Chapter 52: Treasury (3)

Perseus POV

As the guard's hand closed around my neck, cutting off my air supply, desperation surged through me. I knew I had to act fast if I wanted to escape this deadly grip.

"Elpis, searing flash." I called as I cast a dark veil over my eyes

Instantly, a blinding light erupted from my outstretched hand, flooding the cramped space with intense brightness. The searing flash was so brilliant that it burned like fire, searing the retinas of anyone unfortunate enough to gaze upon it. Even just closing your eyes would still blind you.

The guard recoiled in agony, his grip loosening as he stumbled backward, blinded by the searing light. With a surge of adrenaline, I seized the opportunity to break free from his grasp, gasping for breath as I stumbled away from him.

I jumped onto a guard and applied wind magic on my feet, it boosted me high in the air as I jumped in the direction of the sea, and eventually, I managed to dive into the water.

The icy waters enveloped me as I plunged beneath the surface, the shock of the cold momentarily stealing my breath away as I hadn't swim in this kind of water for a long time, well, maybe it's only because this is winter time. But I had little time to dwell on the sensation as I quickly oriented myself and began to swim.

I knew these waters well, having spent countless hours swimming and mining.

As I swam, I kept a wary eye out for any signs of danger, knowing that the underwater tunnels were home to a myriad of sea creatures, some of them far more dangerous than the guards above. Sure enough, it wasn't long before I encountered my first obstacle, a sleek, predatory fish that darted towards me with menacing speed.

Reacting swiftly, I dodged their razor-sharp teeth and countered with a blast of water magic, sending a powerful jet streaming towards them. The force of the water knocked the creatures off course, buying me precious seconds to swim to safety.

I then swam upwards and surrounded myself with a quick jetstream as it chased me, as soon as I got close to the guards, I veered off course and had the fish charge straight at my pursuers.

I then turned and swam toward the murky depths, after a while, I could see the bottom, but I also spotted a group of guards hot on my trail. Thinking quickly, I unleashed a burst of magic, sending out a signal that would attract the attention of the creatures lurking nearby.

Sure enough, within moments, the water around me erupted into chaos as a horde of hungry sea creatures descended upon the unsuspecting guards. I had Elpis flash a bright light around me so that the animals would swim around me as they were not used to such lights.

Sharks, eels, and other menacing predators darted through the water with deadly precision, their razor-sharp teeth, and powerful jaws tearing through the ranks of the empire's soldiers.

I watched from a safe distance as the guards struggled to defend themselves against the onslaught, it was a sight to behold, seeing the tables turned so dramatically in my favor. Taking advantage of the distraction, I swam swiftly past the chaos, making my way deeper and going into a nearby air pocket where I took a really wet Elpis out.

"You okay? You can't breathe underwater after all."

"Don't worry, I have cast an air pocket over my nose and mouth, I can breathe just fine." Elpis responded as she used wind magic to dry herself up, "So do we hide here for a while till Lind comes?"

"Will Lind even be able to come down here easily? I can do just fine because I can breathe underwater and see clearly."

"I should take a while, but instead of us waiting for her to rescue us as we're being beaten around, we can hide safely as she and her squad try to find us."

"If it wasn't for you, I would have seriously quit this assistant hero schtick ever since I lived in that forest...I'm too lazy to clean up for someone else, luckily he still barely does anything yet, so I don't have to do anything for him."

"Don't worry, you will have to soon, but I'd say to just relax for now, we have plenty of time till the first wave."

*****

"You son of a bitch, you cheated." Lind accused as soon as she got into the air pocket where I was resting

"Cheat what? Were there rules?"

"...No, but you still cheated."

"Was there some beautiful woman's hand for grabs or something because I clearly am not motivated enough to follow rules."

"I would offer my own, but you're a bit too young for my taste."

"I wouldn't even say yes even if you offered."

"I'll get you for that, but anyway, as a gift to our newest member, we bombed the lab since you clearly disliked it, we destroyed every last bit of what you endured during your childhood."

"Oh, thank you."

"Now, let's go to the treasury before the archmage arrives, they are getting serious. And luring him here would ensure a safer and easier passage into the treasury."

*****

After a super long run through just woods and empty desolate land, we arrived at this abandoned ghost town. Ignoring the eerie atmosphere, we were told to scan the crumbling town for any sign of a hidden entrance or passage that could lead us to the secret passage.

It didn't take long for us to find what we were looking for, an old wooden door that clearly looked out of place in this underground basement that was especially hard to get into. The air beyond the door was thick with the musty scent of damp earth and decay, and I could hear the faint echo of our footsteps as we ventured deeper into the shadows.

After what felt like an eternity of winding through the twisting passages, I finally caught sight of a faint glimmer of light up ahead, a golden light...finally, the treasury.