Cavern Exploration!

A distant voice urged Karlos to walk down that path into the hill.

He couldn't discern what it was saying, but that did not matter. He felt himself inexplicably drawn to the opening, as if it was meant for him.

Karlos moved involuntarily, his body determined to take him towards some unfathomable fate. His eyes glazed over as he trudged forward, fervent to achieve his goal. Even the unsettling pressure on his back wasn't important to him now. It was like he had finally found the thing he had been searching his whole life for. All he wanted... was to enter the cavern.

It was nothing less than destiny.

It was nothing less than desire.

It was nothing less than-

"Hey! What'd you find there?"

Karlos found himself only steps away from the rough gravel and shifted soil of the entrance. His breathing steadied as his eyes became clear again, calming the trembling of his hands. It was a mystery as to how long it had been since he'd lost his senses.

He turned around and saw that Kassel had already filled her basket with pomegranates of varying sizes. The succulent fruits perfectly matched the vibrant crimson of her eyes, which were curiously studying the opening in the hillside, waiting for his response.

"I don't know... I think it's a cavern?" Karlos shifted his expression several times as he forced out a response. He felt his thoughts unclog as he shook off the sticky syrup that slowed him. It could only be described as a lingering daydream; refusing to leave his mind, constantly influencing him subconciously.

"Ooh... That sounds fun!" She quickly overtook him and stepped into the dark entrance. "What are you waiting for? Let's see what's inside!"

"W-Wait! We don't even have a torch, how would we see anything?"

Kassel almost tripped on a small rock. It was like he had splashed her with a bucket of cold water, but her expression hadn't changed at all.

Did she really not notice? How oblivious can she... Well, it's more like she gets blinded by her curiosity. Like a cat.

"I-It's not like I've ever had trouble seeing in the dark, yknow? But if you're really that worried, just... Hold on a moment." Kassel walked to a nearby bush and collected several large sticks. Reaching into her pocket, she took out a small piece of flint, a fire striker, and a small bottle of animal fat.

Right. She's always been good at running through things in the darkness. I thought it was just her... Bravery? Whatever it is, she's never had trouble seeing at night. Like a cat.

Rubbing the creamy fat against the thickest end of the sticks, she placed the flint on the stone and began striking it with the metal fire striker.

Karlos had long known the adventurous tendencies of his friend, but couldn't help but be astonished at her efficiency. It was like the young girl was an aged veteran soldier that camped for a living. Her movements were smooth and precise, flowing like a calm river.

'SCRAPE' 'SCRAPE' 'FWSH'

Soon, Kassel easily produced a small spark and lit the fat-infused stick, creating a make-shift torch.

"Here." She handed a few unlit torches to Karlos. "We're ready now, right? Let's go in!"

Ordinarily, he would decline her bold requests, often out of concern for both of their safeties. On this particular day however, the allure of the cavern held a unique sway over him. Something indescribable compelled him to abandon his caution and enter.

In the end, he gave in.

"...Okay."

...

The walls of the cavern were not too distant, but close enough that they barely spread their arms out between them when walking side by side.

"Cavern Adventure~! Cave Exploration~!" Kassel happily hummed her enthusiasm, her voice echoing off the cavern walls and travelling deep into the tunnel.

Karlos clutched the torches warily. "...Don't you think you should be quieter? What if there's a wild wolf or something?"

 "Kuoni! A cavern this close to the village would've been discovered ages ago if there were any animals living here. There probably isn't anything more dangerous than a snail! Besides, don't we have weapons?" Kassel gestured with the torch in her left hand.

"...I guess you're right." Karlos had no confidence in those words, but voiced his agreement anyway.

"See? So let's get going already!" Kassel dispelled his worries and began humming once again, filling the cavern with her crude song and excitement in her voice.

They continued deeper into the tunnel, eventually reaching a small stream of water and multiple branching paths.

"Hm... We might get lost, so let's mark the entrance here." Kassel took out a bright red pomegranate from her basket and smeared its crimson skin across the floors and walls, letting seeds drop everywhere. "Which way should we follow the water? I think we should go right."

It was a casual question, but to Karlos, it was a heavy decision. Should he find out what had brought him here, and follow the message? Or should he go down another path and pretend that everything was okay?

Or should he turn around and escape?

Karlos wanted to listen to his reason, but some unnerving sense of curiosity overtook his action. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the faint voice in his head, and followed his gut.

"...I think right, too."

'Splish' 'Splash'

Continuing down the path, they eventually found a slightly steep slope that went downwards. Sliding down the smooth rock, the two were greeted by a large open forest in the cavern.

The walls and floors were lined with luminous blue mushrooms and crystal stalagmites, creating a beautiful glow. The cavern was so spacious, in fact, that they could spot several deer among the foliage, quickly running away when spotted.

