23 Each droplet of water

Each droplet of water echoed as loudly as their footsteps. Illysa shivered from the odd chill that permeated off the cavern walls. It felt claustrophobia, even for a person as small as herself, and she didn't know how Leonel was managing.

The Inquisitor's face was still, without much expression. And where Illysa was stumbling and knocking into stalactite, Leonel quickly ducked any ceiling that was too low for him. And the Doctor was amazing as well, despite having to rely on a walking stick, he did not stagger or lose his balance on uneven steps. She could only marvel at their dexterity, awkwardly floundering like a newborn foal.

"How long are these tunnels?" Leonel's low voice echoed, his hushed tone coming out a lot louder with the empty winding caves, sending chills down Illysa's spine.

"Now, now, just be patient. We've yet to make much distance, and you're already complaining!" Julian snickered ahead of them, seeming to enjoy the situation more than he should. Illysa couldn't understand how the man could remain light-hearted, even in a situation like this.

Leonel didn't take the lackadaisical answer well. He snarled at it and said, "I wasn't complaining. Did you even listen to what I said?"

"Of course I was listening, why would I ever ignore the gallant, wonderful and heroic Inquisitor Leonel? Or should I call you Mr. Ferryman from now on?"

"...You're ridiculous."

"Why, thank you!"

A growl. "That wasn't a compliment."

"..." Illysa sighed, but it wasn't one of annoyance. Somehow, their light-hearted bickering helped soothe out some of her nerves as well. And though the narrow black walls and damp air felt unending, she did not mind so much after all.

They walked.

It must have been an hour, but there was no way of knowing for certain. Julian seemed to know where he was going. Of course, he knew where he was going. While he was one that loved to spew absurdities and brag about unrealistic achievements, Julian's genius was, in actuality, nothing to scoff out.

He only mapped out the underground caverns once, roughly six years ago. And until now, they remained fresh in his memory as any other. When he put his mind to something, it could easily stay in his repertoire for years to come.

Which was why he was truly astounded when they walked straight into a dead end.

Julian frowned, arms crossing in front of his chest. "Hmm…"

"Great. Don't tell me you have no idea where we're going and just led us around by the nose like a bunch of clueless fools? I was an idiot to have trusted you."

Illysa's wide eyes turned up to him, panicked and concerned.

"Now, now," Julian chided the two youngsters. "Stop panicking, alright?" He placed a hand over the stone and inspected the passage. This cave had indeed been opened the last time he was around. However, the walls had since collapsed. He should have considered something like this happening before however…well, could you really blame a cripple for not wanting to come down walk his rounds?

"No problem!" He smacked the ground with his walking stick. "This just means we'll have to go the long way around."

Leonel raised a brow. "The long way around? Do you know where you're going at all?"

"Most certainly." The Doctor hummed smoothly, "I'm obviously going toward the exit! We'll be right out in the middle of the woodlands, not so far off from Fauster, in fact, just like how our little Illysa here had hoped." He patted the girl on the shoulder and turned around.

"However, this way is not entirely my favorite." He admitted. "It's a lot more dangerous."

"What's more dangerous than weak tunnels prone to collapse?" Leonel asked, noticing how they turned into a wider cavern, where he didn't have to duck to save himself from a headache constantly. The water began to rumble with life, running instead of still. And soon they were walking next to an underground stream. The water looked quite deep upon first inspection. There was not much of a ledge to walk on the side.

Julian grumbled a little as he struggled with his balance, "Careful not and try not to fall in the water," he warned. "I did not spend too long down these tunnels last time but long enough to know that something terrible dwells within these waters."

"Something…terrible?" Illysa questioned. The wyvern that was not perched upon her shoulder, cautiously looked over at the water but then decided to crawl under the collar of her shirt. She startled at first but then allowed the creature to seek refuge inside her clothes, hugging it close to her belly.

Julian casually shrugged, "I just happened to find scraps. Remains of creatures along the edge of the water, so I only assumed. Who knows if the thing is still here, it's been years since I've come down here."

"Great, sounds wonderful," Leonel grumbled, looking out at the water. What could even be down there? Some crocodiles, maybe? Man-eating fish? Leonel was a mage hunter, not a monster hunter for heaven's sake. He sighed at the thought and decided to simply keep a lookout, deal with it when it came.

And it came almost immediately as the thought passed through his head.

There wasn't much of a warning. But he saw the light of Julian's spell reflect something slithering just under the water's surface.

It popped out of the water like a viper, jaws unhinged full of serrated teeth. Leonel already had his fingers curled around his Witch Slayer, and he was ready to fight the beast on his own.

Julian had caught on as well. Though his body was mangled and disabled, his reflexes were still sharp. He turned around and did two things at once. One was cast a blinding spell. A surge of white light erupted from his palm. The second was grab Illysa by the shoulder, anticipating her startled fear.

Her cry came a little late. Leonel had leaped forward, cursing when light engulfed his sight. That didn't stop him from swinging his blade down, his Witch Slayer's blackened edge colliding with the monster's jaw. It snapped at him, squealing from the pain and light assaulting its vision.

That was when Illysa finally caught on; she screamed in fright, arms tightening around the wyvern hiding under her clothes.

Her eyes dazzled gold; raw mana unwound from her body about to expelled in large pulses.

Julian did not allow that to happen, and instead took the excess mana and siphoned it with his touch, weaving it with a complex spell upon his lips. His heart sped up with excitement; how long had it been since he dabbled in magic as complicated? As powerful? Thrill thrummed through his veins as he flexed his fingers, blue lightning sizzled between each digit.

Leonel heard the crackling of electricity. The creature twisted in the water but then came up again with a long muscled tail, threatening to slap them all into the water's depths.

Instead of engaging it in a deadly wrestle, Leonel changed his course of action mid-swing. He didn't go for the counterattack, merely parrying and jumping back onto the ledge.

And explosion sound, debris fell from the cavern walls, plopping down into the running underground river. The creature cried with a piercing sound, flailing its large scaly body. Julian cursed as he struggled to maintain balance when he tried to dodge the giant tail that slapped into the stone walls.

Illysa whimpered, her heart simmering in her chest. She fell into a squatting position to avoid the tail, and if it weren't for Inquisitor Leonel's steady hand that grabbed onto her forearm, she probably would have fallen into the water.

"Get up!" Leonel hollered to the front, "We should get out of here."

The Doctor hissed in annoyance but did his best to stand on unsteady legs. Though he could only hobble forward pathetically, he did what he could to make some distance. Illysa was horrified at how slow he was going and quickly moved forward to wedge herself underneath his right arm to give him better support.

"You're a darling," he chuckled pleasantly at her.

"Please thank me when we're safe," she bit out a bit hastily and pulled him forward with as much strength as she could muster.

It was cramped on the ledge and challenging to keep balance. Their steps caused pebbles to tumble into the rushing water. Leonel kept an eye out for the water, but he also kept an eye out for the two fools in front of him, worried they might lose their footing at a moment's notice.