While Erik and Ebonique were dealing with the bear, Elara and Zoe began securing the tiles on the shelter's roof. Though from time to time, they couldn't help but turn to look at the young man with starry hair, who moved with steady, confident motions, never hesitating for a moment, as if there were nothing he didn't know. Completely certain of every action he took—something they couldn't help but find incredibly attractive.
By the time Elara and Zoe finished the shelter's roof, Erik had already built, within a large barrier of solidified Myst, a campfire surrounded by large cuts of meat held and stretched by wooden sticks of various sizes. He was already building a second shelter with Ebonique's help.
At that moment, from the shadow of a tree, Frank appeared with a pale expression, looking almost like a ghost. That's when Tiberius emerged from the darkness and barked, then ran to the side of his beloved contractor, catching everyone's attention.
"What happened, Frank? Are we under attack?!"
Gripping her katana tightly and extending her ethereal projection to the limit, Zoe asked while stepping forward, ready to enter combat at any moment, while Elara quickly created a huge magic circle above her, which summoned dozens of crimson fireballs. It was at that moment that Frank responded, his voice visibly shaken.
"No, we're not under attack. It's just that I barely escaped death…"
"What happened?"
At that moment, Erik—who had extended his mystical awareness to the fullest, confirming there was nothing dangerous nearby—asked in a curious tone, since Tiberius didn't seem as frightened as Frank; he just looked a bit agitated, but nothing out of the ordinary. The young student took a few deep breaths to calm himself and then explained everything that had happened in a serious tone.
…
"How long until the 'Devouring Basilisk' fully awakens?"
When the story ended, Elara and Zoe were just as pale as Frank, while Erik asked in a serious and calm tone, as if he were unable to grasp the desperate situation they were in. It was at that moment that Frank replied in a strange tone—a mix of bewilderment with a slight hint of hope, born from the calm displayed by the young man with starry hair.
"I couldn't say for sure. It could be a couple of weeks or even a few months. The thing is, it's already at the point where it attacks by instinct, so it's inevitable."
Upon hearing Frank, Erik nodded and brought his hand to his chin, while Ebonique stared off into the distance in complete silence. Even so, a trace of apprehension could be seen in her eyes. After all, she hadn't detected that basilisk when she scanned the area while materializing part of her true body.
The only way that basilisk could have escaped her detection was if it was being shielded by the power of another Eternal. And since she could only materialize tiny parts of her true body, she was at a disadvantage. But the real problem was that, if someone had bothered to hide a mere basilisk, there had to be some sort of interest, some kind of plan or objective—which only heightened her concerns.
(Should I materialize part of my true body and finish it off with a quick strike…? No, if it's being protected by that bastard, the moment I come into contact with it, he'll notice. And if, by pure chance, he decides to investigate, he'll definitely find clues about my Erik…)
Clenching her teeth in indecision, Ebonique debated with herself about what to do. But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find a way out that would leave her Erik unharmed without anyone suspecting his existence. If any Eternal were to discover the unique existence that was her beloved Erik, it would be disastrous.
After all, even though she and Ignis were considered invincible beings, that was only because they were practically impossible to kill, even against other Eternals, which made them highly respected and feared. But that didn't mean they were the strongest, since they relied heavily on their special abilities to stand at the top—abilities that were strongly oriented toward counterattacks.
Besides, her beloved Erik—though unique and destined for great things—was, at present, less than a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things. A single glance from beings at their level would be more than enough to erase him from existence for all eternity. To the point where, in a fight to protect him, they would be more worried about not killing him by accident than about enemy attacks.
Worse still, in all her long existence, Ebonique had never found herself in a situation where she had to protect someone—much less someone as fragile as her Erik, who could disappear if she made even the slightest mistake. This only increased her fears and insecurities, leaving her in a state of panic and apprehension in which, for the first time in her life, she wasn't sure what to do.
"…Here's what we're going to do."
Just as her thoughts began to spiral into a loop of impossibility, filling her with so much apprehension that she was starting to think about remote corners of the universe where she could run away with her Erik. Ebonique suddenly heard Erik's calm, slightly thoughtful voice. This made her look at him with mild surprise.
After all, she—a being who had lived for eons—was on the verge of a panic attack due to the complex situation they were in. And even though her Erik wasn't aware of the true level of danger he was facing, since he didn't know how powerful she really was, to him, that basilisk should be a certain death sentence. With no chance of escape.
But even so, he was calm, composed, and retained enough clarity to give instructions to his companions—a sight that inevitably dazzled Ebonique, to the point where, like a little girl with no experience, she just stared at him full of hope, waiting for him to provide the solution she so desperately needed.
"First of all, we need to gather as many supplies as we can."
With a calm expression, Erik created a sort of rod made of solidified Myst and began drawing what looked like a flowchart on the ground as he spoke, as if he were finishing organizing his thoughts.
