When everyone was gathered outside of the two buildings, Nephis asked something that had been nagging at her mind for the last few minutes, "Ray, you said there were four lieutenants, which ones?"
Ray slightly averted his gaze, and scratched the back of his head, "Well, you already know about Tessai and Gemma, but besides them, there was also the leader of the handmaidens, Seishan, if I'm not mistaken, as well as… his right hand-man, Harus."
On hearing this name, the color drained from most of their faces. This name wasn't just that, it was, at this point, basically an omen of death for any sleeper on the forgotten shore.
Even Neph wasn't spared from this reaction, though, Ray had also noticed her not even giving the slightest reaction to Seishan's name.
"Seriously, what did you do to them, for him to even send that damn death reaper?" Effie questioned him again.
Ray just shrugged once more, "Like I said, nothing really. I only had a short, private conversation with Gunlaug, before he suddenly ordered them to capture me, and anyone present here today…"
The others looked even more suspicious at him, but let it go, when Nephis sighed and rubbed her temples, "And what was this conversation about?"
"Nothing special, really. He just wanted me, and everyone I could convince, to join him instead of following you." Ray replied matter-of-factly, before his thoughts traveled for a second, 'Well, the other part would be useless to know for them anyway…'
Caster's face twisted for just a second, "That's what you call, 'nothing special'?!"
It was Kai who stepped in front of his friend, and defended him, "Ray is here right now, isn't he?"
"That's enough. We need to go now, if he is really coming after us."
Nephis ended any conflict that could've arisen before it did, due to them not having any time at hand.
No one had any protests, making them able to head off immediately.
The cohort of seven people made steady and fast progress, through the dark streets of the ruined city. Thanks to Effie's and Ray's experience, Effie's through having survived her longer than most, Ray's through having scavenged that pathfinder back then, as well as thanks to Sunny's scouting abilities.
Nevertheless, no matter how fast they made progress, at one point an eerie feeling began to spread among the group. Especially Cassie could feel it, reporting it directly.
They all felt it after that, something, or rather someone was following them, and was gaining ground fast, it seemed.
Too verify this, Sunny also recalled his shadow, that had been scouting up ahead before, and send it back. In turn, the group changed their approach slightly, becoming even more vigilant, since they no longer had a sure way to know what was in front of them.
About a minute later, the whole group could hear a single word, coming from the back of the group, "Damnation!"
All of them became even more tense as soon as they heard it, but it was Nephis that asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "What did you see?"
Sunny hesitated for a second, and then answered with mock enthusiasm, "Well, it sure seems as if Ray managed to piss them all off, because everyone he had named is following us. Okay, Gunlaug isn't, but that much is obvious."
Everyone present first turned to Sunny, looking at him as if he had gone crazy, before looking towards both Ray and Nephis. Ray shook his head in response though, as he still didn't 'really' know where they were headed, besides the direction, which was south.
"Where are they respectively?"
"They are beginning to encircle us, it seems. That hunch-back is in the middle, while two bigger groups are coming from the east and west, respectively. All of them, somehow decreasing the distance between us."
"Any ideas?"
"Sorry, but the only way out of the city south I know, is over the wall, but it would be too slow, I suppose." Ray responded first.
Effie took a moment longer to answer, having a complicated look on her face, "I may know a way out, but if we want to make it in time, we need to up our speed by quite a bit. Otherwise, in case they manage to pincer us before that, we're definitely not going make. We also need to change our course quite a bit."
"Alright, lead the way Effie. Sunny call back your shadow, we will need it in front of us." Nephis calmly commanded, and the group picked up their speed.
To Ray's extreme surprise, Sunny's shadow also began to increase in size, when it had returned to him for a moment, until a black knight was standing next to him. It looked so familiar to him, but he just couldn't make the connection.
The black-stoned knight, along with Sunny's shadow, moved towards their very front, acting as their spear head, while the whole group continued making their way through the winding streets of the desolate city. Now though, not towards the southern wall, but the eastern.
Seeing the conflicted look on her face remain, Ray raised his speed lightly to be on the same height as Effie, "You okay, or what's troubling you?"
Effie appeared to be snapped out of her concentration for a second, before responding, both casually and grim, "Sure, we're just heading to a place known for being the ultimate death trap around here."
He was confused, but didn't ask any follow-up questions. He understood that his friend was not in the mood for talking, and he let her be. At the same time, he knew that she would never lure them straight into a death trap, if there wasn't at least a certain chance they could make it out alive.
Along the way, some awakened nightmare creatures appeared on the way, but all without fail, were cut down by the black knight of Sunny, before they could even fully engage the creatures.
While watching the knight fight, Ray felt a very unusual connection to it. But at the same time, it felt… alien. As if he saw someone that resembled someone he once knew, but simply knew they couldn't be the same person.
Besides that feeling, Ray had to admit that the knight was an exceptional fighter. Sunny must have had real luck, to receive such an echo.
Soon, they were closing in on the tall barrier that protected, and locked everything inside of the dark city. Not far away from it lay it, the lighthouse, their destination. It lay there as a giant pile of rubble, on its side.
This region was the habitat of some real nasty nightmare creatures, but the cohort had absolutely no time for that. Continuing to rush forward, they could only pray that they were already busy with something else.
By now, Effie had already seen the familiar building in the distance, it lay there just as she remembered it. The moment was as good as any to warn the others now, "As soon as we're inside, keep running! Never stop, if you do, then you're as good as dead! Also, remain close to the group, if you get too far from it, or get surrounded by what awaits inside, then you're already finished."
"Effie, what actually is down there?" the handsome fairy tail prince asked.
She regained some color again, upon hearing this question, before a smirk found a place on her face, "I can tell you now, but then you definitely don't want to go down there. Everything you need to know, there are a lot of them, but don't try to kill them. Its of no use."
This, in turn caused even more color to drain from Kai's face, almost making him regret coming here. Almost.
They came closer and closer to the ruined pile of rubble, and luckily, around and behind them no one was yet to be seen. No nightmare creatures, nor any members from the host.
When the group reached the building, Effie summoned her own radiant memory, and further led the way inside.
Everyone remained tense, as they continued following their pathfinder. Sunny's echo had returned to his side, by now. It took Effie a few moments, but eventually she found what she was looking for, a hole in the ground.
Well, hole was a bit much for it, it was merely a part of the ground that had been broken, leaving behind a crevice that was filled with nothing but darkness.
The olive-skinned huntress stood next to the crevice and looked expectantly at Sunny, with a smile on her face, "What are you waiting for, Doofus? Jump!"
Sunny merely gulped, looked down there again, and responded, "You want me to jump… into that?"
To the side, Kai just looked down on his pristine and clean armor and sighed audibly.
Without waiting for any extra invitation, Nephis just silently jumped right into the darkness, her eyes lighting up with her white flames, before she was eventually completely consumed by the darkness.
When Sunny wanted to follow after, his path was blocked by the proud legacy, Caster, until he too, was gone. Swallowed by the darkness.
Kai, always the charming gentlemen he was, had already scooped up their blind seer in a princess carry, and followed right after the other two.
Since he himself did not have the luxury of having a radiant memory, and neither having the ability of seeing in the darkness, Ray waited for Effie to jump down, before following immediately after. Effectively leaving Sunny up there by himself, for a moment.
Sighing heavily once more, Sunny jumped down as well, though with a truly resentful look on his face.
Right now, the payment, Nephis had promised him, didn't seem as appealing anymore.
Nevertheless, he wasn't one to be scared off so easily.
-----x-----
I don't know. It didn't really come out as i wanted it, but it should be alright, i hope.