Caelus reached the city gates early in the morning just as the sun was beginning to rise.
Cypher was already there waiting. She stood a short distance from the entrance, arms crossed and her back against the wall. She didn't look like she had just woken up if anything, she looked like she had been there for a while.
"You're early," she said when he got closer. "Did you rest well"
"I did thanks," Caelus smiled rubbing the back of his neck "ahh I forgot to introduce myself yesterday, I'm Caelus"
"Cypher" She immediately started moving leaving Caelus behind who eventually followed along
That was it, there was no unnecessary talk, no drawn-out introductions. They left the city together not long after, the sound of the gates fading behind them as they stepped onto the open path.
During the journey Caelus tried to say something, anything but it didn't really go anywhere. Cypher wasn't rude, just not the type to keep a conversation going for the sake of it. So eventually, he stopped trying and focused on the road ahead instead, letting the excitement build naturally in his chest.
It didn't take long before they reached the area, the cave came into view but before they could even approach it properly, red eyes could be seen from inside the cave and shortly after a group of goblins rushed out, primitive weapons in hand, their shrill noises echoing faintly.
Caelus instinctively shifted his stance but Cypher was already moving.
She vanished from his side like she had never been there in the first place. One second she was beside him, the next she was in the middle of them, her fist crashing down.
Boom.
One of them didn't even get the chance to react before it was gone. Another lunged from behind, but she twisted, grabbed it mid-motion, and slammed it into the ground with enough force to crack the surface beneath it.
She didn't slow down for even a second, every movement flowed into the next. While it wasn't flashy, it was overwhelming and within seconds, the entire group was gone.
Caelus just stood there his mouth wide open, he had tried to follow her movements but it was useless as she was too fast
"So this is an adventurer" he muttered under his breath excitement building up even more than ever.
Even Varek hadn't moved like this, he knew the man had been holding back sure but this was on a completely different level.
He was drawn back to reality after he noticed Cypher staring at the cave with a serious expression.
"Is something wrong?" He asked while walking towards her
"Seems like there might be some more goblins inside," she replied.
Caelus followed her gaze, his excitement dimming slightly. "…More?"
"Mhm, they came out to meet us." She continued " When goblins do that, there's normally a high chance that they're guarding something." Then she looked back at him. "You can leave, your quest already complete. I'll finish the rest."
For a moment, the logical choice was obvious. Turn back, complete the quest, stay safe. That's what anyone would do.
Caelus still insisted on tagging along with her.
It wasn't just stubbornness this time. A small part of him knew exactly what he was doing. Back there, at the entrance, she had handled everything on her own. He hadn't done anything and if he wanted her to take him seriously and join his party, then standing back and watching wasn't going to cut it.
His gaze shifted toward the cave, then back to her. "I didn't do anything back there. If I'm going to work with you, I should at least prove I can handle myself."
She let out a quiet scoff, a faint hint of amusement slipping through "Don't slow me down."
Then they stepped into the cave. It was pitch dark so Caelus had to use flame magic to light the way to which Cypher let him know she had never partied with a mage
"Welp there's a first for everything" he smiled
The deeper they went, the heavier the air felt. The smell hit him first, it was thick, unpleasant, something that made his stomach turn slightly. The closer they got the louder the goblin noises became
When they reached the inner chamber, Caelus froze mid-step, his body going stiff as his eyes took everything in at once, there were people… girls, huddled together, bruised, battered and probably dead, their bodies covered in marks that told more than enough of what had been happening, and surrounding them were goblins, noticeably a large hobo goblin.
His mind struggled to process everything, because this wasn't like a panel he could flip past, this was real, it made his stomach twist without warning. For a moment he found it a bit difficult to breathe
"…Are you okay?" Cypher's voice cut in quietly.
He didn't answer immediately. His gaze stayed locked on the scene in front of him.
"…Yeah," he replied, though his voice wasn't as steady as before.
The goblins noticed them almost instantly.
