Entwined | 𝘠𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤

Hunting and Gathering

~YAMI~

He was happy. He was also excited. Charlotte actually loved him, and on top of that he felt like there would be no end to the pleasure she gave him. After their delicate kiss, he drew in a breath and gave her a hug. He wasn't the best at those things, but luckily having a bunch of crazy kids- erm, magic knights- under his wing had helped him learn how to be more comforting. Still, he was sure he was no teddy bear.

This time her briars had only slowly wrapped around his waist, like a second pair of arms, and she healed him as they hugged. He hoped she didn't harbor any guilt. The cool tingling sensation of her delicate healing magic was beginning to be addictive to him.

"Alright, we should probably get started on out assignment now. Enough of the mushy stuff." He held Charlotte by her shoulders, glad to finally see a calm expression blanket her face. He knew uncovering this truth would be tough on her, that's why he got it over with first. She never disappointed him with her strength though and she always pulled through, even if she needed a little nudge from him.

"Okay. Right," her face took on its normal get-down-to-business vibe and he couldn't decide if he was more attracted to this Charlotte or to the one who melted into his arms. She pulled out a slip of paper from inside her armor and looked it over before continuing.

"We're here to gather materials for the capital. Julius put together a list of the items requested and how many he wants us to take back. They are supposed to be listed in order of location, beginning with the entrance of the cave and ending at a large chamber deep in the mountain. Nothing here should be hard to obtain, but it'll be time consuming if we get lost or stuck on an item."

He nodded in acknowledgement and responded, "Alright so let's work our way down the list one item at a time. What's our first target?"

"The branches from some shrubs that should be... " she looked up and squinted at the cave entrance, "right there! We need ten bundles of ten branches each."

Yami took out his sword and effortlessly chopped the shrubs into manageable sticks, then they both tied them up in bundles with thread Julius had supplied. Charlotte pulled out a spacial magic pouch and threw the ten bundles inside.

They continued making their way through the cave system, gathering mushrooms that poked out from the rocks, lizards that clung to the ceiling, and sediment that carved finger-like veins into the cave wall. Soon they had been coated in a layer of dust and sweat, not to mention their collection of bruises from bumping their heads against the cave walls.

"Next?" Yami huffed. They were making good progress. As he glanced at the list in Charlotte's hands, he saw she had crossed off everything except for four items.

Charlotte read, "Five sets of Sakkaku Bat fangs. This one comes with a side note. It says, 'the Sakkaku Bats' echolocation clicks can cause hallucinations in those within close proximity. The bats use this as a means to confuse predators and chase them away from their nest.' Okay... nothing we can't handle, right? According to this, they are located in a corridor of the cave that should be just to our left."

Yami scratched his chin as he thought out loud, "Hallucinations, huh? I think I remember Mereoleona saying something about training here a few years ago, she was going on about mental strength conditioning.... Well then, I'm sure we can get through anything they throw at us. Sounds fun, mhm. Just to play it safe, we should keep physical contact so we don't get separated."

Charlotte's eyes snapped up to his, "P-phy-physical contact??"

Yami smirked at her, his eyes a mirror of the dark cavern, "Yeah, you have a particular place you want me to hold on to?" Charlotte's face turned beet red and she stared at him, mouth agape.

He chuckled, "Just playing around. Here, hold my hand." He opened his palm and held it out in front of him. She took it without a word and pivoted towards the direction of the bat's nest.

After only a few steps forward an eerie chirp echoed throughout the cave. It bounced around them, echoing off the walls, ceiling, and floor. Yami blinked, making sure he was focused on the path in front of him and the grip of Charlotte's hand.

They pressed forward diligently, even as the chirps multiplied and grew more frantic. A few more steps in and the sound of the crunching gravel under their feet was drown out completely by the echoing chirps. He began to feel disoriented, unable to hear his own thoughts or breaths. Suddenly the lantern Charlotte held went out and darkness cloaked their surroundings.

"Charlotte?"

"Yes."

"You doing alright?"

"Yes."

They turned a corner and the chirps echoed loudly right behind his head. When did they pass by the bats? He turned towards the sound, reaching for his sword with his free hand. Charlotte's hand suddenly tugged in the opposite direction.

"It's this way, Yami, over here," her voice seemed distant. Or was it just that the bats were so close? He knew what he was hearing, and the bats were definitely right behind them. Yet, he couldn't doubt Charlotte. If anything, what he was hearing was probably the effect of an hallucination.

He checked for the bat's ki and felt nothing, but he could sense Charlotte right beside him. She pulled on his hand again, more forcefully this time. As he stood evaluating his surroundings, her pull caught him off guard and before he could grip her tightly, her hand slipped away from his.

A/n: Now that they're separated, how will the bats affect them? Who will save who?