The rest of the journey through the caves was silent as could be. No one wanted to be the first person to speak up and break through the silence as long as there was a chance there was a creature still following after them. Tressa gripped tightly at the map just to make sure she didn't lose it, knowing it would probably be the first thing to end up gone if there was a scuffle that distracted everyone from their current purpose.

The other travelers were quiet too, not wanting to be the first person to speak up and shatter the silence in case it drew their opponent to their location. The chances of them being caught were slim, but there was still a possibility of it, and as such, they needed to be as careful as possible. Tressa could have sworn she heard a few other noises after the first one caught the group's attention, but she couldn't tell if it was just her paranoid mind playing tricks on her or if there was actually something there she should have been afraid of. Both were unfortunately fully possible, but picking apart which was which was much easier said than done. 

Tressa stopped when she heard the sound of scraping claws against rock. Whatever creature it was that was in the caves with them, it was big, and it was waiting for them. Tressa swallowed back her nerves to the best of her ability, her grip on the map getting so tight that she feared ripping it if she put out any more force into clinging to it. She shook her head and forced herself to concentrate on the path ahead once again. They were getting close, and once they got the eldrite, the travelers could leave the cave behind and never have to think about being there again. 

A few agonizing minutes later, Tressa arrived at the end of the path, and her eyes went wide when she caught a glimpse of a chest halfway sticking out of the sand and silt in the middle of a large clearing. The caves had opened up to offer a greater view of the outside world. The rocks overlooked the ocean just outside Victors Hollow that led to the seas surrounding Orsterra. For a few moments, Tressa was captivated by the sight of the waves crashing against one another in a gentle but mesmerizing song, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape. 

She forced herself to concentrate on the objective at hand again though, instead crouching down in front of the chest once she had approached it. She tried to pull at the lock, but she quickly discovered the chest was both sealed shut with a mechanism and much heavier than she had expected. Tressa winced and looked over her shoulder at the rest of the travelers. "Can I get a bit of help?" she asked. 

Therion was quick to jump into action, reaching for a lock pick and shoving it into the lock on the chest. After a few seconds of tinkering, another scraping sound reached Tressa's ears, and she instinctively winced. Whatever monster was in there with them was getting closer, and if they didn't get out of there as soon as possible, they were going to end up as its prey. Tressa could only assume the creature had moved in after Baltazar had left behind the map for Leon. After all, from what she had heard of him from Leon, Baltazar didn't seem like the man to send an old friend into a cave that contained a deadly monster. This creature must have been a newer development. 

Therion let out a small sigh as he managed to flip the lid to the chest open. Tressa rolled the map into a tube and tucked it away in her bag as she peered over the edge of the chest at the contents found within. There was a grand gemstone waiting at the bottom, and it certainly seemed to fit the descriptions Cyrus had mentioned before. 

The jewel was primarily a resplendent turquoise color, and thanks to the various ways in which the light caught it, the stone glowed. Even though the scholars who had written about the eldrite had never seen it themselves, Tressa knew they were right. It was the of the goddess and the breath of the sea simultaneously, creating perhaps the most beautiful thing Tressa had ever laid eyes on. 

The merchant pulled the stone out of the chest slowly, her eyes wide as she stared at the gem. She never would have thought she could find something this beautiful, and yet there she was. She could see why Leon had wanted to find it for so long. It was certainly a precious treasure for Baltazar to stake their final bet on... And it would be an even more precious gift for Tressa to give Leon so he would have something to remember his old friend by. 

Before Tressa had the chance to fully wrap the eldrite and tuck it away in her bag though, she was cut off by a distant roar. She froze on the spot and looked up with panic in her eyes. She had gotten so distracted by the eldrite that she had completely forgotten about the concern of being chased by an unknown monster. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to ignore that for any longer. The beast had arrived, and it would not let the travelers go without a fight. 

The creature in question was a massive tiger. Its fur was primarily white with streaks of a stony gray marking its coat. The entire tiger seemed to be slightly tinted purple, the coloration so slight that most wouldn't have noticed it in the first place. The beast's claws were impressively sharp to match the pair of tusks that stuck out from either side of its head. The claw on its first fingers were the sharpest and longest of the bunch with the rest of each paw's blades falling off as much shorter. The claws and tusks were a bright purple color like they were a warning of some kind, and the dangerous flick of the beast's tail was much the same. It was dangerous, and it wanted to let everyone know just how terrifying it could be. 

"I suppose we can safely conclude that this is the thing that's been following us through the caves," Ophilia whispered as she stole a glance in the direction of the other travelers. "I don't think it's going to let us go without a fight."

