Ch.135: A Race Within the Dark! Survive the Killer Maze!

With the looming threat of being hunted over their heads, Wes and Arid started their journey through the maze. Thankfully, as an Umbreon, Wes was able to illuminate the tunnels with his rings, providing a soft yellow glow to guide the way.

Arid glared. "You aren't going to strain yourself doing that, right?"

Wes shook his head. "No. It comes pretty naturally to me. It's a pretty handy way to light tunnels…or to intimidate people."

Arid sighed. "If you say so."

"I'm still shocked you turned against the shadows."

"I'm still processing the decision myself." He shook his head. "We didn't have much choice. Things just turned out for the worse, so we had to cut our losses and hightail it out."

"Guess you didn't get far."

"Don't remind me. It's not putting my mind at ease."

"Right, sorry." A moment of silence hung between them, only broken by their soft footsteps. Wes eventually asked, "So, what brought you guys to Sacred Tree Village in the first place?"

"You found us raiding this tomb. Take a wild guess."

"Okay, how about how did you find it?"

"Ambrosine was fortunate enough to come across a particular book that led us to this tomb." Arid looked down at the Umbreon. "Actually, I'm glad you were in the village when we got here. We were led here on a matter concerning your family linage."

Wes' eyes widened, then he frowned. "Oh? I…already know about that."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Morgan told us everything. He…revealed quite a lot."

"The Hypno, right?" Arid shook his head. "Still, it also concerns the Grand Imperium War. I wanted to talk about one of your answers, a fellow named Archibald."

"Archibald?" Wes narrowed his eyes for a moment. "…Sorry, don't know an Archibald from my family tree."

"Frankly, we barely know much about him. We found a book that holds records of your lineage, but for some reason, he's your first known ancestor in your lineage. No record of his parents or anyone before him."

Wes blinked, suddenly invested in the Darmanitan's information. "Hold on, you mean there's nothing before him?"

"As far as the book's concerned."

Wes glared. "But…how? Our earliest answer was Dougal."

"Dougal? Who?"

"I thought you said you were looking into my family history. Don't you know who Dougal is?"

"Clearly not. Why? Is he important?"

Wes bit his lip and faced forward. "Something like that. A-Anyway, from what we were told, he was erased from existence, and we don't know if he had any children before he was."

Arid glared. "Erased, huh? That is odd. If what you're saying is true, this Dougal somehow cheated death. But why would his name not show up in the books? Surely Archibald didn't just pop into existence. That's stupid."

"I agree, but I don't have any other explanation for it." Wes rubbed his temple. "Ugh, I wish I knew more about what magic he was using. Maybe that could be a clue. But I don't know much about destruction-based magic, nor do I know if it could cheat total obliteration."

"What do you know about Dougal?"

"Beats me. I'm not even sure if he used a spell. Magic was totally unrefined back then."

"Unrefined, maybe, but you never know."

Wes sighed. "I'm looking too deeply into something I don't understand when I should be focusing on finding my friends."

Arid felt around the walls again. "We're still pretty far from everyone, so we need to pick up the pace. I got a bad feeling about staying put for too long."

Wes nodded. "We'll continue this conversation after we get out."

They marched on, though remained unaware of the red eyes peering at them through the darkness. They sunk into a deep glare before slinking back into the shadows.

Flint didn't consider himself the overly suspicious type, the ones who constantly judge situations for what they seemed like and not for what they are. He had enough sense to tell himself there was always a reason for something.

That being said, he had to ask himself how he ended up in a situation where two females were pressing themselves against his body as they walked through a seemingly endless maze. Gwyn, he could understand as she wanted to stay close and keep him safe. Ambrosine was an entirely different point, for she had a death grip on his mane and stuck uncomfortably close to his side.

He wondered if she maybe it was the best way for her to cope, which he didn't mind assisting with, but it made walking increasingly difficult with how squished he felt, all the while heightening his paranoia of being jumped by an enemy at any moment given his injured state regardless of the healing he received moments ago. He felt like a safety net that wasn't meant to actually save anyone.

Gwyn eventually decided to speak up. "Thanks for healing Flint, Ambrosine. You should've seen the battle he got into earlier. He was wiped."

Ambrosine yelped after being acknowledged, then looked away. "I-It's whatever! I didn't need any dead weight slowing us down—I mean, my conscious wouldn't allow it!" she corrected herself.

"Regardless, we appreciate it!" Gwyn bent down and hugged Flint, nuzzling her cheek against his. "I could never abandon him in this spooky maze."

Flint blushed with a timid smile. "C-Come on, Gwyn, cut it out."

"Nope!" She kissed his cheek twice and resumed her nuzzling.

Ambrosine felt like someone jammed and twisted a knife into her heart, somehow feeling worse than every one of her previous heart attacks. She bit down on her bandana, tearing her eyes away from the couple. "C-Could you save the PDA for later?!" she accidentally yelled. "We're in danger here!"

Gwyn pulled from Flint and smiled apologetically. "Hee, sorry. I love loving things."

I would love for you to die in a ditch, Ambrosine growled internally. Her eyes widened, then she slapped herself. Hard. What is wrong with me?! I'm a trained doctor! Agh, stupid hormones! Ambrosine, he's in a relationship! And she's…so freakin' cute, it's actually giving me a stomachache!

