Mira, Elenei, and Rhydian approached the hidden entrance cautiously. Using her Soul Sense, Mira probed the area, searching for any signs of traps or protective formations that might give away their presence.
'Looks like there isn't anything.' Elenei communicated as Rhydian nodded in agreement, but Mira remained skeptical.
She frowned, not believing a guy like that captain, someone who valued his safety and that of his boat more than anything, wouldn't have anything set up.
However, no matter how much she scanned, it really seemed like there wasn't any formation, array, trap, or anything of the sort that could alert him of their presence.
So, she spread out her Soul Sense further, piercing not just the above ground but high in the sky and down in the earth as well. That's when she noticed something peculiar.
There was a massive web of thinly-line Qi interwoven within each other, both in the sky and underground. This web rippled whenever something appeared inside it.
She noticed tiny bugs fly in and out of this illusory web, causing it to undulate, albeit very slightly.
'It seems to work based off of either the weight of the being inside or its natural aura.' Mira thought as she forced everyone to come to a halt.
Everyone and everything in this world had a weight and an aura. Even said aura has a 'weight' to it but interacts with the world differently than physical objects. It's more like if a cultivator stepped into a room, they would raise the quantity and density of the Qi within as a whole simply because they're a walking ball of energy.
Mira guessed that whatever formation that man set up had something to do with that, but couldn't be sure.
'Not that it matters. We just need to get by whatever this crap is and find that bastard.' Mira thought as she began thinking of a solution.
'Did you find something?' Elenei asked, to which Mira nodded.
'Yeah, a web that reacts to any presence inside it. I don't think it's a formation. It could be some type of massive array, but I'm not sure.'
Elenei's brows furrowed in thought. "An array that vast... it's not something you see every day. It's like he's cast a net over the entire area."
Rhydian asked, still a bit confused, "So, if we touch it, he'll know we're here.?"
"Right." Mira nodded as her eyes glinted with realization. "But we won't touch it. We'll go through it."
"How do you propose we do that?" Elenei asked, intrigued by Mira's confidence.
Mira's lips curled into a sly smile. "We mimic the properties of the things that can pass through it. Like those bugs."
Elenei nodded, understanding Mira's plan. "Alter our aura and weight to match theirs. Clever."
Rhydian looked skeptical but said nothing, trusting in Mira's judgment.
Mira closed her eyes, focusing on her Qi. She began to manipulate their auras, tuning them to match the lightness and subtlety of the insects that flitted through the web undetected. It was a delicate process, one that required a lot of fine-tuning combined with a little bit of creation and destruction.
They all knew how to hide their presence, mask their aura, and even control their weight/strength when needed, but that wouldn't cut it here.
What Mira was doing was essentially tying their presence to the web, weighing it down with their existence so as not to cause any major ripples.
Was it risky? Very.
Did Mira know what she was doing? Not really, but she didn't want to wait here all day looking for a solution only to not find one and storm in there, breaking everything.
This was just something she hoped could get them through the front door, not a permanent solution.
After a few minutes, Mira felt like she had succeeded and took her first step. She kept her senses locked on the web, but as she walked in it, she nodded happily that it didn't vibrate much–not enough to alert anyone.
'Come on. Let's go.' She urged the other two, who nodded and followed after her.
As they moved forward, they watched the web closely. It remained still, undisturbed by their presence. Mira's plan was working.
It wasn't long before they reached the iceberg. Now, this was the easy part. Together, Mira and Elenei manipulated the icebergs, creating a small, silent path that allowed them to walk through the entrance without any noise or disturbance.
Rhydian transformed into a smaller form and hopped on Mira's shoulder as a small wolf.
Inside, the passage led to a massive steep cavern leading them deeper underground. Mira took the lead, her scythe ready in her hand. They descended into the darkness, their senses heightened to any danger.
The path was steep and winding, leading them deeper into the earth. The walls slowly transitioned from ice to icy dirt to rock, then finally stone. Mira was a bit surprised that there were no other preventative measures in place, but part of her understood why.
They were piloting a massive ship, and this place was a secret base. Having to disarm and rearm everything was likely very slow, not to mention a pain to do every time they wanted to return here.
That web from before was also more than enough to stop 99.99% of intruders. Mira could cheat her way through for a few minutes, but even she doubted she could remain hidden for much longer than that.
If someone were paying attention to that array, they would've noticed something was off immediately. She only succeeded because the ones on guard were busy getting scolded by the Captain.
Rhydian, in her smaller form on Mira's shoulder, growled softly, her ears twitching. "There's movement ahead."
Mira halted, signaling for silence. She extended her Soul Sense, detecting the faint echoes of voices and the clanging of metal. "We're close to the main chamber."
They proceeded with caution, blending into the shadows. The passage opened into a vast cavern where the ship was anchored. Crew members scurried about, making repairs under the watchful eye of the captain.
"You idiots can't even take care of a few nobodies?! Wait until we get back to the mainland! I'll make sure you lot don't see the light of day for the next century!" The man yelled, causing everyone under him to flinch, not daring to meet his eye lest they make him angrier.
"And you!" He pointed at a random crew member working on fixing the hull. "If you don't do your job properly next time, I'm throwing you in my dungeon and forcing you to dig a hole until you die from the heat!"
'Fuck! What'd I do?! This was your fault, dammit! Since you're so strong, you should've just killed that fox woman!' The man inwardly complained but, on the outside, nodded meekly and got back to work.
The Captain kept scolding anyone and everyone he set his eyes on, with nobody safe from his anger. Even the people who were here the entire time didn't escape it.
Mira, Elenei, and Rhydian remained hidden in the shadows, watching the scene unfold before them. The latter two subtly glanced at Mira, thinking that the two had some similarities, before they returned to what they were doing.
Now that they were up close and not trying to destroy it, the ship seemed a lot bigger, but the most striking feature was that it was anchored firmly in place, locked down by heavy sealing chains. Workers scurried around frantically, trying to repair the damage while enduring the captain's wrath.
Mira's eyes scrutinized the sealing chains and the anchor, her mind racing to formulate a plan. "Those chains... they're the key to keeping the ship stationary. If we can break them without alerting the crew, we can take control."
Elenei, her gaze following Mira's, nodded in agreement. "You're right. Those runes on the chains not only prevent it from being shoved into a spatial ring or something similar but also keep it locked in place. However, my fire should be able to weaken the chains discreetly."
Rhydian, still perched on Mira's shoulder, whispered, "I'll scout the ship's layout and find us the best escape route."
As the trio gathered information, a peculiar energy caught their attention. In a secluded corner of the cavern, a device pulsed with a strange power. It appeared to be a portal or a communication mechanism, its surface adorned with unfamiliar symbols and emitting a low hum.
Mira extended her Soul Sense carefully so as not to alert anyone. Fortunately, her soul was quite a bit stronger than most of the people here, aside from the captain, so nobody noticed her subtle presence. "This device... it might be what they're using to communicate with their allies."
"I want it." She stated, greed flashing in her eyes before it disappeared.
Elenei examined the device. "It's definitely not from around here. We should investigate it, but carefully."
Rhydian's eyes narrowed as she scanned the room, noting the positions of the crew members and the layout of the cavern. "We need to act fast. The longer we wait, the more risk we're at."
Mira nodded, her mind already formulating a strategy. "Elenei, start working on the chains. Rhydian, keep an eye on the crew. I'll investigate this device. Once the ship is almost free, we'll deal with these assholes and loot this place dry!"
