In no time at all, Vorgarag and Ed were once more next to each other ready to venture out.
"I told Sharog we will leave first. She will probably delegate that to Duma and also get started on finding more allies." Those were the first words Vorgarag told Ed after half an hour had passed.
"Good. Let's get some provisions and go then" Ed praised Vorgarag in his head before quickly replying. He intended to do the same after consulting him but it seemed that was a step too slow. Truthfully there was no reason for him to always inquire others first.
They settled the provisions, grabbed a battle axe each, and went on their way.
The gate guard, although wary, easily let them past. In no time at all, they were already on their way towards the cavern.
With a bit of casual conversation here and there, time flew by, and before they knew it the sun had neared dusk. It was yet to set but the thick canopy made the still forest dark and ominous, they both caught sight of a distant glimmer in this darkness.
Ed instinctively knew this was one of the healing herbs and increased his pace, Vorgarag followed behind him.
Soon, the large mountain and its rocky exterior were both in sight, the gaping mouth of the mysterious cavern similarly welcomed them.
"Those herbs are the healing herbs" Ed said as he scanned the area. Maybe it was due to the mana rich environment but even the areas from which he plucked a couple of herbs, new ones had taken their place.
"They are fascinating." Vorgarag was amazed by the many green glittering lights that shined in the dark forest. This only made him hold higher expectations for the light show Ed told him about the day before.
"Let's go inside then" Ed said expectantly. He still remembered when Vorgarag showed him the four crystals in the secret passage, now it was his turn to show him something much better,
They entered the mouth of the cave and walked in total darkness. It didn't last too long though as the visibility started to get better and they turned the corner.
The dazzling light show of myriad crystals was showing off in full strength. Vorgarag was momentarily stunned by the sheer quantity. The number of things he could do with so many crystals! The prospect alone was invigorating!
Noticing Vorgarag's change of expression Ed decided to give him a few words of caution.
"Past this section, you will start to feel pressured. If you can't bear it just turn back." Just by gazing further into the wide cavern one could feel pressured. He warned Vorgarag because he could still remember how the skeletons reacted to the lich.
Hearing this, Vorgarag's excitement was tuned down and he instead turned serious. This place could be dangerous after all.
"I'll keep that in mind. Let's head in" Vorgarag said as he used his axe to cleanly slice off a couple of crystal pieces. He probably planned to use them to defend himself.
'Using these things is actually not a bad idea.' Ed thought to himself. He wasn't sure if they would be facing the ogre but it was still a good idea to grab them. One couldn't be too careful.
It was also worth considering that the first thing the ogre did after waking up was regarding him as a snack. It was likely that this might repeat itself and If it did, he couldn't 100% guarantee that he would be able to let Vorgarag flee.
Vorgarag was initially in the lead but for safety's sake, Ed overtook him as they made their way forward in the ever-narrowing corridor.
The glittering lights were now far behind them, Ed and Vorgarag simply walked on in the dark dealing with the increasing pressure.
Soon they saw the light at the end of the tunnel, Ed motioned for Vorgarag to stop however as he hadn't heard any snoring along the way, he was afraid that the ogre was awake.
His eyes quickly became accustomed to the light and Ed was able to spot the chilling giant. He wasted no time in assessing its current situation.
[Blurak (Lightly sleeping)]
Blurak, a Bosque kingdom calamity, this pale green giant has a voracious appetite. It is both slow and slow-witted. Its regenerative capabilities are great, however.
Instantly question marks formed in Ed's head. Where exactly was the Bosque kingdom? Is the state the same as before or would deduction be able to tell Blurak was lightly sleeping as well? Nevertheless, this was clearly great information!
It was probably because he fought Blurak before but the assessment skill was definitely a step up from deduction. The system's database seems to be one filled with knowledge. Ed really wanted to be able to scour through it right now! But he then calmed down, if he wanted to learn more there were other available avenues.
'I should read that encyclopedia to learn more about the continent. Who knows? Maybe I'll find where I am' He didn't need to place all of his hopes on the system for everything. Maybe assessment would advance into a database skill but it hadn't yet.