"Then we'll just have to give it a fight," Therion said simply. He reached for his dagger, and flames began to dance across the tip of the blade. 

"I read about these beasts once," Cyrus started. "They're known as venomtooth tigers. I would advise you all to be as careful as possible when fighting it up close. That name is very literal, and their poison is dangerous. It would be in all of our best interests to attack it from afar rather than risk getting in close."

"Then letten us fenden this beast off so that we might acquiren the eldrite and maken our escape," H'aanit announced. She reached for the bow she had received from Draefendi, creating an arrow from nothingness to rest against the string. 

The tiger continued to stand on its outcropping of rock for another few heavy moments, simply staring down at its prey to measure what they would do first. Primrose was the first one to move, flicking a blast of fiery magic in the tiger's direction. As soon as the beast was struck, it let out a mighty roar that made the cave itself seem to shake. Once the flames were extinguished, the tiger threw itself down onto the lower ground, glaring at the travelers with murderous intent and venom dancing across its fangs. The battle had begun, and all of them knew it.

H'aanit released her arrow as soon as she was on equal footing with the tiger, and the tip exploded into cracks of thunder across the monster's fur. The tiger roared angrily once again before slashing a claw at the air in front of its nearest target: Tressa. The merchant barely managed to jump backward and out of the way, but along the way, she caught a quick glimpse of purple venom bleeding out from the tip of the tiger's talons. Cyrus had meant it when he said the monster was dangerously poisonous; they would all need to keep as much distance from it as possible. 

Ophilia was quick to cover for Tressa though, raising the Illumination Staff high and letting a column of light slam down just between Tressa and the tiger. The merchant took this chance to scramble away, reading her spear for a blast of wind to distract her opponent. The tiger stumbled backward, unused to the light due to living in such a dark cave. Tressa knew from that fact alone that the monster was probably going to be weak to attacks that changed its environment from the cold, damp atmosphere it was used to. Fire, light, and probably thunder magic would be their best bets, especially if they needed to keep as much distance from it as possible. 

Therion twirled his dagger and created a fireball in the air just above his head, and the resulting comet slammed straight toward the tiger. The beast was forced backward once again, and Olberic plunged the tip of his sword into the ground to prompt rocks to sprout from the ground and root the tiger in place. The beast let out an angry roar, sending small droplets of purple venom scattering throughout its immediate area. Alfyn threw up the Rose Axe to create a barricade of vines to block the travelers from the poison. The few places that were hit by the purple acid hissed as the venom ate away at the vines, and Tressa silently thanked Alfyn for making sure that hadn't been any of them feeling the sting. 

"If you end up poisoned, come to me immediately," Alfyn instructed everyone, his tone offering no room for objections, not that anyone would have gone against his advice when he knew how to handle situations like this best. If they couldn't keep their distance from the tiger, then they would need to address the poison as soon as possible. The beast was fast, and it could have easily caught them by surprise if they weren't careful about keeping it at bay. 

Therion nodded at Alfyn's words before stabbing his knife into the ground, sending small veins of fire spreading through the rocks beneath everyone's feet. Soon enough, the flames shot up from the ground directly beneath the tiger, and the monster cried out in pain but otherwise did nothing to try and push the travelers back. It managed to jump free of the confines Olberic had created around its feet with a swift kick off the ground, but the pads of its feet were still damaged from the fire, something that was blatantly obvious given the way it tried to avoid standing when it hit the ground. The tiger hesitated before settling down, realizing there was no way out of this. It would have to stand and fight regardless of what its body demanded. That was the current requirement for survival.

Cyrus sent out a pair of fiery blasts at the tiger while the monster was still trying to settle itself once again. That was enough to completely destroy the tiger's focus, leaving the travelers with the perfect chance to open fire and deal as much damage as possible to their opponent. Tressa smirked before thrusting her spear forward, creating a tempest of wind that knocked the beast backward into the bottom of the rock outcropping the tiger had jumped down from. A few stray stones came loose from the impact, leaving a gentle rain of fragments of rock to come down on the tiger's head. The monster barely seemed to notice the sudden barrage at all though, too disoriented to give it a second thought.

Primrose and Ophilia shared a quick glance before pressing their hands together, magnifying the strength of one of Ophilia's regular light blasts and doubling its power. The tiger didn't have the chance to retreat thanks to the sudden brutality of the strike. Instead, the beast just tried to bury its face behind one paw to ensure it was still able to see after the massive blast of light, but all the travelers could see that was a vain effort. 

