=== Day off – part 4

[This must be a key or something. You see that this end has like a pointy thing and stuff? But the other end is round. You insert it to something, obviously. But where in the world could this lock be? Maybe it is a door, or a chest, or perhaps it is completely randomly shaped piece of metal that somehow got dropped here with a mischievous intent? Oh my goodness, I didn't mean to ruin hopes of anyone, but where could we even start with this? I have no idea.]

[It's obvious that we can just keep it and worry about it later. No one would just randomly drop it without a good reason. I say that we could search the area at least—there might be something I did not bother to explore. Right, don't laugh, there is no way I would know every stone and tree here, this is a huge forest after all. I am also going to mention a thing, this might be the first time I found something on the ground here. It frightens me actually, who could have even thought...]

[Don't worry about that now, Oddie, it is as you both say, we have no clue what this key opens. Upsie-daisy, is it even a key? But really now, why wouldn't it be? Get your hope up girls! This charming and brills pegasus knight will be the one who will figure it all out! We must be close, I'm feeling it! The treasure! Keys open paths to money, and that is what I smell now in this breezy current. Bam, don't fret and look down, we are defins going to find the use for this item, and then we are going to sho sho rich! Yup!]

[Greed is only one step from the gates of hell my child, you mustn't think of financial gains above all. God is almighty, he decides which are the true riches of the world. They lie in the soul, not in the material things. Hence, be fair to it, think not of what you can take, but what can you give. My wisdom follows so, we don't know who or why have dropped this key—we ought to return it to the owner. Thus our quest begins. Oddie, I want to question, do you have any idea about this item?]

Of course I have no clue to who it belongs or even why it is here. Isn't that the point of why I was scared in the first place? I simply shrugged her back, which was replied by her silent yawn behind her hand. At least she was gentle enough to agree with me. This smells trouble for me, so perhaps it would be best if we just leave it there...wait Jielby, where do you think you are...

[Hey wowzers, I was right! You know how there is a secret behind every waterfall? Well get this girls, there was a passage under this one as well! Was I smarts or what? Completely obvious and simple, duh!]

[You are not the first one to have noticed that Jielby, you can calm down now. You will find nothing there by the way, sorry to put out the fire and everything. Yet I won’t stop your curiosity, if you so dearly desire to become disappointed.]

[Yea let's make a bet then, shall we? If this supar-brain sweety-bitty commander will find something in that cave, you are going to give me a kiss on the cheek. If you win I'm going to...honestly Oddie, I have no idea what you like.]

[A kiss on the check? Can I do that with my fist? Anyway, if you stop bothering me for a month or so...wait a second, how about you simply give some money? That will save me the trouble of having to hunt with you in the future. Right, that might be good, but what if I throw also that you can't enter here? Having you blocked entirely from the friend list...]

Well the atmosphere changed a little again. I couldn't read if the pink girl behind the water got the message clearly, but the two besides me were again, reaching their hands towards me, as if I were a predator, about to jump on her prey. That was not my intention, but my demands were quite high I must say. I didn't know if she was going to agree until...

[Okay you have your way. I'm going to think that I'm going to regret that later, but no way I'm backing up! Sorry-molly, I just wanted to try to help, but you really got angry, right Oddie? Jeepers, that abords face! It is clearly the best choice I have made there, because that absocutelyness is simply-dimbly irresistible! Take my hand why don't you? I am not afraid of losing, but you better be! No more running away, okey dokey?]

[In your language I guess that is a yes. I will take up that offer—I am not afraid of losing in the sightless! Are you seriously considering this a good bet, despite going off the pure random chance? I said I did explore here. Oh well, that is the past now, and it was your mistake. If you are going to cry, then maybe I will reconsider...]

[You are going to be one to be crying! How can a girl be this sure of her luck? Simple, I was born lucky, ishishi~ But in truthie-duffie, this is all my plan. Just who is going to be teary-sorry in the end? Auche! Let's break a leg!]

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[Yea whatever, I won't question your logic, or rather your lack of common sense. Just to make things simple again, you win if you find something you can open with the key. I win if you give up and sulk up after accepting defeat.]

That were my conditions, and it seems that she had nothing to say to them. It was gullible to believe she would accept them, but as our hands connected with each other, we shook them firmly a couple of times. The bet was on and we all entered the cave. Onto my head, the water stuck with heavy impact. I used my hands to block it partially, like others, but my hair got all wet. Despite that, I think we all were soaked already due our splashing from a little while ago, but strangely it felt refreshing.

With our newly washed spirits, we stepped into the empty cavern beneath the waterfall. It was as I remembered it from the past. There are a few mushrooms, moss and crystals that all can be gathered here. I never found a single use for any of them really. Therefore, for me there was no point in returning here. Alas, if no one besides me was here, were they growing all this time?

