Chapter 277: 277: No Secrets

Our return to the cave caused quite a stir.

Typhon and Ophelia were waiting for us, along with all the nestlings who were excited to see us, but as soon as we entered, their faces quickly changed to looks of fright at  our dishevelled states.

It would have been nice if more purple worms didn't arrive after the first two, but we weren't so lucky.

After Morgana's victory we were set upon by an onslaught of the creatures, drawn towards us by the explosion, and we were forced to abandon our gathering efforts, leaving the crystal mine filled with quite a few corpses as we fought our way to the surface.

Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, and after a round of [Recovery Potion] they were very much safe.

[We should do that again!] Andromeda exclaimed as she dragged in a trail of grime.

[Agreed!] Cassio repeated. [That was fun!]

[Go on your own next time!] Arsinoe shut them down immediately, furious.

Even after an impromptu bath on the cliff's edge, we all stank terribly, she being the dirtiest of us all as her body was coated in slime. I didn't blame her for looking horrified.

[What happened?] Typhon eyed us suspiciously, while Ophelia guided the tired nestlings away.

[We were attacked by worms.] Andromeda replied. [It was great! I even got an egg!]

Ah yes.

Another dead worm that just happened to have eggs.

I wasn't sure it was a good idea to bring more back, but Andromeda insisted.

[We can use them to find other lairs when they hatch.] she said, and I paused – that really wasn't a bad idea.

[You should have waited for us before heading there.] Typhon glared at us, disappointed at our recklessness.

But when he caught sight of Morgana sneaking out from behind me, his look changed to one of fury.

Ophelia stopped fussing at the nestlings to come over when she sensed his rage, afraid he would do something.

Thankfully, Morgana had the good sense to slip away without looking back.

[Is this her doing?] Typhon asked, and I could see Arsinoe had made herself as small as possible, hiding behind Cassio and Andromeda.

|[No. But she was really helpful in dealing with the situation.]| I answered, hoping to calm him down.

Morgana had taken quite a beating from the purple worms, and although I gave her a healing potion after, her stats still hadn't completely recovered fully.

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Name: Morgana [LV17 Small Cerastes]

Specie: Ailith Vipera

HP: 154/320      Defence: 482

MP: 172/324      Intellect: 280

SP: 259/360      Magic: 317

Attack: 350        Agility: 498

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Her overall appraisal results, compared to those of Typhon, were quite pitiful too.

As it was, he could take her out in a single blow.

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Name: Typhon [LV24 Small Cerastes]

Specie: Ailith Vipera

HP: 485/485  Defence: 610

MP: 460/460  Intellect: 340

SP: 510/510    Magic: 412

Attack: 590    Agility: 488

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I could tell Typhon wanted to say something, but I stopped him. |[Leave her be. She's been through a lot.]| 

The moment Morgana left the underground Ophelia approached him.

[You're being too hard on her.] She said, much to his irritation. [Morgana has already been punished.]

[That doesn't change what she's done.] Typhon remained adamant. [Those reptiles will never improve until her influence is gone.]

I had to agree.

Their bond with Morgana was quite strong as they saw her as a parental figure. It would take either her death or complete erasure of their memories to return them to how they were before.

The underground had gotten quite awkward in the silence that persisted, and the nestlings around me were quite anxious, so I ordered them to get cleaned up and to return to their duties.

Arsinoe was more than happy to flee, although Cassio and Andromeda were not far behind.

When all the purple worms had left, it would be safe to continue gathering the treasure again. But for now, the bustling underground grew empty with only Typhon and Ophelia beside me.

We headed for the deeper cells where the reptiles were as I was curious to know how they were being contained.

Yet, I found every single one unconscious, their scaly bodies moving in rhythm as they slept.

[I put them to sleep.] Ophelia spoke up, observing my frown. [That's all I can do for now – or they won't settle down without Morgana there, and I don't want to keep hurting them.]

Typhon grimaced, clearly upset with Morgana as he looked at the creatures.

It was fascinating to know their dormant state was due to Ophelia's mental suppression, and so effortlessly too.

So, I appraised her.

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Name: Ophelia [LV22 Small Cerastes] 

Specie: Ailith Vipera

HP: 425/425  Defence: 380

MP: 502/525  Intellect: 400

SP: 352/352  Magic: 465

Attack: 415    Agility: 685

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Comparing their stats, Typhon excelled in defence, while Ophelia was faster and had more mana at her disposal. There was no telling who was stronger than who but seeing how much they had both improved made me really happy.

I had no doubts about their loyalty, and as my strongest and most trusted – we couldn't have any secrets moving forward. And so, I felt it was about time to warn them about the serpent clan.