"At the same time, and with similar importance, we need to figure out—at least tentatively—how much time we have before that basilisk awakens because depending on the time available, we can take different measures to try to survive this whole disaster." Drawing a line in the dirt, Erik explained.
"Although I'm no expert, I've read a bit about Devourer Basilisks, and while they're strong and extremely sensitive to mana once they awaken, they're actually spiritless beasts that act purely on instinct, so they can be fooled. And for that, a few ideas come to mind.
"First of all, within my capacities is to create a potion called [Shadow Nectar], which is mainly used for hunting and infiltration. Its effect is to deprive a person of their mana for 72 hours, making them undetectable to Mystical Awareness and similar means.
"Secondly, I know of an artifact rune arrangement called [Sigil Veil], which, as the name suggests, is specifically designed to hide the user—making them invisible, erasing their scent, sound, and even, in its most complete and complex form, masking their mana signature."
As Erik drew his diagram in the dirt, Zoe, Elara, and Frank couldn't help but look at him in surprise. Even though all of them were at least a century older than him, they had been in a complete panic, while the young man with starry hair stepped perfectly into the role of leader—calming their fears, if only a little.
"…Erik, can we really make something like that in our situation? And even if we can, how sure are you that it will work against a Sage-level beast?"
Having regained a bit of composure thanks to Erik's calmness, Zoe looked directly at him and asked in a tone full of apprehension. Erik turned to look at her, then answered calmly while pointing at her with the rod of solidified Myst in his hand.
"Excellent question, and the answer is that none of this will work against an awakened Sage-level basilisk, no matter how dumb it is."
Erik's response made Zoe and Frank's expressions visibly twist, but in Elara's case, her beautiful green eyes lit up with understanding and admiration, and she immediately commented in a tone full of realization.
"It's something we'll use once the basilisk goes back to sleep! Even though it won't fall into a deep sleep again for several decades and could wake at any moment if it senses life, in that state it'll be less sensitive, and it gives us a chance to fool it and look for a way out!"
"Exactly." Erik said with a smile as he looked at the excited Elara, at which point Frank couldn't help but ask, a bit uncomfortably.
"But direct disciple Erik, how are we supposed to survive the basilisk's awakening?"
Hearing the question, Erik couldn't help but smile as he pointed with the rod of solidified Myst in his hand toward the back, where the small mound of earth hiding the temple they had entered was located. Then he commented casually.
"Hiding, of course."
At his response, Frank and Zoe turned to look where Erik was pointing, spotting the mound of earth. This immediately caused a slight blush to appear on their faces—after all, they realized that was the temple they'd entered, and it became so obvious that they couldn't help but feel embarrassed. At that moment, the young man with starry hair explained, confirming their thoughts.
"Although size reduction isn't particularly difficult for magical creatures, the Devourer Basilisk is purely instinctive—it only knows how to eat. So it's extremely unlikely it could change its size to fit through the entrance.
"At the same time, although I can't precisely determine the level of that temple, if this place is an 'ancient ruin', and it's still operational after all this time, it can't be below Master level. So I highly doubt that a mere Sage level could leave even a scratch on it."
While Zoe and Frank were feeling incredibly embarrassed, Erik paused for a moment, almost as if considering something, before adding thoughtfully.
"But there's something we need to prepare as soon as possible, and that's specialists in 'formations'."
Hearing this, Elara nodded in full agreement. But noticing Frank's slightly confused expression, she decided to explain in a calm, contemplative tone that perfectly hid the lingering embarrassment she felt for having panicked just moments before.
"Yes, even if we can take refuge in the cave or the temple, the potions only last for 72 hours, and taking too many in a row would be problematic. So, in order to explore and search for an exit, we need ways to set up temporary camps. Otherwise, we'd always be forced to return to the temple every so often, which would really slow down our progress."
"So we really need Disciple Williams." For her part, Zoe, who had fully regained her composure, commented in a serious voice. Erik nodded and added,
"Chen Ming also specializes in formations, and while he's not the best at it, his family is known for it, so he must know about some unique formations that could help us."
"But… how do we find them before the basilisk wakes up?"
At that moment, Frank asked, sounding a bit uncertain—his words bringing bitter smiles to the faces of all the direct disciples because he was right. They had no way of locating them. Even if they were still alive and hadn't fallen to those guys camping outside the entrances. According to preliminary reports, the garden was estimated to be about the size of a planet.
For his part, Erik began thinking about the formation arrays he knew, mainly thanks to Chen Ming, since that wasn't his specialty. But no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find anything that could help them hide from a recently-sleeping Devourer Basilisk. Unfortunately, he found nothing useful, so he shook his head, dismissing those thoughts, then looked at his companions and spoke in a serious tone.
"For now, there's no point in focusing on that. Let's do something productive instead—let's eat while I check what Frank brought. Our immediate priority is to gather as many resources as possible and store them in the cave on the other side of the temple, so we'll be busy."
