Chapter 3: Excavation
The trio stared dumbfoundedly at the secretary. "What." Quincy repeated for the sixth time.
"How many times do I have to tell you?!" The secretary growled between her teeth, "We don't have any more, okay?! Our Hunters have all been transformed into stone and they need them, too!! We usually restock, but the Hunters are the ones that get them. Without any Hunters, there is no more Alshline."
"What," Quincy said again.
Mieu interfered before the secretary could act. "Quincy, I know that you're shocked, but we're not going to get anywhere if we keep this up.."
"You're right..." Quincy looked behind the secretary of Aiedo at the empty Alshline case. "You said that the Hunters go out and get Alshline, right?"
The secretary scowled. "You're not going to get it."
"Of course I will!" Quincy shouted, "How else will it get restocked? As soon as I get it, I'll go find some Hunters and unfreeze them and then I'll take some for myself and---"
"You don't even know where it is! No one does! As soon as I tell you, then the magicians might learn the location, then there won't be any more Alshline for millions of millenia!" The secretary shouted back.
"I can keep a secret! I promise! I'll even turn off Mieu and Searren so that the location isn't in their memories! Listen, there are children paralyzed and have no hope unless I get this Alshline, okay??!" Quincy paused. "You know what? It doesn't even matter if you don't tell me. I'll just roam around until I find the location." Quincy stormed toward the entrance to the Hunter's Guild.
"Quincy..." Mieu trailed off, knowing that words wouldn't sway the prince's thought.
Watching the trio leave the Hunter's Guild without fear, the receptionist contemplated the pros and cons of revealing the Alshline's location.
First of all, the kid might not tell the magicians the location.
But, he might be threatened into telling them.
But, he seems stubborn enough to die with the secret.
But, he might be bluffing.
What if he leaves Aiedo and gives up on finding the Alshline?
What if he's a spy for the magicians?
...or what if he truly wants to find it and help them out?
Suddenly, something echoes in her head: You can tell whether someone is for you or against you by how they handle rejection.
Searren turned his head toward the Hunter's Guild.
"What is it, Searren?" Mieu asked.
"The receptionist asked us to come back."
"Really?" the cyborgs and the prince looked back to see the woman beckoning to them.
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With a new burst of energy, the prince charged off toward the Alshline mines. Searren and Mieu, unaware of the route, carefully followed behind.
Quincy abruptly stopped, causing the two following him to crash into him. The trio stared in awe at the mining field. Mountains rose to the skies, and the trees on top appeared to touch them. The sun glinted against the surface, causing the rocks to shimmer like glass. Bird-like biomonsters circled the highest peak of the mountain. The right side of the mountain roared from the crashing waterfall.
Mieu looked around her. "I think we should enter before anyone sees us this close to here," she suggested. Her companions agreed.
Inside of the mountain was a dark cave. Light barely passed through the passageways, making it difficult for humanoids to see. Mieu grabbed Quincy's hand and Quincy grabbed Searren's hand so that the two cyborgs could help the prince around the cavern. However, they don't know the directions to the exposed Alshline, so Quincy navigated. Without fail, though, the prince became restless.
"I'm tired of walking. I'm gonna go ahead of you guys." With that, he broke into a sprint.
"QUINCY!! We don't know where we're going!! You have to keep up with us!" Mieu shouted out. The walls repeated her cries, mimicking her footsteps as she tried to keep up with the energetic child. Not paying attention to her surroundings, the red android tripped on a stalagmite. Her face met with the antennae of a family of Zol Slugs upon landing. Shocked, Mieu let out a high frequency metallic shriek.
Her frightened shout upset the numerous biomonsters living in the mine, large and small. Regaining her composure, Mieu adjusted herself to her feet while Quincy made his way back to her the best that he can. Realizing that Quincy can't see where he is going, Mieu walked over to him, being careful that she didn't trip again.
"What happened?" the prince inquired.
"Oh, nothing serious," the cyborg replied, "Just a little spooked, that's all."
Then they heard the echoes of Searren's heavy footsteps come closer at an alarming rate. The black cyborg charged toward the other two gesturing for them to move quickly. As he got closer, Mieu and Quincy learned that he was being pursued by a massive frog. Mieu prepared her claws while Quincy charged toward his male cyborg. Recognizing his master's approach, Searren stopped in his tracks and cupped his hands to boost Quincy into the air. The prince landed on top of the frog and proceeded to ride it like a bull rider.
Searren approached Mieu and pointed behind her. "There are traces of Alshline detected in that direction. While the head monster is occupied, we should retrieve it."
"Okay."
While Quincy wrestled with the frog, the two cyborgs made their way to the deepest part of the mine. Mieu uncapped one of many empty bottles and began drilling the ground. Alshline oozed out of the rocky terrain and the red cyborg immediately stopped the hole with a tube, transferring the raw substance to the empty bottle. As soon as it filled to the brim, she replaced it with another empty bottle. Searren kept guard while Mieu worked.
The prince toyed with the frog, angering it. Unable to bear him any longer, the massive creature grabbed Quincy with its tongue and swallowed him. The prince's laughter died out.
Searren immediately detected his absence. He left his post and made his way toward the frog. As he was about to shoot it, he noticed behind him a Toadstool making its way toward Mieu. Once again, he left the prince on his own and rushed to help his cyborg companion.
"Mieu! Behind you!!" He shouted. Searren shot at it and missed, almost hitting the female cyborg.
"SEARREN!!! Watch it! You'll shatter the glasses!!" she chastised while slicing the overgrown mushroom. Realizing that the cyborg was unaccompanied, she scolded, "Searren!! Where is Quincy??!!??!! You need to help him!! Why did you come back over here??!!!"
The black cyborg assisted her and responded flatly, "The prince can protect himself; the bottles of Alshline, however, cannot."
"We are under direct orders to protect him!! If something happens to him, then that affects the whole kingdom!!"
Unfazed, the male cyborg continues to fight the Toadstool. In response, the biomonster spits poison into his eyes, impairing his vision. However, he doesn't mention that and continues to battle. His lack of communication frustrates Mieu.
"Hello! Searren!!! Where exactly is Quincy right now??!!"
After a pause, Searren replies, "Right there," pointing to his right. On cue, the gigantic frog enters the battle scene in a frenzy. After a few minutes of struggling, it crashes to the ground. The frog's back split open and Quincy climbs out, laughing.
"Quincy! Thank Orakio you're alive!" Mieu sighed. She looked over to Searren, who shot at a Toadstool's tentacle that was headed toward her. For some reason she could feel him giving her an "I told you so" look, even though his face never displays emotion.
"What are you guys doing, playing around with that thing?" Quincy laughed, "Just kill it already!"
"If it were that easy, then it would be dead by now, prince," Mieu replied.
"Oh! Well, then I'll help!" The prince tightens the grip on his twin knives and attacks the toadstool from behind. It responds by swinging at him, but he dodges and stabs it in the gut. It doubles over and he finishes it off by chopping off the head. "That wasn't so hard!" Quincy said.
The cyborgs just stare at the Toadstool in silence.
Breaking the stunned silence, the prince shouted,"Now, let's bring home the Alshline!!"
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