With my head resting on my paws, I attentively watched as Meissa welcomed a new disciple into the temple. As he walked through the hall of origin, admiring the large orrery, his energy resonated with me and I knew immediately that it was him - Atticus.

After Meissa directed one of her own disciples to show him the way towards the alchemy hall, I resolved to keep an eye out for this newcomer later to properly assess if he was worthy of keeping his position as one of my direct disciples.

We had communicated a handful of times, but this was the first time I was seeing him in person. Atticus was articulate, intelligent, and displayed a sincere desire to learn more about alchemy. He also seemed to be familiar with the fundamentals of astrology and transmutation, seeming to understand that knowledge of both was essential in order to progress as an alchemist.

My gaze followed him until he disappeared down the corridor leading to the alchemy hall. I had high expectations for Atticus and knew that, if he was willing to put in the work, then he would make a decent alchemist. But first, he had to get through my tests... and I wasn't about to make it easy for him. I had to keep my standards high for all the disciples; after all, I was working hard to build my reputation and that of the temple; I refused to let anyone ruin it.

My ears perked up at the sound of laughter coming from the hall of origin, and glancing down at the far end of the hall, my gaze was drawn by Rainy who entered through a side door and made her way towards the stairs.

Rising to my feet, I waited by the door of my office for her arrival.

“Hey Foxy,” the dryad greeted as she reached the top of the stairs.

Yipping, I nodded in acknowledgement of her greeting and walked into my officer before resuming my human form. "How is the spelunking going?" I asked, gesturing for her to take a seat as I settled behind my desk.

Rainy settled into the chair in front of me, crossing her legs at the ankles. “We’ve finally managed to finish mapping out the cave system and have located what we believe is the reason you haven't been able to claim the land."

"Tris will technically be the one who claims it," I clarified. "The temple will incorporate the caves into itself once we subjugate the area. But all my attempts to extract more information from him about how I'm meant to do that have failed miserably."

Rainy nodded. "Darius believes the answer lies within the last cave."

"What's in the last cave?" I asked, arching a brow. So far all we'd found that survived Pyr’s flames were a few deposits of Arcanum crystals; a rare find outside of a dungeon. Annoyingly, the mana absorbed by the crystal was only to the level of being a medium grade mana crystal.

"The last cave is almost completely underwater," Rainy said. "We aren't sure how large it is yet, as our light doesn’t reach the back wall or roof. Pia tried going in to see how deep it was, but she wasn’t able to be in the water for more than a few seconds due to the temperature. There appears to be life in the water as well, as we saw some small fish with luminescent scales that dart around close to the shore."

I hummed thoughtfully as I processed the information. "I'd like to take a look for myself," I said, trying to remember if I had read anything that mentioned luminous fish. I would have to look through my books after seeing them for myself and try to identify the species.

"Darius has the brothers working on a canoe, they'll be done with it soon," Rainy said as we stood and moved towards the door.

A plan was forming in my mind as we walked down the stairs. "Can you identify the length of a vine in a numerical value?"

When I focused on flames created using my inner fire, I could judge the amount of heat they produced; perhaps, Rainy had a similar ability with the plants she could control.

Rainy gave me an inquisitive look. "Yes, I can," she replied slowly. "If I focus on the vines I know how long it is."

"Good," I said with a nod.

"Why do you ask?" Rainy questioned.

I glanced over at her as we reached the ground floor of the temple. "I'm going to tie a rock to one of your vines," I answered, giving her a small smile. "The rock will sink and when it reaches the bottom, you can tell me how long the vine has become. That way we'll know how deep the water is."

Rainy shook her head, but there was an amused smile playing on her lips. "You always have an answer for everything, don't you?" she said fondly.

"No, not always, but I usually try to think of one," I replied with a laugh.

As I made my way towards the tunnel entrance, located in the basement level, trepidation began to seep into my mind as memories of my previous visit came flooding back. I hated spiders and whilst I knew they hadn't yet begun to repopulate the caves, I was still a little wary.

How am I going to handle farming the arachnids if I’m this scared? I wondered to myself as we started down the tunnel. Shaking my head, I quickly concluded it would be better to entrust this assignment to someone else. Someone who wasn't scared of spiders and would be game enough to domesticate the spider queen in order for us to reap a bountiful supply of spider silk and venom.

But who? I mused, not paying much attention as I led the way through the tunnel. The spider queen's venom and silk was an important resource for us. We needed someone with enough-

"SPIDER!" Rainy shrieked, just before something nudged me from behind. Immediately jumping away with a yelp, I frantically conjured up a fireball and looked around for the aforementioned spider.

The source of the nudge in my back turned out to be a green vine which playfully tapped me on the nose while Rainy doubled over in laughter.

My ears pinned against my head and an angry growl emitted from between clenched teeth; "Bitch," I hissed the fireball I had conjured fading away as I glared at her.