At Erik's words, there was unanimous agreement from Elara, Zoe, and Frank, who couldn't help but gaze longingly at the meat inside the barrier of solidified Myst. Meanwhile, Ebonique let herself fall onto Erik's head, looking almost dizzy, and commented in a voice that only the starry-haired boy could hear.
"You really are amazing, Erik…"
"It's not that big of a deal."
As he handed out huge pieces of roasted meat to each of his companions using hands made of solidified Myst, Erik responded in a calm tone, at which point Ebonique spoke in a slightly strange voice.
"It is a big deal, actually. I was really scared—I thought it was the end—while you kept a clear mind and realized the situation wasn't as hopeless as it seemed, and you managed to come up with a way to get through it."
[In reality, the situation is still pretty desperate.]
Erik replied through his contract with Ebonique, signaling to Frank—who was devouring his meat—to hand over the sack with all the samples. Erik then sat down and began to eat and examine each sample as he continued explaining to the dragoness.
[Even though the basilisk is our main concern right now, we can't forget there are still those 'hunters' camping at the entrances, looking for 'sacrifices' with unknown motives and origins. Then there are the golden chains, whose source we don't know, not to mention the possible involvement of a spirit you warned me about before.
[Also, remember that before we came in, I fought with that guy from the Lotus Union and his supporters seemed like they wanted to kill me, while on the Meridian Federation's side, there's the problem between the Legend level and Eleonora, so I wouldn't be surprised if those people tried to kill me too. Basically, we're surrounded by enemies and dangers, and we don't even have the most basic equipment at our disposal.]
"Eh?"
While he was explaining all this in a methodical tone to the increasingly solemn Ebonique, Erik suddenly let out a strange sound as he examined a small dry branch in Frank's makeshift sack. This inevitably caught the attention of the others. Zoe immediately asked, sounding worried.
"Is something wrong, Erik?"
"Not really; it's just that I didn't expect to find something like this here…" Erik replied in a strange tone as he carefully examined the branch, prompting Elara to ask, visibly curious.
"What's so special about that branch, Erik?"
"This is Eldora wood."
Erik replied in a thoughtful tone, which caused Zoe, Elara, and Frank to widen their eyes in surprise. After all, they all came from privileged backgrounds, so they were fully aware of what Eldora wood was—one of the finest and rarest woods in the galaxy, since only the Stellar Empire was supposed to be able to produce it.
"How is it possible that this is Eldora wood? Are you completely sure, Erik?" Zoe quickly asked in disbelief, to which Erik nodded and explained.
"Pretty sure. My master's mansion is full of this wood, so I'm very familiar with it."
"How could it show up here? Wasn't the method for producing Eldora wood the greatest secret of the imperial family?" Frank asked incredulously, and Elara followed up with a dark expression as she looked at Erik.
"How likely do you think it is that the Stellar Empire is behind this trap?"
"I don't know…" Erik replied, still in disbelief as he examined the branch once more, then added in a serious tone.
"It's really hard for me to believe that the Stellar Empire would have the guts to set up a trap like this. Taking all the major factions and their Legend-levels for fools goes beyond suicide—it's absolute madness, especially for an empire so decadent it doesn't even have a single Master-level. This trap must be the work of a Legend-level; they're the only ones who could afford to do something like this and expect to get away with it."
"Is it possible that this wood just looks a lot like Eldora wood, but is actually something else?"
Zoe asked, sharing the same opinion as Erik—it was crazy to think the Stellar Empire could be the mastermind behind this. Any random Master-level could wipe them out with a snap of their fingers, not to mention the Legend-levels, so they would never have the courage, let alone the means.
"It's possible, but the color, texture, rings, density, scent, mana conductivity—everything points to it being the Eldora wood I'm used to. It's just too many coincidences."
"What if Eldora wood is something that existed in ancient times, and the Stellar Empire just happened to find it somewhere else and has been exploiting it ever since?" Frank asked, coming up with a strange theory in his head, which made Elara nod and comment thoughtfully.
"It's not such a crazy idea. In fact, I'm more inclined to believe that theory than that the Stellar Empire dared to set up this trap for the most talented and valued young people in the galaxy."
"That's true."
Erik said, nodding along with Zoe. But he quickly set the wood aside and picked up two items Frank had brought: a small branch with smooth, greenish-gray bark veined with a pearly sheen and what looked like a spot of amber-colored sap, and a piece of reddish-brown bark with black specks. Then he commented.
"But for now, let's just keep it in mind—it might be a clue, or it might not. So let's finish eating quickly; we need to go collect more of these things. They're the catalyst and preservative we needed."
Hearing Erik, Zoe, Elara, and Frank's eyes lit up like lanterns. Even though they were calmer now, their situation was still precarious, and they still weren't sure if they would be able to make potions—potions that were not only vital for battle, but had now become an integral part of their plans to survive that terrifying basilisk.
***
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