Ancient Curse I

Tsunade and Azrael may not come around any time soon, they're working hard to spread my religion so that I can get more chaos points through faith. I have to do my part too... so I should have time to go to the Elf Kingdom while they're away, dethrone Decem Hougan, establish the new religion and then be right back. 

Hopefully in less than two weeks if I take my time. 

In the meantime, I'll enjoy this weekend with the girls as we investigate what's beneath this dungeon.

"Do you know how to read the runes at all, Vanna?" I asked the forest elf who walked behind me with the girls chatting in the front. We walked past a cave where the runes were engraved in the walls and the bonfires shone with blue flames... way more energetic than normal flames. Who knows for how long this flame has burned unhindered?

"I'm sorry, my Lord. I'm not acquainted with the ancient language at all, not even a little. It is miraculous in itself that you can feel the intentions behind this drawing".

I had explained to her what I felt just so she had an idea.

"Who do you think would draw these runes?" I asked. 

"… if I had to guess, although it sounds like a myth: a midnight elf" Her countenance resembled an incredulous individual. Like even she didn't believe what she just said. 

"…"

"It could also have been a dryad. They were extinct forest creatures who served the midnight elves and forest elves during ancient times. They two knew how to write and read ancient elfic language… but this aura which I'm not acquainted with, I'd like to believe it was an Ancient Midnight Elf!".

We entered the cave which started with a very pronounced natural formation in the form of caracol stairs heading down. The dunes were written all over. I couldn't explain why… but the energy I felt from that aura was too eerie.

And my instincts weren't wrong. 

The runes were beautifully crafted and written on those walls, but the energy I felt from them was creepy. They weren't written with good intentions or transmitting a hopeful message.

'Ray-sama, I have a strange feeling...' Katsuyu said and popped her head out just enough so that Anna-chan wouldn't notice and snatch her away.

'What sort of feeling?'

'Like something trying to pry into my mind... don't you feel the same?'.

'I don't feel anything except for some eerie aura which comes from these runes–'

"Oh? What is that?" Akeno mentioned suddenly, which prompted all of us to look in that direction, it was the entrance to a bigger area beneath the caracol stairs. A massive area with pitch-black stalactites on the ceiling. In this area, there were all types of plants scattered around and waving even though there was no wind. 

Akeno had been staring at a spot, in particular, the ceiling. 

"Do you mean the stalactites?".

"No, Ray-kun, I can see something hovering there" She pointed vehemently, but I still couldn't see what she was seeing. 

"Stay behind me, girls... something weird is going on already" I warned, something they can see but I can't? that doesn't make sense... I should be able to see everything with energy records. They did as I said. 

Katsuyu, Anna Blair and I weren't able to see it, but...

"I can see it too. It is like a... notification message, sort of?" Rias tried to explain but she couldn't quite do it. 

"There is something written in it too... in Japanese! It says 'Fallen Elf Dungeon: Destroy the Elf Nucleus to complete the hidden guest and attain wondrous rewards'. I-I don't understand, why can we see it and you can't, Ray-chan?" Anna said.

"E-Elf Nucleus?" Anna Blair stared around, the ominous feeling was getting even stronger for her. 

It didn't make much sense. 

'I believe this is some sort of spiritual technique derived from those runes, Ray-sama. The reason we can't see it is because of the Sun Energy that courses through us, although this is only a theory'.

'Then why can't Anna Blair see it? even when she's a native elf' and shouldn't have sun Energy'.

'I don't know...'

We couldn't find a conclusion to this dilemma, but it didn't stop us from exploring further. What exactly does it mean? what is the elf nucleus?

"T-This vegetation. Some of it I haven't seen before!" Anna Blair remarked. She wanted to kneel to touch, but I stopped her. 

"Don't touch anything. They may be poisonous or something else. It doesn't matter how beautiful or alluring anything in this place looks, remember... no one that's come down here has left alive" I warned again, I may be confident in my abilities, but I won't be overconfident when there are others in the line. 

Rias and Akeno nodded solemnly... Anna resisted the urge to eat those plants but still licked her lips. What am I going to do with this girl? why does she have to be so cute?

We explored the area and evaded the flowers which seemed attracted to me for obvious reasons.

So many adventurers had come and perished, I was expecting to find bones and treasures everywhere, but we didn't see any such thing. The place instead looked like no one had been around for milleniums. 

As we explored deeper into this floor, that notification up there seemed as if it was following us, wherever we went, they'd look up and it was still there. We found something else of interest. Something that caught even my attention.

There was what looked like a massive blue shiny crystal that looked different from the rest of the stalactites. It was a massive circular-shaped blue topaz. or some other gem. Too circular and perfect to be a natural formation.

"Elf Nucleus..." Anna Blair frowned.

This gem looked like someone had mashed it up to pieces to harvest it. This is the only trace we have found so far to prove someone else has been down here. I looked down on the ground, the trail of our steps behind was already erased from the navy-blue soil beneath. This was a trap, one that didn't work on me... as I can see the energy and know where we have to go to leave.

But someone else may be already lost at this point.

I stared at this Elf Nucleus or whatever. With the energy that it is emitting, I wouldn't be surprised if I obtained a few thousand chaos points for it!

Before I could even think of destroying it, though, Anna Blair touched it and unknowingly, tears rolled down her cheeks, again.

"Why are you crying, Vanna?" I asked, she had already teared up with the runes and now this, it looked unconscious. 

"I-I don't know… I just feel like crying. I don't know why!" She couldn't explain it.

"There there, everything will be okay!~" Anna took her, embraced her and patted her head.

A bit confused the elf allowed herself to be patted until she stopped crying. From that moment her eyes looking at Anna changed. In the middle of their hug, something happened, finally some action. 

A mist started to surround us ever so slowly.

"Where is this mist coming from?" Akeno asked, a bit too late. 

*WHOOSH!*

"Careful!"

I saw an arrow, literally in slow motion, shoot from the side straight towards both hugging Annas. 

*BOOM!*

I put a spatial barrier to protect the girls, but Anna Blair shocked me yet again. With the speed of lightning, she pushed Anna, released her bow and fired an arrow that met that arrow mid-air, splitting both arrows in half. 

"Are you okay, Anna?"

"E-Eh?" My youkai girl was still confused over what just happened. 

Rias, Akeno and I were left jawdropped. I don't know how much skill it takes to do that, but that was cool as fuck.