"I'm in," Lucas said.
"Zacard, you know the route. How long would this take total?"Damion said
"Four hours round trip, plus however long it takes to extract the ore," Zacard calculated. "We'd need to move fast to be back before nightfall. I do not want to be in that area after dark."
"Then we leave now," Damion decided. "Grab essentials only. We'll come back for the rest of our gear after."
They moved with practiced efficiency, each person taking what they'd need for a quick raid: weapons, water, emergency talismans, and basic medical supplies.
The bulk of their collected resources stayed hidden in the cave.
As they prepared to leave, Lucas noticed Celeste checking her emergency talisman repeatedly.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Just making sure it works," she said. "In case we need a quick escape."
But something in her tone made Lucas feel uncomfortable. He decided to ignore it after all, it was something he would have to worry about later.
