The Damsel in Distress

It was almost two hours later when Kaine and Kao finally found a pond that contained the water from a small river that created in the creak of the cave floor. Kao immediately flew far into the pond to check in the water, leaving Kaine behind again for at least the tenth time that day.

Kaine was almost sure he will break his back out of weight if he kept going any longer because of the amount of the crystal he had in his back.

He did not how to differentiate between good quality crystal and an average or poor one, that was why he just grabbed the big size one and hoping at least it has some average quality.

At worst, even though the quality is not that good, at least the quantity could make up a little bit.

In the midst of his thought, he heard Kao's small roar like a baby tiger from afar. He sometimes wondered why did a lightworm roar like a baby tiger unlike a regular one who only purred but then he just got used to it, at least he could he take it as a way of his spirit to communicate.

He looked to Kao and thought that the water must be safe to drink as he saw that it started to circling in place for a bit before dipping down its body to cool down.

"Nice job boy"

Kaine hurriedly dropped the bag of crystal from his bag and made his way into the pond.

The water indeed looked eligible to drink as he also can see little fish at the bottom of the pond's, one of the species that only live in the dark and damp places of Nove's state.

He looked up to see Kao now had left the water and flown happily in a circle. Kaine thought that although in his eyes Kao often resembled a kitten, it behavior sometimes more like a puppy just like now when it looked almost seemed that it chased its own tail.

"Wrrrrooo" Kao little roar echoed in the high ceiling of the cave.

Kaine smiled a little before decided to bend down into the pond to drink the water and washed his face.

The cold water felt very refreshing as it was a bit cold and it tasted somehow sweeter. He ignored the fact that it might taste sweet because of some certain reason for example, due to the fish that live here eat and then produce the…

Well, he did not want to think about it, so instead he dunked down himself and let his head half drown into the water. It was indeed very fortunate to find the water and drink to make up for his exhaustion or else he might not be able to go back outside before dark.

He was about to get back up when suddenly something hit the back of his head, causing him dunked down back into the water again.

Startled, he immediately raised his head and moved back from the pond. Kao flew to his way, obviously worried. So, it was not Kao who played its cheeky trick on him as usual.

"What was that?" He asked while Kao circled him once before finally pointed across the pond with the end of its tail.

"What?"

Kaine squinted his eyes as he tried to figure out what Kao tried to show him. At first, he thought it was just a regular bat, or maybe if he did not lucky a small monster that lived inside this cave.

But what he saw a bit different. It was a small like grey wolf creature that had two small horns attached into its little head. Its body covered in the dark red light that seemed to be coming from inside its grey fur.

"That is …"

Kao looked at him as if he gave him an agreement of what that creature might be just as Kaine thought.

"Element Spirit. But what is it doing in here alone in the cave without its master?"

The spirit walked in an uneasy way before making his way into Kaine and Kao by running across the pond. Its little feet did not touch the water at all, as if it walked on the water.

"Wrooo"

Kao immediately positioned itself in front of Kaine who seemed dumbfounded for a second obviously, its instinct was trying to protect him from the other spirit that might have a bad intention.

The dark red light that covered that spirit body faded a little before it absorbed inside its body. It then leaped the last jump and landed in front of Kaine and Kao, at this time both of them were ready. Kaine had let out the old sword that given by his father years ago just in case the spirit might attack them right at the moment. Obviously mainly because his power to wield the light was no way could be used to attack.

That time for some reason it did not mean any harm as the appearance of the spirit was now presented itself without the red Rhaga aura that surrounded its body before, making it almost vulnerable as the Rhaga aura supposed to protect the Element spirit from getting too much of damage from an attack or poisonous substance.

However, the fact that the wolf-like spirit in front of them at the moment pulled back its Rhaga aura it means something must happen that caused it to do so in front of a stranger that might harm it.

"Wrooo?"

Kao tried to observe the spirit who at that time was looking at Kao as well. It probably tried to communicate with that spirit. Unfortunately, being only a brown class of Element spirit, Kao would not able to do it. Kaine looked into his poor lightworm for its limited skill that he could not upgrade for the past three years for the tenth times that day.

