They walked slowly into the giant stone cave. The air inside felt very damp and cold piercing the skin. A bright blue river flowed in the middle of the cave room illuminating the towering dark stone walls. Those walls had carvings of ancient statues staring straight down. The sound of dripping water echoed in every corner.
When their shoes stepped on the inner stone floor the air pressure instantly changed to become very heavy. Their shoulders felt pressed down.
" l-locked..." Sa hu muttered. The dragon girl turned back with widened eyes and slightly parted lips.
"Locked?" Salksha repeated those words. She turned her body slowly looking toward the cave entrance. Her blue eyes narrowed sharply.
The stone floor beneath their feet shook violently. The cave entrance hole behind them was closed by a thick blood red magical energy wall. The energy wall emitted a dim light and a low humming sound.
"What bullshit is this... ugh..." 01 said. He let out a long breath through his mouth then softly rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand.
"Red.. beautiful.. so beautiful.. oh no we are locked in.." 02 said dramatically. The blonde haired woman put the back of her right hand on her forehead with a fake sad expression. She then lowered her hand and smiled very widely revealing her rows of teeth. "Oh no we have no other choice but to move forward!"
Salksha walked forward. She raised her right hand then pressed the tip of her thumb on the surface of the red energy wall. She closed her eyes trying to feel the magic flow behind it. "Hmmm."
"Difficult..." she said while pulling her hand back.
"From... my knowledge.." Sa hu said. She swallowed her saliva and squeezed the end of her red robe sleeve.
02 Salksha and 01 simultaneously turned their heads shifting their gaze toward Sa hu.
"The only way to open this is to wait every seven hours or kill the creature controlling it.." Sa hu continued.
"Why does that creature do something like this?" Salksha asked. She folded both her arms in front of her chest staring straight at Sa hu's panicked face.
"Ah I have a question I have a question," 01 said. He raised his left hand to shoulder height. "Has anyone ever forcibly opened this seal?"
"Me!! Me!!" 02 exclaimed very enthusiastically. She hopped slightly in place and raised both her hands straight above her head. "What happens when it is already like this?"
Sa hu stared in confusion thinking about which question to answer first. Her gaze moved frantically back and forth looking at the faces of 02 01 and Salksha.
She then answered stutteringly. "Eh uh.. the creature does that to prey on creatures that enter and and and someone once defeated the ruling creature here but that creature will come back to life within twenty four hours and.."
Sa hu stopped for a moment taking a short breath through her mouth. Her chest rose and fell quickly. "And during those seven hours we will be hunted and turned into food by the monsters here!!!"
"Ah.." Salksha said softly. She only nodded her head once digesting that information.
"Yeaaa!!!!!!" 02 shouted. She clenched both her hands and punched the empty air in front of her repeatedly with enthusiasm.
"Fuuckkkkkkkk!!!!! Damn you Zalvarich!!!!! Damn it!!!" 01 shouted. The veins on his neck bulged out. He swung his sword hitting the empty air with a very annoyed face lamenting his fate.
The stone floor beneath their feet shook very hard again. The sound of heavy footsteps hitting the ground echoed running toward them from inside the darkness.
"Ah it is coming the monster is coming!!" Sa hu shouted.
Sa hu immediately scratched her palm using her own fingernail. Fresh blood flowed out of her wound extending then hardening to form a dark red sword in her grasp.
Salksha clenched both her hands tightly. Bright white magical energy wrapped around her two fists. Her blue eyes slowly turned white emitting light in the middle of the cave darkness.
"Fire," 01 muttered. His red eyes stared sharply forward. Instantly the fire on 01's sword blade blazed larger flaring up and changed color to bright pink.
Thud thud thud.
The figure of that creature appeared from behind the shadows. A mutated monster in the form of a giant bear. Its fur was very thick dark colored and rough. Its eyes shone bright red staring straight ahead. A very thick long tail filled with protruding bone spikes swung wildly behind its back destroying the rocks around it.
01 shot straight toward the creature kicking the rocky ground. His boots splashed the blue river water. The giant bear monster opened its jaw wide. Out of the monster's mouth came sharp thorny parasitic meat vines that grew longer shooting toward 01's face.
01 swung his fire sword forward.
Clang clang clang.
The loud scraping sound of clashing metal was heard throughout the cave. The thorny parasitic vines wrapped around 01's sword and stopped his slashing momentum very strongly. Sparks scattered.
"Should we help?" Sa hu asked. She held her blood sword tightly preparing to dash forward.
"No need no need, he is stressed let him vent his annoyance," 02 said. The woman crossed her arms on her chest then smiled widely enjoying the sight of 01's fight in front of her.
01 kept pushing against the parasitic wraps. The giant bear's large arm raised then swung hitting hard toward 01's stomach. 01 lowered his body bending his knees and quickly dodged to the left side. He then thrust his sword straight forward.
Swoosh!
A blast of pink fire shot from 01's sword blade. The fire completely burned the left side of the bear's body. The giant monster roared in pain.
01 kicked the stone floor and jumped high hovering in the air.
Slash!
The first slash cut vertically splitting the bear's stomach. Thick black blood sprayed out.
Slash!
The second slash cut off the bear's right arm that tried to protect it.
Slash!
A horizontal slash decapitated the bear's neck. The bear's head was thrown flying into the air.
01 came down landing on the ground very elegantly. He stood straight staring at the remaining body of the bear in front of him. 01 then spit right at the lifeless monster's body.
His
spit fell touching the surface of the monster's fur.
Boom!
Instantly the giant bear's body exploded into pieces burning the rest of its meat. The area around the explosion was swept by a heat wave. The remaining black blood of the monster dripped falling to join the blue river flow inside the cave.