"Uh, Ambrosine?" Her eyes widened, realizing she just reprimanded herself in front of them. Flint tilted his head worriedly. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Ah! Me? About what? I'm not thinking bad thoughts, I swear!" Ambrosine forced a long, uncomfortable laugh while wiping away the sweat dripping down her forehead.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Gwyn asked. "I could give you a potion or something."

AAAHH! Why couldn't she be a jerk? She's an effing cinnamon roll loaded with sugar! Ambrosine pressed her hands into her eyes. Now I feel even worse!

Flint narrowed his eyes sympathetically and said, "Just tell us if anything's wrong. Between the three of us, Gwyn's the only one who can fight at the moment."

Ambrosine chewed on her bandana again. He's right. I need to keep my jealousy under control before I do something stupid. I don't want to know what that chick is capable of when she's mad. She sighed, spat her bandana out, and covered her face. This can't get any worse, can it?

Indigo took the lead of her group, keeping an eye on Tony and Rico to make sure they weren't bickering. Fortunately, they mellowed out and just kept turned away from each other. Holly took up the back with a claw wrapped cautiously around her face.

"So, none of us have a reliable way of tracking the others down?" Holly finally spoke up, bothered by the tense silence.

Indigo sighed. "No. None of my arrows have a sonar feature."

"And I can't send an electrical current far enough to map out the maze," Tony mumbled.

Holly sighed. "Splendid. We really are walking blind."

Tony crossed his arms behind his head. "It's not the end of the world."

"Please, enlighten us on your brilliant reasoning," Rico grumbled. "As far as I'm concerned, we'll be swarmed by their minions any second. They might already be looming the halls waiting for us."

Tony smirked. "I wouldn't let that worry you. If it's Aeternus' goons and a few shadows, we're fine."

"You forget the heralds are also here, too, as well as the Shadow King," Indigo pointed out.

"Oh yeah, if we run into them, we're screwed." Everyone groaned at the Dewott and faced on ahead. "What? I'm stating the facts."

"And we appreciate the realism, but not the right time," Indigo grumbled.

Rico ran his hand against the wall. "How big is this freakin' maze, anyway? If they already sent guys down, shouldn't we have been swarmed by now?"

"You never know with Aeternus," Tony spoke up. "His method of logical thinking is to do something that makes no sense to everyone else, and it always ends up working in his favor."

Indigo looked over her shoulder. "I can't help but wonder about your beef with him. Almost sounds like you've crossed paths before."

"I never actually met him until the week I left the village, but I knew enough to hate his organization." Tony glared. "Frankly, the way he runs things irritates me. I've seen what liberties his goons will take to shake down money." Tony cracked his knuckles, growling. "Honestly, it makes me sick, and make me realize the kind of influence big organizations like his have on people. What I wouldn't give to tear him a new one."

Holly glared. "Coming from a thief, that's quite honorable."

"Hey, when I steal, I do it like a sly bastard. When gangs do it, it's despicable. With how prevalent gangs are in Mysto, I would want nothing more than to exert my own brand of righteousness and teach them a lesson."

"What's stopping you?" Rico asked.

"Like all great things, money." Tony shrugged. "I have the charisma, sure, but who's going to follow my broke ass?"

"I certainly wouldn't mind," Indigo mumbled under her breath. Suddenly, a noise up ahead caught her attention. She held her arm out and said, "Hold on. Something's up ahead." Everyone immediately got into position to fight.

"Friend or foe?" Rico asked.

They listened for a moment until the sound became clearer. It sounded like screaming, but it didn't sound like any of their allies, which confused them. Then, from out of nowhere, an Arbok came slithering around the corner right towards them. The leather vest he wore instantly tipped the group off.

"Anguis grunt," Tony said through his teeth. He prepared to engage the cobra when something shined from the darkness.

The Arbok looked behind himself before becoming engulfed in a wave of black flames. He screamed with agony, rolling around in the dirt while the group watched in horror. It took almost ten seconds before the Arbok stopped rolling. Ten more seconds later, and the flames extinguished themselves, leaving not even a scrap of bone behind.

They cautiously took a step back, glaring as the killer stepped from the shadows, clutching his sword in hand. Tony grinned nervously when he spotted the familiar sack hanging from the killer's waist. "Oh goodie, you didn't drown. Hooray."

The armored Electivire swung his sword down, removing the blood coated on it, then aimed it at the group. His attention focused mostly on Holly, who cowered in his presence. His sword ignited his black flames.

"Which one of you can provide a better challenge than Puck's lapdogs?"

Griffin and his group, after walking for ten minutes, came across an unusual predicament. The tunnel they took split off into four different directions. Forward, left, right, and…up, apparently. There was an actual tunnel on the ceiling.

Mack stood under the tunnel and peered up. He sucked in some air and shouted, "HELLO!" He held his ear up, waiting for a response, but got none. "Darn it, the grounds too soft to make echoes. That's like the best part of caves."

Leigh rolled her eyes. "Dimwit."

Jones approached Griffin, who was examining the four tunnels closely. "Shouldn't we take the tunnel heading up?"

Griffin shook his head. "No. I don't trust this maze is as simple as a standard corn maze at the fair. For all we know, that one will just drop us back to the bottom. Then again, I can say the same for the rest of these."

"So, in other words, we're lost," Zerif pointed out grumpily.

"In a manner of speaking, pretty much."

Zerif groaned and rubbed his face. "Good grief, are you sure you can't blast us out of here? You're strong enough, we know you are."

