Way of the Knights

---

"Did you guys got everything that you need?" Raven asked the people behind him before the stepped out of the gate. All of them nodded to answer him. "Alright, let's get this over with."

As soon as he said this, him, Michelle, Franklin, Pyra, Nelson, Jonathan and Jason all walked out of the huge gates and ventured out to the Devil's Cradle. 

Today is the scheduled they agreed upon to do the next Unit Expedition. They made sure to pick up another mission before they left so that the trip won't be in vain. Since the month is nearly over, they decided to have all remaining members to form a group and finish the mission as soon as possible. 

As the Captain/Leader of Unit-17, Jason has the responsibility to come back and fetch missions with high rewards by the 1st of next month. Therefore he needed to make sure to hurry up and finish this expedition as fast as they could. 

The mission they registered was to mine a certain type of mineral which is called 'Bloodstones'. These minerals could be found underground once they reached the 1000 mile depth towards the Devil Emperor's Pagoda. The challenging part of this is that, there are little to no clues on where these minerals are present due to the influence of repulsive will. Which means that they could only try their luck and dig until they encounter one. 

Their task is to bring back at least five shards of Bloodstones. The rewards will vary according to the size of Bloodstones they brought back. Minimum is 1000 Unit Merit Points and it can go up to 100,000 Unit Merit Point with a few additional benefits. 

Before they left, Raven took it to himself to know what uses does the Bloodstones have. He went to the nearest library and discovered what he wanted to know. 

Bloodstones are a unique mineral which could be find in places filled with death and decay. The more concentrated these foul influences are, the more likelihood of a Bloodstone appearing. In a way, Bloodstones speaks for itself. It is a solidified blood but not just any blood. In order for a Bloodstone to form, it requires blood essences from 9 different sources. Additionally, it needs time. Bloodstones shards that could fit onto one's palm is at least a decade old. A chunk, which is at least as large as a rock is at least 100 years old. And a slab which is the size of a boulder needs 1000 years.

Of course the more nourishment it receives the faster it grows, and it just so happens that placed filled with death and decay are its favorites, the more potent energies it absorbs the faster it will grow. 

The uses of Bloodstones are not plenty according to the list he saw but every single one was important, specially for the sect.

After sharing this knowledge to the team, they formulated a plan of action. Since there's no need for them to hunt, it would be best to avoid contact as much as possible. That being said, it doesn't mean that they're going to shy away from battle. The weaker one's still needs experience and avoiding battle is the direct opposite of doing that. Of course, that's if they encounter something they could handle. If they ever met something dangerous, then a tactical retreat is a valid option. 

***

Having experienced the repulsive aura of the Devil's Cradle before, the team didn't have any problems dealing with it any longer. They guarded their will and stuck close to each other as they moved forward, this helped them have a tighter guard and help them cover each other's backs. 

They moved forward while restraining their auras since they didn't want to be mobbed. As usual, those who had spying techniques were located at the sides as they moved forward with care. 

Thanks to his recent experiences, Raven's ocular technique - Crystal Sky Eyes, had evolved even further. The thick and dark fog present all over Devil's Cradle had lost its effectiveness and no longer hinders his vision. 

Raven could see everything within 100 miles around him in a crystal clear perspective. Still, he didn't tell anyone in the event that they might get suspicious of him but still, it felt good to him to be no longer hindered by poor visibility.  action

"If we move in this pace, we will eventually arrive at the 1000 mile depth by evening - well, it's not like there's day and night here, only gloom but you guys get the point." Jason stated with a low voice, "Just as well, we're not really in a hurry. Additionally, that's also the time where we camp out. Hopefully we won't get delayed by Devils."

"Then don't freaking jinx us dude." Franklin replied while looking around him. 

"I know, I know…" Jason pouted as he continued walking forward. 

The rest remained silent and kept their guard up. Raven on the other hand looked relaxed. His unimpeded vision was really doing wonders right now. 

So far, he didn't see any devils nearby. Of course that doesn't include the ones hiding underground at least. Nevertheless, even if the ones hiding underground made a move, he should have no problems seeing them, and by the time they entered the range of the others, it wouldn't be too late to warn them. 

The group continued on their way towards the goal, talking from time to time in order to alleviate the gloomy mood. Luckily, Jason's words earlier didn't jinx them since so far, they have yet to meet a single devil lurking around. 

To be totally honest, Raven was starting to feel suspicious. He couldn't help it since that's just how he is.

He found it weird that the Devil's Cradle is unusually quiet. He didn't trust it, not one bit. It was too weird that not even a single Imp was seen so far. Were they wiped out by someone? We're they hiding? If they are, then where? 

This situation was too weird but he didn't want to unnecessarily frighten his team so he remained quiet about it. He just silently observed his surroundings since he's the one who could see the furthest. In anything, he was already preparing himself for the worst. 

The kept moving forward and after a few hours of constantly walking, they eventually arrived at the 1000 mile depth within the Devil's Cradle. They knew this since there was a drastic difference which could be seen in the soil's color. 

Instead of the usual dry, coarse, pungent and brown soil. The soil from here on out were completely black in color. The fog was also somewhat thicker in here and the atmosphere became more oppressive. Still, everyone one the group was relatively fine. They were already aware that it's going to be like this even before they left so they knew what they're dealing with. 

However, the group did not cross the boundary just yet. They decided to camp first and start the harvest tomorrow. 

Raven activated the formation that isolates their presence after they found a good camping spot. After checking that everything's working, they then began to relax and set up camps.

The girls prepared meals while the boys erected tents. As he did his task, Raven was still monitoring their surroundings. So far, nothing happened which bothers him still but there's nothing he could do aside from observing. 

Raven and the rest ate and talked to each other before going to their respective tents. He also entered his but instead of resting, Raven meditated while simultaneously keeping watch even though Jason volunteered for it already. 

He just can't help but feel nervous. If it were just him, he would've already ventured deeper just to see what's going on and if he saw something he couldn't handle, he'll retreat immediately. Unfortunately, he can't do that since he with people. 

Two hours passed just like this until something happened which jolted Raven's body awake. 

Without even bothering to warn everyone, he ran out from his tent while his hands blurred. Jason was startled by Raven sudden actions but what made him even more surprised is when he saw him shooting seal after seal, placing them within the formation.

His actions greatly alarmed Jason but he was at a loss on what to do. He could only stare as Raven hurriedly reinforced the formation with more seals. 

It didn't take long before the whole formation was covered by at least thousands of seals glowing in resplendence. Raven was visibly sweating but not from exhaustion, it was because of nervousness. As soon as he shot the last seal, Raven brought his palms down and roared:

"Converge!"

Instantly the space around them twisted for several moments before silence returned. Raven let out a long exhale, Jason went towards him and was about to ask what's going on but was stopped when he saw glaring at the sky. 

All of a sudden, a deep and archaic bellow echoed all around them. As soon as Jason and the rest of the team heard this, their skin crawled and their faces went pale. Jason was about to do something incredibly stupid when Raven's voice suddenly sounded inside his head. 

"Don't. Fucking.. Move."