Chapter 18 - An Unfamiliar Place

Chapter 18 - An Unfamiliar Place

With Caissa left in the hands of whoever captured her, Somnus and Hermes were desperately and diligently in pursuit of the culprits behind all this.

In spite of all their search and patrols around the borders to inspect those who would leave the Olympus Empire, they bore no fruit without any confirmation of Caissa's whereabouts.

Even though most of the 'Resistance', the kidnappers, are captured by the Imperial Knights, they responded with ignorance of the situation.

"I don't know where she is!"

"Stop trying to make me repeat everything! I seriously don't have a clue!"

"Where's our leader!? What have you done to my comrades!!?"

"You'll pay for this, you Olympians! You'll pay!!"

In turn, it's as if Caissa has disappeared completely!

—-------

One of the Olympus Empire's currencies is the Silver Drachma. To put it into perspective, 5 Obols can only amount to 1 Drachma, which's equivalent to purchasing a handful of arrows.

On the other hand, a hundred Drachmae is equally the same as a Mine, while 50 Mines can amount to 1 Attic Talent.

*Silver Drachma is approximately 10 USD.

( Do note that this does not imply nor represent the real life currency of Greek/Greece itself. Just fiction, merely a use of money in this novel! )

—Mumbling…

With that in mind, it became clear why a certain individual named an unbelievable price for their services…

"5 Drachmae."

"Charon, hasn't it got up by twice the price?"

"Take it or leave it."

"You and your greed, haha. Here you go."

The murmur of a conversation being held is whispering into the slumberous teenager's ears.

Despite undergoing a kidnapping, she didn't appear to be conscious of the situation at hand. Instead, it seems as though she was put into a deep sleep without her knowledge, and has just now awakened.

'For how long did I shut my eyes? And for what reasons have caused me to fall asleep unexpectedly?'

'I'm certain I was awake when the griffins came to attack, yet it gets fuzzy with ill-defined recollection once I tried to tap into it.'

'In other words, the 'Psychic' category of Blessing, the use of an 'Artifact' or a sleep-induced substance is highly probable.'

'On another note, where am I?'

With a thought like that, Caissa situated herself while feeling the sensation of drifting onto a water surface; seemingly like a river or lake.

Upon waking up, she hasn't yet opened her eyes to determine her surroundings. Rather than providing the person who's carrying her to notice her awakening, Caissa discerned that it would be beneficial to perceive the location and people through her other senses.

As a result, the area was soon to be uncovered as a cave with streams of water going to and fro. The droplets of water from the ceiling of the cave are accompanied by the paddling on a boat, alongside the breathing of multiple people.

'3 in total.' Caissa thought, discerning the water's depth through the splashes and movements of the paddle.

'It's far too deep. Moreover, there seems to be minimal amounts of wavelets surrounding the boat, as if there are sea animals under it.'

'Nevertheless, it's unusual for fish to get close to moving vehicles where their lives might be endangered?'

'..!'

To her surprise, Caissa was taken aback when the boat suddenly wobbled, adding an imbalance to the person who was handling her!

This was an opportunity worth the risk! To have a clear image of the vicinity and the surrounding individuals, the teenager swiftly unfolded her eyes for a split-second when everyone was regaining their stability!

And.. It was pitch-black?

Far darker than midnight, it's almost as though the difference in keeping one's eyes shut and open is exactly the same!

"Why must you stand?" A gloomy yet tired voice echoes inside the cave.

"Because it's difficult to get back up when we arrive." A response was given by the person who was holding onto Caissa.

"It isn't my responsibility if you fall."

"Unless you purposely do it, then it'll be fine."

"My service doesn't extend that far. Pay me an extra 2 Obols."

"2 Obols? That's how much it is not to get soaked in water?"

"1 Drachma if you don't wish to drown."

"Surely not. That's too little of a price for my life!"

—Murmur…

Even though the conversation started off poorly, it became something to pass the time, occupying the uncomfortable silence of the cave.

And unfortunately for Caissa, she wasn't capable of escaping when she's stuck inside an unknown cave with three individuals who have the capabilities to take her down in a second, judging by their abilities to kidnap her.

—-------

Carried to a place unfamiliar after departing from the boat, the ferryman was left to return to his station, whereas the rest were continuing onwards.

A couple of seconds later, Caissa felt the shifts and turns from the movements of the person who was carrying onto her. From walking onto rough ground to climbing up a steep hill, it all turned out to be a swirling mess; unable to make heads or tails in directions and so forth!

Caissa, who can't comprehend the dissimilar orientations and rotations, concluded it to be a defense mechanism or an illusion to befuddle unsuspecting guests.

'Something isn't right.' Caissa ponders further.

The paths that lead to different locations aren't much of a challenge for Caissa. With her ability to recall the route to her destination, she hasn't found herself lost in any situation.

As a matter of fact, it's unquestionably unusual for someone to walk this path only to return to the opposite route! Without a doubt, it's only sensible for this phenomenon to exist with an Artifact's assistance or a 'Psychic' Blessing!

'In other words, this is yet another undefined dilemma.'

Overall, the option to escape is out of the question for this disadvantageous teenager, leaving her with no choice, but to observe in-depth.

—Swoosh!

'!'

Out of the blue, the sensation of being lifted off from the earth became an unexpected shock for Caissa! This was by far more than just a light jump. It was most likely a leap of faith!

—THUD!

Regardless of a 35-second descent, the landing was taken care of without a scratch or a broken bone in sight! Not even the faintest crack could be heard, nor the noises that ensued once injury was sustained was screamed. Caissa was remarkably safe from the fall as her position remained the same!

As far as she knows, she's being held like a princess with all of her kidnapper's arms being used to handle her. Thus, it was astonishing to not waver during the descent and suffer no vital injuries upon impact!

'What is this place?'

—Splash…

Seeming as though they were walking on a puddle of water, the depth of it began to differ little by little. The noise of splashes decreased among the quietude of the people around the teenager.

Before long, something had taken a turn for the worse…

"You're awake, aren't you?" The voice that was closest to Caissa disregarded the silence, filling it with malice and apprehension!

"..."

"Due to how the descent is designed, nobody would remain unconscious unless they're putting on an act to gather sufficient information for an escape."

Slowly but surely, Caissa could hear the whispers alerting her survival instincts of what type of person this man was!

"..."

"Did you assume I wouldn't notice the slightest movement of your eyes?" The tone promptly morphed into a death threat!

An absence of sound presents itself until…

"No, I did not." Spoken without a falter, Caissa finally unfolded her eyes to witness the face of a short girl's face?

To her surprise, Caissa had encountered this person before, including the gentleman who was looking down on her alongside the girl!

'The Pontiff and Sister?'