I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

When all the undead scattered throughout the Evergreen Forest had been killed by the group led by Victor, they finally headed towards the cave where the demon was sealed.

As they stood facing the mouth of the cave, Riggilo looked into the darkness inside and said:

"Here we are..."

The darkness of the cave was dense, almost palpable. The air coming out of it seemed damp and thick, laden with the smell of something more sinister and a sense of an evil presence that hung in the air like a shadow.

However, the same Riggilo who seemed hesitant was the one who raised his staff, lit the way and led the group. "Let’s go in."

Everyone exchanged glances, but followed Riggilo into the dark cave, whose entrance stood out like a beast’s mouth in the natural landscape of the Evergreen Forest.

The cold air inside the cave enveloped them as they advanced through the narrow corridors, naturally lit only by the luminous mosses that dotted the rocky walls.

The echo of their footsteps resounded, creating an atmosphere of suspense as they went deeper into the cave, with each sound seeming to get lost in the deep darkness that stretched ahead.

The walls of the cave seemed to close in around them, creating a claustrophobic feeling that only added to the tension.

The group followed in silence to keep all their senses alert for any sign of imminent danger.

Every sound, every shadow moving on the rocky walls, was a reason for the hunters to pay attention, even if only briefly, but Victor was calm, because he knew that the only danger present in this cave was at the end of it.

Finally, after a winding walk, they reached a large open chamber, illuminated by the bluish light emitted by the mosses on the walls. In the center of the chamber, a carved stone altar stood, and on it rested a black sword, carved with such perfection that it seemed to be fused to the altar.

Elban looked over the heads of all the hunters and muttered:

"It is..." He said, looking at the black sword, and just as he was about to fly towards it, a voice echoed through the chamber, coming directly from this sword.

"Oh! You’ve finally arrived! I’ve been waiting for you, but I confess I thought you wouldn’t have the courage to come to me, after all, you’re so... weak!" The demon Gravisk teased the hunters.

Gravisk’s voice reverberated off the walls of the chamber, and the hero Elban gritted his teeth at the demon’s words. His ethereal form shook with rage, almost as if he was about to lunge for the sword.

However, Victor raised his hand in a gesture of calm, conveying a silent message to Elban. There was a greater purpose driving them, and confronting the demon was not in their immediate plans at the moment.

"Don’t fall into its traps, Elban. It’s trying to provoke us. We need to keep a cool head," muttered Victor, conveying confidence to the group. "Our focus isn’t on breaking its seal right now and we can’t afford any distractions. The more time passes, the less time we have."

Elban took a deep breath, controlling his anger, and nodded, stepping back onto the ground like the others.

Gravisk laughed, a hoarse laugh that resounded off the rocky walls. "HAHAHAHA! Ah, how cute! You have a wise leader, but I can sense the fear hidden behind those words, aged human. You know you’re no match for me." Its voice had a clear tone of mockery.

Pyaxu exchanged a nervous glance with Orie, feeling the pressure mount as the demon continued to taunt him.

However, with steady steps, Victor began to walk through the chamber, paying no attention to the taunts. He stopped, looked around and then looked at his fellow missionaries.

"Come over here." Victor ordered and they all went to him. "If Gravisk isn’t to escape from this place as soon as it’s freed, we’ll need to make a shield. If I were alone, I’d just make an elven shield that would hold it here for a few minutes and try to fight it on equal terms, but I’ve learned my lesson: I’m not alone now."

Victor then reached into one of his belt pockets and took out a white chalk. Victor then crouched down and began to draw on the ground, just as he had done to explain his extermination plan in the forest.

"Pyaxu and Orie, I need you to draw these symbols around the altar. Pay attention, they must form a circle. Even if it’s not perfect, try your best." Victor guided them and then thought: ’I’ve already made the mistake of making a barrier that looked over this whole chamber. That gave Gravisk too much space, if I make a smaller barrier it’ll have less space and the barrier will be more resistant.’

"Right!" Pyaxu and Orie agreed as they looked at the symbols Victor had drawn.

"What about me?" Riggilo asked, pointing to himself.

Victor stood up to talk to the cleric. "How much energy do you have left?"

"I don’t know, but not much after I used that holy magic to defeat those zombies. I should have enough stamina for one or two spells." Riggilo was sincere, although he was a little embarrassed to admit that he couldn’t take much more.

So Victor reached into one of his belt pockets and pulled out a handful of green leaves.

"What’s this?" Riggilo asked.

"Camellia sinensis, or tea leaf. It’s full of caffeine and will give you some energy if you chew it for a few seconds. Use all the energy you have now to summon the most powerful barrier you know, use it for as long as you want and then chew these leaves to keep the barrier in place." Victor said and started walking towards the altar.

Riggilo looked at the green leaves and decided to ask:

"But what about you, Victor?"

Victor didn’t answer. Instead, he climbed to the top of the altar and stood facing Elban’s sword.

The spirit of the hero Elban, who had accompanied him there, noticed the serious expression on his friend’s face. "Victor, what are you thinking of doing?" Elban asked.

"I’m sorry. I know you don’t approve of this and you’d even try to stop me if you could, but I need to resort to THAT now." Victor muttered to Elban.