As we continued our trek through the dimly lit tunnel, a loud cry reverberated towards us from the cavern ahead. It immediately stopped me in my tracks and I almost spun around to escape- almost.

"That sounds like Pia," I said, inching forward despite the trepidation that was pooling in my stomach. Memories of the last time we'd heard her shrieking down here fresh in my mind.

Rainy nodded as we cautiously moved into the first cavern. "Should we go back for help?" she asked quietly, her eyes scanning the area.

"Aren't the others already down here?" I asked, my feet still moving forward.

The cavern was empty of both spiders and guild members, but clusters of glowing crystals shimmered in the light cast by half a dozen lamps. Rainy and I exchanged a look before dashing into the next tunnel, hoping that whatever was happening wasn't anything too terrible.

We soon found ourselves in a cavern with an underground lake and as we approached, a trembling faun was swimming back to shore. Victoria, our team captain, was standing nearby with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

My brow rose as I took in the scene. "What happened?" I asked, looking between the faun and kijo.

"I left one of my shields here while I went to check on the progress of the canoe," Victoria seethed, pointing an accusing finger at the faun. "And this idiot tried to use it as a raft."

Rainy and I shared another look before walking over to the edge of the lake. Peering into its dark depths, flashes of light appeared darting through the water near the surface. Focusing on one, it appeared to be similar to the drawing Rainy had shown me.

"Can you call it back?" I asked, turning to Victoria.

"It's out of range." She replied, scowling at Pia who was drying off on the shore.

"Maybe you can search for it with your vines?" I suggested to Rainy, who stared cautiously out at the lake.

She nodded before taking a few steps closer to the water. A moment later, several vines reached out from her arm, gingerly feeling along the lake floor. It wasn't long before she let out a gasp and the vines suddenly disconnected from her wrist, flopping lifelessly in the water.

"What happened?" I asked, as we watched her vines slowly turning brown and brittle.

"The water's too cold," She said, shaking her head as she stepped away from the lake. "It killed my vines."

"Damn," I muttered, looking back at the lake. "There goes my measuring stick." And Victoria's shield.

"We'll have to find some other way," she said softly.

Footsteps alerted me to someone's approach and I turned as Darius entered the cave with two of Victoria's brothers, who were carrying what appeared to be a wooden canoe.

The guild leader gave the wet faun a stern look before turning to Victoria. "What happened? I distinctly recall saying no one was to enter the water until I returned."

Victoria jerked her chin towards the faun. "Sir, Pia here was too eager to go exploring and thought she could use one of my shields as a raft."

"Can you recover it with the enchantments?" he asked, shooting a scathing look at Pia before looking back over at Victoria who shook her head.

The guild leader sighed, rubbing a hand over his scruffy beard. "I guess we'll have to see if we can hook or net it from the boat." He said, before turning to me. "Kadia, how's that cold immunity potion you were working on coming along? The water is far colder than we expected, so any extra help we can get would be appreciated."

"Not well," I admitted, lifting my gaze from where the two orc brothers were setting the canoe into the water. "I don't have one of the components yet, so it isn't coming along at all.”

Darius frowned, but before he could reply, the one of the orcs spoke up. "Well, at least we have the boat." He said, nodding towards the canoe. "So long we don't get wet we should be fine, right?"

I scrutinized him, attempting to recall which of my brothers he was. Kayden or Jayden? My eyes shifted between him and the other orc, their identical faces making it difficult to tell them apart.

"Yes, I suppose so." I replied, deciding it best not to ask which twin he was. After all, one wrong guess and I would be in for it.

"So who is going boating?" I asked, pointing to the canoe.

Darius nodded towards the two orcs. "Jayden," he said, gesturing to one of the twins as he spoke, "has volunteered to go in."

Sure enough, it was Jayden who had spoken up earlier. That’s right; Kayden is the shy one who doesn't talk much.

"Be safe." Victoria said, watching her brother carefully as he stepped into the boat.

Jayden nodded before pushing off from shore with a paddle. I watched as he disappeared into the darkness, until eventually, all that remained was the faint light from our lamps reflecting off the water's surface.

We waited in silence, listening to the distant sound of Jayden's paddles slicing through the water. But then, a loud splash and shouts echoed back from the depths of the cavern, causing us all to jump to attention.

My heart raced as I strained my ears, trying to make out what was happening. But it was no use; whatever had happened was lost in the darkness.

Kayden's face went pale as he stared towards where his twin had gone, his fingers tracing over the ring on his left thumb. "He's dead." He whispered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Victoria shook her head in disbelief as she looked towards the water. "So fast?"

"Out now!" Darius ordered sharply, pointing towards the tunnel. We all scrambled out without another word. "Kadia, can you seal the tunnel?"

Focusing on the power emanating from within me, I placed my hand upon the rugged surface of the tunnel. With eyes closed, I channeled energy through the transmutation sigil embedded in my fleshy palm and felt a surge of earthen power reverberate throughout my body.