"Oh..." Kassel's bright red eyes shimmered with a deep purple, deeply admiring the scene. It was possibly the first time in years Karlos had ever seen her speechless, an occurrence he deeply appreciated. To Karlos, his eyes remained a clear azure, admiring the scenery before them.

The tranquility didn't last for long, however.

"...Wow~!" She excitedly ran and picked a mushroom, placing it into her basket. "Scôni!"

In just under five seconds, her basket was overflowing with glowing mushrooms and pomegranates, her voice gleefully reaching out into the cavern.

"This is just magnificence! Who knew we had such a wondrous place right next to our little Anafang? Come on, Karlos! Put down those sticks and start picking, your basket isn't even full!"

Karlos was wary. He picked up a mushroom and inspected it, a stream of questions flooding through his mind. Though, this time they were coherent.

How exactly are these mushrooms glowing?

He was no stranger to artificial lighting. Like how a great inventor gave the world candles and oil lamps in the past, there were certainly ways to produce light in an underground space. That being said, those methods required some form of a flame to produce light. What was causing these mushrooms to glow like so?

Perhaps beautiful things are the most deceptive.

Just as the thought entered his mind, he spotted a large shadow quickly moving towards them. He had expected it to be another deer, but squinting his eyes, Karlos realized it was a large boar. It was one so large it reached up to his shoulders, and had about six menacing tusks on its face, two pointing outwards and four curving upwards around its head, resembling a thick armoured helmet.

Its legs burst with muscle as the steel-like fur on its body slashed at the wind, increasing its speed to that of a sprinting horse as it prepared to collide with Kassel, who had not seemed to notice the creature.

Karlos instantly broke out of his confusion as he shouted,

"Watch out-!"

He ran in front of her, and Karlos felt his entire body crumple.

'CRACK' 'SNAP'

Launched over 3 meters away, his body was thrown like a broken doll. His clothes were a tattered mess, and his flesh and blood were completely exposed to the uncomfortable grass as he gasped violently for air.

Shortly after, he heard a loud thud.

'BAM'

The boar creature had accidentally slipped on a fallen pomegranate and collided with a tree, anchoring its mighty tusks into the bark. Fortunately, the boar had only slammed into him from the side. If it had collided head-on with its tusks, he probably would have died instantly. Unfortunately, even a graze of the impact still left Karlos critically wounded. He struggled to even stand as he realized his right arm and several ribs had broken.

'GROWL'

"..." Kassel's face went from expressionless to animated in an instant as she was slow to react, surprisingly.

"K-Karlos!"

The powerful boar would not stay immobilized for long, in a moments time, it would begin its rampage anew, now even more furious after slamming into the tree.

Kassel practically slid over to Karlos, who had passed out. She seriously checked his condition, feeling around his neck and wrists.

"Oh, thank the Allmother he's breathing! I should-" As she flipped him onto his stomach, however, her gaze froze.

She saw a mark resembling that of a serpents fangs, with a soul-like symbol in the middle. It was a strange thing. If she had never seen it before, Kassel probably would've thought Karlos became a delinquent. Or a criminal. It wasn't common, but she had heard of offenders of the law being given such tattoos after their sentence, after all.

"..."

'KLUNK'

The boar had torn off an entire section of the wood, before shaking its head rapidly to get rid of debris. Now enraged, it wildly charged at the two, shredding wind once more. It was even faster than last time, such that even a trained soldier might not have reacted in time.

Kassel grabbed a nearby pomegranate and outstretched her arms towards the beast. It was a silly gesture, but her voice was completely cold.

"...[Rorschach]"

Under her sleeve, a dark jewel that was securely fastened to her arm glowed. Instantly, the pomegranate melted into a dark ink and flung at the rampaging creature, even outpacing its own impressive speed.

The moment the boar had seen the ink, the substance had transformed into countless white snakes that violently constricted its body. The snakes tightened around its neck, legs, and even its torso, it could not break free of the serpents no matter how much strength it mustered, slowly choking for air.

'TUMBLE'

The once fearsome creature pathetically collapsed into the river. Its body lay limp as the tears that flowed from its eyes mixed with the clear stream.

It was dead.

Slowly, the snakes loosened their grip and melted into black puddles, staining the water with blood and ink.

Kassel was not finished with the beast. She threw her torch over to the large mass of flesh and set it ablaze, the fur quickly melting as it produced the rusted smell of iron oxide mixed with the delicious aroma of burnt pork.

Karlos slowly opened his eyes, the first thing to greet him being Kassel looming over him, her hands tightly clutching his head.

His long eyelashes flicked a few times as his vision unblurred. But right as pain began to seep into his mind, he vaguely heard her speak.

"What is that mark on your back?"

...What?

