The tiredness that was raging in Amir’s body had a slightly noticeable effect on his face. The young scholar had been busy laying groundwork for the future development of his guild. He had to be out making connections with other guilds and building up his personal reputation at a crazy pace. The willingness to make connections had him participating in yet another guild held event. The target this time was someone from Empyrean Divine, a holy type guild that felt mildly racist to him. They claimed neutral but the whole worshiping gods thing to him felt like it leaned too much into crazy. Trusting in oneself and the people around them was the truth to believe in, as far as Amir was concerned.

Amir was at the mouth of Ibachi Cave. He made it early waiting for the other members that had signed up for this excursion. According to the information Amir had read on the place ahead of time, there was only a moderate 72% chance of death. It was a good percentage when you calculated the rewards into it. Animals die for food and people for wealth as the saying goes. The money that the so-called neutral guild was shelling out was on the same level as the blue ponies in his eyes. It served to show the difference in status between all the guilds throwing events based on the pure funding alone.

The scholar was starting to get bored from the wait. It was kind of sucky being alone with no one to talk to. He really wished he had a personal companion. One that would help lighten his mood and burden. The creepy coldness from the cave was terrible enough alone, if he had someone he would not feel as psychologically burdened. It just sucks that finding a suitable exceed or similar was a mission all on its own. If Amir wanted to settle, finding a companion would be easy, he just wanted to find the right companion for himself.

[334]

@Yuurei and  @Vex

Vex having traveled across the country for this little field trip wondered if she would come across the masked fairy and maybe be able to lure him out, as she was a wood elf she walked with a certain silence because she wasn't wearing her heels today because she knew they were gonna be doing something that would probably require a lot more attention and tougher shoes then the heels could provide if she was to have to climb or go down rocky terrain and then circle back up it or down it on the way back and she saw one of the other people she was too meet up with. He seemed to be lost in his own head, she checks to make sure she had hidden her guild mark and he doesn't seem to see her small frame closing in on him and when she is close she clears her throat to announce that she is here so not to be rude.

"Hello I am Vex this the place for the test of courage?" Her eyes scan over his body and she smirks, and thinks to herself and wonders if he is just a pretty boy or if he has some substance to him, she wants to give him credit he looks good and his fashion sense seems to be on par with some fancier people. "Seems I got lucky and got paired with a nice piece of eye candy~ I Bet the name you have is as handsome as you are~" She figured if this man would melt like butter left in the sun or if he will have more will power than that to fall so easily.

She wondered if there will be anything worth her to sacrifice to her goddess Tutrix  in this little test they were about to undertake she wonders how they would react if she sacrificed something right in front of them she figures if she does do it she will have to do it when they aren't looking so she can get away with it and not get a hundred questions about what she is doing and why she is doing it or them to turn on her during this test.

(374)

Yuurei and Renji had heard of another event that had been going on. It was interesting to see the guilds getting lively at this time of year. Of course, he would go see what this one was about after enjoying the other two celebrations. This one was a bit different as it seemed, but that was a good thing, to be honest. He found himself traveling to a location unknown to him, which made him excited. Renji stood on his shoulder alert of anything and everything around them. What were they going to be doing in this cave that they were to go into?

“Why are we doing something as foolish as entering a cave we no nothing about?” He asked Yuurei as he knew the answer already.

Yuurei looked at Renji as he would pat him on his head and then scratched under his chin with a smile on his face.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. So, you don’t have to worry about that. I just want to see what’s inside there and who’s going to be there.” He said to Renji as he was inching closer to their location.

While they continue their travel through Joya and towards the Ibachi Cave, he would start seeing silhouettes close to the entrance of the cave. He figured that was the group that he was going with, and it seemed like they were waiting for him. It wouldn’t take long for him to get to the two of them. He had quickened his pace only to find himself making a full stop when he was near the two of them. Yuurei would quickly have a huge smile on his face as he knew one of them.

“Ah, so you’re here too. That’s good to at least know one person going into this cave.” He said to Amir as he waved at him.

He found himself looking at the girl next as she was new to him. He figured he would introduce himself to her. He would bow slightly as he looked in her direction as he would give her the same smile, he had given Amir.

