Chapter 19. The Raid[Part 1.]

Alastor couldn't believe his eyes. The girl standing before him radiated pure anger, and he was completely baffled. He could have sworn on his life that he'd never laid eyes on her before. So why was she looking at him like he'd personally offended her entire bloodline? Had Kayla already poisoned her mind against him?

Knowing Kayla, Alastor wouldn't put it past her. The girl was possessive and controlling, always needing to be the one in charge. There was no way she would surround herself with people who wouldn't follow her every order like obedient puppies.

But something wasn't adding up. This girl's anger seemed solely directed at him. Marcus and Arthur, who stood beside him, seemed just as clueless and shocked as he was. This felt personal, not just blind loyalty to Kayla.

Before he could dwell on it further, the angry girl turned and marched back to her previous position behind Kayla, leaving Alastor with more questions than answers.

He turned to Marcus, hoping for some insight. Out of the three of them, Marcus had the best handle on the female psyche. But even he seemed as lost as Alastor.

"Don't worry about her attitude, she's just a bit worked up. She'll get over it," a voice suddenly interrupted Alastor's thoughts.

Alastor followed the voice and saw one of Kayla's teammates approaching with a friendly smile. The young man looked to be about 17 or 18, with an average build. His silver armor gleamed under the sun, a bow slung casually over his shoulder.

"The name's Emmanuel, but everyone calls me E," the young man said, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Alastor," he replied, shaking E's hand.

"So, what's with the death glare from your friend back there?" Alastor asked, getting straight to the point.

"Oh, Molly? She's just a little upset about, you know, your bloodline evaluation," E explained.

"Ah, I see," Alastor muttered, finally understanding the source of the hostility.

"Don't sweat it. She's not as bad as she seems. I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually," E assured him, glancing back at Molly. Alastor noticed a hint of something more than friendship in his eyes. Someone had a crush.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. We've wasted enough time already," Kayla's sharp voice cut through the air. She turned and started walking towards their destination – the Abyssal Seed.

It wasn't far from their current location, and soon they were face-to-face with the strange anomaly. This was Alastor's first time seeing an Abyssal Seed in person, and it was nothing like he'd imagined. In fact, it looked nothing like a seed at all.

Floating before them was a dark, elongated crystal, about the size of a human head. Intricate inscriptions, glowing with a faint purplish light, covered its surface. It was undeniably beautiful, yet a strange sense of dread clung to it.

Kayla pulled out a device – seemingly out of thin air, likely from some sort of spatial storage – and began scanning the energy field around the crystal. The device emitted a series of beeps as it analyzed the data.

While Kayla focused on the Abyssal Seed, the others prepared for the upcoming raid. E used this opportunity to introduce the rest of their group, who hadn't bothered with pleasantries earlier.

Molly, as Alastor had already guessed, was the healer. Craig, the other male in their group, was an attacker who specialized in fire magic. Kayla, with her ice magic, and E, who possessed incredible physical strength, rounded out the team.

Alastor was surprised to learn about E's ability, considering his weapon of choice. Even someone with limited knowledge about combat knew that brute strength was best utilized with a heavy weapon, not a bow.

As if reading his mind, E explained that the bow was his preferred weapon from childhood. Even though his bloodline ability wasn't the most conventional pairing, he refused to give it up, at least for less serious fights. For tougher battles, he would switch to a more suitable weapon.

By the time E finished the introductions, Kayla had finished scanning the Abyssal Seed.

"As expected, it's a level 2 F-tier Abyssal Seed," she announced.

"Alright, everyone, we'll head inside as soon as you're ready."

The adventure was about to begin.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Kayla's demeanor shifted. Gone was the arrogant smirk, replaced with a mask of icy focus as she surveyed the group.

"Ready?" she asked, her voice all business.

Once everyone confirmed their readiness, they each placed a hand on the dark crystal, one by one.

Alastor followed suit, feeling a powerful pull, like a vacuum to his core. The world dissolved around him, and then, just as suddenly, solidified. He found himself standing in a vast, echoing cavern. Faintly glowing crystals, embedded in the rough walls, provided the only source of light, their luminescence not quite reaching the shadowy heights of the cave ceiling.

"Everyone alright?" Alastor asked, turning to Marcus and Arthur.

Both men gave him a thumbs-up.

"Good," Alastor muttered, glancing at the rest of the group. They all seemed to have made the transition without any issues.

"Alright, listen up!" Kayla's voice rang out, echoing strangely in the cavern. "We move out now. Stay alert, and be ready for anything."

Weapons materialized in everyone's hands, the soft clink of metal a stark contrast to the cavern's silence.

"Let's move," Kayla commanded, taking point.

The group ventured deeper into the cavern, the uneven path illuminated by the ethereal glow of the crystals. A sense of unease permeated the air, a prickling sensation at the back of Alastor's neck.

"This place gives me the creeps," Molly whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Maybe if you spent less time whining and more time paying attention…" Craig began, but Kayla quickly shut him down.

"Enough, Craig," she snapped. "Save your breath for fighting, we're going to need it."

Alastor observed the exchange, noting the underlying tension within the group. It was clear they weren't a cohesive unit, more like individuals thrown together by circumstance. At least he could take solace in the fact that he wasn't the only one who found Molly insufferable.

Craig fell silent, but shot Molly a venomous glare. The cavern, silent only a moment ago, chose that moment to unleash its fury.

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble. Dust and small pebbles rained down from the ceiling as a deep, guttural roar echoed through the cavern.

"What was that?!" Marcus yelped, his grip tightening on his axe.

"Tremors," E stated, his eyes scanning the cavern floor. "Something big is moving beneath us."

A moment later, the ground before them split open with a deafening crack. A colossal worm-like creature erupted from the earth, its body covered in thick, chitinous plates. Rows of razor-sharp teeth lined its gaping maw, and its eyes, glowing with malevolent red light, fixed on the group.

As if on cue, smaller cracks spiderwebbed across the cavern floor. A swarm of rats, their eyes burning with the same unsettling red light, surged from the fissures.

Alastor instantly recognized them – Red-eyed Rats, notorious for their ambush tactics.

"Scatter!" Kayla shouted, launching a volley of ice shards towards the advancing horde. "Arthur, with me! We'll handle the rats! The rest of you, take down that worm!"

Arthur, propelled by a bolt of lightning, soared into the air, aiming for a dense cluster of rats. He landed in their midst, a storm of crackling energy obliterating the creatures on impact.

As Kayla and Arthur engaged the rat swarm, the others scattered, preparing to confront the monstrous worm. But the creature wasn't about to let its prey escape so easily. It reared back its head and let out another deafening roar, a shockwave that rippled through the cavern, momentarily stunning the group.

Seizing its opportunity, the worm burrowed back into the ground with surprising speed.

Alastor, closest to the spot where the creature had vanished, felt a tremor beneath his feet. Without hesitation, he dashed away just as the ground erupted beneath him. The worm exploded from the earth, its jaws snapping shut where Alastor had been standing only a moment before.

But instead of a satisfying crunch of bone and flesh, the creature was met with a wall of fire.

A massive fireball slammed into the worm's exposed flank with a sizzling, searing impact.

The creature roared in pain, its tough hide melting and charring under the intense heat.

The attack, while momentarily slowing the creature down, did little to dampen its fury. However, the group was ready to fight back.