"...From here on, keep your heads on swivels and watch each other, this is a low difficulty dungeon, but great for training alertness. Unfortunately, this time round we're also on a potential rescue mission, so stay focused."
Jonah and the others nodded and then Jonah told Kayla to get her weapons ready. "Now Lucas, what kind of dangers can we expect to find here?"
"Good question, carnivorous plants, snakes... In short, the usual forest dangers, but bigger and more dangerous."
"Eww, there's no bugs, are there?" Kayla shivered and it was clear from her reaction she wasn't a fan.
"Sorry, Kayla..." Lucas trailed off, shaking his head.
"Lucas, do you mind explaining spiritual weapons as we walk, Kayla is best suited to take point thanks to her rogue class. Kayla, remember what I told you, if you get into a fight, get behind them and attack from behind..."
"Right!..." Kayla said, moving forward.
"...Orcette, the air feels considerably different here, this might be a good place to try and feel out for primordial energy."
"Ugh, know it all..." Orcette winked at Jonah after the sass and then began trying to feel some kind of energy, which was hardly an easy thing to do.
"Try holding your focus, think of it like a divining rod and you might have more luck." Jonah added the idea of her trying to do some kind of meditation as she stumbled around with her eyes closed, terrifying him.
"Hey, Jonah, you're kind of stealing my thunder. If you didn't need my help, you could have just said."
"I do need it, knowing what's best for my charges seems to be instinctual..." Jonah replied as he looked at them, then to his own hands. "...Unfortunately, my own development is not as clear."
"I see, we should get started then..." Lucas began by producing an orb of spiritual energy, and held it out for Jonah.
He explained that he thought the best thing to start with would be for Jonah to learn how spiritual energy felt in its unrefined form, that way he might be able to sense it clearer in himself and begin to call on it.
As Lucas instructed Jonah they made their way through the forest, making it a good way when Kayla stopped dead and warned everyone that something up ahead felt off.
The leaves falling from a large tree that stood in their path were a clue that something was disturbing the branches they couldn't see through the thick canopy of leaves that adorned it.
"Orcette, how is it going with you?" Jonah asked, as Lucas patted Kayla on the head.
"I can feel something different, like everything around me is calling..."
"Answer it, ask it to move to the vines on that big tree up ahead." Jonah was purely following his instincts, not entirely convinced by his own advice, but Orcette put her faith in him and did as instructed.
"Can you move to the vines on that tree please?..." As she spoke, Jonah's hand lightly chopped her head and Lucas and Kayla laughed. "...Hey, what was that for?"
"I didn't say it like you're Kayla asking to pick her room, ask it like a queen asking something she knows she can't be denied. Say it with just a gesture if you can, but whatever happens, make your authority unquestionable." Orcette was a little put out by his scolding, but gave it a shot.
She brushed her totem staff after some of the strange presence she was feeling, bringing it to a stop as she came to point it at the tree, she only hesitated for a second before she spoke. "Go."
Suddenly the ground around them glowed a ghostly, luminescent green which converged onto the vines she specified and a few others in other trees.
"Well done, Orcette. How does it feel to use primordial energy? Now if Jonah can learn as qu-" As Lucas spoke the vines seemed to come alive, thickening and growing uncontrollable, then a horrible, monstrous hissing sounded from the tree and a serpent's head with fierce black eyes dropped into view.
"Kayla, try your throwing knives. Don't think just throw them." Jonah ordered and though startled by his forcefulness, Kayla also followed his instructions and whilst one flew wide and hit the tree, the other two hit it in the eye.
"Jonah, want the honours of the finishing blow?"
"What exactly have I done to earn honours? Orcette, talk to the voices again and ask them to defeat your enemies." He hadn't noticed, but she was breathing heavily.
"I'll try, but even that much was tiring." She waved her totem through the presence around her again and pointed at the vines. "Defeat my enemies."
In a surprisingly gory display, the vines constricted suddenly, then they grew thorns that cut it to ribbons.