“The name is Yuurei, and this is Renji, nice to meet you.” He said as he would stand straight and look at the entrance of the cave and then back to the two of them.

“So what’s the plan here?” He asked as waited for an answer.

405

Amir could not give in to the boredom that was plaguing him from the wait. Instead he started to run the various magic processes in his head. He was calculating wind movement against trees and other small things. The thoughts in his head would confuse people as they seemed to be linked to nature instead of magic, it was in Amir’s eyes that he could see the magic within. The magic that ran through all things.

The Infinity Wolf did not feel the passage of time as he was deep in his mind. He was so focused he did not even notice someone else showed up until she introduced herself. “Oh. Pleased to meet you, my name is Amir. Yes, it is a name as hot as I am. I thank you for the compliment.” Amir did not miss a beat on his response. He was well aware of the fact that he could be considered on the side of good looking. The people of Fiore had an inclination of hitting on him as they felt he was exotic.

The third and fourth people to join were people Amir was more familiar with. It was an elf and exceed combo that he met back at the Blue Pegasus HQ. He would wait for Vex to respond with her introduction to Yuurei. Afterwards he would start to proceed with the mission details.

“Yep. It is great to see the both of you as well.” Amir got the pleasantries out the way and started on the matter at hand. “Our goal is to go as deep into this cave as possible. We need to clear out some of the monsters that have gathered together as well. We bring back proof of subjugation for the monsters on the deepest layers and it will be considered as us passing. I will take the point position and go first. Afterwards when we get more familiar with each other's fighting styles. We can switch things up and change the positions to optimize safety. My goal is to make sure we all come out alive as well.”

The scholar was finished with his speech and was ready to get started. He would have done better in the back position, as he was built for support. The main reason he was working in the front was because he had not managed to get his curse target specific. It would place the team at a disadvantage if he cursed them all as well. Amir had to work with what he had in the best way that he could.


[429 | 763]

Vex looked at the half blood and figured he must be strong from the aura he gave off. The more exotic one seemed on the weaker side but that was fine, not like she was gonna be toppling any stone golems solo wither she just hopes this will be able to be sorted in a timely manner cause she knows for one time and gods wait for nothing. " Hello I am Vex I please to meet you both as well." she wondered if this half blood knows anything about a masked fairy with an exceed as well or if he had any connection to the man she was seeking.

From the looks of him he reeks of Blue Pegasus, one of the must outlandish and ridiculous guilds to ever exist. She figures it would probably be a waste to ask this man if he knows more then the price tags on the fuck boy clothing and the gel that makes his hair stand like that. The cat on his shoulder makes her wonder if he is in a safe place or if he is just like the owner it chose. She hopes the poor little cat doesn’t get hurt or sent to the shadow realm for the poor choices of his owner.

She turned and listened to Amir speak and she wondered if that slight accent was minstrel in nature or if he spoke with the sight accent to appear more important and world traveled, she finds it believable enough, but figures it is out of line to be asking this man if he is in deed from Minstrel or faking it for the attention or to seem important. " How many of you are good at fighting ? Or have any idea of what monsters we are about to run face first into? "

She really wondered what they might find themselves up against in this cave as she really came without any real solid details. She had sent her cultists to go look around in other parts of the east in case Azure ends up burning her. She doesn’t think he will but she sees it as a possibility she can’t over look it. She looked in toward the cave and she hoped that they will all be making it out alive or which of the two she would trip to leave for the monsters to be slowed down.

(402)

Yuurei would hear Vex introduce herself and he would wave at her because he was glad to know who she was by name at least. There was something off from this girl, but he would shrug it off because he didn’t care how people lived their lives. He did look over to Amir though as he waited for him to say something.

Yuurei would hear Amir’s explanation of what they were doing here, and he would nod because he was fine with that. It would be fun to slay some new monsters that he saw before. It seemed like his new friend was going to take point in the travel, which he was fine with. He was the close-combat specialist, but the mage figured that he would see what the others could do for now.

Renji would nod as he heard Amir’s words and he would smile at him.

“It’s interesting to see you here after everything that happened in Blue Pegasus. I guess we will be seeing each other a lot.” He said to Amir as he puffed his chest out.

Still, now that the explanation was done with, they were to go inside of the cave. Yuurei would enter the cave with Amir being the first one to enter it. The light mage figured he would light up the place as he opened the palm of his hand to make a small light ball to give them the sight of what was ahead of them. He did hear what Vex had said before and was thinking about how to answer that question.

“I am good at close combat more than anything as that is what I usually do, but I don’t mind shooting things from afar if you need me to. Still, I have never been here before there is no information, I can provide that would be useful to us. All I can do is smash things to pieces.” He said to Amir and Vex as he chuckled a bit at his words.


336

Amir was starting to go into the cave. The wet scent of moss assaulting his nose. The light in the place even started to dim down as they went in. Amir felt it great to answer the questions about the monsters. “I have been conducting more research into monsters. While I may not be confident about my battle skills, my ability to read and gather information is top notch. The moment in this cave we have three different monsters, we also have a group of humans but I will circle back to that. The first monsters are skeletons; they tend to be rigid and slow moving under normal circumstances. Then we have soldiers that are possessed, they are a lot more troublesome to deal with. They are a bit out of their mind so proper planning gives them the edge, as their reflexes are dulled. Then we have cultists. They are also out of their mind but can put up a hell of a fight according to the data. They are the second most deadliest thing in the caves; these are actually not monsters and are classified as humans. The last being Yuurie. Not the one in the party but a monster. They are classified I think as ghosts. Not a lot of info on them as people don’t tend to live after a run in with one.”

The cave was getting colder as the quartet made their way deeper into the cave. Amir was not wrong as the first thing to show up in the cave was a group of skeletons. The four monsters in the room blocked their way and kept them from moving forward. “It would be best if any of us were aligned or had items with light, fire, lightning, or frost. As is I can make them slower and the both of you can just use any long distance spells to smack the four of them. Try not to step in front of me as my spell will slow you down as well. Your weary bones require sleep. Let the night embrace you and grant your rest.” A circle hand motion was made and the spell was cast. It was nearly impossible to see as the darkness blended the spell in with the place. The only indicator of it being the spell circle that popped up alerting the skeletons. Amir had never tried to hit multiple targets at once before. He could feel a surprisingly rapid drain of mana. “You guys may want to hurry up with it.”



[423 | 1,186]

She was unsure of how much of what the spiky haired man said was true though he seemed to know the hunky one a bit more than anything else going into this she was not one to step down from a challenge though. It was good to hear they had a meat shield on their side that could close quarters fight if the need arises, she knows she can do a bit of helping her self but she isn’t sure how much she will really need to be doing in a team with two big strong men in it.

She trusts Amir to lead them he seems to have at least a decent head on his shoulders but she is unsure of the depths of his abilities but she figures she can support him or if need be get her hands dirty to make sure the monsters and creatures they will face are distracted or taken down in a timely manner if she can get the room to work with and use her acrobatic skills to fight and dance around them. She takes notes on the monsters their leader is speaking of, she hopes it isn’t her cultists that are down here but they were not the traditional type of cultists so she doubted she needed to worry about her own followers.


"How are we to bring back ghost remains ? " she knows it is a very valid question, she knows skeleton they can bring the skulls, cultists a book or robes but how do they bring back that which lacks a physical thing to return as proof. She sees the skeletons come into view and hears what Amir said about not getting in his way and she smiles as him slowing them was perfect for her cause it keeps them in the group and not gonna be able to escape her AoE spell.

She lifts her arm and snaps toward them and a blue magic seal appears under the skeletons and water bursts up from the seal on the ground hitting and debuffing the skeletons endurance for the third of them to finish them off, she hopes the third of their team can actually bring this home for them on this part of their exploration trip. She hopes the cultists aren’t gonna have many very strong spells or they might be in a pickle in such a closed space and packed in like trapped rats in a hall way.

(411)

Yuurei would hear everything that Amir had to say about everything that they had to fight. It was a lot to take in, but it seemed like there were skeletons, people possessed, cultists, and ghosts. That was a lot to fight in this cave, but he was all for it and ready to show off his power. When they got there, it would seem like the first thing that they would bump into were the skeletons. There were only four of them, which was good to see because he knew what he could do. Still, it seemed like Amir cast a spell, and apparently, there was no way Yuurei could move forward without getting hit with it as well.

He looked over to Vex who had used a spell of her own next. He watched her use water magic from what he saw hitting the skeletons and it would seem like not only did they look weaker, but they were slow as well. These two had made it easier for him to take them all out at the same time, which was a good thing.

The light mage would stretch his hand in front of him and a light magic circle would appear. The mana he poured into the magic would cause a second magic circle to appear above the four skeletons. The brightness would attract their attention to it, but with them being slowed down it was futile. A bunch of arrows would rain down on the four skeletons as they tried to dodge the attacks. It, of course, was futile and they would meet their end as quickly as possible. Yuurei didn’t enjoy using his other magics but figured that if he was working as a team that would be for the best.

When everything was said and done, Yuurei would walk over to the skeletons and picked up one of their skulls.

“I don’t know how we’re going to get the remains of a ghost, but it’s probably has something tethering it to the realm of the living, so it will probably drop something important to it when it was alive. I got the skeleton skull though, open up your bag Renji.” He said this as the Exceed would open his bag.

Yuurei would place the skull in the bag before the Exceed would close it and he would look to the others.

“That was some good teamwork for a group that just got together. I think this would be a smooth trip if it’s like this.” He said to the two as he waited for Amir to move onto the next area.

436 | 1177

Amir waited to respond. He wanted to make sure all the skeletons were taken down before he started to speak. He did not have to but he wanted to lower the risk of putting the team in danger. That way it would be easier for him to react to the situation at any moment. “To answer, rumor has it the Yurei keep a special item like a scrunchy or similar to keep the bound to this plane. I believe we will collect that. Still not a hundred percent sure. We would have to see about it when we get to it.” Amir watched as Revy collected the needed bones. Making Amir jealous about his lack of companionship again.

“Yeah. It was not bad for a starter. We could make it more seamless and work on different formations.” Amir was one to strive for improvement if he noticed a weak point he wanted to patch it up. That included a need for flexibility in battle.

Amir started to lead the people down the next trail and deeper into the cave. A rotten stench of meat assaulted his senses. The cold temperature was rising as well. It was making Amir shiver in his lightly dressed garb. He had not expected a cave to start getting chilly. It should have been warm by keeping the elements out. How was a smart person like Amir supposed to predict everything?

The monsters this time look dull. They looked better in a scarier way than the skeletons. The worst part about them was the stench. Amir took the lead and this time hit the closest one with an offensive spell, severing the neck and allowing the head to drop. Amir left the other two for the rest of the party. “This time the goal is to take the heads back. They work as decent identification for the soldiers before possession as well.”


[316 | 1,502]

She watched the light magic appear and it was nearly blinding in this darkness but she could tell this man was indeed as powerful as he had looked that magic looked more divine in look, like an unjudging slaughter of light magic, she wonders if there is more to this half blood than just a pretty face. She listens to the man speak of how he assumed they would be getting the ghost remains and she guessed it sounded like it made sense in this context that the ghost could drop something they had fancied in the world of the living before their untimely passing to the after life.

but she was to wonder if the cultists will be as easy as this she knows the ghost will not be that easy unless she traps it in a seal and sacrifice it but she is unsure if it will still drop the trinket if she were to do that to the ghost and drop it into the lap of her goddess Tutrix, would she be rewarded by her goddess for the sacrifice and how would these two men react to her doing that. She knows she has to be careful so not to give away what guild so is from even if she was invited to be here most light guilds dislike and distrust people that belong to dark guilds.

She was not gonna risk these two turning on her down here so she wouldn’t have any back up and no way to run away cause the tall dark and handsome one could just slow her so the bald elf could finish her off for the fun of it, if they wanted too, and she was not ready to die or end up locked in another cage like the one she had grown up in, learning to be the perfect woman for what ever man she would be gifted off to, for status or power for them to abuse. She was not gonna give up her freedom again for any man or woman unless they were worth her to give that time and freedom too.

As they entered the room smelling of rotten flesh vex looked around and she wondered why this man might know so much about these kind of monsters but she knows she really doesn't have time to doubt their knowledges on things as she never really saw a ghost leave anything behind before when she sacrificed them but maybe these ghosts are different then those she had been in contact with so she just has to hope that she can not get herself in to deep in a fight she can not win or one that ends up with her in need of rescuing as she is no one damsel and she wasn't looking to play that part for anyone even these two good looking and strong men she got paired off with.

She watches the tall dark and handsome man server ones head with magic so she saw how weak the rotting flesh on it is so she figures she won't waste her mana and she just runs in and she handsprings forward and she twists her legs around ones head and swings tearing the head off of one of them and she is sorta grossed out by it but she wasn't gonna miss a chance to conserve mana and take down a target at the same time. She carries her head back and watches what the half elf will do here, will he release another barrage of magic or will he just run up and knock it's head off as she just did with grace and ease of motion.

(615)

Yuurei would hear Amir on what he said, and it confirmed what he read about them was possibly true. That was good to know and now that they were done here, they were moving on to the next area. He would listen to Amir as it seemed like he wouldn’t mind if they could improve on their teamwork more. He would hope they could, but this was a place that was new, so if they made mistakes, he was fine with it. It wouldn’t take long for the group to make it to the next room and with that several things happen.

The cold he would feel didn’t bother him as much anymore. That wasn’t a problem to him, but the damn smell that was coming from where they were walking annoyed him. When they saw where the source was coming from, Yuurei was getting ready to get rid of these things, so that way they could hurry up and leave this place. Amir would be the first to attack the dead and possessed human and lopped his head off without a problem. He would nod as that was good to see, but there were more to take care of.

He heard Amir’s words and Renji shook his head because he didn’t want to put that stinky thing in his bag. Still, he knew he was going to have to do it. Yuurei would look over to Renji and with that, the Exceed would open up his bag and a gauntlet would appear on his arm. Now that he was well equipped, he would rush straight towards the remaining undead. The first would reach out to him, but it would soon fall to the ground as he was able to lob its head right up with a lariat. He slid on the ground to look around and noticed another one. He pushed off from where he was and swing a quick jab straight towards the next one as he would watch the dead thing’s head fly from their body.

Yuurei didn’t have to use his magic here, and that was a good thing because it meant there was more, he could do later. The next final one was moving towards him, and he shook his head because it was moving too slowly. The berserker would rush towards the zombie and when he got close, he found himself sidestepping right before grabbing the zombie’s head and pulling it off before looking over Renji. The Exceed shook his head as he opened the bag, and he would put the head inside of the bag.

“Okay we got two of them, I guess we should move on for the other two things that we need to collect.” He said as he looked over to Amir.

462| 1639

“Yeah. The second to last group we have is the cultist. Compared to the previous groups they have all their faculties. They can be considered a bit dangerous. They are not as slow and can be tricky. We will have to change tactics based on how they react.” Amir would start the trek again to a lower flower. Amir made a note that the temperature started to decrease again. The floor did not smell as bloody. It actually looked nice in an odd architectural way. If it was clean Amir would have been reminded of his time at the Eternal Nightmare guild hall.

“I recommend we stick to ambush tactics to take them out. I can act as bait. The two of you move in quickly to finish them. Try not to hit me in the process.” Amir made a quick dash towards them. “Your weary bones require sleep. Let the night embrace you and grant your rest.” The spell trigger was muttered as he moved. Amir indicated an area that overlapped the duo of cultists. They started chanting their magic when they saw the spell circle underneath them. Amir waited till the spell circle appeared. They were offensive from what Amir could guess. As the circle appeared Amir performed a barrel roll. “Now!” With the signal given Amir believed the two of them could handle a cultist a piece.

When the duo would use their respective magics Amir started to relax. Clearing this floor increased the temperature. Amir was able to piece together that the change in the atmosphere was dependent on the monsters present. The stronger the or more monsters that were present, the colder the temperature of the area was. “How are everyone's mana levels? I recommend we rest at least till they are back up to 75%. It is always better to have more mana than less before a fight.”


[314 | 1,816]

Vex used some water magic and cleaned the rotten flesh off of her clothes she was not quite ready for what they had left stuck to her clothes to the point she wondered if this was really the best of ideas to have done on her part but it was to late now but she did know that she really needed to take a long and hard cleansing soak after they have finished up here she was very surprised that the light mage had such a shiny trinket of his own to whip around and use on these poor dying souls of the dead, but she was glad to see she wasn't the only one that had thought not to use their magic if they really didn't need to do so in this area.

She hopes their leader is gonna be able to keep up he seems like he might make a good leader if push comes to shove he might just roll over and try to flee on them but she figures he has a spine at least and will at least ask for a retreat for the battlefield and not just emptily ditch them with no form of warning to them to watch their backs.

She hears a faint male humming but the other two don't react to it so she just ignores it. But kept moving forward with the group and when they cross the cultists she uses her AoE spell again to weaken them then puts out a shield of water to make sure the cultists don’t nail them.

(263)

Yuurei would hear what Amir had to say about the cultist, and that was good to know. Still, he didn’t use his favorable magic, so he couldn’t really say they would be difficult to take on. Still, he kept moving as he was following him and onto what seemed like a colder area of the cave, they were in. he shivered a little bit and did his best to ignore the cold air. When they got to the next floor of the area, they would see the cultists that were occupying the area. That was good, but Yuurei would look over to Amir again as he dished out a plan for them to follow. He was okay with that, and he would be able to just run through them but was fine with this.

He open both his hands as the magic circles would appear hovering before the stars would come out all at the same time before entering his body. The light mage would become stronger and faster than he was before as he waited for Amir to give them the signal to finish off the cultists that were roaming the area. He watched the man from Infinity wolves show himself to the cultists they were to take out, and when he saw that he grabbed their attention, he would push forward as he figured that Vex would do something to weaken them as Amir had done to the skeletons

The light mage would dash straight towards both of them quickly as he would grab both of them on the back of their heads and them slamming them both to the ground in front of him. The cultists would be taken by surprise as they would create a small crack on the ground and were both taken out with the force he used on them. Yuurei would look over to Amir as it seemed like he was recommending that they rest. The light mage chuckled when he heard this because he figured they could keep going.

“I’m fine, I barely used magic. I only did so twice since we got here, but other than that, I can continue forward. Still, we should be finished with everything we need to do.” He said to Amir and Vex.

377 | 2016

[EXIT]

“That was a nice assist Yuurei. Vex I recommend you work on some offensive magic. Your support is decent but if you can’t take out your enemy it becomes pointless.” It was a piece of advice Amir would have to follow as well.

Going deeper the air was getting colder again. Amir was estimating that the last monster was going to be the most powerful. Getting closer to the ground Amir was almost able to see his own breath. Amir was the first one to arrive on the floor. A small blob started moving towards him too quickly. Amir did not think and lashed out with his execution spell. The mana blade bisected it, taking the poor creature out. When Amir got a better look he noticed it was the monster they had shown up for.

“That is my fault. I meant to use this opportunity to train ourselves.” This time Amir went to go and pick up the scrunchy. “I guess the last portion collected had finished our quest. We can head back out to the top. We also should not run into any other creatures.” The journey back was uneventful. Amir turned in the items with the rest of the party. He wanted to take a warm bath to wash the cave grim off himself, eat a nice meal to fill his belly, and call it a day.


[Exit]

[230 | 2,046]

She questioned why she hadn’t just left like the light mage that was with them, she watched over Amir and she wondered if Amir was really gonna be okay Or if he really thought it was smart to tell her how to use her own magic and she starts to wonder if she could just kill this man and sacrifice him to Tutrix right now and just pretend she had left him and he died of his own free will while she wasn’t there or looking.

She watches him finish the ghost and she follows him still thinking about stabbing him in the back and just leaving him for dead and done with dealing with him, she feels insulted by this man and his remarks toward her magics she nearly gets close enough to just stab him in the back. She stops short of it and just leaves Amir to turn in the items of the monsters.

(157) (Exit) (2222)