Chapter 111: The Coral Drake’s Lair

It felt like an eternity as Ryu, and the others threaded the Coral Drake's lair, yet no sign of the exit. The den was gigantic to house hundreds of Coral Drakes, and the room to maneuver was limited to none.

Whenever their group found themselves stuck with no Coral-free ground to step upon, they used their skill to blink or teleport to a spot they saw were barren.

Ryu didn't have any skills like that, but his beast side gave him enough strength and power to jump and balance his body on a tiny empty ground to the next while the Coral Drake just watched them in amusement. 

Maybe Seraphina was just pulling their legs, and the Coral Drakes wouldn't attack even if they destroyed some corals along the way. But none of them was willing to take that risk. Inside the reefs were eggs. The Coral Drakes eggs and some already hatched.

When Ryu hovered in the air once more, a sight of an archway caught his eyes. It was hidden between two giant rocky hills that were covered with reefs, and he didn't think twice to go in that direction.

"Hey, Ryu. Don't go too far." Kai warned and almost slipped and smashed his hands on the corals if not for the sudden vines that crawled to his leg and held him in place. The Coral Drakes twirled above Kai for a moment, and he thought they were going to attack.

When they settled in place, Kai breathed and grinned at Seraphina behind him. "Thanks."

Seraphina smiled back. "Be careful and don't lose your focus. We are lucky that the Coral Drakes only eat plants and algae."

Kai's saliva almost dripped from the side of his mouth from Seraphina's smile. It brightened even the darkest portion of his heart.

Then a thought struck Kai. Could Seraphina just use her vines to carry them to safety? But then he discarded the thought. Knowing Seraphina, if she could, she already had done it. 

Maybe she needed a tremendous amount of mana or that the vines would snap at their weight.

On the other side, Ryu was stuck again. But the small passageway he saw was just ahead from the large expanse of corals. The problem was, there was no barren ground to step upon, and with no room to maneuver to gain momentum to make a jump to the other side, he didn't know what to do.

First, he decided to tell the others about the passageway, and within minutes, the others were closing into his location.

"Argh. . ." Theodore slammed his palms against his mouth when he was about to puke. He made it so far with Jane's help, but he was not looking good. 

"We need the antidote," Jane said to Vein. Colors were draining from her face, and there was blood oozing from her nose.

Kai was beginning to feel the effect of the poison too. 

While Ryu. .. Ryu still felt nothing. And this ironed his belief that he was indeed immune to poisons! But as to not raise suspicions from Vein's group, he copied Kai's expression and pretended that he was sick.

His stoic face twisted though just a tiny bit, and he bit his tongue so blood would ooze from his mouth. He was not a good actor, but it had to do for now.

However, Vein pretended that he didn't hear them as he thought about their next move. The area from where they were was still far from the passageway, and a certain distance limited their teleportation skills. 

"We have to run for it and closed the entrance as soon as possible," Vein said to the others.

Jane's eye bulged. "Are you mad?"

Kai shook his head. "You want us to close our only possible exit from this cave?" 

"We'll find another exit," said Vein with his no care attitude. "Or just temporarily block it."

"How are you sure that there is another exit? And what made you sure that passageway isn't blocked and was trapped there with no way out?" Thall asked. He was also against the idea. He belonged to another group of mercenaries and might have a temporary alliance with Vein and Masha to service this place, but it didn't mean that he would agree to his every decision.

Unless someone checked the other side, they could be pincer from both sides or worse trapped in there while the Coral Drakes hunt them from here.

Vein rolled his droopy eyes over the ceiling and asked, "Then what do you guys suggest we do?"

".. ."

".. ."

There was silence for a moment before a whooshing sound stole their attention.

"Wha–!" Kai didn't finish his sentence when Ryu leaped all of a sudden. He landed on a rocky hill with all of his claws, close enough almost to destroy a coral.

Kai released a big breath. That was too close for comfort!

"Ryu!" Seraphina was worried, but when she saw Ryu didn't hit any corals and landed on just a bare rocky spot, she held her heart and sighed. 

"Stop giving me heart attacks," Seraphina murmured under her breath.

With slit eyes and a clear vision of what was ahead, Ryu leaped from one rocky spot to the next. Every movement he made was calculated so he could land on an area without corals.

And when he landed safely on the mouth of the passageway, Ryu heard gasps and sighs. 

"Ryu, quickly go check if that path isn't blocked," Jane said with a strained voice. They were running out of time, and her visions were getting blurry.

"Don't think of doing anything halfbreed, or you'll die," Vein warned. They could do what Ryu did with their limited Mortal body. But he was not confident with his precession to land on a relatively small barren spot and anchor himself upside down. Only a beast could do it.

"Ryu. . ." Seraphina was worried when Ryu went inside without giving them a second glance. Was he thinking of escaping? But Vein's poison would kill him.

"Don't worry, he'll be back," Kai assured and wiped the blood from his nose. Ryu had to, or all of them would die.

Inside the tunnel, Ryu checked if there was an exit to the other side. Without caring for the creatures or taking the time to marvel at the corridor, he sprinted forward.

Ryu thought about escaping since he was not affected by the poison. He could do that. But what about Kai and the others? 

Jane just wanted to marry Marcus and be happy with him, and Theodore just wanted to protect his sister's happiness in his own little way, even though it was apparent that he was scared the whole time. And Kai. . .

Kai could just die.

Ryu shook his head. No. Even though he was annoying, he was the only human who accepted and treated him for who he was. He was the only mortal to extend a helping hand to cure Ferris.

And for that, he was truly grateful.

Ryu sprinted fast and arrived at the other side of the tunnel, and his breath hitched in his throat.