Chapter 20: The furious roar
"Is this really safe?" Elron hissed at this partner. They had already climbed half way up to the caves of the Heartless, so it was probably too late to be asking this. But Elron still asked. He just wanted to calm his tense heart.
'I-I don't know. Lord Roran said it is," His partner said from under his hood. He tried to remain calm but the tremble in his voice betrayed his fear.
'Why are all my partners always so scared?' Elron thought distractedly.
His hooded partner turned to him. "I know he says that the Heartless hunt with their strongest members and only infants and elderly are left at the caves. But what if the elderly are stronger than the Fiend stage?"
He too was afraid of that. But he couldn't just turn and leave. "Calm down. We are not here to fight anyone. We just have to sneak into the cave at the top and take the Cursed Altar."
"Hmm." The sound his partner made could either be a confirmation or a soft whimper. Elron sighed and continued their climb.
"Stay strong, we got this," he said, trying to soothe his partner's nerves. "Remember, we have to do this. If we fail now, we will have caused the death of so many for nothing."
His partner's face was covered, but seeing him start to climb steadily with him was enough. He turned his gaze upward.
'Yes. We have to succeed. Only then can we justify the deaths as sacrifices. Else, it's just murder.'
...
Everything was going well. Hestia poured her energy endlessly in the vines. Her techniques provided the best crowd control. Without it, the teams would be swarmed by the creatures.