Kassel was glaring at him. Before Karlos had the chance to even process his predicament, he found himself feeling uneasy. He didn't know why Kassel had such an expression, nor did he understand what she meant by 'that mark'. After all, he had anticipated waking up back in the village, being scolded by Sêlafrien for being so reckless as to explore an unknown cavern by themselves.

So what was that tightening in his chest? His body ached as he tried to respond.

"What... mark?"

Kassel didn't continue. She gazed into his eyes, almost like she was looking for something, and slowly gripped his neck with her hands.

"...?"

In the next second, she forcefully dug her fingers into his neck.

"Wait- 'Cough...!' " Karlos tried to move, but the pain from his broken limbs forced him still.

Kassel did not change her expression. She only watched his own expression turn into that of anguish and fear. Her nails weren't particularily long, but they felt terrifyingly sharp as indents appeared on his skin.

"Karlos Lippe... I am not here for games anymore." She tightened her grip further. "I only want to know... What is that symbol on your back?"

Karlos began tearing up. He was confused and scared, but moreso, he felt betrayed. Why is she doing this? Is that really Kassel? What have I done wrong?

"I... I don't know...!" He tried to yell out as he ignored the pain in his ribs.

"...Very well." She removed her grip and reached into a hidden pocket within her dress, taking out a beautiful blade encrusted with red jewels. It glimmered under the blue glow of the forest, producing a deep purple, much like her eyes. 

 "Did you know..." She stared at the blade, her gaze wandering along its edge. "...that your father hired me from the Holy Kingdom to spy on you?"

"...Wha- 'Agh!'" Karlos felt his chest tighten in pain, preventing him from speaking any further.

"You don't need to answer." She moved the blade towards his throat as she spoke with a hint of mockery.

"...I'm just talking to myself, okay?" The dagger danced above his neck and grazed his skin the slightest bit multiple times. The cold steel sent shivers throughout Karlos's body, who was engulfed in the warmth of his own blood. After seeing him nod slightly to indicate that he understand, she continued.

"About five years ago, before you came to this Beschissen dump of a village, I was hired by your father as a spy. My other 'friends' had specially selected me for the role, you know? I was so glad! Finally, I would have a chance to prove my abilities for once, you know?" Kassel was practically rambling. The blade did not move at all during all of this, but the rest of her movements were very animated, like she was talking with a friend.

Was that what was happening here? Was he still her friend?

"Though... there's one small detail my seniors forgot to mention to him. And yes, he didn't find out about this either... I'm actually not a spy.

But an assassin."

She poked the tip of the blade directly at his throat this time. Her movements held no joy or enthusiasm anymore. She was deathly calm, ready to spill the last remnants of his life with one flick of her hand.

The desire to live gripped Karlos. He wanted to scream, but even that was too painful of a task. He could only wordlessly listen as Kassel spoke in a monotone. Despite her voice sounding so utterly dull, her deranged giggle seemed awfully happy.

"My loyalties don't lie with your father, you see. Don't get the wrong idea, he may have hired me, but think of me like... a Mercenary. His goals never really aligned with mine, and his motives never involved your death... But now that I've seen that interesting little mark... I suppose I'll have to take you back as a corpse to the Holy Kingdom..."

The blade dug deeper. So deep that it broke a layer of skin.

T-This... It's a joke, right? This is just a joke that's gone too far, plus she didn't even realize that it's still too early for All Fools Day... Karlos tried reasoning to himself. He thought of thousands of scenarios.

Is this just an awful nightmare? No... I still feel pain clearly... Oh, this must be a setup from the Tiôrden earlier! He and Kassel must have thought to lure me here for a prank. Of course... But then where is he? They're taking this a little too far... Maybe... Maybe this is...

And yet, immense fear overtook his soul.

"H-Help!"

He knew it was pointless. They were quite deep into the cavern. It was practically impossible for anyone to have heard his plea. Despite that,

"Please, someone-"

Kassel quickly slapped him, digging the dagger deeper into his neck and drawing a droplet of blood. If she had slapped him from the other side, the blade probably would have sunk into his flesh.

"None of that, okay?" Kassel's expression was indescribable. It was something like amusement, but also frustration and coldness. Though, judging by her smile, it was clearly scorn.

"I suppose... If you have nothing left in that throat of yours..." She raised the elegant blade above his eyes.

"I'll cut it out."

"..." Karlos said nothing. He had no words for her.

Kassel studied his expression with her still vibrant, yet emotionless red eyes, before slowly whispering.

"...Auf Wiedersehen, Baldie."

It was a silly nickname. In such an unfamiliar environment and situation, it was the last piece of familiar thread that he clung to. Even for a brief moment, he felt at ease hearing it. That thread, that never seemed to snap, no matter how hard one tugged.

Yet, it was cut.

With a flowing motion, killing intent washed over Karlos as Kassel plunged the dagger into his throat.

He closed his eyes.

'CRACK'