"Well done ladies, very well done indeed." Lucas turned to give Orcette a thumbs up, but saw Jonah had been forced to catch her and was laying her down. "Damm Jonah, you shouldn't have pushed her so hard."
Jonah went into the pocket he knew she had her ID in and threw it to him. "Has she levelled up?"
"Huh?..." Lucas unfolded it, then shook his head. "...No, she didn't. Why would that render her unconscious?"
"It wouldn't, but it might have helped her recover quicker, we can't afford to stop moving..." Jonah looked at Kayla. "...Do you want to carry her?"
Kayla just looked back at him and the large Orc he was tending to. "Guild Dad, I think it's your job to carry Guild Mum."
Lucas laughed again and Jonah lifted her onto his back, using his wings to support her, which luckily were no different to feathered pillows to her. "Fine, but it's your job to let me know when she's awake, I know what she's like, she'll absolutely pretend to be out far longer than she is."
With that, they continued on their way, Lucas asking Jonah if he'd had any luck feeling the spiritual energy inside himself. "I can, but it seems awfully faint, more like drops seeping through the gaps in a dam."
"Yeah? That's actually pretty good, when I first felt it, it was like a single drop of water on Crulaharan sand at noon." Lucas said as he rubbed his chin, eyes growing wide when Kayla repeated Jonah's own words at him in her best attempt at his voice.
"Ask it like a queen asking something she knows she can't be denied."
"You mean "king", Kayla." Jonah replied with as much dignity as he had left.
"I meant what I said, you shouldn't have dragged me into it earlier." Kayla replied bluntly.
Disrespect aside, Jonah saw it work for Orcette and tried it, sparing a hand from supporting Orcette and trying to summon a needle like Lucas had to finish his ID and when it flashed into existence before dissipating.
"Good attempt, but you aren't commanding an external force. You have to maintain awareness of the internal flow and focus on the shape of the weapon."
Jonah nodded and continued trying, whilst Lucas grumbled about the lack of salvageable materials from the serpent and then led the way forward after recovering Kayla's knives for her.
As they pushed forward Lucas decided to focus on guiding Kayla since Jonah was focused on spiritual manipulation and Kayla wanted to learn more, but they could tell she wasn't entirely comfortable with the blood that was on her hands from when Lucas handed her the knives.
As they continued through the woods, one hour turned to two, the only other creatures they had seen were a few spiders which Kayla was quick to throw her knives at, but starting to feel a bit ill.
"Jonah, we should stop and let these two rest properly..." As he made his decision, he pointed out a spot that was slightly clearer and Jonah retrieved a bedroll to act as a cushion, then laid Orcette down and asked Kayla to watch her, then Lucas led him away to have a quiet conversation.
"What can I do for you, Lucas?"
"...Kayla, I know you didn't know her before yesterday, but I'm worried about how uncomfortable she is with all this. I don't know if you guys remember any of this, but the idea of foreigners coming here was because we wanted to learn from their experiences."
"We didn't, but what's the point?"
"I want to know why she was there, do you mind if I look into it?" Lucas was trying to not give the false impression that she was under suspicion again, but it was already obvious he was concerned about her.
"Actually, personally, I'd appreciate it. I want to know who I have accepted as my charge, but I don't want to intrude and so I'd say to ask her. I will support her decision..." Jonah thought about his words for a second. "...Sorry, it sounds suspect like that, can you please look into the issue in general regardless? I want to know their selection criteria and any legislation."
"Aye, a good start for you all. Jonah, I can't say this enough, I trust you. I want to know what happened to you all in that courtyard though, telling the guild to fish any bodies they find out of the river was not a highlight of my career."
"I know, my duty is to my charges, but I want to try and help them accept this world as reality." Lucas nodded and held out his hand for Jonah, who took it and cemented their agreement to unravel it as best they could.
Lucas then approached and asked Kayla, who did look to Jonah for approval, but after he told her it was up to her she agreed quickly.