Walking to the mine

Note:”If you see a shit ton of chapters being re-uploaded, I've decided to put one of the chapters into a side route, so people don't read it first.”

“Wait for me!” Esther's voice echoed through the air, panting heavily as she rushed towards us. We halted, turning around to watch as the nun hurried toward us, clutching at her chest as she took deep, labored breaths.

“Do you need to rest, Esther?” Nia asked, concern coloring her voice as she rushed over to Esther's side, supporting her upright.

“No... I think... I'm fine,” Esther managed between breaths, “As long as we keep a slow pace.”

True to her word, Esther seemed to recover quickly once we resumed our journey at a more moderate speed. She even initiated a conversation, mentioning Raven's plan to prepare bear stew for dinner.

“That sounds hearty!” Zarah chimed in, flexing her muscular arms. “Strength of a bear, eh? I should eat more of those.” Her laughter filled the air, matching her barbarian-like personality.

“I haven't had bear either,” Oman's voice echoed, his words a rare contribution to our chatter. “I wonder if it's made with love.”

“Love?” The question lingered in my mind. Why was Oman mentioning 'love'? He promptly dismissed it, though, as if he hadn't said anything.

Nia let out a teasing chuckle beside me, her eyes a purple hue that I had come to associate with Cyrus's presence.

“You know something I don't?”

To which she responded with a mischievous smile, “Yep, and it's a secret.”

I sighed internally. If Cyrus ever became an adversary, how would I fare against him? I was growing fond of the affections he extended, using Nia and Esther's bodies as conduits. Nia's playful smiles, Esther's gentle teasing—it was becoming a normal part of my life quicker than I expected.

As these thoughts swirled in my mind, we reached the entrance to the mine. The site had an eerie sense of abandonment; a relic of its once bustling days. The entrance was a gaping maw of darkness, with wooden supports groaning under the weight of the earth. Boulders strewn across the landscape were cloaked in an ominous greenish glow, reflecting the presence of oozes. These viscous, jelly-like creatures roamed freely, their pulsating forms producing unsettling squelching noises as they crawled over rocks and seeped through cracks.

Oman promptly enacted a checkpoint spell, ensuring we would not have to navigate the long path back once we ventured into the heart of the mine.

“Formation, now!” My commanding voice echoed through the abandoned site, and my comrades sprang into action.

Zarah, the burly barbarian, took the frontline, her menacing battle-axe swinging back and forth, ready to cleave through anything that dared to approach. Nia, our agile rogue, blended seamlessly with the shadows, her pair of twin daggers glinting menacingly. Behind Zarah, Oman, our wizard, stood tall and resolute, the tip of his staff pulsating with magical energy. On the other hand, Esther, our healer, was poised near Oman, ready to offer healing support when required. Lastly, as the swordsman, I took the middle ground, a buffer between Zarah's aggressive front-line and the delicate back-line.

The oozes in the vicinity met a swift end at the hands of our well-coordinated team. Zarah's axe made short work of the ones in the front, while Nia picked off stragglers from the shadows. Oman aided with precise spells, and Esther stood by, ready to mend any injuries. I, in the meantime, provided both offense and defense, my sword striking swiftly and decisively.

As we ventured deeper into the mine, the process repeated itself—a cycle of light spells cast by Oman and Esther, followed by swift extermination of oozes. Despite the progress, however, the mine's vastness was indeed overwhelming.

“Is this mine ever-ending?” I groaned, while we took a breather, our bodies nourished by the rations we'd packed.

“Why can't Oman just cast a big fire spell and be done with it all?” Zarah questioned between mouthfuls.

“Because, genius, if we burn the support beams, this whole place will cave in, and the town would suffer the consequences,” Nia retorted sarcastically.

Oman nodded, reaffirming Nia's reasoning, to which Zarah grunted in acceptance.

With each passing hour, the mine swallowed us deeper into its belly. Esther and Oman, who had taken turns to maintain the orb of illumination, were flagging. As our strength waned, we decided to call it a day. Oman cast a checkpoint spell, establishing our current location. We stepped onto the circle of light, ready to be whisked back to the surface.