"What the hell does that even mean?" Nyx blurted.
"It means that only someone who has this person's surname can enter the temple's interior." Sterling answered.
"So…what happens if we don't have this guy's surname?"
"Don't know." Charles puffed.
"Well…" Nyx approached. "Let's test it."
She placed her hands against the door, the letters flickering slightly with a golden hue. She used all her might, trying to open the door but in the end – failed. She drew a sharp breath and stepped back.
"Looks like it's not the Armstrongs…" She muttered under her breath. "It didn't even budge."
As David and Lancelot approached, they asked a similar question to Nyx.
"What's going on over here?" Lancelot inquired.
"Is it good enough to get wet for?" David gritted his teeth.
Nyx tilted her back. "Looks like we can't enter this temple's inside without having the surname of the guy who wrote this."
She pointed at the text. David and Lancelot trailed her finger and then looked at the Latin text that was inscribed onto the wall.
"Maybe it's the bloodline of the care taker of this temple or someone of a higher status." Sterling theorized.
"Let's not even try to open this. It's less than a 1% chance that it's one of the enforcers here." Charles stated.
"The most surprising part of this is that they used to worship dragons." Nyx stated, backing away.
Sterling lifted his head and locked eyes with Charles.
"Did they used to worship dragons?" Charles questioned, his cigar extinguished.
"Eh…" Sterling replied. "Maybe? Maybe not? This could be a place of worship but…I would rather think it is like a way to honor dragons or something like that."
"Yes…that is more plausible since mythology's depict us fighting dragons…and taming them to be our companion for life." Charles stroked his chin.
The two scientists nodded their heads like chicken, pleased with their discovery. Nyx looked at them dumbfound before stopping their commute.
"Alright, since we can't explore the inside. Why not have little trip on the outside?"
"Huh? Y-Yes, we should thoroughly explore it." Charles snapped back to reality.
Nyx grinned and took the lead. She circled the entire temple with the others noticing the small dragon statues standing on each corner. Strangely, she could feel something tugging at her senses. Then, after they rounded it, she lifted her.
"I 'll check the top."
The temple's shadow cast down by the high sun, dampened. As she stood in her place, the shadow lifted her up while protecting her from the water. Eventually, she gazed at the peak of the temple which had nothing more than a dragon's head. She frowned and lowered herself.
'I know I felt something but what is it…?'
She heaved a sigh and touched the floor.
"Let's get out."
David and Lancelot rushed off the floor of them while the scientists approached her.
"Do we really? Can't we explore a bit more?" Sterling asked.
"We've already explored the entire exterior. Besides, we can just stay here for the night." Nyx groaned.
The scientists nodded and hopped off the temple's base. Nyx followed right behind, hopping between rocks and eventually, reaching the grass.
'I'm feeling so uncomfortable right now…'
Then, glancing at the enforcers, she waved her hand.
"Set up camp. We're staying here for the night."
The enforcers followed without hesitation, pulling out the tents. As they began prepping the camp, Nyx stepped into her vehicle and wet the seat.
"Hey driver. Can you heat me up quickly?"
"Sure." The driver replied as David entered from the other side.
In an instant, Nyx was covered in a box of black metal up to her head. The mechanism glowed faintly with blue stripes – a unique design choice. Her hair was sucked in by another machine in the shape of a semi-sphere and instantly, hot wind started to breeze through the box and helmet. She closed her eyes and rested her body as her clothes slowly began drying off. David looked at Nyx – dumbfounded.
"When was that in the car?" He inquired.
Nyx smirked. "I added it."
"Why?"
"Precautions. You never know when your hair gets wet."
David raised a brow. "Is that in my seat too?"
"Of course! How could I forget?" Nyx replied.
"Driver, Hey! Turn this heating on for me as well."
"Sure thing, general." The driver pressed a button on the dashboard.
The same mechanism that covered Nyx also locked David into place. Unfortunately, his hat was sucked into the semi-sphere above his head which exposed his grayish black hair.
"Ha – Ha! Old man, you just got exposed." Nyx laughed.
"Huh?" David lifted his head. "Hey! Wait! My hat!"
The driver turned off the mechanism, allowing David to retrieve his hat. He placed it in the middle and leaned back again. The driver activated the dryer again which locked the general in place, blasting hot winds through his body. The general rested carefully as he and supreme commander dried themselves.
***
Eventually, Dusk approached like a returning memory. The enforcers started a fire and placed a pot atop it. Then, they started to boil the water retrieved from the waterfall. The water crashed against the rocks, lit by the moonlight, creating a majestic atmosphere. Nyx gathered David and Lancelot, informing them of something.
"Listen." Nyx stated. "Since, deaths have been occurring left and right. I'll be on night patrol duty today."
Lancelot raised a brow. "That's fine, supreme commander…but what do we do if you are also killed…?"
Nyx tucked her hands in her pockets. "Simple. Abandon the expedition and head back to Bragg immediately."
David shuddered. "R-Really? Is it that dangerous?"
Nyx drew a deep breath and looked at the night sky. The stars shimmered like diamonds, lighting up the night sky with an unfathomable beauty.
"If even I can't survive whatever's killing the enforcers…"
She paused and locked eyes with the generals. The air became tense as cold sweat crawled down both the general's faces. Nyx's lips parted as she stated in a solemn tone.
"Then, no can defeat it…aside from Dante, of course."