NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: Kazarath (1)
"And what do you two want?" asked Yuni with skeptical look as she inspected them up and down.
"We'd like to join your group, you're adventurers right?" he replied, and this only fueled to the skepticism of Yuni
"And how do you know we're adventurers?" she raised one of her eyebrows, as her right hand was careful resting on her pocket ready to take out a dagger if needed.
"The silver necklaces you're wearing indicate you're rank as an adventurer remember?" he replied this time he chuckled as Yuni had forgotten that Adventurers gained a necklace indicating they are in the Adventurer's Guild.
But Yuni didn't let her guard down, and right before she could ask another question. Sticky interrupted her by making a deep monotonic gugrling noise, "Sure."
Theon understood what Sticky had said and followed them into the mines/gates of Kazarath. The atmosphere was quite tense as no one had been speaking to each for 20 minutes now, and Aralia tried to start a conversation, but was too shy.
It was pure awkward silence as the group walked, the many crystals glistened creating reverberating echoes, the many traders and mines speaking to each other reverberated around them.
It wasn't pure silence but within the group it was, and after a whole two hours of that silence. Sticky broke it by making a shaky gurgling noise, "So where did you both come from?"
Theo looked over at Sticky who was resting on Yuni's head and replied, "I'm from the Keseon Islands, and Jae here is from Kroma." his voice was deep but soothing and calming.
Yuni's ears perked up when she heard and this and spoke immediately after he answered, "But didn't the Keseon Islands fall after the Umbral Incineration?"
Theo then grew silent before gripping his hands tightly trying to calm himself after all hearing "Umbral Incineration" brought up memories he wanted to erase.
"Yes, the Keseon Islands did fall after the Umbral Incineration, but luckily I was saved by a sorcerer." he replied, his voice shaking with fearful sadness.
Jae noticed this and pat his head to calm him. Noticing this, Yuni didn't want to intrude any further as to not cause any problems with the group.
After reaching the midpoint of the mines and in front of them was 115 ores from iron to tresminium.
"There's too many ores and they're oddly placed." Theo remarked as Yuni felt suspicious thus getting her bow out.
The ores started convulsing rapidly and soon broke out of the ground revealing themselves to be ore spiders. Over 18 eyes with 7 legs, and the shell being the ore that they mimicked over; they have the ability to glistened bright that makes people hallucinate.
"Everyone get behind me." Theo took out a rectangular shaped flask as everyone took cover behind him.
"What the hell is that?" asked Yuni.
Before she could get an answer, Theo threw the flask at the ore spiders. As soon as it collided with one of them it exploded killing most of them, and stunning the remaining ore spiders.
Jae took this chance to transform into a grizzly bear, and rush at the remaining ore spiders killing them with her claws. While Aralia and Yuni took the last few ore spiders that were left leaving only trails of crystals, ores, and limbs left.
"That it?" Yuni asked while breathing heavily.
Aralia pulled her waraxe away from the corpse of an ore spider as Jae transformed back into a human. A cloak was tossed towards her by Theo due to her being naked everytime she transforms.
Theo responded to the question of Yuni while preparing another glad, "We need to move quick, the Vornumian Serpent will appear soon."
Both Aralia and Yuni shivered in fear hearing that a Vornumian Serpent was within the confides of the mines. A Vornumian Serpent is a serpent made skin hard as Vornum steel with crystals poking out which can harness electricity, and they can reach to a height of 455 feet long.
All of them quickly move on to the exitpoint so they can finally enter Vyolmir. The walls quaked as they moved, the Vornumian Serpent stalked them from afar, but they didn't know where it was hiding.
As they got nearer to the exit point they passed through piles upon piles of corpses from human to ore spiders, either remnants of clothing or limbs or crystals and ore. The atmosphere was much more tensed than before a heavy rumble echoed throughout the mines.
The group stopped walking when Theo took out the same flask from before, a cautious look rested on his face.
He looked around the surroundings before grabbing a few sticks from a massive sack he had been carrying for a while now. Tossing the sticks to the ground he started to make a campfire, as Yuni approached him placing her hand on his right shoulder.
"Why are we stopping?" her voiced tinged with fear.
Theo looked behind his shoulder and pointed to the shadow within the corner of the corridor of the mines. The shadow was of a serpent swallowing what seemed to be a human, as it swallowed another.
"It's best if we rest before we fight that thing." he responded, his voice quiet as to not alert the serpent.
The crackling of the fire was drowned out by a magical barrier that was summoned by a scroll that Theo had. Everyone sat there eating sticks of spider legs that were well cooked.
Slime simply stared at the shadow planning ahead what to do next just in case if anything goes wrong. Aralia walked over to Theo and gave him a soft cheerful smile before speaking, "So, how did you and Jae meet?"
Seeing the smile of Aralia eased the tense feeling that Theo had, before he could speak he noticed Jae and Yuni arguing on which was better, a dog or cat.
He looked back at Aralia, and responded to her question with a smile, "Well, she and I met because of the sorcerer that saved me. She was also saved by the same sorcerer so we're like siblings."
Aralia nodded to his answer as she took a huge bite of the stick of spider legs she held. Everyone had forgotten about the spider except for Sticky who had a lingering feeling that something was about to go wrong.
The next day, everyone prepared themselves as they entered and saw the massive 354 feet long serpent sleeping quietly in peace, bones of different species were scattered across the ground as it let out a grumble.
"Yuni, prepare the toxin." Theo quietly ordered.
Yuni took out an arrow and dipped it in a green liquid which was now embued in a paralysis poison from toxic dogs. Aralia split her waraxe into two axes as Sticky split into two, and finally Jae transformed into a flame wyvern as Theo took out his blunderbuss that was strapped behind his waist.
"Let's go kill a Vornumian Serpent." Theo loaded his blunderbuss and aimed it at the sleeping Vornumian serpent that blocked their exit.
Bang!