Chapter 38: The Eccentric Guide

"Morning, Sam. How are you and your lovely companions this fine morning?" Calvin asked, showing us to a long wooden table. "Sit, we have a lot to discuss before you leave." A woman loudly made her way beside him. "This is Vera. She will serve as your guide to and from the Sunken Caverns."

The woman plopped down into a chair, letting several things fall out of her pockets. Each made a unique clanking sound as it bounced off the floor.

"Yeah, yeah. I’m Vera, an assassin," she interrupted, her voice rolling as she spoke. "We have a lot of fun ahead of us. As long as you don’t accidentally fall into a volcano..."

"There are volcanoes where we’re going?!" I shouted over her voice.

"Good heavens, no. Why would we ever go near one of those?" she replied, picking at her nails. "We’re going underground!" Her eyes gleamed at the word.

"You’ll have to forgive Vera. Despite her being our best guide, she can be a handful." Calvin rubbed the back of his neck, bowing slightly. "We appreciate you jumping right in and helping out. It’s not very often a quest just sits like that one."

During the meeting to go over the area, Vera added many points to the conversation. All valid. *Maybe she isn’t as wild as she appears. I’ll keep my eye on her for now.*

From there, Calvin walked us to the village gates. The morning sun had just crested the tops of the trees, casting long shadows over the ground ahead of us. The breeze carried a sharp chill with it, giving me goosebumps.

"Good luck," he said, patting me on the back stiffly. "With Vera’s help, it shouldn’t take more than a few days, that is if nothing goes wrong."

"Sounds good, Calvin. Thanks," I said, turning to my team after. "Vera, lead the way."

By the time Vera spoke again, a few hours had passed, allowing us to delve decently far into the dense woods. Insects and animals I’d never seen before grabbed my attention as they skittered off, alerted by her voice.

"We can probably hike another few hours after a short rest," she said, grabbing her water horn from her pack. She turned to the group after, gesturing to the small clearing. "We’ll take a short break here. Drop your bags and drink some water."

Something about her demeanor was different when she spoke. It was almost like she wasn’t looking at us, but rather through us. My gut instincts flared as the hair on my arms rose. Checking behind me, I found nothing.

"You felt that?" Vera asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Like a sudden drop in the temperature," I muttered, keeping my voice low. "Or like something is watching us."

Vera nodded and placed a hand on the hilt of a dagger resting at her hip. Her quirky attitude from the guild hall had completely vanished. The woman standing in front of us now was cold and incredibly focused.

"The ambient mana gets thick the closer we get to the shore," she explained, her eyes darting between the thick tree trunks. "It attracts roaming beasts. Keep your guard up."

Katrina let out a low hiss, her tail fluffing to twice its size as she stepped closer to my side. Damara silently drew a slender blade from her waist, her ruby eyes scanning the dense canopy above. We waited in the heavy silence for a few long minutes. Only the rustling of leaves and the distant calls of strange birds filled the void. Eventually, the oppressive feeling in the air lifted.

"Just a passing shadow," Vera announced, relaxing her grip on the dagger. "We should keep moving. We need to beat the tide."

We packed our things quickly and resumed our trek. The dense forest canopy slowly began to thin out as we walked. The rich smell of damp earth and pine needles was steadily replaced by the sharp sting of salt in the air. The temperature dropped another few degrees as a steady coastal wind whipped through the branches ahead of us.

"We are getting close," Damara said, stepping lightly over a twisted root.

The distant roar of crashing water grew louder with every step. My anticipation built alongside the noise. A few minutes later, the treeline broke completely, allowing the bright afternoon sun to blind us momentarily. We stepped out onto a wide expanse of rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean.

The view was absolutely breathtaking. Massive vivid blue waves slammed into the jagged stone walls below us, sending plumes of white spray high into the air.

Vera walked right to the edge of the precipice and pointed down. I cautiously approached the drop-off and looked over. Below us, the angry ocean churned violently against the sheer cliff face.

"Where are the caverns?" I asked, searching the rocky wall for any sign of an entrance.

"Right below us," Vera replied, flashing a sly grin. "The Sunken Caverns are entirely submerged during high tide. The only way in is to wait for the water to recede."

I watched the surging water crash against the rock. The idea of going into a cave that completely fills with ocean water sent a fresh wave of anxiety straight to my stomach.

"So we just wait for the water to drop?" Katrina asked, peering over the edge with wide golden eyes. "What happens if we take too long inside?"

"Then you learn how to hold your breath really well," Vera laughed loudly, her chaotic personality bubbling right back to the surface. "Don’t worry too much. We have a solid window once the entrance clears. Let us make camp here and wait for the ocean to do its thing."

Damara helped me set up our tent and unpack our sleeping supplies. The look on Vera’s face when I unrolled a bright red sleeping bag was priceless. Her jaw dropped when I let her feel the inside of it.

Before we knew it, the sun had almost set, painting the shoreline in an almost flame like orange and red. With a fire going and food hanging over it, I decided to step into the woods to relieve myself.

No sooner than the stream hit the dirt, something behind me moved, rustling leaves and sending me into a panic. The stream shot forward by a few feet before returning to normal.

Trying to hurry, a small creature meandered out of the treeline, stopping five feet from me. After a short staring match, it grinned wide, showing off two pristine rows of sharp teeth.

"Guys! Something just came out of the woods!" I yelled, hoping someone would hear me. "Damara!? Katrina!?" I took a deep breath. "FUCK!"