H'aanit followed up with an arrow that was aimed straight at the tiger's face. The hope was to take the beast out in a single hit and end the fight then and there, but when the beast returned to its senses at the last moment, the arrow wound up embedded in its shoulder instead. The tiger let out a fierce shriek of rage before batting the arrow away with its other paw, forcing the arrow to dissipate into lightning that spread across its body. That left behind a lingering sting as well, not that the tiger was able to show such openly. In a battle like this, to show weakness was to invite death, and even monsters understood that harsh truth when it came to survival. 

Olberic and Alfyn converged on the tiger from either side at roughly the same time, their blades both raised high above their head. They brought the weapons down hard and fast, opening twin gashes on either side of the tiger's body. The beast whirled around to face Olberic, trying to strike at him with a slash of his claws. Olberic managed to duck out of the way at first, but a follow-up strike from the tiger's tail pushed him out of the battle, sending him sprawling backward with no chance of a quick recovery. 

The tiger attempted to push the advantage toward the dazed Olberic where the man was lying against the cave's wall, but Therion was quick to get in the way. He raised his dagger and slashed it at the air in a pattern shaped like an X. Flames sparked across the tip of the blade before soaring toward the tiger in the same outline he had drawn previously, forcing the tiger back by a few steps and effectively stealing its vision for a few quick seconds. 

Therion moved to help Olberic up and out of the line of fire, but he didn't notice the attack coming for him until it was too late. The tiger slashed at him without any rhyme or reason, still able to sense its target was ahead of it even without any access to visual information. The air was pushed from Therion's lungs as the beast cut hard enough across his forearm to send him sprawling. Therion hit the cave wall hard with a small groan of pain, and he looked down at the hand that was still gripping at his dagger. A small amount of the beast's purple ooze had managed to slip into a wound across Therion's lower arm, and he knew without needing to ask that he had been poisoned. 

Alfyn was quick to run in his direction with Cyrus covering his tracks. Cyrus created a barrier of earth that blocked Olberic, Therion, and Alfyn off and out of the tiger's view. As soon as the wall had been solidified, Cyrus sent out a pair of fireballs meant to divert the beast's attention. Sure enough, it worked, and the tiger whirled around to face the other five travelers. It tried to pounce in their direction, but a tactfully created column of ice formed a buffer to stop it from reaching its targets. The tiger slid across the top of the ice column and landed on the ground on the other side in a rough heap of fur and venom. 

H'aanit fired off another electric arrow as soon as the tiger was far enough away from the ice pillar for it to be safe, and the lightning crackled across the beast's fur before flickering out. The damage had already been done, and the electricity tore away at the injuries Olberic and Alfyn had already opened on either side of the tiger's body. With the lightning ripping in so viciously the beast could do little but wait there on the ground, too exhausted and drained to fight back against the onslaught steadily draining its energy. 

Tressa took in a grounding breath before she raised her spear high, preparing to bring it down on top of the tiger's head. The beast managed to jump out of the way just before she could strike it though, and Tressa was forced backward in a desperate bid to avoid being struck by the tiger's venom. Primrose and Cyrus created twin columns of light to give Tressa the time she needed to escape, and Ophilia concentrated her energy on a wave of fire magic that knocked the tiger against the wall of earth nearby. The beast hit the stone hard, displaying many fragments of the barricade and leaving the rock pieces to rain down on its head. 

Thanks to the distraction that came with the tiger being so dazed, Tressa and H'aanit were able to rush toward the beast once again. Tressa stabbed forward at the tiger, opening a wound on its back to match the twin cuts it was sporting on either side of its body. H'aanit, meanwhile, reached for her axe, raising the blade high above the beast's head. For a few moments, time seemed to slow down as it just tilted its face up to look at its attacker. There was nothing the tiger could do to stop the inevitable end of this battle, and it was fully aware of the bitter truth whether it wanted to be or not. 

H'aanit slammed the axe down hard when time finally returned to its regular pace, and the blade embedded itself firmly in the beast's head. H'aanit retreated as soon as she could pull her axe free, not wanting to bear witness to the fall of the tiger up close. Instead, she tapped the head of her axe on the ground to eliminate any blood or venom that may have gotten on the steel. She held out her other arm to the side to ensure the rest of the travelers didn't try to get in too close and risk getting hurt along the way. 

Tressa stared down at the tiger, her chest heaving with massive breaths. She was glad the group had been able to take care of it, but she wished that hadn't been a problem at all. That was what they got for venturing into a cave without thinking about the creatures that may have been living there, she supposed. At the very least, they were all in one piece. That was what mattered most. 

