And yet, once the groups were decided, the gaze seemed to vanish. Something was brewing: that much was certain. But Natsumi couldn't distract herself enough to tend to the matter at the moment. Lingering on the edge of a dragon's den was just as dangerous as letting the Handler's machinations go unchecked, if not more so. The former was the more pressing danger, especially since Natsumi's intention was to get everyone out alive.
"Before you leave, Barildol and Helgat," Natsumi said before opening the portal she promised, "I'll need a single strand of hair from you." The request was an odd one, admittedly, and thus it was no surprise when even the silent stoic reacted with squinted gaze. There was, however, a specific reason for it. "I can track you if I have that, and that will make extraction easier. If possible, I'd like everyone to get out of this mission for drinks later." Barildol's characteristic grin shown at this comment, mostly due to the fact that he didn't know Natsumi's idea of a drink was cold milk. Helgat and he both provided a single strand, as requested, and those gifted hairs were seemingly absorbed by the druid's clothing as soon as she placed them against her sleeve. With this action, the two dwarves were registered in Kino's mapping function, their locations readily accessible on a whim. Assuming that Chalky would be nearby at least one of them at any given time, the exact area the other team members occupied would always be known to the young woman without her having to painfully extract a scale from her large, lizard friend.
The portal was soon to open once this facet was assured, and Natsumi gave one last warning before everyone stepped through. "Let's all agree to meet up here when the job is done. If one team gets there first, leave a note of some kind to let the others know that the deed is done. Make sure it's obvious so we can see from afar." Then, they were off with a nod. The gate closed behind them, and the remaining team of Kofrec and Natsumi ventured forth on their course. Thoil stayed behind, as he stated he would, but the quest to retrieve the Ratchet Wheel had begun in earnest.
The trek down into the main tunnel was eerie, to be certain. Natsumi's visor appeared shortly into the visit, invoking a very dim luminance to light the way in the absence of lanterns. Kofrec was leading the pair, though, as he knew the mountain better than the visiting druid. He seemed unperturbed by the strong smells assailing his nostrils, quite unlike his companion. In truth, his appearance was that of a stalwart warrior, at least until a reflection in a large, golden mirror caught him off guard.
"Who is that?" The warrior whispered. In the reflective surface of the mirror ahead, the group of two had suddenly become a group of three. Behind Natsumi's reflection, a raven haired woman had appeared. She wore all black and carried a tea cup in her hand. Of course, she also wasn't really there. When Kofrec turned around to confront the interloper, only a haggard Natsumi greeted him.
To the dwarf, it might have seemed that the mirror was simply cursed in order to make the user think someone was watching them. For Natsumi, on the other hand, the sight of the woman within marked the beginning of a cold sweat of uncertainty.
"Why are you here, Handler?" she asked as the uneasy gaze returned. The reflection only smiled, and, for a brief moment, opened its mouth to speak. The druid expected words to finally appear, but they did not come through the venue she anticipated. Instead, it was the dragon overhead who spoke in his sleep, not the Handler herself.
"To observe your strange journey." The terrible voice filled both Kofrec and Natsumi with dread, especially when the reflection disappeared from sight. The sound was loud enough to just barely travel out to the other team, a testament to the size of the dragon it belonged to. This fact made it all the more frightening when one considered the truth of the matter. There was something in that cavern with the power to control such a beast in its sleep without it being the wiser, and there was no telling whether she was friend or foe in this situation.