"Did you find any other cave apart from the one you dropped me at?" Benign asked a Firewing as Ston helped Vargel get on top of it.
Vargel paused. "Do you ask me or 'it'?"
"It." Benign watched the creature for a reaction and it lowered its head and a disappointed caw left it.
He nodded. "I see. Vargel, do you know if there's been any cave around here apart from this one discovered with ancient relics?"
Vargel climbed the Firewing and looked at it, then Benign, wondering if he really communicated with the creatures.
"None I know of. These caves belonged to older civilisations. They'd be scattered about and probably hidden."
Hidden was the word. If they were hidden, then they didn't need a bird's eye view to find it. Benign gave signals to the birds when all of them were atop.
"Let's get to the first cave."
Kendrick set out first and the two followed him. They reached the cave and the Firewings descended by the mouth. Vargel jumped down eagerly, bringing out his notes.
"It's been almost ten years since I came here. Why does it look so different?" his eyes brightened as he anticipated the new knowledge he'd attain.
The cave gave off an ominous aura as the three of them got closer, but it was the only clue they had on the glitches, so they had to risk it.
Benign got down from Kendrick and went into the cave. "You came here ten years ago? Is it supposed to change after that long? You must've been a young scholar."
Vargel chuckled. "After fifty years of intense studying, it'd be a shame not to know as much. Also, the cave has a lot hidden inside that promises new knowledge all the time."
Benign nodded slowly, but what repeated in his head was 'fifty years'. He side-glanced Vargel. It was worrying to see Vargel, who looked like his mate in his early twenties, saying his experience was half a hundred.
"They are elves anyway." He muttered to himself. He took his eyes to the two holes on the cave side. Did it mean something? Or was he supposed to put a relic in it?
"This—"
"Ignore it." Vargel waved dismissively. "We always did."
Somehow it didn't seem like he should. Benign looked at it again, then took out his revolver and the sickle. "Let's just keep it filled." He placed the objects in it.
[Legal System loading...]
"I thought you finally died." Benign sighed when Lego functioned again. "You have my status ready?"
There was no other response. Benign waited for the loading mission but there's still nothing. He noticed Vargel was very eager to go in so he made the head start. Has his system started to glitch?
Something strange happened. From the outside, the cave looked like a dark hall and Benign had thought of bringing out a fire torch to illuminate.
However when they got in, the cave pulsed faintly and lit up itself while there was no visible source of illumination.
Benign would've taken it as normal for a supernatural place, but Vargel who'd been there before, stared in silence. "It didn't do this before."
Benign turned to Ston that stayed outside. The elf pointed at the holes Benign had placed the objects. "When the lights came, your weapons were gone. I hope they weren't that important."
Benign stood speechless. Did he just trade the only weapons he had for light in a cave? He tried to brush it off.
"Y-You might want to stay to watch the Firewings, but in case we get attacked, your strength will be really helpful."
"You seem like you can handle yourself." Ston said.
Benign chuckled. Without weapons? He couldn't be so sure. Also, whatever they'd find here wouldn't be like the confused glitched creature with poor aiming he had met.
"What about me?" Vargel frowned. "Get in here to protect me. You could also learn a thing or two. Benign has those things under control. They wouldn't run off."
Benign turned to Kendrick and seemed to have a telepathic communication. He didn't know how he did it. He just wanted it to wait there, and next, he saw it sitting on its legs. The other two did the same.
Ston turned to the creatures, and then to Benign. He shrugged. "Fine and good. The problem would have been how to leave here when they run off."
When Ston got in, another strange thing happened. The cave, that didn't even have a closing, was closed by part of its walls covering the entrance. While the three stared at the wall, the two holes flipped into the cave and the objects were there.
Ston took them and handed them to Benign. "These strange things are probably happening because a 'protector of the realms' is here, so keep your eyes open."
Those words reminded Benign of what the old elf said. The glitches had definitely not been his fault because it was for their very existence he was brought here by the system.
For this cave? He didn't know for sure. They belonged to another civilisation that he had no clue about so it shouldn't also be connected to him.
He held the revolver since it had better range. "Let's go."
They got to the main hall in the cave. There was nothing there but hoes and holes in the walls. He turned to Vargel.
"Ah yes. We extracted the mineral here to boost our magic. It helped us create a portal to a completely different pocket realms that we comfortably live in." The elf said.
Those otherworldly places that strangely had trees and life and looked like a different realm altogether? Benign could see the need. If minerals from another civilisation could do that then it spoke a lot about what kind of civilisation that was.
"But that... that wasn't here last time." Vargel added.
They all turned to their right.
A twenty-foot gate stood ominously at the end of the cave. There were intricately designed cups, spilling wine out its mouths. Dirty scrolls were scattered around it. There was a wall with strange writings too.
"Is that another thing my presence possibly caused?" Benign asked, moving closer to the gate.
"Yes." Vargel confirmed. "It never appeared before."