"Where are we even going?" Asked Jacob once again.
The couple of rangers were in the rift for more than a day now. While their eyes were used to the darkness, both of them missed the clean, bright and breezy surface over the abyss they were buried in.
"We got enough info to report back to the Corps, don't we?" Jacob continued.
Bryce shook his head. "No, we still have yet to find that robed person. No doubt they have something to do with the Kalkara."
"Yeah, yeah. Those monsters are a pain in the ass for sure." Jacob conceded defeat. "Hey, we can rest for a while if you're tired. I don't feel nice letting you carry me all the way through, you know." He added with visible regret.
"Sure. Let's give it a rest for today, then." Bryce let the paralyzed ranger down and looked for a safe spot to rest.
.•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•.
The old rangers looked around as they chewed through their leathery dinner. The quality food was also one of the good things about the surface, but who were these adept travellers to complain?
"Are your legs better, Jacob?" Bryce asked between his bites.
"Sort of... Not really. I dunno, still can't feel anything over there." The blond ranger replied.
Bryce sighed. "We have to keep this quick. These monsters are pretty used to this dark place, but I sure am not."
"You're telling me? I'm bolting off this place the moment these legs of mine start working again." Jacob laughed in a pessimistic manner. "If they ever do, that is."
"I wonder how they do that... thing." Bryce wondered. "I bet Clyde could explain that in a second."
"Well, at least those runts are doing better than we do." Jacob smirked.
"Yes, no doubt they can handle taking care of the Fiefs by now." The long haired ranger nodded. "Merlin and Darc, too. Gallica shouldn't be too hard."
"They've always been all business, it'll be fine." Said Jacob as he tried to curl into his blanket. "I've gotta hit the hay now."
"Huh, you're early to bed." Bryce said as he prepared his own equipment. "I'll take the first patrol, then."
Soon enough, the two of them ended another dreadful day in the abyss.
.•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•. ✿ .•°°•.
"Jacob, Jacob!" Bryce shook the blond ranger intensely. "They're here."
"I'm up." He woke up instantly and the duo gathered their camping gear and readied their weapons. Bryce still had no arrows to shoot and the knives were dulled, so he picked up his flint to threaten them with sparks instead. While the equipment could be taken care of, with the current state of Jacob they could not fight the army of monsters directly. Both of them knew that it was running away or death. Just a bit of information about the controllers of the monsters would be perfect, but they also had to protect their own lives. With these dire conditions in hand, the two of them eyed the army of Kalkaras and Wargals looking around.
They still hadn't noticed them at all but one little noise would be enough. Even Bryce picking up Jacob could alert them with their combined height. We definitely have to act quick and precisely, thought Bryce.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" A malicious, unmistakably human voice echoed in the abyss.
"Bryce, pick me up. Quick!" Jacob signaled.
Bryce nodded and swiftly got the ranger on his back again, albeit quietly.
"You came all this way just to be scaredy cats the moment I show up? Don't you know how rude that is?" The annoying, childish voice continued to mock them.
Without giving into the taunt, the rangers moved quickly without alerting the monsters at first, but both Bryce and Jacob knew that they would be noticed soon after due to their height. If they were going to run, they needed to do it immediately and nonstop.
After planning their escape route, the long haired ranger readied his legs and started to dash towards the empty end of the rift.
"There they are, there they are! Get them! The Whisperers command you!" The voice was heard again as the stampede of the monsters began with a much scarier noise.
Looking aside swiftly, Bryce noticed that the short person was hidden in a crimson robe. He didn't have much time to think about it as the robed person threw a bag in front of them immediately.
The moment the bag made contact with the ground, it opened and released charcoal and ashes everywhere, scattering across the path as a smoke screen.
Bryce braced himself and ran past the cloud of smoke squinting his eyes. Whatever that was in front of them couldn't be worse than the army of monsters right behind.
"Bryce, look out!" Jacob warned him.
Just as he opened his eyes wider, Bryce noticed two more robed figures, one atop a cliff on the side of the rift and one in front of the rangers.
Just as he noticed them, the enemy standing on the cliff pointed a crossbow towards the duo and shot without suspense. Bryce was about to duck but doing so would risk Jacob getting hit, so the ranger made a sudden move to his right instead, barely dodging the small, likely poisonous arrow.
As the robed man furiously started to prepare the weapon to shoot again, Bryce dashed right into the other person blocking the road and tackled them aside. He had no time to play nice and calm. He kept running while panting from being stressful and tired.
"Yeah, more people after our hide. Just what we needed." Jacob sighed.
"We cannot afford to make a single mistake. We've got to make it out of here!" Bryce said in an encouraging manner.
"Well, about that... I know you're trying hard to save us both." Jacob suddenly started talking in a melancholic tone.
"You can drop the ol' Jacob whenever you want."
"What!?" Bryce almost shouted in surprise. "There's no way I'm doing that. I'd rather die."
"Well... even if I make it back, it's not clear if my legs will work the way they used to be. I won't be of any help." Jacob continued talking.
"Don't be silly, Jacob. Being sacrificial will get us nowhere. No matter what, I won't leave you behind." Bryce said confidently as he started to run faster.
"It's no use forcing you to be selfish, huh..." Jacob gave up. "Then we better make it out of here. I've gotta pay you back somehow."
As the ranger kept running as fast as he could, the monsters behind them marched almost as fast. At this rate, they were going to be caught. Bryce scanned his surroundings desperately as he felt the stampede of the Wargal army get closer. The path was taking a small curve to the left just a few steps ahead.
"Then the coffee's on you next time." The tall ranger uttered as he pushed himself to his limits and turned around the corner.
"Let's see now..." Bryce let Jacob down and checked his equipment to decide on his plan. Judging by the speed of the army, he had around half a minute or so to either continue his sprint or counterattack.
"Bryce, what's going on?" Asked Jacob as he laid his back on the rocky surface of the rift.
"I'm setting up a wall." Bryce said as he laid out the hempen rope he took out on the path. The length was enough to cover from one point to another, which relieved the ranger slightly.
"Do we have anything else that's flammable?" Asked Bryce.
Catching up on the idea, Jacob smirked. "Just put whatever you find. My bag is yours."
Strengthening the layer of rope with some cloth and a pint of alcohol he found from his friend's bag, Bryce readied the flint in his hand, looking for the army to appear.
Counting the seconds, Bryce felt the footsteps get closer and closer, until he saw the army charging right at them.
"Now!" Jacob yelled and as soon as he opened his mouth, Bryce lit the flammable barrier with the flint in his hands.
Watching the monsters back away from the bright, tall pillar of fire in fear, Bryce quickly took Jacob and continued his escape.
"That ought to hold them for a while." Bryce said in triumph, watching the sky above get bigger and bigger as he kept running. Seeing as the path was getting narrow by the time he thought they got their traces lost, Bryce realized that they were getting close to a dead end and let his friend rest on the ground once again.
"Hey Jacob, your legs..."
"Still can't move." Jacob sighed. "But I think it's getting better. I can feel pins and needles on my calves."
"Really? It may not be permanent, after all!" The ranger said in glee.
"Let's hope it gets better before they catch up." Jacob replied as he tried his hardest to get up, but he fell down the moment he did so.
"We'll climb back up. Just wait a lil' and see." He said, laying on the ground.
"Glad to see you get your spirit back." Bryce smiled as he helped his friend up.
Once they get back on the surface, it would be child's play to ask a scout group to investigate the area. We just have to be patient, thought Bryce.
The end of their mission was near.