Cassandra

Year 820 | Month 7 | Day 14

The tunnel leading to what is most definitely the drake’s lair turns out to be rather large after the initial entrance. Probably because of the drake’s size requiring it to be large. Meanwhile there’s magma flowing down the sides of the tunnel on the ground in little streams, along with more magma dripping down from the walls and ceiling.

My brows furrow at that thought as I begin to wonder if I’m even referring to it correctly. As to whether it’s magma or lava.

But it doesn’t take me long to arrive at the lair itself, so I decide what to call it doesn’t matter.

Especially when I see the massive cavern taking the form of the drake’s lair. And the enormous lake of magma all around a large island.

An island that is covered in treasure.

Every last inch of it.

Meanwhile there’s a large roost made of branches and the like at the center of the mounds of treasure.

Despite all of this though, I don’t see the altar. Which is a problem, seeing as it’s the reason I came here.

The reason why I’m risking so much going in here.

I spread my aura all throughout the cavern to search for both traps and the altar, but I don’t find either. Probably because this is a drake’s lair, and I doubt a drake is going to go around laying traps all over the place. Especially not a Wrath Sin energy drake.

Traps just aren’t the style of Wrath. That feels more in the greenhouse of Greed or Envy or something like that.

Maybe Lust.

Not the blunt hammer that is Wrath.

I can tell that just based off of my own skills. None of which include anything that can be used as a trap. Except my direct manipulation skill.

Minutes pass, and I still don’t manage to find the stupid altar. And eventually I begin to move around some of the treasure and even shift the nest in case the altar is hiding beneath the rest of the treasure.

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But even then I don’t find a single thing.

The mission objective stated that it… wait a second…

I furrow my brows.

The mission didn’t say the altar was inside of the drake’s lair itself. All it said was that it was the drake’s altar…

I spread my aura down to the magma around the little alcove stretching from the entrance before finding several holes within the magma. Holes big enough for the drake to fit in and filled with more magma.

I’m still not sure what exactly this altar is supposed to be to the drake, but altars are usually seen as important. So the drake would want it to be close by. Even if it’s not directly inside of its lair itself.

I spread my aura further down into the holes, quickly erasing several of them from amongst the possibilities when I find dead ends. But two of them in particular stand out for a couple of reasons.

For one, there are grooves on the sides of the holes implying the drake passed through them. And for two, I can’t seem to find an end to them.

I grit my teeth for a few seconds before just activate The Calling of Wrath. Taking advantage of the decreased cooldown that it got from reaching level 3. All while thinking I need to transform into something that can move through lava with ease while still being able to travel quickly across land.

And by the time the pain is gone from the transformation, I find myself in the form of some scaled draconic creature with two large wings ending in talons and claws at the ends of my two legs. But I don’t take the time to figure out exactly what it is I turned into since I may not even know as I jump down into the magma and start swimming towards one of the holes.

The hole that I see more grooves in, likely implying it’s used more often.

I just hope I picked the right one.

As I swim through it though, I find my wings and a horn on my head dragging through the sides of the hole while making grooves just like the ones already in it. Except smaller. Which, while gives me pause for a moment, doesn’t stop me from swimming through.

I continue swimming through for several minutes before eventually arriving at another surface point within the magma. After which I leave the boiling hot liquid to find something rather… surprising… on the other side.

Not to mention unpleasant, considering what it implies.

Because what I find isn’t an altar.

No.

It’s a nest full of eggs.

Well, shit.

I went the wrong way.

Before I can turn around, I begin to feel the hole I went through along with the walls and ceiling shaking. As if something is approaching. And in just a few seconds, I sense the drake making its own way through the hole. Shocking me with how fast it not only got back to its lair but how fast it’s arrived here.

I look in one direction and then another, only to eventually settle my gaze on the nest with the eggs. At which point I just fly through the air and land next to the nest, moving it over a little bit to dig underneath it. A process that doesn’t take long given my size.

And without any hesitation, I hide my rather large beast body in the hole and drag the nest back over it while trying to hide the hole with my Wrath energy manipulation. Simply in the hopes that the thing won’t notice me just like the last time I hid from it.

Then I wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.

All the way until I hear the splashing of magma and sense the drake entering the cavern. Not to mention feel its power just radiating out throughout the cavern in waves.

I really hope this works.

Otherwise I’m dead.