You can use bait for monsters, like rocks can work too for some reason. If so, some creatures must be fond of them, right? Does that mean golems or something similar could be living here? We will find that out, sooner or later. I used my skill, just in case, to see if I was right. I was wrong—no one besides us four was nearby. A tragedy for this uneventful trip.

[Say Noctia, you seem to have good vision. What do your eyes tell about this lonely cave?]

[“Do not be afraid my child”, that is what the Lord speaks to me.]

[I asked you, not the God, but okay. I guess I was just seeing things again. This cave is really something else. It appears like there is something here, but all I see are those glowing things. Do you girls think those are edible?]

[My wisdom says they might, Corona, but please be careful while picking them up. Only God knows the laws of nature.]

The happy-go-lucky fairy girl, who is usually full in spirit, has found something to do during our great exploration. She would discover this shining material worthy for her performance, or something, and threw all her attention at it. Putting aside small details, she did successfully hit it with a pickaxe I borrowed her, but not much smile afterwards.

Has she been knowledgeable, she would keep her distance or at least covered her nose before gathering this bluish jewel. Those things usually are pesky to deal with, which I didn't tell her, but they work similar to poison cloud mushrooms. Once they are bothered by a human, they release their gassy powder in the air, coating everything in an ocean-like tint.

Luckily for her, they not dangerous, only a little bit startling at first. But yet, even with her fairy-like colour being tinted a little, even with her nose forcibly inhaling the fragrance, she wasn't troubled by that.

[Looking blue Corona? Oh my gee, you kinda hit the gold mine there, are you okay? Do you need some assistance? ishishi~]

[You might be laughing now, but just you wait! This stuff is amazing! I never saw anything bright like these crystals. I could take the entire set with me home, I really mean it. They are like something I could actually use instead of glitter.]

[If you shay sho, my adorbs little pranksy fairy. Looks like you were the one to get surprised out of the blue, right? Jeepers-creepers, I made yet another funnie. Forgive me, I'm just that smarts or what? I can't even believe myself!]

[You are just misbelieving yourself, Jielby, again. I don't mind the coat, it is just the blue hue I can't find too fitting. My colour scheme is green, but it’s generally easy to recolour it. I mean, no one said I am going to be always the same. I actually had a killer idea, how about I would change my appearance to fit the current season better? Like fairy and things, they are beings of nature, so it would be natural to think that they also change each year...Oh my goodness girls, sorry!]

It seems that due her curious and forgetful nature the little blue fairy have caused some uproar among her comrades. With her wings flapping near us, trying to show us the shimmering powder from up close, she did spread it a little. It got into my nose and eyes, which I couldn't cover in time. I was hacking and tearing briefly, and so were others.

I plunged my face into the river that was still and followed us all the way back from the entrance. It was kinda cold, but I didn't mind since it brought me instant relief. This is what I did the first time here as well, when I got blue. It was sure a popular method, as others too rushed to towards my side, and washed their faces, all expect the fairy.

Perhaps she was immune or didn't mind the sensation, but looking at her apologizing face I found something strange. Despite her being always either completely depressed or animated due a sudden impulse, this moment was different. With the wings gently on fluttering on her back, her open palms doing a cutesy gesture of bidding others to stay put, her thighs pressed together with her legs slightly bending, and her cheeks redden...That look was strangely alluring for me.

[Oh you guys are okay? It's my fault! But don't come close I'm still covered with this stuff! Okay, sorry! I'm going to clean up myself and let's move on okay? I'm going to be careful from on now. Actually Oddie, you said you were to this cave before. Did you know about those rocks being this unpredictable? Strange, I would swear that you were sniffing something weird coming up, but didn't say a word. It matters not now.]

[Do you really want to know? The truth might be soul-crushing. All knowing hermit with her knowledge about gems, you should have asked before doing anything...yet I gave you that pickaxe so you could learn. Was it fun really?]

[Absolutely, I find this cave quite fascinating. You shouldn't keep the knowledge for yourself, you know? Like what is that, this shiny thingly in the pond here, you can pick it up? Like what it is for? Can you like jewellery out of it or something?]

[No, you just take it and I guess you can use it for crafting. This game has a really amazing and intuitive system though—you will find that many things are worthless, unless you specifically need them. Understandably, gems, metals, powder...all those things are used in making weapons. However, you also know how worthless are rank ones, don't you? This is why, and I hope you understand, the only pricey materials that are the ones that are used in upgrading gear, which we lack.]

That is the sad truth behind the reality here, you can gather all you want, but only the hunting portion will get you anywhere. All those pennies you can get via tiring axing the boulders, they are definitely not worth your time. Yet the value of them, at least for her, seems different. I do wonder now, is Corona really willing to damage her flying mount budget just to look cute?