I felt the earth beneath my feet rumble and the walls start to tremble as I channeled the energy into it. The stone in front of me reluctantly shifted, slowly forming a thick wall that blocked off the entrance to the tunnel.

Once the wall had solidified, I opened my eyes and stepped back. My vision blurred as the fatigue from using so much power set in. The earth had been old and stubborn, but I had managed to convince it to change, though not without cost.

"Good, that should stop whatever is in there from coming out." Darius said.

I nodded weakly, slumping against the wall for support. It had taken a lot out of me to do that and I was exhausted, but we were safe now.

"Are you okay, Kadia?" Rainy asked.

"Yes," I said, taking a deep breath and pushing myself back up. "Let's get out of here."

"What do you think it was?" Pia asked, glancing back towards the wall.

Darius shook his head. "We'll have to wait for Jayden to revive to get our answers." He said. "For now the caves are off limits."

We all nodded in agreement, knowing it was the best we could do. With a final look towards the wall, we turned and began making our way out of the underground cave system.

Hopefully whatever had killed the orc was now safely contained.

It took three hours for Jayden to revive after his death, and after allowing him to change out of his mangled clothing, Darius led him up to my office where we listened to his sordid tale. When he finished, Darius and I were left with a stunned silence.

"So," I said, finally breaking the silence. "You're certain it was a snake?"

Jayden nodded. "I could feel its scales, and it had a large head with two yellow eyes." He shivered. "It was like nothing I'd ever seen before."

"And it drowned you? No venom?" Darius asked, his face grim.

"No venom," Jayden repeated. "Just a giant serpent that dragged me down to the depths of the underground lake and held me there until I drowned." He looked away, his face pale.

I sighed heavily. This was going to be difficult. One thing was certain - this was no ordinary snake.

"Did you see anything else? Something that might help us identify it?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Jayden nodded slowly, hesitant to speak. "I saw a mass of crystals at the bottom, with a bright light emanating from them." He swallowed hard. "Mana crystals. Even more than what is in the caverns."

Darius and I exchanged glances. "Mine." I said quietly.

"Share?" Darius asked.

I pouted at him. I didn't want to share, but it would be hard getting the crystals without his and the guild's help. "How much?"

"Half?" he replied with a slight smirk. Stupid mutt, he knew he had me.

"Fine," I said, giving him a withering look. "But the guild kills the snake and does the underwater mining."

"Deal." He said, offering me his hand.

We shook hands and both turned back to Jayden, who was looking at us with confusion.

"Describe the snake again," I said. "Did you see what color it was?"

"Either white or bluish white."

Darius raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. The few giant snakes we've encountered have been in the forests or swamps. There have been no reports of any ice variant serpents in the mountains. This could be a new discovery, or simply a rarer seen one."

My mind began to race. Where had I seen mention of a white serpent?

With a purposeful stride, I made my way to the library shelf where all of my alchemy books were kept. Looking up at the rows and columns with careful consideration, I read through each title until finally finding what I was searching for - Feathers, Fins and Scales: Dia's Guide to Exotic Creatures.

Quickly, I pulled it from the shelf and opened it to the chapter on aquatic creatures. In a few moments I found what I was looking for - The White Goushe.

I read aloud the first paragraph of the entry. "This snake is known for its curved, hook shaped tail, which it uses to grapple its prey, and drag them into the water. The White Goushe, is extremely poisonous, and is a rear-fanged snake. Thus, it delivers its venom by chewing on its victim until the prey succumbs to the toxins. The snake spends most of its time in the water, and prefers cooler temperatures. It is common to find a white Goushe guarding magical freshwater reefs."

"Jayden said it didn't have venom." Darius said, folding his arms across his chest.

I nodded in agreement. "But it sounds like a White Goushe nonetheless." I said with determination. "He said it dragged him down to the lake, and this says the Goushe grapples and drags its prey into the water."

We all stood in silence for a moment, taking this information in. Finally, I spoke up again. "This is the best we have to go on. Even if it isn't the White Goushe, we still need to kill it if we want those mana crystals."

Darius nodded in agreement. "We need to devise a plan."

"You need to devise a plan," I corrected, reminding him of our deal. "I just supply the healing potions."

He rolled his eyes at me, but I could see a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Very well- I will discuss a battle plan with Victoria, Roan and Lenny." He said, listing off the three hunting team captains.

"Try not to die!" I said cheerily, as he walked out of the room with Jayden in tow.

Darius shot me a look over his shoulder and shook his head as he closed the door.

I smiled to myself and sat back in my chair. "If he was smart, he would have asked why I didn't kill it with Pyr." I said quietly to myself. "But if I did that, there wouldn't be anything left to harvest."

I chuckled in amusement and got up from my chair, heading back to the bookshelf and placing Dia's Guide back where I found it. "Hopefully they don't damage it too much," I said as I headed out of the library. Time to go make some healing potions, for my little hunters.