16 The cave *updated*

It was to the feeling of a warm body next to me that I woke up. 

At the moment I didn't think much of it, focusing more on the sun that was rising through the clouds. It signaled the start of a new day.

Despite the time in which I had fallen asleep yesterday. It was still the morning.

It was only then, after I was half awake that I finally took full notice of the body sleeping next to me.

Clung to my body was a tangle of limbs. A woman, Aoif I reminded myself, was hugged against my own body.

Her arms and legs were wrapped around me as she hugged me tightly to herself.

She didn't let go, despite the clear signs of her being awake. Chief among them being that she was staring unabashed at me.

My eyes were met with couldn't purple ones, eyes that stared into my soul.

"Mornin'" I grumbled, still groggy and not ready to deal with this.

"Good morning, dear" she said, her voice dreamy as she addressed me.

I just stared at her for a second before trying to get up, however it was a fruitless endeavor as my body was held down by her own.

"I do need to get up," I say.

"I know" Aoif responds, her mouth tugging into a smile.

Those eyes, those damn eyes. It was like there was nothing that I could do against them. They were almost hypnotic in their beauty. For that very beauty, for that very reason it was why I didn't push her off.

Instead I just indulged her. A small smile bringing itself onto my lips as I try to match her energy. Though it was hard with the excess of both energy and excitement she had.

A small giggle echoed from her mouth as one of her hands went to cover it. I was taken aback for a second.

'Cute…' 

It was the only thought in my mind as I watched the action. My own body stilled at the seemingly unconscious move. 

I found it so, so very cute. However, soon after I shook my head, I needed to get out of this situation. Preferably sooner than later. 

As if sensing that I wanted to leave, Aoif let go of me. Her body flopping to the side as she watched me.

Carefully I stood from where I lay and swung my legs off of the bed. 

It was only then that I found who was sitting outside of the door. 

Both Tama and Delta were stood there, watching both of us in apparent amusement.

"My lord," Tama silently giggled out,"breakfast's ready"

With that she left us, Delta following soon after.

…

I soon found myself in the bathroom, an unwanted follower in here with me.

I had tried to get her to not follow but still she was able to overpower my will and followed me into the bathroom.

Again I looked at the mirror, a deep sigh in my breath. However I did not voice it, instead I continued with my daily routine before opening the door and leaving.

"Call for Delta or me if you need any assistance." I said, taking one last glance at Aoif before shutting the door behind me.

Soon after I found myself in the kitchen, food set around the table for me to eat.

However I held my hand, despite the hunger in my stomach I would wait for Aoif to be done.

While sitting here in boredom I remembered what Tama had said about the cave that frightened her.

"Tama, that cave…"

An involuntary shiver ran down her shoulders drawing a curious gaze from Delta who knew the power of Tama.

"My Lord, you can't be-"

"Yeah, I know how much it frightened you but do you think that you could investigate it with Delta." I pause for a moment, moving my gaze to the aforementioned person. "As long as that's fine with you?"

Before Delta could begin to formulate her sentence another voice interrupts.

"It's fine, take her" 

Aoif appeared from the bathroom, her hair wet from a shower and wet clothes around her.

It was an enticing sight, one that I forced myself to look away from.

"Are you sure?" I ask, prompting Aoif to just nod.

…

"It's here" the golden haired fox said next to me.

I had followed her closely for the couple of minutes it took to get to the cave.

I could tell what they were talking about, the sense of fear that washed over me was tremendous.

It was no wonder that the fox was afraid. However it was not enough to deter me.

I took a step into the cave and instantly the fear doubled, enough that sweat actually started to form over my head.

There was nothing here, no matter where I looked, or what senses I used. There was nothing.

It was a short affair to reach the end of the cave, even with the ominous fear that I felt it still was nothing. 

Though when we reached the end I saw something.

It was a pillar, an open book sitting in it. The strange thing about the book being that it looked as if it was bound for hundreds of pages yet when I drew closer it was only one thin page that was showing.

When I looked closer it drew me in, my consciousness sucked into the scene.

I saw chaos, I saw war, I saw destruction. Hundreds of billions of unidentifiable creatures lay stretched I the background, a lone warrior standing atop a mountain of corpses.

It looked back, an eye gazing into my own. My breath caught in my throat. Th e only thing stopping me from losing consciousness being the various implants that I had created for myself.

I stepped back, my mouth gasping for air, a pair of curious and frightened eyes staring straight at me.

"Do not approach that." I commanded, my voice leaving no room for interpretation.

She nodded and I started to back away before I remembered the illusions that she had made while I was sparring so th her.

"Those illusions, can they interact with the physical?"

"Yeah."

"Good, then use one to grab the book and hand it off to us."

She nodded at that command, referring to me. 

An illusion of the very woman in front of me appeared, its footsteps creating indents on the dirt that covered the stone below us.

I held a hand out and created a line where Tama could not cross. All the while observing.

I watched as the illusion grew closer and closer, the mental effect that it had had on me apparently not occurring or it just didn't affect Tama.

Either way the illusion reached the altar without delay, a hand reaching to grasp the book.

However it wasn't able to as when the illusion touched the boom it was dispelled.

Next to me I could hear a pained grunt come from Tama, blood spilled from her lips.

The cavern around is shook and it was only then that I noticed something.

The book hadn't dispelled the illusion soon enough or maybe it had as it was knocked to the ground.

Various runes around the pillar lit up in a brilliant glow yet that soon faded.

I could see the power that flew from the boom and the altar being cut. 

"Hah" I sighed out loud. I looked back at Tama before jumping forward, the mental effect that had stopped me before not appearing.

I reached out to the book and grabbed it, my hand burning despite its immense defense.

The screams of various creatures echoed behind me. 

I didn't have time to fight them now though as the cavern was coming down above me.

I grabbed the drill recovering Tama and dashed out, planting charges everywhere we went.

Within seconds we were out of the cave, a button pressed and an explosion shook the ground.

The animals around us all ran away. However I did not pay attention to that, instead I watched as the various creatures crawled from the grave I had made from them.

Though most of them were ethereal there were some that were corporal. It meant that they were powerful enough to withstand the blast of my pre prepared bombs.

Not something that I wanted to fight, especially so unprepared as I was now