The group arrived on the street with a Bushalte on the side. The trip took them less than two hours because of Agatha's speeding. It wasn't even eleven o'clock when they got to the location with trees as the view. The tall mountain range was also visible in the distance.
Agatha pulled over near the Bushalte and parked her motor carriage there. The four people got out and Jacco quickly ran to the bushes.
Bleeergh!!
He vomited violently; the liquid projectile hit the plants underneath him. His half-digested breakfast and the coffee he had had earlier was now all out. Once he was done vomiting, he took out a small bottle of water from his fanny pack and gulped it down quickly to get rid of the disgusting taste from his mouth.
"I take it as you're ready to go now?" asked Graham.
He nodded weakly.
Graham then turned to Agatha and looked at the stilettos that she was wearing in concern.
"Are you really going to wear those the whole time? There will be some trekking needed,"
She looked at Graham and smiled meaningfully.
"Of course not,"
After saying that, she went to her motor carriage and opened the passenger door. She bent over and picked up a pair of red hiking boots that matched her coat from under the driver's seat. Sitting on the motor carriage, she took off the stilettos and put on the boots. Despite all that, she still managed to do everything elegantly, which confused Graham to some extent.
"Val, women are sometimes more mysterious than secret organizations..."
Agatha closed the passenger door and locked it with her key and after making sure all the doors were locked, she returned to the group.
"I'm all set. Now shall we go?" she asked with her soft and warm voice.
"Luuk, you stay guard at the back. You're the fastest, if you go first, we'll be left behind," commanded Graham.
"Sure," replied Luuk shortly.
Graham went first because he had the best memory. He still remembered the way to the cave perfectly. Jacco and Agatha followed him closely behind and Luuk went last. It also gave him the chance to watch over the group.
They walked quickly towards the direction that Graham designated and when they were all tired, Luuk would take out his stamina powder and let the group inhaled it. Agatha, despite her appearance, was surprisingly strong. She wasn't the first to get tired in the group.
They reached the part where they had to do some climbing not long after. Graham went first and then followed by Jacco and Agatha. Luuk went last in case someone needed help from below. The climbing part wasn't as difficult for them because they had done it before. As for Agatha, she got the help of Graham so she could do it smoothly.
"Finally!" exclaimed Jacco while panting.
He sat on the ground, panting heavily. Luuk handed Jacco another pouch of stamina powder and the latter quickly inhaled it. After that, magically, he felt his stamina coming back, although the effect wasn't as powerful as when he first used it.
"Thank you," said Agatha as she also received the powder.
She was also sitting on the ground with her purse on her lap. Once she inhaled the yellow powder that looked like ground turmeric, some of her stamina was recovered in an instant.
Agatha then looked at the cave in front of her. The entrance of the cave was big and there was a lot of sunshine coming through, so even without night vision, they should still be able to see.
"Is this the place? Are there that many supernatural creatures inside?" she asked.
Graham was also watching the entrance closely, in case something came out and attacked them. Last time, they encountered a Tsuchinoko right after entering the place.
"Yes. We killed some last time, so there should be fewer now. Although, we haven't been that deep into the cave,"
After saying that, Graham took out his lighter and lit a fire. He was planning to see what kinds of creatures resided deep within the cave in front of them. He concentrated on the flame and repeated the question in his mind.
The other three saw the man with his lighter and understood what he was trying to do. They quickly focused on the flame so they could see the image as well.
Little by little, something was formed in the core of the flame. It was an image of a creature that looked like a snake with a short body and a bloated belly. They knew that it was a Tsuchinoko. After that, the image shifted to a bat-like monster with human hair, which was known as an Olitiau. The image changed again and showed a part of the cave that was covered in webs. Hiding behind the webs was a giant spider half the height of the cave. It shifted one more time and showed a lake with a dark shadow swimming in it. It was the Nhang that he had divined last time. After that, the image gradually disappeared and the flame returned to normal.
"What the fuck is that giant spider? And the thing swimming?" asked Jacco in surprise.
"The thing in the lake is our target. As for the spider, I don't know. I can only find out about it once we've faced it," replied Graham.
"Is there a chance that there are other creatures that don't show up in your divination?" asked Luuk cautiously.
Graham rested his chin on his hand and thought about it.
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"There is a chance, especially if there is a creature that is good at anti-divination. Remember, my divination is not almighty," he replied.
"I'm ready now. Shall we go?" Agatha interjected.
Graham nodded. He got up and cleaned the dirt off his clothes. The other three had also gotten up and now the group was ready. They walked towards the entrance but before entering, Agatha stopped them.
"Let me do something first," she said.
She opened her purse and took out a small piece of paper and a lighter. She then kneeled in front of the cave and put the purse beside her. The lighter in her hand made a tiny spark when she pulled the trigger and a flame was created.
"I, in the name of the Deity of Sleep, burn this paper,"
The surrounding area became dimmer and tranquil. She set the paper on fire and it started burning gently.
"I wish upon thee for the creatures inside this cave to be granted peaceful sleep."
The fire consumed the paper very slowly and the ashes mysteriously spread to the inside of the cave. It took more than a minute for her to finish her ritual. Once it was done, Agatha stood back up.
Graham had seen this ability before, back when he wasn't even a Contractbound. It was a Slumberer's ability that could make the people in the whole building fall asleep instantly. It was very powerful but needed to be used in advance because of the long preparation time.
"Can your ability make all the creatures inside sleep?" asked Graham curiously.
"No, but the weaker ones and the ones closest to the entrance should," she answered confidently.
The group then entered the cave and the first thing they saw was the bones of a snake-like creature. Its flesh and organs were completely gone, and even the bones were not completely intact. The skull was broken and some of the 'ribcages' that formed its belly were missing. It was the Tsuchinoko that they had defeated last time.