I told them everything the Nymph had told me and from their looks of surprise, it was quite a shock to hear we had enemies we'd never even met.

|[Have you or any of the others ever seen serpents in the Middle Stratum?]| I asked Typhon.

[No.] He replied. [But I will keep a look out for them from now on.]

|[What about you, Ophelia?]|

She seemed to ponder her response, before answering.

[Not serpents but...] Ophelia confessed. [I saw fish people swimming in the water.]

Fish what?

Typhon and I gave her incredulous looks and Ophelia immediately back-pedalled.

[I… I might have been mistaken. It was really far away…] she replied.

I wasn't sure what to make of that, but whatever there were, they weren't our concern, so I let it go.

|[If you ever meet any serpents, don't interact with them.]| I told them.

[Shouldn't we capture them?] Typhon asked. [And find out where they live?]

|[No, there's no need.]| I cautioned them both. |[They are hostile and very dangerous to us, so it's best to avoid them.]|

[We should at least check for other caves.] Typhon pondered. [Maybe some other nestlings survived.]

Ophelia nodded. [And Galahad is still out there too. We should find him quickly.]

That was true, we still had no clue of Galahad's whereabouts.

|[I'll search for him myself.]| I said to them. |[He might be strong with his spirit accompanying him, but he may be in some real danger if he stays out for too long.]|

[I doubt that.] Typhon scoffed, but Ophelia jabbed his side, forcing his mouth shut. 

And I sighed. |[I know you suspect he did something to the traps, but I don't believe Galahad would do something like that.]|

Typhon and Ophelia exchanged a look, both clearly disagreeing with me.

I sighed helplessly. The real culprit was Apollo, but I didn't want to tell them just yet, fearing Typhon would fly into rage again.

However, Typhon misunderstood my look of worry and changed the subject.

[Their Queen Mother told you all of this?] He asked, his voice laced with suspicion. [What exactly is your relationship? Are you sure she isn't taking advantage of you?]

Our relationship…wait. How did he know?

They were both waiting for an answer, which made me feel shy all of a sudden.

[So it's true.] Typhon frowned in disapproval. [Did she threaten you?]

|[No, of course not!]| I exclaimed. |[Stop thinking strange things.]|

Was this where Arsinoe got her weird ideas from?

[Do you like her?] Ophelia was thoughtful, and she giggled when I looked away. [We'd like to meet her sometime too!]

|[No!]| I had to calm down. |[She's just our ally. Nothing more.]|

Ophelia nodded, but her lopsided smile told me she didn't believe it.

Typhon simply sighed and shook his head. [We will have to talk with her eventually.]

[Yeah, we need to know her intentions.] Ophelia echoed with a giggle, and I frowned.

It seemed I didn't convince them at all.

I didn't want to talk about it anymore, so I ignored their snide comments and proceeded to leave the underground, but the amused duo followed closely.

What horrid captains I had!

I couldn't believe they knew the Nymph's true feelings before me, and still didn't say anything!

As we came out, a tiny creature in a black and red dress sped towards us, translucent wings buzzing behind her.

[I see you weren't eaten.] The dark fae said with a malicious grin. [What took you so long?]

Not her too!

Was I the only one here that didn't know?

|[Your Queen Mother is looking for you.]| I glared at her. |[You should get back to her, quickly.]|

[Hmph! I'm not leaving.] The dark fae grumbled and flew over to Typhon's side, and with her nestled on his head, it became quite difficult to stay angry.

Typhon didn't seem to mind her either so we just went around the cave, and I saw much had changed since the Veladrys returned. There were new furnishings and most of the cracks in the walls had been fixed.

But as we approached the Pit, a peculiar sight caught my attention. 

A large scorpion was being ripped apart by my nestlings, alongside some wounded wolves.

Europa was treating their injuries with Lyra, and surprisingly none of them were attacked.

|[What is this?]| I asked my captains.

[We found this scorpion not far from here.] Typhon casually said. [We killed It before it could escape.]

|[Ah yes…I see, but I mean the wolves.]| I asked.

I was sure I told them the [Pit] didn't need more members.

[We have been hunting with the Alpha.] Ophelia nervously replied. [Our accuracy has increased since they joined us, and all without any injuries to us! They are very skilled hunters.]

She was pretty much saying, 'accept them please', and I noticed her eyes kept straying to look at their furry coats.

I was hesitant.

First there were the reptiles, the Veladrys, the bottom feeders and now the wolves – wasn't the cave getting a bit too crowded?

But Ophelia pleaded with me. [Can they stay a little longer? They won't cause any trouble.]

And I sighed - I was getting tired of the taste of scorpion and wanted to try something new.

But if I agreed to let them stay, that meant I won't get to eat the wolves anymore. 

It was quite a troubling decision.

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