Calypso part (1)

Rubble shifted beneath Cali's feet as she entered the cavern. She flinched as a drop of liquid fell near her feet. It was not her first cavern expedition, but she was on edge. As if being followed in a city where she knew no one. Not including the over-clingy captain, of course. It took longer than necessary to realize she had not been alone. The thought of those cheap wretches chasing after the artifact made Cali stir faster. Fine, they could only pay for their offenses once Cali showed them the cost.

"She noticed that we were following her." The leader of the group asserted. It did not matter to them if Cali noticed the company. There was only one exit, and that exit was behind them. No one needed to fight if Cali gave up the artifact to them. Following Cali's example, the group quickened their pace behind her. If her plan is to through them off her trail, the group could not give her that opportunity.

Cali did not need them to slow down for her. Why would she? The group had given up on hiding themselves, giving Cali long enough to prepare. Her fingers wrapped around the glass container in her bag before it moved to the familiar red scarf. Without slowing her pace, she quickly tied the cloth around her face. The group behind her slowed down after noticing Cali had stopped walking. "Can I take this as you giving up?" The lead asked cautiously. Everything seemed to work out too quickly.

She stopped while knowing the group was behind her.

The group did not have time to process their temporary success. Crash! The sound of glass breaking rang through the entire cavern. Cali had thrown a glass vial at the floor beneath them and ran. The shattered vial released a large puff of yellow smoke behind her. The group had no time to create distance as the concoction already took effect. It was a potion of confusion. The room began to contort, and lines of differing colours bounced around the cavern. Motion sickness set in for the group leader, and she fell to the floor before vomiting. The group leader would have preferred poison. Out of all the bodily fluids, she hated vomit the most!

So gross! So revolting! Not even a gold coin could compensate for the emotional trauma. Enraged and queasy, the group leader leaned against the cavern walls to chase after Cali. The two other men wriggled on the floor like they were intoxicated worms.

"You, you should have stayed in the desert!" The leader spat. All they needed to do was ditch the girl and grab the artifact, and yet Cali kept changing the plan. Rage got the best of the leader. Still leaning against the wall, she muttered a spell. Cali immediately took a step back as she knew what would happen next. A giant icicle appeared from below the spot she had just stood. Then the amount doubled, then tripled, and kept multiplying. Cali managed to dodge them one after another. Perhaps the leader had gone mad and cast as many spells as she could. The only thing undeniable was that the leader forgot mana was not infinite. The emergence of icicles stopped as the leader grabbed a knife in a hurry.