That was when Tressa remembered Therion. 

The thief was still slumped over gracelessly against one of the walls of the cave. Alfyn was tending to his wounds carefully, a small herb in one hand that Tressa recognized as a cure for poison. He handed it over to Therion a few moments later, and the thief just took a bite out of it without bothering to ask about the consequences of that. Alfyn dabbed a small rag against Therion's cut, and the thief sighed heavily. He seemed dazed but ultimately fine, though his face was a bit flushed with a fever that had sparked up in the few minutes since he had been struck by the tiger. 

The rest of the travelers were slow to approach Therion, Alfyn, and Olberic, leaving a wide berth between themselves and the dead tiger on the ground beside them. Primrose glanced between Therion and Alfyn anxiously. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked the apothecary. 

"I'm fine," Therion assured her, his words slurring together slightly. He was mostly fine, at the very least, and if he had the energy to add a bit of bite to his tone, then he had the energy to get on his feet once again. At the very least, he would be up and running around again in a matter of minutes, and Tressa was willing to consider that a victory. Even with the cut on his arm, he would be fine with the combined power of time and Alfyn's healing work.

"I didn't think we would run into a tiger of all things in a place like this," Alfyn remarked as he glanced up to the rest of the travelers. "I guess that's what I get for thinkin' we would end up gettin' a break from constantly fightin' for our lives... That wasn't an easy battle."

"It would have been a lot worse if we had to get in close to strike at it," Cyrus agreed. "Thanks to the magic we've been learning from the gods, that battle was much easier than it otherwise could have been. I believe we should count that among our blessings."

"You can say that again," Tressa sighed. "But now that it's gone, we can get the eldrite and go. As soon as Therion is ready to walk around again, we should get out of here. I don't know what other monsters have settled in here since Baltazar was last in this cave, but I don't particularly want to think about it either. The sooner we can get out of here, the safer we're all going to be."

"Go on and grab it," Therion instructed. He took another bite of the healing herb Alfyn had given him, wincing when the apothecary touched at his wound once again. "I'll be fine in a few minutes. Just be careful to not step on the tiger corpse on your way over there."

Tressa shivered at his crass wording even though he was correct about their circumstances. She focused instead on making her way over to the chest on the opposite end of the cave. The green and gold structure was still sticking out of the ground slightly, the lid left ajar from Therion's previous work at picking the lock. Tressa set her spear down and crouched beside the chest, reaching in for the second time in less than an hour to grab at the eldrite. 

Tressa pulled the stone out of the chest with a smile on her face, holding it up to the light so she could see all the ways in which the sun's rays caught the gem's shining surface. "Aren't you gorgeous?" she murmured to herself. The descriptions others had offered for the stone were well beyond accurate, and for a few moments, all Tressa could do was stare at the eldrite. When she snapped herself out of her trance though, she went to close the lid of the chest only to catch a glimpse of something else inside. 

Sitting at the bottom of the container was a single piece of paper folded onto itself in thirds. Tressa pulled it out slowly and realized what it was with wide, confused eyes. "A letter?" she murmured. She unfurled the edges of the page and saw the name at the top. It was addressed to Leon. She would have to pass it off to him when she went to give him the eldrite after the group got out of the caves. 

A quick glance to the rest of the travelers told Tressa they were almost ready to go. Therion was testing the feeling of his arm but flexing it carefully at Alfyn's instruction. When he found it to be mostly functional, Alfyn nodded with a proud smile, though something about his gaze seemed to waver. Nobody else noticed his uncertainty though, and Tressa couldn't decide if she should bother with asking him about it or not. She didn't want to push Alfyn too hard and make him uncomfortable, especially given all he did for the rest of the group day in and day out. If he wanted to talk about it, then he would come to them in time. She just had to trust him enough to do that.

"Alright, everyone," Ophilia began with a small nod. "Are we ready to go?"

"I don't think I've ever been so eager to leave a place in my entire life," Therion snorted as he looked in the direction of the tiger's corpse. Tressa deliberately averted her gaze from the creature, knowing that would only dash her good mood from finding the eldrite. "Come on. Let's get back to town."

Nobody dared to object to that, and so, they began their journey back to Victors Hollow. Tressa tucked the letter under her arm as she held up the eldrite to the limited light to examine it once again, a smile on her face. It truly was incredible. She wished she could have captured its gleam for everyone to see, but she knew that wasn't an option. The stone belonged to Leon, and she would give it to him as soon as possible. He deserved that much. This should have been his all those years ago, and she would make sure he knew it. 

