It is wet, muddy, and full of mist everywhere. This is the first impression that everyone who has the opportunity to enter this ancient cave will have.
Yes, speaking of it, John, as a core family member of the Stewart family, actually knows what this place is. Because before the establishment of MACUSA, the Stewart family had always been one of the participants in the regular negotiation and maintenance work with "certain creatures" here.
So of course, John's brother Brooks obviously also knew this place.
Brooks has been a somewhat introverted boy since he was a child. He is very honest at home and at school, and he is also very good at studies. Unlike his unreliable brother John, who is much older than him, he has always been a good person for his parents and The kid that professors love.
This time he skipped school and came to New York with Tia, which was probably the most outrageous decision he had ever made in his life.
Yet no matter how impulsive the move seemed in hindsight, Brooks has no regrets. Whether it was because he was worried about Tia, or because deep down in his heart he might also be longing for this feeling of breaking away from conventional constraints. Now that he had done it, there was no reason to give up halfway.
Therefore, when Brooks lost Tia on the noisy streets of New York and couldn't find her again in the next few days, he was smart and finally held the same attitude as the Auror deputy captain Kroger. The idea came here.
Brooks had read in the library at home - about two hundred years ago, the Stewart family... or rather the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States, was a special place that needed to be involved in all aspects of management at the same time due to the needs of the current situation. The ancestor of the Stewart family also participated in the regular communication and maintenance of relationships with the "those creatures" who lived in the ancient underground caves all year round.
Two hundred years later, although this work has been completely handed over to the relevant departments of the Magic Congress, when it comes to the relationship with those creatures, people from the Stewart family are probably better - at least Brooks. I think so.
So here comes Brooks! After all, when it comes to understanding the entire New York City area, if "they" are called second, probably no one would dare to be called first.
"Wow... Wow... Wow..."
The cave space is getting bigger and bigger, and the water under my feet is getting deeper and deeper. I can vaguely feel that the water is actually flowing, not stagnant water, so it doesn't have any smell, but it seems more and more difficult to walk.
Brooks waded forward step by step through the cold water. The tip of the wand in his hand emitted a slightly weak light, barely able to illuminate part of the surrounding scene. He could feel with the soles of his feet that the ground underwater was uneven, as if there were things scattered everywhere. Fortunately, at least it was not impossible to walk.
At the moment, while he continued to move forward in the cave without fear, he was still feeling a little annoyed that he had lost Tia along the way. If I had followed closer, or if I had simply chased Tia at all costs at the intersection where I saw her, I wouldn't have come to a place like this again, right
But at this moment, Brooks, who is still just a child no matter how smart he is, has not thought that unknowingly, he has become the one being searched for because of his disappearance.
"Wow-"
Suddenly, a sound of water that was not made by himself sounded from the darkness ahead, causing Brooks to stop subconsciously.
"Who... who is there?" He asked a little uneasily, and then he finally responded, "Ah! Is it... the wizard's friend, Shitabe from the swamp?"
Brooks remembers quite clearly, "It's not 'Miss' or 'Mr.', it's Shtabe who lives under the swamp." This kind of local "indigenous" creature that has existed in ancient America has no gender, and they have always been very concerned about this. You need to pay attention to this when calling them.
When Brooks finished speaking, although his feet and calves soaked in the water were a little stiff from the cold, he still resisted saying anything and just stood silently waiting.
After a while, he finally heard the sound of water coming from the place where the luminous spell could not be found in front of him again, and... getting closer and closer.
Finally, a not tall figure slowly appeared from the darkness - it was a little boy with dark brown skin, wearing a thin long coat with some green color, similar to a human nightgown, and he seemed to be a little curious. He looked up and down at Brooks, the uninvited visitor.
In fact, just looking at the appearance of the two, they look like a pair of brothers of similar age.
"Wizard... friend." Not long after, Brooks saw that the other person's mouth did not move at all, but there was a voice coming from somewhere, "Jopat said, the day has not come yet, why are you here?"
The other party's voice was very nice, mellow and sweet, like singing, but it was indeed English. Although it was difficult to understand, it didn't completely blind Brooks.
"Well," Brooks hesitated for a moment, and then decided to speak frankly, "I lost my friend, so I'm looking for someone to help... Oh, my friend's name is 'Tia'!"
"Really?" The other party heard this and nodded quickly, "Looking for something. It's not difficult. Youmkash is the best at it—come with me."
As soon as he said this, Brooks saw the other party turn around and disappear into the darkness again. Seeing this, Brooks hesitated slightly, but quickly followed.
The book said that when dealing with Shitabe, as long as you don't lie, don't have malicious intentions, and don't violate their rules, you will usually be fine. This is a magical race that is relatively easy to get along with. Otherwise, they would not have reached a reconciliation and then not invade each other for so many years.
After a while, the splashing sound of Brooks and the other party crossing the water gradually faded away.
…
"By the way, speaking of... Lieutenant, have you ever been responsible for regular contact with 'them' in the past?"
I don’t know how much time had passed after Brooks entered this ancient cave. At the same place where he met the Shitabe boy, John, who had been following Crocker, seemed to think of something and couldn’t help lowering his voice. the voice asked.
And then, Kroger nodded.
"Of course, every time you have regular contact, you have to send an Auror to accompany you. I used to perform several escort missions when I was just an ordinary Auror... Don't worry, it'll be fine."
After saying that, he raised his hand and patted John on the shoulder, showing a big smile.