Elenei transformed into her Dracophoenix form, but much smaller than her usual size. Instead of a giant reptilian bird, she was only about half a meter long and about as wide as a fist. Stepping back toward the passage they just came from, she used her metallic-like claws to dig under the ground.
Mira was a bit surprised by her approach but nodded in approval. 'I was wondering what she was going to do.' Elenei couldn't just walk out there and destroy the chain. Much less the captain, everyone else would notice her as well.
Then she sighed and glanced at Rhydian, who had hopped off her shoulder and was about to go scouting out the perimeter. 'Haaa… It's nice to work with smart people. If only everyone could be like that.'
Elenei effortlessly ripped through the ground toward where the first chain was embedded. She already had a decent mental layout of this cavern, so she reached it without much effort.
Sensing the chain right above her, she used her claws to carve out a hole under it, creating a huge weak point. Once she felt that the foundation was destabilized enough, she focused her attention on the chain itself.
Raising one of her claws at the stone above her, she sent a thin stream of fire into it. She weaved it seamlessly through the minuscule cracks in it, doing her best to draw as little attention to herself as possible.
The fire silently latched onto the bottom of the chain, where she began to dismantle it from the inside out.
As Elenei worked, the chain began to glow faintly, the heat from her fire doing its work. She was careful to control the intensity, ensuring it wouldn't be visible from above. The metal started to weaken, with the links slowly coming apart under the precise application of her flame.
Meanwhile, Rhydian, in her wolf form, prowled around the perimeter. Her ears were perked up, listening for any signs of approaching danger. Her eyes darted around, scanning for potential threats or unexpected visitors. She moved like a shadow, her presence barely noticeable.
Mira kept a watchful eye on the crew, ready to intervene if anyone got too close to Elenei's hidden location. Her hand rested on the hilt of her scythe. She knew they were on borrowed time – the longer they stayed, the higher the risk of being discovered.
'Not like that's a bad thing.' Mira thought with a smirk. 'I can't wait to stab my scythe through that bastard's heart, but not before this ship is in our hands. Can't have them escaping again.'
After several minutes, Elenei finished with the first chain. She moved stealthily to the next one, repeating the process.
Back on the surface, the captain continued his tirade, oblivious to the sabotage happening right beneath his feet. His anger seemed to know no bounds, and the crew members bore the brunt of it, their morale sinking lower with each passing moment.
Rhydian returned to Mira's side, her expression serious. "There's a group of guards headed this way. Looks like they're doing a routine check. Looks like they aren't using their Soul Sense."
Mira nodded. "We need to speed things up."
'Elenei, how's it going down there?'
Elenei's voice came through their mental link. "Almost done with the second chain. Give me a few more minutes."
Mira glanced at the approaching guards. "We don't have much time. Rhydian, help me create a distraction. We need to keep them away from Elenei."
Rhydian transformed into her larger form, letting out a low growl.
Together, Mira and Rhydian moved towards the guards.
The guards, upon seeing the duo, raised their weapons, ready to engage. But before they could even make a noise, Mira and Rhydian launched their attack. All they saw was a flash of light before their heads flew in the air, and their bodies were obliterated into a fine mist of ice crystals.
Elenei, having finished with the second chain, moved on to the third. Now that she was a bit more experienced and had a better idea of how the chains were made, she could work faster. She could feel the ship becoming increasingly unstable with each chain she dismantled.
Back on the surface, the captain finally noticed something was amiss. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene. Two presences just disappeared from his senses, putting him on high alert.
He was just about to check out what was going on when he saw a familiar fox woman appear at the entrance of the massive room alongside a large golden-winged wolf.
"YOU!" he bellowed. Drawing his sword, he almost instantly appeared before the two and cut. "How'd you two find this place?! How'd you get in here?!"
Mira blocked it with her scythe, but the force behind the attack continued and sliced apart the wall behind her. She kicked the man in the stomach, pushing him a few feet back, and shrugged. "Why should I tell you?"
"...Fine." The captain, a man named Varik, stood up and straightened his clothes. His enraged expression instantly became calm and indifferent as the aura around him changed. "If you won't say, so be it. I'll have my fun forcing it out of you."
"Oh?" Mira raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Torture? Sounds like fun~"
Varik's eyebrows furrowed, but he refused to pay any mind to her antics. 'This woman's strong–a bit too strong for a nobody.' He thought, analyzing her aura, or lack thereof.
He didn't sense any sort of treasure that could be hiding her strength, meaning that she was able to suppress herself to this extent without any outside help. 'Only someone with near-perfect control over their Qi, body, and soul could even begin to do something like that, not to mention the talent it'd take. It seems this century's competition might get a bit interesting.'
'That is if she doesn't die by my hands!'
"Are you done?" Mira asked before flicking over toward one of his crewmembers, chopping his head, and kicking him with an [Explosive Ice Gauntlet], turning his corpse into a frozen mist.
Rhydian leaped at another and ripped him apart with her claws as if he were paper.
Varik's eyes widened at the display of sheer power. His people weren't merely random weaklings you could find anywhere. While they weren't the best of the best, they should still be able to hold their own against almost anyone of similar strength. For places as remote as this, he doubted they'd lose to anyone even in the same Realm as them.
Yet, for them to die so… miserably… was a complete and utter disgrace!
'Tch. I should've gathered better men to take with me. Not these wastrels.' Varik clicked his tongue in annoyance.
The remaining crew members, witnessing the ruthlessness of Mira and Rhydian, fell into a state of panic, some trying to flee, others frozen in fear. They knew they weren't a match for her ever since she attacked the boat and had no interest in facing her.
Varik regained his composure and charged at Mira, his sword glowing with darkness. "I won't let you destroy everything I've built!"
Mira met his charge head-on, her scythe clashing against his sword. Sparks flew as their weapons collided, the sound of explosions echoing throughout the cavern. "Destroy? I'm just getting started."
Rhydian, in her wolf form, lunged at the crew members attempting to escape. She moved from one man to another without stopping. They tried to put up their defenses and take out whatever treasure they might have to save their lives or dodge, but it made little difference.
It was as if the wolf could teleport and phase through any shields they put up.
Elenei, feeling the ship lurch above her, accelerated her efforts on the final chain. The fire from her claws intensified, melting through the metal at a faster rate.
BOOM!
Mira's tails slammed into Varik's side, sending him skidding across the floor. The man ground his teeth in frustration but leaped back in. He slashed, sensing an oscillating wave of darkness that seemed slow on the surface, but ripped everything in its path apart and ground it to dust, gathering it all in the center.
Mira attempted to dodge, but the wave followed her wherever she went. Clicking her tongue, she activated her Scythe Manifestation and, with the help of her Black tail, sliced a path open and flickered to Varik with her [Glacial Mirage Steps].
Varik was growing increasingly frustrated. Raising his sword, he sucked in all the light around him, gathering it at the tip. Thrusting, he unleashed a thin beam of darkness that worked like a laser. The beam just appeared and disappeared out of thin air, giving her no time to react.
However, Mira didn't care about that. She watched the tip and calculated the trajectory. 'As long as I protect my vitals, it's fine. ' She thought, bobbing her head and left shoulder to avoid being hit and letting the rest of her body take the damage.
Mira got closer and closer to the man before she swung, her scythe aimed at his throat.
But Varik was quick, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow. He retreated a few steps, reassessing his opponent. "Who are you really? No ordinary person has this kind of strength."
Mira smirked, twirling her scythe. "Let's just say I'm someone who doesn't like thieves trying to take what's mine."
'It's done!' Elenei communicated to Rhydian and Mira, who glanced at each other and nodded.
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