252 Abandoned Mines

"Big sis! Your ears are funny!"

The 10 younger dhans were openly playing with Chloe. Clinging to her arms, her shoulders. Yanking her long black hair and groping her pointy ears. To the dhans who lived so far up north, the elves who lived at the very bottom south appeared strange.

Chloe mostly didn't mind it. As a half-elf her ears weren't particularly sensitive or anything. However, the one little boy who kept trying to pinch her legs and breasts was perhaps moments away from being spanked.

Whilst Kozumi continued to rest, allowing her fractured leg to heal properly. Robin and Mizumi ventured further into the mines.

The deeper they went, the thinner and lower the tunnel system became. However, they soon came across a relatively large cave system. Within this new spacious area, the ground appeared smooth and maintained. Upon the walls were scratches and drawings, appearing extremely ancient as the stickmen lacked any noticeable features.

At the far end of the spacious cave, another tunnel appeared, heading straight down, as a flight of stairs. But, rather than stone and rubble, blocking entry, the stairs down appeared flooded entirely.

Mizumi was attempted to dive in, to answer their curiosities. However, Robin held her back.

"There's something dangerous down there. I don't know what it is, but I can feel monstrous amounts of mana." Robin determinedly gazed into Mizumu's red eyes. To further prove how adamant she felt towards leaving the underwater tunnel alone, she added. "If you told me a dragon slumbered within, I would believe you without question. It's that bad..."

Mizumi, logically didn't believe the girl, as Robin's decision was based entirely on feeling. But upon remembering the rumours in which she and her neechan had painstakingly gathered throughout the years of espionage within the southern kingdoms. She remembered a rumour that told of the elves, being more attuned towards nature, or perhaps the laws and rules of the world. Thus, the two girls only bothered to pull two buckets of water back, for the others.

...

When they returned, Mizumi was quick to inform her sister of their findings. Relieved to know that the abandoned tunnels were indeed safe and lacked the presence of hostile entities. However, the possible presence of something ancient unnerved the woman. The two dhans, being agents on a mission. The two naturally never spent any time touring the lands inbetween the north and south.

To be stumbling upon and finding so much evidence of a previous civilization was quite frightening. 

"What happened to them? Where did they go? Were they also humanoid like us?"

"What if, the border dragons weren't stopping us from leaving our designated territories, but were in fact keeping something out?"

Kozumi, having successfuly scared herself, decided to keep her own thoughts to herself. There was no need to incite panic upon the others.

Glancing down towards her bandaged leg. She estimated perhaps another week or two before she could consume another HP potion to fully recover.

During the many battles and skirmishes she had engaged in, her consecutive consumption of the red liquid had reduced the effects so great, that her injuries no longer healed. Reducing her to her now bed-ridden state. Kozumi was now forced to allow her wounds to naturally heal, to a certain degree before the effects of the HP potion would even remotely assist her again.

This led to her convincing their new half-elf friends into staying for the time being. Awaiting her recovery before leaving, to return to Del Lagos.

Within Robin's mind, she felt herself responsible for Chloe's well being. Thus, she naturally saw herself as the decision maker. However, even she wasn't sure as to what her options entirely were. If she were to stay, Victor and Istvan could end up denouncing her and Chloe as deserters. Whilst, if she returned, wouldn't she once more be threatened by her own allies. Having to watch her back for hidden knives, and food laced with aphrodisiacs.

Upon hearing her worries, Kozumi suggested delaying as much as possible. The sooner Asai entered the picture, the better. 

Having scouted the lands for possible hideouts, the dhans had come across a small abandoned keep. the castle itself appeared empty, and lifeless, but the plains surrounding the walls were infested by beasts.

With their new found allies, perhaps they could decide to conquer the keep, and feign ignorance to Istvan and Victor's schemes, by gifting the castle to them.

...

Thus, after days of consideration and suggestions. Kozumi and Mizumi would assist the half-elves in conquering the abandoned castle.

In return, Chloe and Robin would assist the dhans in sneaking past Thrud Castle, and into Trichia Duchy.

..

An unlikely alliance between the north and south formed.

And as much as they wanted to believe it was their decision, and sympathy towards one and another.

What truly held them together, was the thin red string of fate. The one thing they all had in common, that connected them.

The four girls had all consumed Asai Trichia's essence.