Nerine's Quest [4]

Nerine followed Caius deeper into the cave, the rough and jagged walls underfoot. The inside of the cave was dimly lit, and Nerine had to rely on the light from Caius's fire magic to see her way. As they walked deeper into the cave, they could hear the sound of water dripping from the stalactites above.

Drip— Drip

The further they went, the more uneasy Nerine became.

"...Caius, A-Are you sure it's safe down here?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Caius rolled his eyes. "Do I look like someone who knows if this place is safe or not?" he replied curtly. "I'm just as clueless as you are."

Narine felt foolish for assuming that Caius had prior knowledge of the terrain. "I apologize, I shouldn't have assumed. I just thought that since you seemed so confident, you had an idea of where we were going," she said, attempting to clarify her previous statement.

"If I had any idea about this place, I would have kept all the rare ingredients to myself instead of bringing a hindrance like you along," Caius retorted, his voice echoing through the cave.

"...."

Narine felt a twinge of bitterness at Caius's comment but kept quiet. She realized that he had a point; if he knew about the cave beforehand, he wouldn't have risked sharing it with anyone else.

"Perhaps, I'm just being paranoid," Nerine muttered to herself and followed closely behind Caius.

"...."

As they walked, the air grew thicker, and Nerine began to feel the dampness seeping through her clothes. They rounded a bend, and Nerine gasped at the sight before her.

The cave opened up into a vast underground cavern, filled with glowing mushrooms and luminescent crystals. The light danced along the walls, creating a surreal and enchanting atmosphere.

"It's... beautiful," Nerine breathed, her voice trailing off as she took in the breathtaking sight.

Caius barely spared a glance at the surroundings, instead focusing on their objective. "Keep your eyes peeled, Nerine. We're here to collect rare ingredients, and with the abundance of glowing mushrooms and crystals around us, I wouldn't be surprised if we come across a rare crystal mushroom," he suggested.

Nerine nodded, her excitement dying down as she remembered their purpose. They walked deeper into the cavern, their footsteps echoing off the walls.

'I wish I could carry a few of them with me it could fetch a good amount of money, but I don't have a storage bracelet,' Nerine thought to herself as she glanced at Caius, who seemed unmoved by the glowing mushrooms and crystals around them. 'As a noble, he's probably not bothered by the allure of money,' she concluded.

Finally, after walking for a few more minutes, they reached a small alcove, where a single crystal mushroom bloomed in the darkness, surrounded by delicate flowers.

Nerine rushed forward, her hands reaching out to pluck the mushroom. But before she could touch them, one of the flowers suddenly sprang to life, its petals unfurling to reveal a pair of glowing eyes.

"What the-!" Nerine started, but before she could finish, the flower attacked.

!?

Vines sprouted from its base, wrapping around Nerine's waist and pulling her off her feet.

"Kyaaa! C-Caius help!" She screamed as she was lifted into the air, her arms flailing wildly.

Caius smirked hearing her screams, "Serves you right for rushing to grab that rare mushroom alone as if I was going to steal it from you."

Nerine's eyes widened in horror. "Argh, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that, I just got excited witnessing it for the first time! P-Please help," she begged as the vines tightened their grip on her.

"...Tsh." Caius clicked his tongue and reacted quickly, raising his hand to cast a spell. A blast of fire shot from his fingertips, incinerating the vines and sending Nerine crashing to the ground.

Thud—

Caius walked to her side casually, helping her to her feet. "...Are you okay?" he asked.

Nerine nodded, her face pale. "Y-yes, I'm fine," she said shakily. "Thank you so much. I will never rush alone again without informing you." Nerine said with tears in her eyes and her nose turned red.

Caius chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Good to hear. Now that the creature is taken care of, go ahead and pluck that crystal mushroom," he said, gesturing towards it.

He knew that the vines posed no real danger to Nerine, as it was a scripted event where one of the female leads gets captured by them and the male lead has to save her quickly by cutting the vines.

At the start of the game, the protagonists were unable to use fire in the forest due to concerns about it spreading and causing a forest fire.

However, as they progressed through the game, they would discover that the forbidden forest was more complex than initially thought, and fires would not spread and would instead self-extinguish.

This would result in the restriction on using fire being lifted for the protagonists who possessed the fire element during future visits to the forbidden forest.

"Y-Yes, I will do as you say," Nerine wiped her tears and approached the mushroom cautiously, eyeing the flowers warily and examining the crystal mushroom closely.

It was a rare sight indeed, with its transparent stem and glowing cap. She carefully plucked it from the ground, handling it with the utmost care.

"Hehe, it's a crystal mushroom! I can use it for so many things," Nerine laughed excitedly, her fear from before forgotten.

"...."

Caius smiled as he watched Nerine pluck the mushroom. "Her character is similar to that in a game," he thought to himself.