Griffin turned and pointed at the Zoroark, stating, "Yes, I can most certainly get us out of here if I wanted to. I could also level a city if I wanted to, but I can't. Why? Because the collateral would get in the way. If I fired path straight back to the top, I could put the people on the surface at risk, or even damage the Grand World Tree. I could also cause a cave in and crush us all. So yes, I can get us out of here, but can't without putting us at even more risk."

Mack then added, "Besides, it's not like Mr. Crazy Pants can't reseal the maze, so…kind of pointless, too."

Jones sighed and sat down in the center of the tunnels. "Sometimes I wonder if I should've stuck around as a shipwright. Now here I am, trapped in a maze and being hunted for turning traitor. What a fine conclusion to my crimes."

Leigh rolled her eyes. "We're not dead yet, Jonesy. Pull yourself together. What could that quack throw at us that we can't handle?"

Mack shrugged. "Zombies."

The pirates turned to the bounty hunter skeptically. "Zombies?"

"Yeah, you know. Ugly, undead freaks of nature. Come in various shapes and sizes. Typically murderous—"

Suddenly, a pair of hands popped out of the ground and grabbed Mack's ankles, then dragged him underneath the ground. Griffin gasped. "Mack!"

Zerif jumped back with a start. "Wait, he was serious about the zombies?!"

Leigh looked down the hole and yelled, "Hey, are you alive down there?! Hello?!"

Jones heard groaning coming from one of the tunnels. "Huh?" He stood up and squinted down the dark tunnel. Dozens of red, glowing eyes stared back at him as figures lumbered from the darkness. "Whoa there!" He jumped back and drew a cutlass.

"Are those actually zombies?" Leigh asked as she slid her battle claws on.

"Worse," Griffin said after summoning No Peace, the kanabo/war club. "Puppets."

The walking corpses moaned lifelessly, first limping towards the ground, then breaking out into fast sprints. Griffin raced into the wave coming from the left tunnel and slammed the war club into them. The shockwave emitted from the weapon decimated the puppet to pieces. They managed to avoid the flying pieces and tried to grab him.

Griffin grabbed one's skull and rammed it into another, then skewered the two with Infinity Breaker. He extended the polearm and swept numerous puppets off their feet before smashing the impaled duo into the wall.

"Head Hunter Festival!" Leigh dashed through the puppets, wildly slashing and decapitating them in one move. The puppet continued to act autonomously and lunged at her. Leigh growled, then spun on her heel. "War Festival!"

She spun right through them like a twister and lacerated their limbs and torsos to shreds. She then jumped and spin-kicked severed limbs into the other puppets, knocking them on their backs.

Zerif pulled cutlasses out of his hair and threw them into the puppets' faces. He would then pull the cutlasses out while the puppets were daze, then repeatedly stab them in the tendons. He tossed one cutlass over his shoulder, nailing an attacking puppet in the throat, then rammed another puppet into it, digging the cutlass deeper.

"Watch my back, Mr. Pooky!" Zerif shouted, pulling out more cutlasses. "We've got a swarm to tear asunder." The stuffed bear had its head poking from the top of his hair with its head hanging loosely to the side.

Several puppets jumped onto Jones and tried biting into him, but his rock hard body kept their teeth at bay. He just sneered at their futile attempts. "I have built countless ships, working my body to the core. You're nothing more than nails digging into my skin!" With a simple flex of his arms, he knocked the puppets completely off.

Griffin smashed one into the ground and yelled, "You need a weapon?"

"Would be appreciated!" Jones admitted, backhanding one puppet aside.

Griffin pulled out One For All and tossed it over to him. "Make use of that!" He traded out No Peace for Justice Flyer and darted through the swarm.

Jones caught the sword and examined the beat-up state of it. "The hell? What do you expect me to do with—" The sword illuminated with magic, then split off a sword construct into his other hand. He blinked, then smirked and crossed the blades. "Oh, I like this." He swung the swords down and sent out a maelstrom of sword constructs into the puppets, impaling them through every conceivable limb.

Leigh kicked a puppet in the shin, knocked it onto its stomach, and proceeded to violently rip its back apart. "I hate to tell you this, Everfall, but your friend might be getting slaughtered down there!"

Griffin stabbed a puppet's eye and responded, "You're probably right, but you have things a bit backwards."

"Backwards?"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake where Mack was dragged down, then ground exploded open violently. Dozens of puppets came flying out with their limbs and heads torn off. One Honchkrow puppet tried to flee, but Mack's Eclipse extended after it and tore its wing clean off.

As soon as the dead crow fell to the ground, Mack emerged from the dust, sporting only a couple scratches and a bite on his right shoulder. He rotated his shoulder, then spun Eclipse around intimidatingly. "Good grief, those things were annoying."

Jones impaled a puppet down with multiple swords and asked, "Are you okay? That looks like a pretty serious bite wound."

Mack rolled his eyes. "That damn puppet tried to be an asshole, so I bit it back to assert my dominance." He spat on the ground. "How do you like that, you reanimated bag of expired sausage?!"

Leigh took notice of the Honchkrow puppet and realized there was a huge bite mark that tore a chunk of flesh off the cheek. "You are…legitimately nuts."

Mack took a grandiose bow. "Why, thank you." He cracked his neck and smirked. "Now, how's about we show these brainless meatbags why we're the superior race?" His Timor Persona appeared behind him, laughing maniacally.

Griffin pulled out Endless Regret and nodded in agreement. "No matter if it's undead or alive, kill every last one of them!" The team roared and charged into the puppets, sending body parts flying across the tunnels.

"Crap!" was Pain Train's response when a whole mess of Anguis grunts came swarming from the tunnels.

"In the name of Count Aeternus, kill the traitors!" one grunt commanded.

They lunged at Pain Train, but Drake dashed by and cut them all down, killing them instantly. He swung the blood off his blades, then grunted. "Amateurs."

Malcolm grabbed Pain Train and pulled him aside next to Ray, who kept firing at the grunts with his sound orb. "Keep guard of Ray. We've got this."

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Pain Train exclaimed.

Two Sneasel ran up on Malcolm and tried to slash his face, but he dodged and clonked their heads together. "Nothing but trash." He threw one to the ground, then stomped mercilessly on their face. "Trash to be crushed under my foot!"

"Hey!" the other Sneasel growled. "Leave my brother alone—" Malcolm bashed his elbow into his face.

"Care to join him?!" Malcolm took the Sneasel by the head and pounded him relentlessly into his brother's head. "Learn your effing place!"

Cheshire couldn't help laughing in the sidelines with Tyrone pressed up against the walls, chattering his teeth. "Hahaha! Isn't this wonderful? All that waiting and we get to finally cut loose! I love it!"

"This seems unnecessarily excessive," Tyrone mumbled.

"Stop right there!" The duo turned, then ducked as a Rhydon swung a war club at their heads, only to nail the wall.

Cheshire smirked. "If you think this is excessive, we're clearly doing something wrong." He pulled out his knife and stabbed the Rhydon's abdomen, digging and twisting the knife as far as he could push it.

"AGH!" Rhydon growled in pain, then raised his war club. "You son of a—"

Cheshire tutted disapprovingly. "Mister, I haven't even done the bad thing yet." He pulled the knife free, then drew a blood symbol on it. "Here's an interesting curse. Tyrone, would you mind using a light fire spell on this man's wound?"

Though Tyrone was suspicious, the Rhydon showed clear intent to crack his skull open. Right before the Rhydon could get a chance to swing, Tyrone replicated a fire charm with his gauntlet and flicked a small fireball into the bloody wound. Almost instantly, the wound was set ablaze and a red hue came through the rhino's skin.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Rhydon screamed, dropping his weapon and flailing around. His eyes started to smoke before bursting into flames. All he could do was scream, ramming into walls and tripping over himself.

Tyrone was taken aback by this while Cheshire laughed his head off. "A curse for flammable blood! What a classic, am I right?"

"I think I'm going to be sick…"

Drake cut down another five grunts before saying, "We must keep advancing before more show up."

"Brilliant plan, genius!" Ray snarked. "Where to? All I see are endless tunnels to doom!"

Malcolm kicked a grunt in the ribs, knocking him aside, then yelled, "It doesn't matter! Follow my lead! I'll get us to safety!"

"You're not going anywhere!" A Drapion lunged from behind and pinned Malcolm to the ground. Drapion pulled a sword sheathed on his back and held it overhead. "In the name of Count Aeternus, we will spill your blood for your treason!"

Malcolm sneered. "Try it."

Drapion went for the swing, but Drake intercepted with his katanas, stopping the sword in place. The blades clinked against each other as both swordsmen pushed back. Drake narrowed his eyes sternly, then slammed his leg into Drapion's side. The scorpion gasped in pain and nearly lost his grip. He dug his legs down to hold his ground.

Drake scoffed. "You're tougher than you look."

Drapion grinned. "I would die in honor of Count Aeternus. I mere bug like you could never break my resolve."

"A bug, eh?" Drake parried the Drapion's sword and guided it into the ground. He slashed one of Drapion's eyes with a stream of blood following the arc of the swing.

"Gah!" Drapion clenched his eye shut, yet still remained stalwart. He raised his sword again and swung at the Grovyle.

Drake leaped over the sword, gripping his hilts tightly. He torqued his body and came down with a dual vertical slash, cutting straight down from Drapion's face to his waist. Blood gushed from the open wounds.

"Agh!" Drapion cried, teetering back on his legs.

Malcolm sprung up and flipped over Drake's shoulder, ramming his foot into Drapion's face. The large scorpion backflipped in the air and landed on his head. His sword went flying from his claws and impaled the ground a meter from him. Malcolm leaped over and came down on his throat with a brutal axe kick. Bones crunched and snapped.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Drapion screamed, losing the last thread of consciousness before his eyes whited out. He went limp with a pool of blood dripping from his gaping mouth.

Malcolm picked himself up and rotated his shoulders. "What a chump." He nodded to the others. "Enough dillydally. We're out of here."

His group nodded and followed him into the tunnels as more grunts hollered from the adjacent paths.

"Do you see anything?" one grunt called out as a team of Anguis grunts explored the tunnels.

"Nothing," one reported, shining a light orb on the walls. "I could've sworn there were some down this way. Did we make a wrong turn?"

"They're here somewhere. Split off and hunt them down. We can't let any of them escape. Count Aeternus is counting on us."

The grunts nodded and split off through the tunnels. Their louds cries diminished the farther they went down the tunnels until there was reasonable silence.

A moment passed in the corridor before the dirt started to shift. Graham's head poked out from the ground, scanning the corridor. He narrowed his eyes, then ducked back into the small den that housed him, Banama, Smith, and Lyra. They were all banged up with scratches and faint, dry spots of blood.

The ambush came faster than they anticipated, faster than Lyra could predict. Grunts came swarming out of portals. The group had the unfortunate luck of being in the same corridor they appeared in. Woefully underprepared, they barely managed to escape and vanish within the tunnels. Graham managed to dig out a small den to occupy themselves in while the chaos settled.

"Are they gone?" Banama asked as he tended to Lyra.

Graham nodded. "For now."

Smith pulled down on his face. "We're so dead. We're going to die here. This will be our tomb." He shuffled farther to the side. "This side of the den is where I will die. My space!"

Graham huffed. "We're not going to die, you wingnut."

"We will if we stay down here for too long," Banama pointed out. "Lyra's in no condition to fight after what happened back at the shadows' base. Her arm hasn't healed yet."

Graham sighed. "Good point, but can we risk transporting her back to the ship? It's unguarded, and if the shadows find out she's there—"

"Then let me keep her safe," Banama proposed. Lyra's eyes widened, then she smiled with a cute blush. "All we need to do is round up our crew and get them out of this hellhole, along with Team Ravenfield. We can worry about what to do after later. Getting out of here puts us in a far better position."

Graham glared sternly at the Raichu, then sighed in defeat. "Can't argue with that. Fine. Keep what's left of the Wasteland safe, and Lyra. I have a marker on the ship. I won't be able to join you until I round everyone up."

"Getting out of here is the only thing we can do."

Graham nodded, then snapped his fingers. A portal opened up in the den. "Go. Now."

"Well, don't mind if I do!" Smith exclaimed, racing to the portal. Graham grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him back in. "Wha—"

"You're staying with me so we can find the crew."

"What can I do to help?!" Smith exclaimed.

Graham grinned unsettling. "Live bait." Smith gulped.

Banama picked Lyra up bridal style and carried her through the portal. "I'll contact you with one of the crystal orbs. Don't die on us."

"Please be careful," Lyra mumbled. They went through with the portal closing behind them.

Graham grabbed Smith and threw him out of the den. Smith, landing on top, yelled, "I didn't consent to this!"

Graham pulled himself out. "Don't be a baby. Come on, we've got allies to save." He grabbed Smith's wrist and dragged him through the maze.

"This is my tomb! The grim reaper has his gangly claws scratching at my soul!"

The clash of battle ranged overhead as Morgan's group calmly wandered the tunnels. They were currently ascending a tunnel that went up a steep slope, requiring them to dig their fingers/claws/pincers into the ground. The tunnels shook from the occasional clash. Though the walls were lined with a thick magic that made detection impossible, the magnitude of pressure exuding through the atmosphere indicated a conflict of strong wills colliding.

Morgan glared. "We must be getting closer."

Ella took a break from climbing and caught her breath. "To what, our impending doom?"

"I sense one of our own fighting a level or so above us. They might be in trouble."

"Wonderful," Julius grumbled. "I'll be sure to avoid them when the time comes."

Jeffery crossed his wings, squawking in disappointment. "Shameful. You call yourself a Desert Beast, yet you run at the sign of danger?"

Julius glared. "Ye have no right to speak of cowardice. And get off me head!" Julius shooed the Chatot off his head with his cannon attachment.

Jeffery flew over to Morgan and perched himself on his shoulder. "The nerve of some people, I swear." Morgan rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything about it.

Ella narrowed her eyes worriedly. "Morgan, you don't suppose that strong presence is Voss. You said he's wandering the tunnels."

"It wouldn't surprise me if all the heralds were down here, too. Callista still wants Gwyn, after all. And I can imagine the Shadow King has taken a special interest to personally exterminate the Ravenfields."

"Now, why would he do that?" Jeffery asked.

"Because the Ravenfield legacy is tied by fate to the Shadow King."

Jeffery and Julius' eyes widened. "Say what?!"

Morgan grunted. "Now's not the time for a history lesson, alright? All I can say is that that's the reason the Shadow King wants them dead. They're the only ones who can stop him, at least as fate decrees."

Ella bit her lip. "Wes and Flint are in danger. Oh no…"

"Have faith in their survival. That's all you can do."

Ella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "This kind of thing ever get easier for you, Morgan? Watching people you cared about die around you?"

Morgan stopped climbing for a moment and looked down. "…I never made many personal attachments in my time, but a part of me did die when I heard the news of Vashti dying."

"What happened to her?"

"Doing what she did best: defending the innocent. She saved her city from an up and coming warmonger who heard of her talents. She put up a good fight against him and ultimately came out the victor, but at the cost of her life." Morgan clenched his fingers. "She was an amazing woman."

"I'm so sorry," Ella offered. "I…don't want to imagine going through that."

"Senara, Vashti, Clara…women I adored taken from me. And now I must watch and suffer as my friend is left to rot in his own body." Morgan sighed. "Alex…all he wanted was to bring his family back. I understood his pain better than any of us, yet I sided with Garret knowing full well what that cursed relic is capable of." Morgan took a moment to cover his eyes. "I could've done more to dissuade him. I could've stopped Garret and Alex from fighting. I should've stepped in. I could've saved him…"

Ella frowned. She never seen the Hypno tremble so much. Someone she believed had everything figured out, someone who kept his emotions in check, broken at his worse. Whether it be the natural negativity seeping through the maze or his past finally catching up to him, Morgan was at his breaking point. It concerned Ella when he'll finally snap, and if she'd survive if that time come.

