After their talk, Mira and Robin continued to descend down the chasm without much issue. Hardly any beasts disturbed them and they barely found any useful treasures along the way.
It had to be said that Mira's luck was really quite bad. The only reason she joined this expedition is that she can earn Contribution Points faster by killing beasts and collecting loot, but now she can't do either one of them!
Normally, one would be happy with not having to fight so many beasts and Mira's no exception to this either. However, this time she actually needed to kill them if she wanted to accomplish her goal and yet they all up and disappeared because of that damn Basilisk!
Unfortunately, there's not much she can do about this. It's not like she can chase after and kill every little beast she can find in the chasm. Doing that would be a huge waste of time, which is the only thing Mira doesn't have an abundance of right now.
The days went by as Mira, Robin, and Rhydian continued making their way down the chasm. The two of them didn't talk much simply because Mira isn't normally one to spark up a conversation and the only things she did want to talk about, Robin was incapable of sharing because she's part of the Mercenary Association.
It didn't take long until the three of them reached a point where the route that the Mercenary Association made prior to this expedition disappeared. More precisely, they reached a point where the only thing ahead of them was a steep drop off. They couldn't see anything further ahead except complete darkness.
This wasn't only the case in front of them, but to their right side as well. The only places they could realistically go now is behind them or they can try and dig in the wall to their left.
They could jump down into the unknown abyss around them, but doing that is nothing short of suicide!
Mira and Robin looked at each other and the latter released a bitter smile.
"It seems something must've happened to the path ahead of us. If I had to guess who did this, I'd blame it on that giant serpent that almost killed us a few days ago. Well, it's not like that matters. Right now, we need to figure out how to keep descending down the chasm without killing ourselves. Any ideas, Mira?" Robin asked.
"We can either dig our way down or jump. I guess we could backtrack but something tells me we'd run into a similar situation even if we went down another route." Mira's response made Robin's eyes twitch as she was looking for more… practical answers. Though, something Mira said did catch her attention.
"Oh? Why do you think we'd come across a similar situation no matter where we went? Before you answer, let me tell you that our scouts have already made paths down the chasm that descend much further than this. It wouldn't really make much sense if this happened to the other routes we made as well." Robin asked back but even though she said that, she also got the same feeling as Mira.
"There isn't much that I can say that you don't already know. This whole chasm is like a living organism. The earthquakes are constantly changing the environment. Extremely strong beasts that could flatten countries live here. Millions of beasts are fighting every day and strange creatures keep popping up no matter where we go. Hell, our team got wiped out in just a few seconds by that serpent's minions! You can't honestly say that you really expected everything to go smoothly on this expedition, right?" There was one more thing Mira didn't mention, but was probably a large part of the reason why the paths would be destroyed:
Her absolute trash luck.
This isn't the type of bad luck where one can still find fortune in misfortune. No, this is the type of luck where its sole goal is to try and kill her. The most recent example of this was the encounter with that Basilisk over a week ago! If she left a second too late or if she was too strong then she would have most likely been its food! Sure, it may have saved her life by killing the Earth Elemental, but she wasn't too worried about dying to that thing.
It would've been a pain in the ass to kill, but it was too stupid to actually kill her. However, not only did Basilisk swoop in and take her loot and almost kill her, but it even had its minions steal her kills as well!
Where's the 'finding fortune in misfortune' in that scenario? That's right, there is none!
The same thing is happening right now. Mira's essentially given a choice. To risk it all by trying to find a way down on the off chance that she finds something useful or to give up and go back to the city.
Right now, her intuition is telling her that going any further down the chasm than this is almost certain death. Mira doesn't have any problem with this as she's used to living on the edge between life and death, but that doesn't mean she wants to commit suicide for no reason.
Furthermore, she doesn't even know if jumping down into the abyss will bring her any benefits. For all she knows, she might just come face to face with the Basilisk and die instantly.
However, going back is a huge no for Mira. She's already made it this far! She doesn't need that many more Contribution Points to get all of the items she needs and if she completes this mission successfully then she should have more than enough. But, if she quits then not only will she not have enough and will have to waste more time doing annoying missions, but she might also have to look for the items elsewhere depending on if the Mercenary Association just ups and leaves Quake CIty after the expedition!
When she reached this point in her thinking, the answer was obvious, but she still had no idea how to safely descend into the chasm. That is, until a voice that she hadn't heard in almost a year appeared in her mind.
"Just jump, Mira! I can assure you that going down right now will bring you many benefits and treasures as long as you survive and play your cards right. You should also bring along that little girl next to you. She may prove to be useful in the near future. Well, that's only if you do what I have in mind. Anyways, just jump! It's completely safe! I promise!" The Guardian started laughing after he said that and part of Mira felt her lips unconsciously twitch listening to this dumbass.
'Why the hell would I jump? Don't you see how far down this goes? I'll go splat as soon as I reach the bottom! Wouldn't it be better to just dig straight down? That way we can safely reach the bottom without too many troubles. And what do you mean about the benefits going down would bring me? You make it sound like I'll get more than just a few exotic herbs and ores.' Mira asked numerous questions which caused the Guardian to chuckle.
"Just toss that wolf off the edge and jump on her back with that girl Robin. You might get a little hurt once you reach the bottom but you'll survive. I'd also advise you not to create any tunnels or dig into the Earth. One, it would take you forever to dig deep enough to reach the bottom. That's because the earth around you is filled with Qi and is extremely dense, almost like metal. Two, you'd be disturbing all of the beasts who have created their own habitats in the ground. I'm sure you don't want to fight so many beasts in such a tiny enclosure. As for the benefits, let's just say there's a High Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source at the bottom of the chasm. I'm sure you know what that means."
When the Guardian finished his last sentence, Mira was a bit stunned. She knew exactly what he meant and just thinking about the possibility brought a smile to her face. Yet, she was still a bit doubtful if she could actually use it.
'Can I even use a High Grade Source in place of a Mid Grade one for the Core Formation Recipe?' Mira asked.
"Of course! However, I do have to warn you that doing so won't increase your potential anymore than it already will once you gather all of the items. Your potential will already be limitless once you form your new core with that recipe. But! Doing so will bring other immediate benefits to you that I'm sure you'll love!" The Guardian explained which immediately cleared up Mira's doubts. Although she still didn't fully trust the guy, she knew he wouldn't joke around with things like this.
She was slightly disappointed by the benefits that using a High-Grade Source will bring her, but she didn't care about that. As long as she doesn't have to go through a shitty trial, then she'll gladly do her best to plunder that High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source! Anything other than not having to do a trial is just extra.
With that said, Mira turned and began approaching her. Seeing this, Robin immediately felt like something bad was going to happen. She was just about to back away when Mira quickly dashed in, surprising her, and grabbed her by the arm.
"WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Robin began to panic, but Mira still didn't say anything. She already had Robin in her grip and with her body's strength the girl wasn't going to escape any time soon.
While dragging Robin, Mira also walked up to Rhydian before kicking her off the edge and sending her into the abyss.
*AWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOooooooo*
Rhydian screamed and unfurled her wings as she descended into the abyss. Then Mira tossed Robin off the edge like a ragdoll before she herself also jumped.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo...…."
The only thing that could be heard in the chasm were Rhydian's howls and Robin's screams.
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