More importantly, Blurak was clearly in the midst of falling asleep as his status depicted. It might be risky to take Vorgarag with his current state.
"E-Ed" Said Vorgarag in a low voice as he entered the illuminated area. The pressure here was becoming nearly overbearing for him so his voice seemed a bit strained.
But he temporarily forgot about this after catching sight of the sleeping giant. It wasn't because he was afraid, although he was indeed afraid, but because if Ed's story was true then they should be able to reach the stone and read it without too much problem.
And as the leader of the Angokok tribe, this knowledge meant a lot to him. For Vorgarag this would be a dream come true.
"You should stay back, it could wake up" Ed said after hearing Vorgarag behind him.
This made Vorgarag feel conflicted. This was something he really wanted to see to the point of anticipation but he was also quite logical. There was a risk involved.
"With these crystals and your strength, I am sure we can at least run away." Vorgarag decided to press forward.
Ed wanted to refute him but Vorgarag was probably right. Plus, if Blurak didn't make a fuss over his presence then he would be worrying pointlessly.
'I told myself I would be bolder yet here I am wasting time again' Ed suddenly realized how hard it was to actually change a person. Change was something that was easier said than done.
"Ok then, stay on your toes" Ed agreed, he was already thinking of ways to get Vorgarag to safety if the worst did occur.
They circled around Blurak from a distance and caught sight of the large boulder. Vorgarag was looking at it with gleaming eyes, even if it was damaged it didn't matter to him!
A couple more steps, they would get there in a couple more steps but just as Ed expected…
A fearsome roar resounded as the sleeping giant slammed the earth with its fist making its anger evident.
"Who is there!?!" It yelled just as it had the last time as it lifted its heavy body off the ground.
Following the roar, vorgarag was momentarily dazed. The pressure was also much stronger now that Blurak was showing clear enmity.
The angry ogre turned its gaze towards two figures. It recognized one but not the other. With a savage grin, the giant shifted its focus to Vorgarag.
"Hahaha, a snack!" Blurak reacted so strongly to things it could eat since being stuck in the boss room prevented it from having access to things to eat. He could only sleep to put off his voracious appetite.
Ed reacted instantly unlike Vorgarag in this instance. Just like last time he raised the ground to slow down the lumbering giant.
He then also created a large spike in front of it. With his increasingly greater control of mana, all of this was done quickly and timely.
He grabbed Vorgarag lifting him up off the ground. His strength attribute was at three so lifting up the lean Vorgarag was a cinch.
"Hey! Snap out of it and get ready!" Ed yelled not bothering to find out the aftermath of his attack. It was only to buy time anyways as Blurak would easily regenerate such an injury.
Vorgarag naturally awoke from his stupor but… get ready for what?
Ed mustered his strength and tossed Vorgarag further away from him, the distance wasn't large but since Vorgarag was previously dazed this allowed him to get a head start.
Another loud roar then reverberated inside of the hollow mountain, effectively stopping Vorgarag in his track. Who knew that its roar had such an effect!
Thus Ed no longer relied on Vorgarag and decided on a more magical solution. He shifted the earth under Vorgarag's feet shifting him towards the entrance the same way the lich had once done to him.
Blurak who was impaled by earthen spike was much more infuriated, that champion stopped him from eating! But he couldn't let the snack escape, he chased after it.
The shifting earth wasn't nearly quick enough when compared to the green giant but as Ed had been much faster to react than Blurak it seemed like Vorgarag would make it.
'It's too close!' Ed thought to himself lamentably as both Blurak and Vorgarag neared the entrance. His visibility was also being limited by the large body.
Vorgarag who was tumbling along with the shifting earth then pulled out a piece of fire crystal, what did he cast? A flamethrower! He roused all of the mana inside of the crystal to mercilessly set it off on an onslaught towards the green giant.
The dazzling sweltering flames flew towards Blurak, who was effectively blinded. He let out a pained roar.
The sound of a loud collision than resounded, the earth near Ed trembled and some rocks even fell from the ceiling! He hurriedly ran forward hoping for the best.