But suddenly the wind that blew from inside the cave suddenly passed on them, causing Kaine tensed that he smells a hint of dirt, a horrible poisonous herb that sometimes grew in the surface of the cave, and blood.

'how can the smell of blood be this strong?'

He squinted and saw the source where the blood scent came from and figured out it came from the pond afar from him, near the corner of the cave. There surrounded by many stones that he did not pay attention before, hidden by the crook that naturally grew from the cave and soil he could see something.

The spirit looked somehow relief when Kaine managed to divert his attention to that path. It now released a little sound like a howl before turning in the place twice and leap its way back to where it came from.

It made a turn as soon as crossing the pond to the corner that Kaine just found on his sight. This made Kao turned into his partner, roar as usual but this time Kaine who was bond into his spirit could feel that it told him to follow the spirit before.

He took a deep breath as he realized that whatever it is that waiting for him in there might not be good because it obviously involved a lot of blood. There was no way for him able to smell something like blood so intense unless there were much of it near him.

'what can be the cause of it?'

He thought for the worst scenario that could happen as he made his way to that corner while Kao accompanied him. Normally Kao would be either in the front or in his back if it was too lazy with Kaine's activity.

But this time it was beside him, and even without telling him or if he decided to ask his spirit. Kaine understood that Kao was neither too excited to be in front or too lazy to follow from behind instead, it was probably a little confused at the moment since the two of them had yet encountered a situation like this.

So, it probably just stayed beside him in order to at least be able to protect Kaine for whatever it is that might harm them. But he was not sure if Kao could do much if what awaited them was the worst scenario such as, a trap from a 'fallen mage' that would harm the wielder and stole their Rhaga crystal.

"Oh no" Kaine said as he finally realized what was the wolf-like spirit led him into.

A girl who was definitely a wielder if this wolf-like spirit belongs to her was sitting with her back against the cave's wall. Her hair was matted into his head with dirt and possibly dried blood, her clothes were torn on some sides and her legs showed a horrible scar that started to turn violet.

Kaine immediately recognized the scar in her leg was caused by Agronila, a poisoned herb that notorious was able to even cripple the infected body part if it not treated carefully.

He did not know what happened to her, but one thing for sure he needed to treat her Agronila's scar immediately before it's too late. Kaine opened his robe and looked into the wolf-like spirit in her side which watching him attentively, trying to tell it that he did not mean harm.

"I'm going to cover her with this, is it okay? " He showed it his robe and the wolf spirit looked at it for a second before nodded in understanding.

Kaine gasped a little at how intelligent the wolf spirit but not thinking about that any longer and quickly warped the robe around her. Thankfully the clothes were still attached even though it severely tore. He tried not to look at the side of her thigh that quite exposed to the torn clothes and successfully wore the robe on her.

"Okay now, what should I do?" Kaine scratched the back of his head tried to find any information that he might read or learn in his years of listening to his brother and father.

"The fish! " He exclaimed when he remembered something that his brother taught him last year.

Kaine jolted up from his place to the pond and watched the fish that peacefully swam in the bottom of the pond.

Clover Fish, the fish who only exist in Nove State. They lived in the dark cave which very close to many rare herbs and often consumes it when it brought by the water that diluted it in the cave's river. Naturally, Agronila is one of them which caused them to have the ability to purify the poisonous herb.

He should catch one for that girl but then he remembered why not many people can easily obtain them. It was hard to catch as the pond and river where they live may not look like it, but it was very deep. The clear water made it look like it was shallow, when in fact it was at least more than 30 meters deep and those fish would swim very fast when danger approached.

"What to do now?"

Thinking deeply, he contemplated whether to try and swim deep into the pond or look around and found someone for help.

It was not going to work, he was not a water element wielder that can manipulate water to catch the fish nor did he had a superhuman breath that can help him catch the fish.

Kao was roaring again, causing Kaine turned around and saw it was now floating near the wolf spirit. It must be some crazy thought but for a second Kaine swear that it looked like Kao was trying to comfort the wolf. He shook his thought before another one entered his head.

"Huh? Maybe there is a way? "