The hobo goblin let out a loud, guttural roar tore through the chamber, echoing off the walls as the smaller ones rushed forward without hesitation, crude weapons raised and feet pounding against the ground.
Cypher immediately got into a battle stance ready to attack but this time, Caelus moved first.
He stepped forward, his expression completely different, almost like he had calmed down, even Cypher had noticed the change. He knelt on one knee and placed his right palm on one floor
For a brief moment nothing happened but as soon as he exhaled cold air left his mouth and frost burst from beneath his palm, racing across the floor and climbing up the goblins' legs before they could even react. In the span of a second, ice crawled over their bodies, locking them in place mid-motion, arms raised, mouths open and expressions frozen exactly as they were.
Even Cypher couldn't help but pause at that, her eyes narrowing slightly.
The hobgoblin looked around noticing that all its subordinates were not responding even after it roared, it picked up a massive club completely covered in spikes and charged towards Caelus and Cypher, the ground shaking slightly with each step before bringing the weapon down with full force.
Clang.
But it didn't connect, a barrier shimmered faintly in front of Caelus, the impact bouncing off like it had hit solid steel which caused the creature to stagger slightly.
Caelus raised his hand and spoke, his voice surprisingly calm.
"Fall."
The ground trembled, and the monster's body dropped toward the earth almost as if gravity had been doubled. It thrashed, struggling to rise, but the invisible weight pinned it.
"Sink into the earth."
A strange marking appeared on Caelus right arm and the pressure became even stronger than before, causing the Hobo Goblin to lie face first on the floor, leaving a massive crater on the ground.
"Be crushed."
This time the force caused the creature to explode. Its body flattened like clay under an invisible weight, leaving nothing but a crater where it lay meanwhile, Caelus remained untouched as the blood of the monster was stopped by his barrier
He lowered his hand slowly and the marking from before completely vanished.
A few minutes ago he had felt sic to his stomach but all of a sudden, that feeling was completely gone. Like something had reached in and turned the volume down.
Behind him, Cypher watched quietly, her eyes lingering on him for a second longer than usual.
"You good?" She asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder
Caelus nodded. "…Yeah."
"…We should report back to the guild," she said after a moment, her voice calmer than before.
And just like that, they both left the cave.
—
When they returned, people noticed immediately and murmurs began to spread across the guild.
"…He went with her…"
"…And came back in one piece?"
"…No way…"
Cypher ignored all of it, walking straight to the counter, reporting the quest as well as all they had encountered.
Caelus stood beside her, quieter now, his mind still stuck back in that cave. That feeling, It didn't sit right with him.
After everything was done, he turned to her.
Caelus exhaled, the tension from the day easing slightly. "Thanks… for sticking with me. Sadly I can't take on any more quest without a partner"
She tilted her head, eyebrows raised. "Wait, what are you talking about?"
"Eh….I thought you were just helping me out," Caelus stared in confusion, "and that you were… a solo adventurer or well that's what most people said."
She stared around in annoyance and everyone in the guild went back to drinking like they weren't among the people spreading rumors then she stared back at Caelus, her lips curved into a knowing smile. "You mean the part where you asked me to join your party?"
He froze. "I know but..."
She laughed, loud and teasing, and it made him shift awkwardly. "Did you think I was joking?"
"N-no…" His words trailed off as his nervous gaze met hers.
"Good. Then," she said, drawing a small symbol in the air, "let's make it official."
Caelus's shoulders stiffened, but a reluctant smile tugged at his lips. "Very well."
She looked at him for a second, her expression soft this time "…Just because I see people die a lot doesn't mean it's gotten normal for me."
He blinked.
She looked away slightly, her voice calm but quieter than before. "It's… nice. Having someone who didn't die for a change." She added using her elbow to nudge his shoulder
For a moment, he didn't know what to say as that wasn't what he expected.
"If you tell anyone I said that I'll rip your head off" She added as she noticed the expression on his face causing him to get scared