After all, that's what friends are for.

~~~~~

As soon as the group arrived back in Victors Hollow, Tressa darted off toward the tavern. The sun had started to descend across the horizon, casting the town in a gentle, nostalgic glow. Under most circumstances, this would have been about the time Tressa realized that she and the rest of the travelers hadn't eaten any lunch before they went off to find the treasure Baltazar had left behind. She also would have recognized at this point that they had spent a lot longer in the caves than any of them could have anticipated. They must have lost track of time between their search and the subsequent fight against the venomtooth tiger. It was to be expected, but it still caught Tressa by surprise. 

She chose to not let it bother her too much though. She had accomplished her goal, and that pride continued to push her ever forward. She was so excited to see Leon's reaction to her having the eldrite that she didn't even care about how much time had come and gone without her noticing. After the travelers spoke to him, then they could turn their attention to eating and figuring out a plan for the rest of the day. 

Speaking of the other travelers, they were all gathered behind Tressa. Alfyn was standing close to Therion even now, keeping an eye on the thief's arm from where it had been cut before. Cyrus' gaze was locked on the eldrite in Tressa's hands as he tried to commit as many details as he could to memory. The other four members of the group hung near the back, all of them quietly taking in the scenery of the dusky heavens above Victors Hollow. It was nice to be back in town. Their journey to find the eldrite had been an enjoyable one, but stepping back into their own shoes was a blessing just the same.

Tressa smiled up at the sky, the spirit of adventure still burning bright in her stomach, as she threw the door to the tavern open. Leon was sitting in the same place he had been before, sharing a table with Mikk and Makk on the far side of the building. "Mr. Leon!" Tressa exclaimed as she dashed over to him, weaving in and out of the other patrons of the bar to arrive at her destination. 

Leon looked up at her in surprise when he realized she was there, but Tressa didn't give him a chance to speak, too fired up from excitement and adrenaline to even think of slowing down. "I followed the map and found this," she went on. She held out the eldrite to him, and the turquoise stone gleamed brightly even in the gentle light of the tavern. 

Leon's eyes went wide with surprise, and he cautiously reached out to accept the stone from Tressa. After a few moments of careful examination, he nodded to himself. "There's no mistaking it... This is the eldrite!" he exclaimed, the words coming out shaky but sacred. 

Tressa nodded as she reached for the letter she had picked up. She handed it to Leon with one extended hand. "This was also in the chest," she told him. 

Leon accepted the page slowly, confusion spreading across his features. He let the eldrite rest in his right hand while he held the paper with his left. "A letter?" he murmured, his reaction mirroring Tressa's perfectly. The merchant simply nodded, offering a small gesture for him to read it. Leon did so slowly, though he sped his pace when he realized the letter was addressed to him. Furthermore, it had been written by Baltazar, and that was more than enough to catch Leon's attention: 

"Did you ever find what's most precious to you?"

Leon remained still for a long moment as he stared at the page. Tears began to well in his eyes, but he refused to allow them to fall, instead averting his gaze to keep the appearance of composure. "Baltazar..." He may have been looking at the floor, but Tressa knew his mind was a million miles away, no doubt resting in the past when Baltazar had still lived. She chose to not disturb him, instead just watching her friend carefully from a few feet away. 

All of a sudden, Leon was no longer the powerful merchant captain Tressa had come to know and love throughout their time together. Instead, he was just another person, afraid and struggling to find a place while battling the past at the same time. He missed his friend, and he would feel much the same for the rest of his days. It was not an easy life he lived, but he would endure all the same. 

That was what Baltazar would have wanted for him, after all, and who was he to refuse?

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So... The demo for Octopath II came out yesterday. I'm obsessed with it.

Between playing the demo for the new game and writing this chapter, I'm being reminded again and again why I love this series so much. Sorry for being sappy, but I really do adore these games. Octopath's first game is my favorite game of all time, and the sequel is shaping up to sit high in that list as well. This series really is a special type of magic to me, and... Gah. I'm in love with it. In fact, I'm forcing myself to write this chapter while I'm away from my apartment so I don't get distracted and start playing the demo again since that is definitely something I would do. Oops.

When it comes to this chapter, I don't have all that much to add honestly. A lot of it was a fight sequence, so that means most of it speaks for itself. There is one minor detail in there that will lead to something interesting in the future though, and I have to wonder if any of you caught it. Either way, I'll address it before we leave Victors Hollow. It's going to be great. 

Next week, we should be able to knock out most of--if not all--of the end of Tressa's chapter three. This chapter went by much faster than I thought it would, and I'm definitely okay with that. It's been great. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital