"How far can that thing reach?!" I shouted as the three of us ran as fast as we could from the slime knight.
As we ran through the castle, we tore through any monster that tried to stop us without wasting even a second of time. Despite the rate we were going at, we just couldn't shake the slime off. By now we had probably reached the upper levels of this place and it showed no signs of slowing down whereas the three of us were running low on stamina. Or at least I was.
"Any ideas?" I asked, looking over at Akari who seemed to be doing fine.
"If you wish to take on the leader of the fortress, I can stay behind and hold off this monster. My master taught me how to defend myself against all kinds of monsters."
I gave her a shocked look, "are you crazy!? There's no way I'd leave a friend alone with this thing!"
"Have faith in me then. Go take on the boss and we'll meet back up." Akari suddenly reversed the direction she was going, running straight at the monster.
"Keep moving, Alice!" Nizhoni said, patting my shoulder as we continued to run.
I let out a "tch" noise before giving Akari one last look, "you better come back okay, you hear? We're gonna meet back up with John and the others when this is all set and done!"
Akari raised her fists and nodded her head, "I promise."
Albeit hesitantly, I managed to turn away and continue running towards the top of the tower with Nizhoni. The further we moved, the quieter the sound of the two of them fighting got. I hated every aspect of this but she told me to believe in her and I will. That's what John would've done, right?
The stairs leading upward had a red carpet in the center, leaving a glaring contrast in the light blue ice that was used to create the castle's structure. It reminded me of my family manor. I hated that. I raised my chin up slightly so I could at least look a little less at the awful carpet.
"I hope Akari can hold out until we get back." Nizhoni spoke quietly as she ran beside me. Her worried expression latched onto me for a moment before I managed to break myself free.
"She said to have faith in her and I will. Let's deal with the monster quickly so we can return back to her, okay?" I did my best to steel my resolve.
The two of us charged further up until reaching a giant door. One that just oozed with importance. Nizhoni and I exchanged glances for a moment before focusing on the menacing door before us. We had no idea what was going to be behind it but we knew that whatever it was, it had to go down.