cough*
(This isn’t good, I’m in no condition to move but this will be my only opportunity to stay ahead of them. My relationship is barely that of an acquaintance of Ryuta’s yet I feel compelled o to warn him. After all, it’s my fault his enemies know the direction he went. If I didn’t blab about knowing anything, then I wouldn’t have been attacked and momentarily captured. They would have had no reason to use a Mind Frey on me and Ryuta and the others would still be safe. Now though, they have no clue what’s coming for them. I have to warn them.)
Tilly regretted opening her big mouth but it was too late to put the genie back into the lamp. All she could do was try to make it up to Kazuki and the others.
Gathering her power, a torrent of wind gathered around her body before she flew off into the distance, disappearing into the sky.
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Kazuki and the others headed to the open cave on the side of the sacred mountain. They had set off the early the next morning and prepared to face the large insect-like creature and rescue all if any, adults that were captured from the village.
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The green-haired green-eyed Hina felt worried about the others and pulled gently on Tsura’s sleeve.
“Will they really be fine?”
Tsura brushed Hina’s air aside and caressed her face.
“Don’t worry, Ruta is really strong and knows what to do. Plus he has my daughter as a trump card. When she goes all out, not many can beat her.”
Hina looked up with concern.
“Is Mei really that strong.”
Tsura froze for a moment in thought. Danny could see she was in a spot and spoke up for her.
“Not only is Mei really strong, but she’s also the bravest because she knows that Ryuta and the others have her back. Plus with us helping watch over you kids, she knows she has a bunch of friends who are safely waiting for her when she returns which also helps put her at ease and allows her to focus.”
Hina felt relieved and went back to helping care for the other children. Tsura walked over and playfully nudged Danny in his side.
“Thank you for that. Your words not only helped Hina but they’ve helped me feel a little better as well.”
Danny didn’t understand why he got nudged but felt Tsura wasn’t doing it to be mean spirited and ignored the small pain in his side.
“I didn’t say those words for comfort. In the end, it’s a fact. You’re her mother, I’m sure you’ve noticed that Mei has started to change slightly. Yes, when she’s doing her daily thing, she’s still playful and rowdy but when it’s time to get serious and fight, she’s much better at it than me, that’s for sure. Also with you out of the way, her mind will be more focused. She won’t have to constantly look over her shoulder and worry if her mother is alright or not. You may even have been holding her back because of this.”
Tsura felt a slight sting from the end of Danny’s words but he was right. Tsura nudged him a bit harder this time before walking away to help with the village children.
“You can be cold sometimes but I don’t believe it if you say you didn’t say those words to comfort little Hina. Mei is the only one whos started to change.”
With that Tsura walked away, leaving Danny slightly baffled.
(I’ve started to change? How so?)
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As they came upon the large opening of the cave, Mei gripped Asuna’s hand tightly.
“Hmm, Mei Mei, what’s wrong?”
Mei swallowed hard before she muttered.
“I don’t like caves.”
Kazuki was reminded of the Mangshi forest. The caves there were lined with Magnitium. That rock would rob a Mangshi of their senses and it was like an empty void of nothingness, only their consciousness would remain. It was as though they were floating along without the concept of time or space. It was easy to go insane from something like that and anyone would quickly wish for the sweet embrace of death. The feeling was not something one would want to experience ever again for all the treasures in the world.
Kazuki rubbed Mei on her head and her trembling slowly stopped.
“Little Mei, those black rocks aren’t here. You don’t have to be afraid of the void.”
Mei looked up at Kazuki, a few tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
“Really?”
Kazuki smiled and nodded.
“It’s true if you don’t believe me just ask Sam. He can sense earth energy. If those Magnitium rocks were nearby, he’d be able to tell.”
Mei turned to Sam with her big eyes.
“Big bro Sam?”
Sam was a little taken aback. It was true that he would be able to sense them but he was unsure how Kazuki already knew there were none around.
Sam gave a thumbs up to Mei, which instantly reassured her. The tears that seemed as though they would fall at any moment dried up and disappeared as though they were never there in the first place. Mei then began to swing Asuna’s hand back ad forth in glee.
“Come on come on what is everybody waiting for. Me and big sis will leave you all behind, hehehe.”
Kazuki went ahead of them and scolded Mei a bit. Telling her that only he or Sam could lead in front and to not run off so haphazardly. Mei realized her mistake and nodded along seriously.
Kazuki didn’t lead or say only he and Sam could lead because he was trying to be macho, rather it was because when it came to the two, Sam’s body was incredibly tough and he could even materialize rock armor over himself for added protection. His defense was clearly the highest and so it made him a perfect candidate for a meat shield. Were something to preemptively attack, Sam would most likely survive the ordeal. Kazuki as well may not have a defense like Sam’s but with his ki, he could easily see in the dark and his senses were far greater than everyone else.
Even Earlier when he mentioned there were no Magnitium rocks nearby. Kazuki’s third element, his weakest was earth, yet his sense for it was close to Sam’s.
Kazuki walked ahead and lead the way. Shin directly behind him, followed Nunully, Asuna and Mei. Kimi was behind those three and lit the way, while Sam brought up the rear.
Sam curiously glanced at Kazuki for a moment before he followed along. He still couldn’t understand how Kazuki knew there were Magnitium rocks before even he did.
Entering the large cave, the first thing they noticed was how eerily it was. Usually, you would hear a few insects or maybe small animals like rodents or bats but there was none of it. This large cave felt empty or rather void of life. The only sounds that could be heard were the occasional breezes that would howl and echo out as it explored the inner workings of the cavern and bounced from wall to wall. That and the breathing of Asuna and the others. For some reason, it was slightly difficult to breathe in this cave and the humidity was really high.
The cave was damp and the atmosphere was akin to that of a swamp instead of a simple cave.
The group had moved very slowly as they had no clue when or where this creature would appear. They were being extremely cautious and had their guards fully up. Kazuki led in front with his steel sword in hand and his small plate shield around his left arm. Everyone behind him as well had their weapons drawn and at the ready as they made their way in.
Very soon, the group came upon a large chamber. The chamber stretched upward for hundreds of feet. To Kazuki, this made absolutely no sense. From where they entered plus the distance they traveled. the ceiling should not be anywhere near that height. From the outside of the mountain, the cave should only be a hundred or so feet up. Only after they travel another 7 or 800 feet, could the ceiling be so tall.
This was already strange enough but Kazuki could also see something along the walls. Piercing through the darkness, Kazuki could see 30, no 40 holes that were around 15 feet by 15 feet all over the place. The inside of this chamber resembled that of a beehive, that split into dozens of different paths.
(These paths are odd. I doubt mother nature carved them. Was this the creature’s doing?)
“Kimi, give me more light.”
Kazuki could see just fine but he wanted everyone else to get a grasp on their surroundings before any other action was taken.
Kimi Pointed her staff above her.
*Shine*
A small orb of light floated hundreds of feet up until it nearly touched the ceiling before it rested there. Like a glorious chandelier, it lit up this entire chamber as though it were day time. As soon as Everyone got a grasp of the entirety of the chamber, several of them couldn’t help but shout or gasp at what they saw.
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