Nerine had a playful and fun-loving personality that Caius wouldn't mind having as a company, but the only downside was that she needed a babysitter to look after her. And Caius was not the right person for that, as he didn't like anyone dragging him down.

But he didn't mind being on good terms with her, especially if it meant he could get some of her rare potions

"I got it, Caius!" Nerine spoke with a huge smile.

"Great job, Nerine," Caius said as she proudly showed him the mushroom. "You have a talent for finding rare items," he said sarcastically.

But Nerine beamed with pride at the compliment. "Thank you, Caius! I'm happy to have your approval."

"...Alright, let's move ahead then," Caius said shaking his head, to which Nerine reluctantly nodded.

Although she was scared to proceed further, these rare ingredients were too tempting for her to let go of for someone else. "With Caius by my side, I don't have to be afraid. Even though he seems annoyed and irritated, he has a good heart," Nerine assured herself and followed Caius again. "P-Please wait for me, Caius!"

"Just hurry up, I ain't waiting for you!" Caius said as he led the way deeper into the cave, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he searched for any signs of Firebugs. 'They should be just around here,' He pondered to himself as he continued moving.

After a few minutes of walking, he spotted a faint red glow emanating from a small crevice in the wall.

"Over there," he pointed to the crevice. "I think that's where the Firebugs are hiding. We'll need to set a trap to catch them. Their wings are one of the rarest materials and it might come in handy for your alchemy," Caius said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Nerine nodded, feeling the same excitement. She too needed the Firebug wings for her potions. But she looked at Caius, unsure of what to do. "What kind of trap should we use? Firebugs are known to be quite difficult to catch due to their speed."

Caius paused for a moment before answering. "We can make a simple net trap. All we need is some vines and a few sturdy sticks."

Nerine looked skeptical. "Will that be enough?"

Caius gave her a playful smile. "Don't question me and just do as I say."

"Okay," Nerine nodded, and together they gathered the materials needed for the trap. Using his knowledge from the game, Caius deftly wove the vines into a net and set it up near the crevice.

Nerine watched as Caius skillfully set up the trap and was impressed by his resourcefulness. "You're really good at this, Caius," she complimented him.

Caius shrugged. "It's nothing, really. Just something I picked up along the way."

Once the trap was set, they settled down to wait for the Firebugs to appear. Nerine fidgeted nervously as they waited, but Caius remained stoic and alert.

As they waited, Nerine couldn't help but wonder, "Will this really work?" She looked at Caius, who seemed confident and sure of himself. Maybe he knew what he was doing.

Buzzz!—

They didn't have to wait long before they heard the telltale buzzing of the Firebugs. "Get ready," Caius whispered, his eyes fixed on the crevice. "Here they come."

Swish!—

With a swift motion, they lifted the net and caught five Firebugs in one go.

Nerine looked at the Firebugs with wonder as they struggled to break free. "Wow, they're so beautiful," she whispered.

Caius nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes, but we can't let our guard down. We still need to collect their wings."

He carefully plucked the wings from the Firebugs and handed them to Nerine. "Here, take these. They're very delicate, so be careful not to damage them."

Nerine took the wings with great care, her eyes shining with excitement. "Thank you so much, Caius. I couldn't have done it without you."

Ding!—

[System Notification]

[Quest Completed!]

Quest Name: Nerine's Request.

Quest Info: Nerine, the talented alchemist, and potion maker-in-training, is in need of assistance with her latest experiment. She requires help in gathering some rare ingredients for her potions.

As her previous benefactor, she seeks your aid in obtaining these ingredients. She has heard rumors about a cave in the nearby forest where these ingredients can be found.

She needs someone skilled and brave to help her gather these ingredients. Are you up for the challenge?

Quest Objective:

•Collect 5 Moonflower petals {Acquired}

•Collect 3 Firebug wings {Acquired}

•Collect 1 Crystal Mushroom {Acquired}

Quest Rewards:

•50 Experience Points

•Increase in Affection Level with Nerine

___

***

Ding!—

{You Have Earned 50 EXP!}

Ding!—

{Congratulations! You've increased your affection levels with Nerine!}

{Nerine: Curious (Level 3)

Caius nodded in satisfaction, a small smirk on his face as he read the notifications. "Well, let's head back now. We don't want to stay here too long."

!?

Nerine hesitated. "But there's still a path ahead. Don't you think we should move deeper? We might find some more rare ingredients."

Caius considered her suggestion for a moment, but inwardly he knew that his job was done here. "I think it will be dangerous to move any deeper with my current strength. Let's not get greedy and bite off more than we can chew," he said with a smile.

Gulp—

Nerine nodded, understanding the logic behind his words. She carefully tucked the firebug wings into her pouch before following him back toward the entrance of the cavern.