"Isn't that?" asked Luuk to confirm.
Graham nodded.
"Who could have eaten it?" asked Luuk again.
"Probably another Tsuchinoko or even an Olitiau. If it's not one of those two, then even I can't use divination to find out," replied Graham.
They ignored the creature and went deeper into the cave. Unlike last time, it was easier now since they were not faced with danger right away.
There were still sunbeams illuminating the cave from the holes in the ceiling. They could still see where they were going without the help of artificial lighting or night vision.
They should arrive at the spot where they killed three Tsuchinokos soon. They walked carefully with their guard up and ahead of them, the white bones started to become visible. However, instead of only bones, this time they saw some of the rotting flesh was there. The putrid smell penetrated their noses and making them nauseated. They wanted to just walk quickly pass the dead creatures' carcass, but suddenly a presence came from the opposite direction.
"Something is here!" reminded Graham.
"Fuck! I can't fight like this!" shouted Jacco. He felt very nauseated and his face was also pale.
Besides Jacco, Luuk and Agatha were also not in very good condition. It took a very strong stomach and a lot of getting used to to be able to ignore the rancid smell of rot. Even Graham was starting to feel the effect.
The thing in front of them slowly revealed itself. It was a giant bat-like creature with human hair all over its body. Its ugly face was full of blood and pieces of flesh. It was an Olitiau that was probably eating the carcasses and for some reason had to leave for a while. They were now standing in its feeding area.
"I, in the name of the Deity of the Tongue, order the smell filling this room to go away!"
With that, the putrid stench that was in the room slowly dissipated. Now the group could fight without worrying about vomiting suddenly.
They quickly got in formation, with Luuk as the vanguard and Graham and Agatha behind him. Jacco stayed at the back.
"I, in the name of the Deity of War, play this war drum!"
Badum! Badum!
The group felt energized. Their speed, strength, and stamina had been boosted greatly.
"Screech!"
The Olitiau let out a threatening screech and spread its wings far to appear bigger and more intimidating.
Bang!
Graham shot a slow bullet and hit the creature right in the abdomen. Blood came out of the hole that the bullet with the purple tip made and the Olitiau was visible angered.
Whoosh!
It flapped its wings and created a strong gust of wind with the intention to push the group back. However, because of the effect of the slow bullet, its flapping was slowed down, so the power of the wind was not at its maximum. Jacco, who was standing the farthest behind, felt the least impact, so his drum beating was not interrupted. Graham and Luuk had already expected the attack, so they had quickly got down. Agatha, although not familiar with the creature, saw the other two ducking, had quickly ducked herself, avoiding the attack.
"Why is this thing not sleeping?" asked Luuk curiously at Agatha who was lying near him.
"This thing is stronger than me, that's why," she replied shortly.
Once the wind attack subsided, the three of them quickly got up. Luuk charged at the creature but was met with a wing slap.
Clank!
Luuk parried the attack with his dagger. The creature was still slowed, so its attack was very easy to read.
Stab!
Luuk thrust his knife into the right wing of the creature, tearing its flesh. Blood came gushing out of the wound and the creature's expression was twisted. He quickly pulled out his knife before the Olitiau could bite him with its sharp fangs.
"I, in the name of the Deity of Bloodshed and Manslaughter, imbue my blood with explosive power!"
Agatha had taken out a pouch full of gunpowder and sprinkled some on her palm that had her blood pooling on it. The blood then created tiny sparks and she quickly charged at the creature and splashed the crimson liquid all over its body.
Kaboom!
The creature protected itself with its wings, but the explosion was strong enough. The membrane on both of its wings was completely torn apart. Now it couldn't fly or create gusts of wind anymore.
Luuk and Jacco were amazed by her ability. It was their first time seeing a Murderer in action. As for Graham, he had seen something similar during the mafia's fight with the black creature and also when they tried to attack Valentine.
Graham didn't waste time. He quickly approached the still weakened creature and took out his dagger. When the creature was about to react against the attack, Luuk, who had also come close, quickly chanted.
"I, in the name of the Deity of Theft, declare your intention to defend yourself mine!"
The Olitiau's expression became confused as if it had just forgotten what it was about to do. However, seeing the two men about to attack it, the creature quickly tried to defend itself. The split-second delay between its actions was what the two attackers aimed for. It was long enough for them to quickly thrust their daggers into the creature's flesh, aiming for vital spots.
Badum! Badum!
The sound of the drum beating empowered their attack. Although Luuk was using his left hand, his dagger still sunk with ease into the Olitiau's chest, where the heart should be. Graham's own dagger had penetrated the creature's neck, and he was moving it to completely decapitate the Olitiau.
"Screech!"
It let out a cry of agony before its head was completely severed. Blood came gushing out of its neck and its body fell down to the ground lifelessly. Graham and Luuk quickly stood up and with their weapons in hand.
"It's... that easy?" said Jacco from the back in doubt.
He stopped beating his drum once he was sure that the creature was completely dead. The last time they fought something similar, it took them very long and a lot of resources to defeat it. But now, it seemed very easy.
Jacco looked at the bat-like creature that was lying on the ground with its head separated. Some of the human hair covering its body was burned in the explosion that Agatha caused and its wings were mangled. The wound on its chest was still leaking blood and the neck where the head should be was also still bleeding. It looked more like a massacre than a fight.
Graham cleaned some dirt off his coat and walked away from the dead creature.
"We have Agatha this time and we already know its attack pattern," he replied, and then observed the carcass carefully, "Let's move the body aside. We'll harvest its valuable organs later so we won't be burdened,"