Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall

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The knights and members of the Auxillarum shouted and cheered as the Prince revealed the chest full of gold in front of them. The idea of great riches would indeed rile up anyone's spirits but not for Adaloun, he's been there too many times to know the risk of such gold.

He looked around and saw the other freed slaves staring at the prince with blank expressions of their faces. It would take more than just gold to make them cheer for him. Actually, they only wanted to get their sweet freedom and the rest they can just figure out on their own.

Risking themselves inside the damned hole was their only means of finally escaping the clutches of the Principalian influence on them. Prince Arterius swore that himself that once they return from the expedition, he will personally grant them their release. Although hesitant about it, each of them agreed to do their part of the bargain.

"Prince Arterius! Prince Arterius!" The knights erupted their praises for the prince.

Adaloun felt the dreadful seeing their happy faces, no matter how much he tried to deny it, he knew most of them will die a lonely and painful death against the monsters of the hole.

Lord Prestonheim stepped forward and cleared his throat once again. The squadron immediately stood silent as they made their salute to the silver-haired Commander.

"Squad 1, prepare!" He shouted. Adaloun's squad moved forward, gave their last salute to the Prince and Commanders before marching into the hole's opening.

Like as planned, two men descended first into the hole. Adaloun watched nervously as the Orkamuu and the other knight descend into the dark hole. It took a good couple of moments before they received an answer from the both of them.

A ray of golden light spurted from the hole, the Orkamuu had signal their safe descend into the belly of the beasts. The rest of them descended after that signal. The long descent down the dark crevice was different from what he had remembered. Instead of the gloomy and eerie blanket of darkness, the stone-clumped walls were visibly obvious as the golden light exposed took out the dark veil of the hole.

Adaloun's visions of the horrors he had once went through at the cave were no longer haunting him. The warm bright golden light from the Orkamuu's magic spell burnt it all away. He felt comfortable descending back into the hole regardless of the broken skeletons scattered across the murky floor.

It took another few trip from the improvised pulley system to completely deliver the rest of the first squad down the chtonic darkworld. As the guide to the rest of the squad, he advanced himself along the water-sunken cave.

"Be careful here." He said as he treaded slowly on the murky waist-deep water. "There might be something lurking in these muddy waters." He gestured everyone to unsheathe their swords.

"Has this always been this submerge?" The curious Orkamuu asked.

"No, it hasn't been." Adaloun answered. "The last time I went down here, the water was only ankle deep and the small opening…over there!" He pointed at where the small opening was on the map.

"I thought so too." The Orkamuu answered as he hovered his golden sphere of light around the muddy waters. "The torrential rains really drowned this cave and the monsters with it, praise be to Apholak!" He added.

The golden sphere ball stopped exactly at where Adaloun pointed the opening would be, confirming the accuracy of the map.

"The aetherium ores and monsters are just at the other of this opening." Adaloun sighed. "Now, all we have to do is find a way or magic to dive through it."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" A knight from the back yelled out.

Even with the runes and magic affinity Adaloun had, he still cannot think of any magic applicable to such task. He looked around for other possible way into it, bur the murky mud and stone lined walls were impossible to manipulate even with runic magic.

"Ha! And your Commander said that he doesn't need men like us!" The proud navy knight shouted." Clear me some room. Let me show you what I can do." The healer cracked his knuckles and began to concentrate.

Commander Crovar's knight placed both of his hands on the water's surface. Just as he did, the water began to pulse violently. "Stand back all of you!" He shouted to them. All of them in front of him came scrambling behind him.

The water reacted with every breath the knight made. It seemed like his exousia incorporated itself into the water blending both man and element. He spread his arms and the water slowly parted into the walls. As it did, the small entrance finally revealed itself.

The knight looked at them and smiled smugly at them, "Useless he said? Hmmm…go ahead…and pass now."

Adaloun wasn't sure if the knight was just being funny or simply wanted a confrontation from the knights.

"What did you just say to our Lord Commander?!" The triggered knight pointed his blade at him. "Say that again salt wanker!"

"Ohhhhh… The healer unsheathed his own sword and directed it at the other knight. "Interesting it looks like I get to go for a warmup—"

"Both of you, that's enough!" The Orkamuu interjected. "This is not the time and place for such your childish wiles!"

The Orkamuu looked calm and jovial as he talked out reason to them, but Adaloun could feel something more under the warm friendly exterior of the warrior—and they were about to found out just what it truly was.

"Out of my way, ser Orkamuu!" The healer said. "If you don't want to drown along with that man!"

"But—" The Orkamuu tried to reason again but was foolishly interrupted by Lord Prestonheim's knight.

"Leave yourself out of this, Ser Gravil, this is not your fight!" The young knight took a step and met his opponent with a slash.

But before the blade could land the Orkamuu stepped in again this time, but he came in ready with an arsenal of his own. He placed the fiery orb in between the two combatants. The orb spun violently and was attracting both men into it.

They were unable to freely move their bodies. Both men panicked as the orb slowly became hotter and hotter. The radiant flames were slowly roasting them in their armors. Adaloun and the rest of the knights were didn't dare to intervene it. The heat was almost near scorching and all of them were already feeling the heat scorching and licking their wet skin.

"H…Hellp!" The young knight cried out, "H-help me… get this tis away…aaahhhh!"

Although not screaming in pain, the grimace on his face and the fear in his eyes said it all.

"Fear not both of you," Ser Gravil said, "I will kill you both quickly." The Orkamuu's jovial tone turned into a cold, seasoned killer.

"No! We won't anymore! Please!!" The knight chorused.

'You promise?" The Orkamuu asked as he intensified the heat from his floating sphere. He raised his eyebrow to both of them.

Both knights looked at each other panicking and stuttering, " Y-yess! W…w-we will!"

"Alright." The Orkamuu snapped his fingers and the ball instantly disappeared. Both men dropped hard on the ground squirming in pain as their bodies steamed from the intense heat of that magical sphere. The knights ran towards them, but with one look of the Orkamuu's glare, they all hesitated.

It was only Adaloun he approached both men without even flinching at the Orkamuu's piercing eyes.

"That was too much," He calmly said. "You could've killed them!"

The Orkamuu simply patted his shoulder, "If I wanted them dead, then, we wouldn't be having this conversation anymore." He answered.

"Ser, Gavil…. bzzztttt…can you hear us?" The rough and gritted voice of Lord Presotnheim boomed from nowhere.

The Orkamuu hurriedly pulled up his satchel and brought out the crystal ball, exactly as what Adaloun had before.

"Loud and clear, my Lord!" He answered.

The line went silent for a good while and then, "There was a terrible spike of exousia in the crystal, was it yours?" Asked the commnader.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, My Lord." He answered.

Adaloun simply listened to the conversation while helping the fallen knights.

"Was there a monster on your path already?" The silver-haired commander asked.

On the other side of the conversation, Adaloun could hear the audible sounds of parchments rolling and loud scribbles plagued the Commander's line.

"There was nay," Gravil answered calmly. "There was however a problem we encountered earlier that made me used my powers."

The Orkamuu's response was met with another silence. The crystal ball went on static again.

"What problem was it?" Lord Prestonheim asked while reiterating to his chronicler what needed to be written on the parchment.

"We forgot to factor the torrential rain earlier this week. The cave was flooded and the entrance going to the ores was blocked with waist deep water." He explained to the Commander. "I was just…clearing the way, right Adaloun?"

"Y-yes…" Adaloun answered. "We have to clear out the water in place."

The Orkamuu smiled at him and winked.