Snake's den

The beetles approached a part of the swamp where there was a dead tree, it was wide and almost completely submerged in the water, the twisted branches still above the water level were whitish and had no leaves.

Looking around, one could see a few dozen trees like these. But from the view shared with the beetles, Nicola was able to see under the water, an omnidirectional view of a submerged tree trunk that seemed to have an opening near to the roots, where a snake of that size could pass.

The space was large enough for an adult to pass through without problems. So Nicola sent a team of beetles into the hole, watching the scene with the shared vision.

Just like Nicola, they had very good night vision, obviously it did not reach the same level, but it was still possible to see well what was waiting for them.

Nicola smiled and turned to the two teenagers beside him. "It looks like we're lucky boys, we found the snake's den."

Kin then hugged his sister, congratulating the discovery. Gin, who was red with embarrassment at the attention of both the master and her brother, ended up shrinking her neck and hiding inside the cloths of her clothes.

"It was nothing, just a technique I developed" She said in a hushed voice under her clothes.

From the vision shared with the beetles, Nicola saw black scales fallen down the path, which confirmed that the place was the right place.

"Come on, I'm going to get in front and you guys are coming next." Nicola conjured two elemental water spells called underwater breathing and amphibian skin. The first was self-explanatory and the second created a layer of water mana around the user's body allowing mobility under water to increase.

The spell enveloped the three and they entered the underwater cave.

The cave was dark and the two would not be able to see anything if it were not for the spheres of light that they launched to illuminate their surroundings. As soon as they passed the entrance, it descended towards the underground for a few meters and then it went up again.

A few minutes later the three went out into a lake in the corner of a spacious cave. The space was very dark and even with the spheres of light around them they couldn't see anything very well.

Nicola then took the lead and conjured up a powerful spell that combined the magic of light and fire, creating an artificial sun that was cast high on the roof of the cave and floated there, illuminating everything around.