Chapter 96: Finding Items
This time Ayaka read the frog's movement. Instead of shooting after the Frog King had already turned like before, this time she shot it exactly while it was turning.
The arrow pierced into that fiery red eyeball.
A horrifying crack rang out. The eye burst apart, thick liquid splattered everywhere. The Frog King shrieked earth-shakingly, its giant body struggling. Muddy water surged up in columns, waves tossing duckweed to cover the lake surface.
While Elyssia backed away to avoid the wounded frog as it lashed out blows everywhere, she frowned and looked toward the frog's mouth, which was hanging wide open and screaming.
On the Frog King's tongue, a stone shimmered with blue light.
* "Is that the stone?"
Elyssia immediately drew arrows and pulled four at once.
* "Even though the body is still numb, I can still shoot well."
She released her hand, four arrows flew. She wanted to shoot the arrows straight into the giant frog's mouth. Because besides the eyes, other spots were almost impossible to attack.
Ayaka from afar, behind a tree, also saw the open mouth and realized this was the opportunity. She pulled four arrows at the same time and fired.
Airi in the distance, behind a tree, also knew it was the chance. She fired four arrows toward the mouth of the frog that was screaming in pain.
Twelve arrows flew, each set of four flying from three different directions.
All plunged straight into the Frog King's palate. The arrows stabbed deep inside.
The Frog King was in agony, its roar grew small and it fell backward.
While it was falling, Takeshi was already on top of the giant frog's head and swung his mace, slamming it straight into the Frog King's remaining eye. Then he jumped down to a small patch of land below, rolled once, and stood up.
BOOM!!!
The Frog King fell backward onto the pitch-black slushy mud, mouth agape.
Takeshi felt the silence, looked around, and saw the mist dissipating.
"Is it dead?"
He jumped straight onto the Frog King, looking into its mouth filled with arrows and oozing a strange liquid.
Elyssia and Airi approached.
Elyssia: "Takeshi, check its tongue to see if the stone is there."
Ayaka jumped across the empty land patches and ran up right behind, her voice joyful:
"We did it."
Airi nodded.
"Well done, Ayaka."
Ayaka smiled shyly.
"A group effort... group effort..."
Takeshi now peered into the frog's mouth and saw a small blue stone placed on the frog's tongue. He reached in, used great force, and plucked the stone from the tongue; thick liquid flowed out like blood, but he did not care and turned back, excitedly jumping down.
"Hey guys, look at this. This is the stone, right?"
The three girls simultaneously looked at the stone.
Elyssia nodded.
"It seems so."
Airi pointed at the stone.
"How did you know about this stone?"
Elyssia: "When it was shot in the eye and roared loudly, I saw this stone on its tongue."
Airi realized.
"I see, your eyes truly are convenient."
Takeshi curiously tilted his head and asked:
"Convenient?"
Elyssia knew Takeshi was curious so she explained:
"I am an angel; our eyes can see in the darkness like daytime."
Takeshi was quite surprised by the new information and nodded.
"Oh, I see."
Takeshi walked near Airi and gave her the stone.
"Here, you keep it."
Airi nodded, immediately took the stone, and tucked it into her person.
"Hmm."
Suddenly at this time, the trees seemed to wither. The surrounding mud hardened as if there were a drought.
The four were bewildered, slowly backing away with backs toward each other, alertness and focus at a peak.
Elyssia: "What's happening? Is it not over yet?"
From afar, a large door rose from the ground like a sprout. The door was simple and ancient, only the faded brown color of years past.
Airi pointed forward in surprise.
"Everyone, look."
Everyone simultaneously looked in one direction and saw the door.
Ayaka, confused, only spoke what she saw:
"A door?"
Takeshi: "Is it the exit?"
Airi: "Let's get closer and check."
The four simultaneously stepped closer to the door with alertness, steps slow and full of caution. As if if there were a problem, they would immediately turn and run or counterattack instantly.
Suddenly, the door opened. Lilith stepped out with a light smile, saying in a joyful voice:
"Congratulations to you all. Now return and complete the trial."
The group was dazed, unable to react yet.
Lilith suddenly disappeared, leaving the door already open and a pure white space inside.
Takeshi: "Eh? She disappeared."
Airi: "Then it's done, let's go back."
Elyssia nodded.
"Right."
The group looked at each other, appearing quite worried. But they bolstered their spirits, then nodded to signal readiness. One by one they stepped inside the door.
…
Opening eyes wide, the scene inside the man's house appeared unchanged. The sound of rain and thunder outside still rang out steadily.
The group scanned the surroundings once.
Airi, voice full of alertness:
"Where is that guy? He was just chasing us earlier?"
At the same time, Elyssia turned and opened the door to the room they had just stepped into. She quickly balled up a piece of paper and threw it inside.
Having thrown it, she returned with a normal expression and said:
"Everyone, the room we just stepped into to reach that small trial is different now."