The abyss. What exactly is the abyss he references? Ella glared. I questioned whether or not I would accept being sucked into the abyss, if I would be better off not feeling pain again.

"You're scared, aren't you?"

Morgan didn't respond immediately. He lingered on the steep climb, glaring. The tension in his hands loosened. His shoulders relaxed. The dark aura he exuded quelled for a moment.

"Fear is a powerful tool. I believed, for a time, that I could go through life without fear. How foolish I was to believe life could go by without facing obstacles. Sometimes I wished, desired to weave a destiny where I could achieve that happiness. Do you suppose we close off our hearts because we can't deal with the pain that blocks our path? If so, if we can't deal with that pain, how can we be strong enough to deal with the tangible obstacles?

"You never truly stop feeling scared. Those who claim to be fearless, that's nothing but made-up crap to make themselves feel better. It just means you've denied a part of your life and have yet to encounter true fear." Morgan sighed. "I'm scared, more scared than I ever been in my entire life. So ask me, why do I continue to crawl into the dragon's den knowing what waits inside? The answer's simple.

"I care more about my friends than I fear the Shadow King."

Ella uttered a quiet gasp, stunned even as Morgan continued his climb up the tunnel. Julius and Jeffery stayed silent, also awed by Morgan's monologue. Ella stared at the dirt she clung to, lost in thought.

If he can keep going, then what am I running from? Am I afraid…of failing at life?

Ella closed her eyes, took a silent breath, and continued her climb after the others.

Tony, Indigo, Rico, and Holly backed away while Voss took slow strides towards them. His darkness blazed around his armored body and through his sword. The stench of blood permeated the tunnel, coming around the corner Voss stepped from.

Tony held his arms out protectively in front of the girls, smirking nervously. "Heh. Is the mass slaughter of your friend's minions a pastime of yours? Can't say I approve."

Voss ran his finger along the blade. "Puck…such a brilliant mind, yet he chooses to play his jokes. A promise of a reward, if I heard correctly. I must give him credit, he hired brave fools. It takes guts to approach death. Their lives must've been truly worthless."

Holly clutched her fan tighter. Her eyes were shrunk and shaky. "Voss…"

Voss glared at her. "Holly. Dear, sweet Holly." He raised his sword, wrapping it in darkness. "I am right here. Please, demonstrate to me the pinnacle of your anger."

Holly stumbled back on her legs, collapsing onto her rear. Indigo looked at her worriedly. "Hey, are you okay?"

"She's braver than most, pursuing me for so long," Voss spoke up. "With Griffin and Mack, she can take on anyone. On her own, she's a force to be reckoned with. But me? This is the first time you've faced me without them, isn't it? You, Griffin, and Mack chased me to the ends of the earth for over a decade. You did it together. Your shared revenge."

"Sh-Shut up…" Holly stuttered.

"You still want revenge after what I done to your village. Can you still keep up with the likes of me? I see the fear in those eyes." Voss glared. "Such memories truly never leave the mind. I wonder how vivid they are, those fleeting memories of your parents."

Holly's eyes shrunk to pinpricks. "Shut up…"

"You saw them when I killed them. When I slaughtered them." Voss took two more steps. "They fought valiantly to protect you, but they couldn't satisfy what I yearn for. They tried, but they couldn't be there to save you."

"Shut up!" Holly screamed, now trembling on her knees. "You monster…! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" She pulled Last Breath out and aimed it at him, but the fan shook in her claws.

Voss raised arms, showing nothing but openings. "Yes. Fight me at your strongest. I want to feel pain again. Give me a reason to live again."

Holly's eyes blazed blue. "I won't let you get away with—"

BAM!

Holly's eyes widened as Tony zipped across the corridor and rammed his foot into Voss' masked face. He kept his hands tucked in his pockets, but the tension in his body was prevalent. He kept a cool expression despite the anger clearly welling underneath.

"Thank you very much, Voss," Tony mumbled coldly.

Voss glared. "For what?"

"Not only did you give me a whole new perspective on that hothead's anger towards you…" Tony bared his teeth. "Any reason for me to sympathize with your masochistic desire just disappeared without a trace."

Voss swung upward, but Tony flickered away and repositioned behind him before firing off Lighting Shot: Lotus Bullet. Voss took the attacks as they bounced off his armor, then sent a projectile slash through the ground, splitting it open. Tony leaped into the air, briefly clinging to the ceiling, and bounced off the walls with a trail of sparks dancing after him.

Voss casually followed the Dewott's speed. "You amuse me, but you are a mere insect who doesn't compare to Griffin. You could never pierce this armor with your feeble attacks. Fallen Hell Blaze!" He fired a slash of purple and black fire.

Tony narrowly avoided the attack and reappeared on the ceiling. "Your armor isn't indestructible. True, it has the power to negate any and all damage weaker than the last strongest hit, but you forget one thing."

"That is…?"

Tony smirked. "I'm a genius." He used Light Speed again and flickered from sight.

Voss sighed and once more casually watched the Dewott flicker around the tunnel, occasionally grazing his armor with his ineffective attacks. "So, you've chosen death? Very well." He spun his sword and aimed the blade down. "I will make it quick for the both of us. Fallen Tri—"

"Think fast!" Tony suddenly appeared at his feet and swung a kick into his legs. His momentum carried through and knocked Voss off the ground.

"What the—" Voss outstretched his hand and caught himself. He was more curious than annoyed. "Do you truly believe tripping me up will save you?"

"Depends: is your armor conductive?"

Voss' eyes widened, suddenly noticing the dark cloud hanging over him. It crackled with electricity, surging with immense power.

Tony appeared over the cloud, smirking. "That armor may protect you, but electricity isn't exactly something you can stop like a punch. Thunder God's Wrath!" A bolt of lightning shot down from the cloud and enveloped Voss.

Voss clenched his teeth as the electricity surged through his body. Though the armor negated the damage outside, the lightning focused on the eyeholes in his helmet, weaving their way in and seeping into his nervous system. His muscles locked him in place and his sword slipped from his twitched hand.

The others, especially Holly, were agape. "Whoa…"

"He's actually putting up a fight," Holly whispered.

Tony landed, then dashed back into Voss, rapidly kicking his faceplate. "Hey, hey, hey! Does this annoy you? Almost like being inside a bell, right? Huh, huh, huh? What's the matter, can't move?"

Voss bared his teeth. "You are…incredibly annoying."

Tony smirked. "You read my business card?" He jumped back and aimed his finger. "Lightning Shot!" He fired and scored a direct shot through the eyehole.

"Agh!" Voss fell over, still unable to move his limbs. Smoke seeped from his mask.

Tony skipped backwards, laughing his head off. "Geez, you're all muscle and no speed. Just because you can follow my movements doesn't mean shit if you can't tag me."

"Tony, don't get cocky!" Holly yelled. "He's super dangerous!"

Tony laughed. "Oh, I know he is. Immortal or not, though, I know how the body works. As long as I keep disrupting your bioelectricity with those shocks, you won't be able to move a muscle. Magic electricity works quite differently than what an Electivire is used to, eh? Not something you can sap up and use to charge yourself? Must be weird feeling paralysis."

Voss didn't say anything. He remained motionless on the ground.

Tony sighed. "I'm bored now. I'll make sure you suffer slowly." Tony raced forward, grasped his scalchops. "Now, Flash Splitter! Let's see if I can jam one of these into your eye—"

SHING!

Indigo, Rico, and Holly gasped as Voss suddenly rose and slashed Tony across the torso. Tony reacted in stunned silence for a few seconds. The cut tore his vest open from the waist to his left shoulder before black and purple flames exploded out from his body. Tony coughed up those flames and went flying back into the others. Rico and Indigo caught him.

"Tony!" Indigo cried.

"Fallen Retaliation," Voss mumbled as he stood up. He sheathed his flaming sword back into its scabbard. The smoke seeping from his mask turned into darkness. "That is the fate of those who express hubris. They become fallen warriors in the face of gods."

Rico stood up and sneered. "Okay, what the hell? You should've been paralyzed by his magic!"

Voss raised his arm, showing off the darkness seeping through the armor. "Your friend is truly educated. Had I still been a mortal, he would've won simply through that strategy alone. However, my darkness wills me to move, even if my body cannot. No matter what becomes of me, so long as I still have great will of darkness in my heart, I will not be stopped."

Tony gritted his teeth, clutching at the black, searing wound crossing over his chest. "Freakin' hurts like hell," he growled.

"Tony, you idiot!" Indigo scolded. "You just had to be your usual cocky self!" Though she was angry, tears peeked from her eyes.

Tony frowned wearily. "Sorry…"

Rico frowned at the two before glaring and stepping forward. "That's it, I'm taking over this fight." He raised his leg and got into his stance.

Indigo gasped. "Rico, no! You don't have magic! Your kicks won't do anything!"

"I can buy you both some time to get out of here," Rico countered. "Just go."

"He's got a point," Tony interrupted before Indigo could refute. Tony pointed down the other end of the tunnel. "I can sense…something coming around the corner, just barely. Shadows are lurking towards us."

Indigo's eyes shrunk. "Shadows?!"

"Are you serious?!" Rico yelled.

Voss scoffed and pulled his sword out. It still smoked from using Fallen Retaliation. "Nowhere to run then. How fitting. I suppose I'll kill all of you and keep going. I will save Holly for last, of course. Her power trumps all of you combined."

Tony, despite being in pain, smirked. "Funny."

Voss glared. "I must credit your inability to shut up. Is it the work of the gods?"

Tony laughed hoarsely. "Cute, but I just thought of something funny. A suicidal warrior seeking the proper battle to end his immortal life. It's a never ending quest with that stupid armor of yours." He glared. "Though, that's the puzzling issue I have."

Voss' glare deepened. "I will kill you if you continue to run your mouth."

"Why does a guy with so much offensive power need virtually unbreakable armor?" Tony's grin widened. "I've just noticed…your eye is still healing."

Voss immediately covered the smoking eyehole, growling quietly. This kid…for an unruly jokester, he thinks too much. His mind resembles so much like Puck's, it's scary.

"Now's not the time for banter!" Indigo yelled as she helped Tony up. "Rico, we're all leaving together!"

"I will protect you no matter what, Indigo!" Rico yelled. "Even if you love him and not me, that doesn't mean I won't keep you safe!"

Indigo bit her lip. "Rico…"

"I'll do everything I can, just go!"

"No." The trio looked up as Holly stepped forward, now calmed down. The rage flickered in her eyes, but the tension she held vanished. Her posture was much more relaxed. "I'm the one who needs to settle this." Her limiter activated, stretching the blue markings across her face and down her torso and arms.

Indigo frowned. "Are you sure?"