Ayaka peered inside with Elyssia.
Takeshi propped his hands on his hips.
"It seems he has gone somewhere, temporarily safe."
Elyssia and Ayaka stepped into the room and observed it once.
Inside the room, many wine bottles were lined up in crates, piled high all the way to the ceiling. Empty bottles or full ones were tossed everywhere.
Ayaka covered her nose because of the pungent wine smell.
"Is it a wine cellar? So many."
Elyssia nodded.
"Probably."
Airi and Takeshi now stepped inside, right behind Ayaka and Elyssia. They also had to grimace at the wine smell.
Airi: "Is there only wine in this room?"
Elyssia: "By observation, yes."
Ayaka stepped forward and walked over the wine bottles carefully. She went to the end of the room to check.
But there was nothing; she opened a wooden crate, inside were wine bottles arranged on a layer of straw to avoid impact.
Turning back, she shook her head to signal no.
Airi turned around.
"Then let's go out; let's try to see if the other two rooms have anything."
Elyssia, in her heart, prayed someone would notice beneath their feet.
Right then, Takeshi's eyes were accustomed to observing; he bent down. A blurry white figure was behind a wine bottle shell. As Takeshi moved closer, he saw a crumpled piece of paper.
* "Huh?"
He bent down, picked it up, and opened it. The paper was crushed until shredded and soft, but still readable.
Inside the paper was written in scribbled handwriting: Look up at the ceiling and look down under the bed. Do not let anyone into the house.
Takeshi muttered to himself, raised his head, and said somewhat loudly:
"Everyone, look what I found."
Elyssia was joyful in her heart, but she did not show it on her face. Moving closer, Takeshi handed her the paper.
Takeshi: "Look at this."
Ayaka peered from behind Elyssia as she read the words on the paper.
Ayaka: "Huh? A clue?"
Elyssia looked at Takeshi and asked:
"Where did you find it, Takeshi?"
Takeshi pointed at the floor.
"I saw it behind a wine bottle shell, so I picked it up."
Takeshi felt something was missing; he turned and did not see Airi anywhere.
Voice panicked, looking around:
"Where is Airi?"
Ayaka and Elyssia also frowned and looked toward the door.
Ayaka, voice urgent:
"Did she go outside?"
Takeshi felt uneasy; he ran outside with worry.
"Don't tell me she suddenly disappeared?"
Suddenly, the door of a room pushed open; Airi stepped out from the middle room, in her hand was a book. Her face was full of thought.
Takeshi, who was running, skidded to a stop; he let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh? Airi, did you just go in there?"
Airi nodded and raised the book.
"Yeah, I found this, which is quite useful; it's important information."
Elyssia and Ayaka approached; they were quite curious about the book.
Elyssia pointed at the book in Airi's hand.
"What is written in there?"
Airi: "Probably about the seal."
Elyssia handed the paper to Airi.
"We also just found this."
Ayaka was looking up at the ceiling as if searching for something.
Airi read the information on the paper, she also looked up at the ceiling, then lowered it again.
"Then let's see if the other room has anything."
"I don't know which bed this paper
talking about; checking the beds in that house yielded nothing."
Airi gave the paper and the book to Elyssia, then she turned and went to the first room.
"Read it; Takeshi and I will check what the remaining room has."
Takeshi, hearing his name, followed immediately.
Airi was very eager; she felt she was about to find the truth, felt everything was gradually being revealed.
Elyssia and Ayaka were also bewildered seeing Airi appearing hurried. Both walked while reading what was written in the book.
Airi and Takeshi now were ransacking the room.
Takeshi ran to the underside of the bed and bent down, but it was quite dark inside. Takeshi squinted but there was only darkness; he reached his hand in trying to search while unable to see.
"Why is it so dark?"
Airi was opening each book, checking every corner of the room.
* "If each room has a clue, or something useful like information."
* "Then certainly this room will have something."
Takeshi could not see and reached his hand inside but touched nothing. He gritted his teeth in annoyance and stood up.
"Hey Elyssia, come help me see if there is anything under here."
Elyssia was thinking with Ayaka about what was written in the book. She immediately gave the book to Ayaka and hurried over.
"Hmm, wait for me."
Ayaka did not stand still; she placed the book on the table and searched with Airi.
Suddenly, two voices rang out simultaneously in joy.
Ayaka: "I found this!"
Elyssia: "There are items underneath!"
Airi hurried to where Ayaka was standing and read the book she had just found.
Elyssia crawled entirely under the bed and pulled out four different items.
Takeshi and Elyssia silently looked at the items on the floor.
On the floor were:
* A large, quite long black chain.
* An eye that looked like a human eye; it was still open and still had red veins.
* A black metal cauldron, still showing scorch marks and the smell of fire.
* A gnarled hand, all fingers stretched straight.
The four items looked very ordinary but emitted an extremely uncomfortable feeling.