Holly nodded, then glanced at Tony. "Tony Sapienti. Tsk, I can see why Griffin speaks poorly of you. You're always running your mouth and causing trouble just to be a jerk to the enemy." She sighed, then faced Voss. "Don't let Griffin know I said this, but that's also the reason he admires you."

Tony raised his brow. "Ex-freakin'-cuse me?"

"There's something remarkably noble about your fearless nature in face of an impossible enemy. You don't let things like that hold you down, do you?" Holly glared. "I'll avenge my family, and channel that rage into my will to fight." She opened up her fan. "I will put you down, Voss."

Voss narrowed his eyes. "That's what I want to hear."

Rico turned around, noticing the dozens of red eyes staring them down the tunnel. "Uh, guys? We're still trapped here."

Holly turned on her heel and swung her fan. "Level 3 Wind Style: Destructive Push!" The others immediately ducked as Holly fanned a large blast of wind straight down the tunnel and punched a hole through the mass of darkness stalking up on them. "Go, now!"

Indigo pulled Tony up. "Rico, help me carry him!" Rico got Tony's other arm and dragged him through the tunnel while the shadows recovered.

Holly immediately swung around and blocked Voss' downward strike. The force rippled through her body and crushed the ground at her feet. She glared heatedly while Voss retained his cool demeanor.

"What does life mean to you, Holly?" Voss asked.

"Screw you." Holly shoved him back and knocked him away with a gust of wind.

Voss anchored his feet down and pushed back against the wind. "Very well. I will honor you with a death reminiscent of your parents'. Prepare yourself."

Holly's left eye blazed blue. "I'll show you what I've learned, you bastard."

"Ugh, that was rough."

"You said it. My shoulders are aching. Still, I totally knocked out more goons than you."

"Tch. I will comply with your delusion only because I want to find the exit."

"You really think I was lacking?"

"I'm the one who suffocated them under the sand and crushed their puny bodies."

"Yeah, well I gave them the ol' Ravenfield special?"

"Rob them blind and beat them unconscious?"

"Haha! I can't believe some of those idiots brought money with them!"

Wes and Arid continued with their casual banter while leaving behind a pile of either unconscious or dead Anguis goons, with hardly a scratch on the duo. Some were trapped in sand spires with spikes going through them, others were toasted from one too many magical beams.

Wes tucked his Star Amulet back under his clothes and sighed. "Still, we're nowhere close to finding the others."

Arid knocked a couple times on the walls. "They've already engaged in battle, most of them. Too chaotic to tell who from who, though."

"All the more reason to keep going." Wes glanced at him. "You sure you can't just break open an entrance for us? With your abilities, you can keep this place stable."

"True as that may be, the clown's influence over this maze worries me. I rather not give away our exact position if he chooses to start remotely attacking us."

Wes shook his head. "Fair enough." He glanced ahead, then narrowed his eyes. "Hold on…"

"What?"

Wes pointed down the tunnel. "On the wall, just up ahead. Is it just me or is there…a door over there?"

Arid glared. "A door?"

They approached the spot on the wall and, with a little light, revealed a stone door. Intricate markings lined the door, as well as the signature eye of the Tribe of Shadows.

Arid huffed. "This is Aeternus' doing."

"Yeah, but why is it here?"

"Want to risk opening it?"

"Why not?"

Arid grabbed the sides and, with a lot of effort, pried the stone door from the wall. It put up a fight, but Arid's strength overcame and ripped the door off its hinges, tossing it behind him.

"Nice job," Wes praised jokingly as he entered.

Arid rolled his eyes. "Like you could've done better."

"Reattach that door and I might just…whoa." Wes stopped in the room and gazed at the walls in awe. Arid, upon entering, shared a similar reaction to the room.

A large, perfectly square room with a throne sitting right in the middle on a high stair pedestal. Nine stone pillars held the room up. Unlit torches lined the walls. Along the walls, much to their surprise, were the murals from before. The murals of the Grand Imperium War surrounding the throne room, even the ones destroyed by the Shadow King.

Arid glared. "They weren't destroyed when the tomb changed?"

"Aeternus must've purposely preserved them." Wes walked up to the throne and placed a paw on the stone steps. "But why would he?"

"Maybe he's a history buff," Arid joked, running his hand against the wall. Arid stopped at the image of the magic star, the one resembling Wes' amulet. He glared at something inscribed at the bottom of the mural. "Wait…this wasn't here before."

"Say what?" Wes walked over and inspected the text. His heart sank at the scratchy, black letters carved under the crest. "What…?"

HERETICS

"Somewhere deep down in your soul, that word brings great discomfort to you." Wes and Arid's blood chilled as a sudden veil of anguish washed over them. Dark flames sprung from the torches around them, lighting the room in an ominous purple. "Your family…brought chaos to the world by dabbling in the work of the gods. A sin that should never be forgiven."

The duo flinched as something loud slammed into the outside of the room. They cautiously turned and saw the stone door had been replaced and merged with the walls. No more exit.

And, to top it all off, they weren't alone in the room anymore. They faced the shadowy, possessed Scrafty, wrapped in a thick blanket of black with blood red eyes piercing through.

"The Ravenfields…are nothing but heretics who bring nothing but chaos wherever they go." The Shadow King's aura expanded, rising up like a raging inferno. "I will bring order to the chaos your family sparked over countless generations, and swallow this tainted earth back into the darkness you creatures rejected."