Chapter 5 – Nightmare Start

Reina watched as the man, very likely the Demon Lord, took another step toward her and her party. She wasn't the only one paralyzed with fear. No one else moved. It felt like no one else was breathing.

"Are you perhaps…" The man said, stopping. His eyes looked over the group, judging them.

Movement. The sound of a bowstring being pulled back. Out of the corner of her eye, Reina saw Celia nock an arrow and let it loose. It shot right at the man's head.

Only for him to snatch it out of the air. He remained perfectly still, save for the swift movement of his arm and hand. Casually, he let the arrow fall to the ground.

"I have to do something." Reina told herself. "I need to move. I need to…attack!"

"Forge Spirit!" Steeling herself, Reina sent out her spirit. It rushed forward, stubby arm back to strike out at him.

There was another loud boom. The ground shook slightly, making Reina sway. No, it wasn't rumble of the ground that nearly made her fall. Her spirit was just destroyed, taking a small chunk out of her HP.

The winged man…he destroyed her spirit in one hit. A long tail was in front of him, slightly embedded in the ground below where her spirit was a moment ago.

"He has a tail…" She realized. His front was facing her, and from all the other aspects she noted on him, she didn't see his tail.

"Truly?" The man said, bringing his tail back behind him once more. "You are the Spirit Forger? I thought you might be in the castle, yet here you are."

Reina wasn't surprised her spirit was killed so easily. It was shocking to see, but she wasn't really surprised. The power he showed just before was more than enough to convince her she was outmatched. That was even truer now. More of those strange monsters started to gather behind the winged man.

He took a few steps to the side, his gaze never leaving her. "My spies told me you were traveling with a small group, but I just couldn't believe it. Everything my informants said of the prince told me he would keep you close, so I thought my spies were mistaken. I wonder what possessed him to do that. Could you tell me?"

More monsters approached him from behind. With a quick glance, Reina could see none behind them. The path to the castle was relatively clear, aside from the burning buildings on the sides.

"I asked you a question, girl." The man—no, Demon Lord—stopped his pacing and faced her.

Reina swallowed. Her throat was dry, as if she'd been in the heat all day. "H-H-He said…I-I should g-get used t-to adventuring." She could barely form the words.

"Hrrm." He let out a growl or grunt, Reina couldn't tell. "That tells me next to nothing." Reina felt her heart stop for a moment. "I suppose I'll have to ask him myself to settle this little curiosity. But first…"

Faster than lightning, he thrust his hand out to the side, making his open coat sway. His clawed hand clenched slightly. Slowly, he turned to the side and brought up his other hand. Weaving it forward, he then thrust it back. In an instant, someone was being held up in his grasp. A shimmering black-gold cloak fell to the ground.

"Did you think you evaded my senses?" The Demon Lord asked neutrally.

In response, the gripped man pulled out a knife and stabbed him in his arm. Only, there was no blood. The edge of the knife bounced off the scales that spread from the claw and under the coat.

The Demon Lord tilted his head to the side, raised his other hand up again, gripped the man's arm, and—

"ARGH!" The man wailed in pain. His arm bent the wrong way.

"Go!" Dalton yelled, pulling Reina from her stupor.

"Flash!" Max called out next, holding up his hand. A bright light shone from it, making the burning town look to be bathed in sunlight. If his hand was facing her, Reina had no doubt she'd have been blinded.

They ran toward the gate as fast as they could. The Demon Lord dropped the man, letting the monsters that weren't blinded tear into him. The sounds of flesh being torn and bones breaking were terrible, but they soon faded. It was horrible to see, but it wasn't what Reina was most concerned about at the moment.

They had to run for their lives. An unbeatable opponent had just appeared before them. They were heavily outnumbered and would likely be overrun once the monsters finished. But one thing in particular stood out to Reina.

The Demon Lord was looking at them. The moment Dalton yelled, he was looking at them. He didn't even shield his eyes from the light. He didn't need to. The knife that cloaked guy used didn't do a thing to him. The arrow Celia shot might have had the same effect.

That monster was toying with them. He was letting them run away. Even now, he could take flight with his wings and be on them in no time. Instead, he began to walk after them.

Reina didn't need to tell her party her thoughts on the matter. They must have already known.

"Keep running, Spirit Forger!" Martin urged her on from beside her. "We must make it to the castle gates!"

"R-Right!" She had to focus on what she needed to do.

The screams of panic and death sounded all around them, bringing her back. They had to run. They couldn't stop. If they did, they were dead.

"W-Who was that guy?" She tried to ask as she kept pace. "The guy in the cloak?"

"A shimmer, a member of the king's secret service." Max told her. "They've been following you since you were summoned."

"They…" Reina tried to question just what he was saying. She was being watched? But the king wasn't here. Did the prince order him then?

"You didn't think the prince wouldn't keep an eye on you to check you progress, did you?" Max added.

She didn't think that. But he did speak with her at the banquet two days ago. But…he didn't ask how she was doing with adventuring. Sure, it was only one day, but…

"No, I can't worry about that now!" She realized. There was too much going on, especially with the Demon Lord here of all places. If she got distracted, she'd die for sure.

"Forge Spirit!" Instead, she used her skill to start making her spirit once more. It would take time, but she didn't have anything to do but run at the moment. The skill only needed her keep some focus to work. She could do it while moving, but she never practiced with this much stress and distraction.

They kept running through the streets, ignoring the monsters they passed. City guards fought the monsters, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. There were other monsters fighting, but Reina didn't give them a second look. The gatehouse was getting closer and closer. Already in the noble district, it wouldn't be long now. There was far less damage here, but that could easily change.

Royal knights were dead all around them, same with the monsters. Their bodies became more numerous the closer they got. It was only one or two knights with half a dozen monsters near the entrance of the noble distract, but more began to appear. It seemed like a few dozen knights had quickly fought over a hundred monsters before the fight went elsewhere.

Chancing a look over her shoulder, Reina found that the Demon Lord was no longer there. They couldn't have lost him that easily. He had to be around somewhere.

Finally, they neared the gatehouse. Just a little farther and they'd be inside—

The ground shook once more. The Demon Lord dropped from the sky and landed in their path. By looking at him, Reina could tell he wasn't winded at all trying to catch up, unlike herself. She'd gotten plenty of exercise on her bike, but sprinting was never her thing.

"Crap! I lost focus!" She berated herself, realizing her skill stopped counting down.

Not that it would have done much good if it hadn't. Her spirit was destroyed so quickly, there wasn't much difference she could make with it. If only she was stronger.

"Can you only run, Spirit Forger?" The Demon Lord asked.

Reina didn't respond. She was in the same position as before, facing what would surely be her death.

"My spies tell me you have been collecting dolls of various types these past two days." He spoke again, raising his clawed hand. "Have you not gathered enough of them yet? Have you not unlocked your first template?"

"My first what?" Reina didn't have a clue what he was talking about. She was too concerned about how both the prince and, apparently, the Demon Lord had been spying on her—and her likely death—to process new information.

The ground shook again. This time, it wasn't from the Demon Lord. Reina looked up to see the giant statues on either side of the gatehouse move. They each took a step forward, moving their massive swords up.

"That's right! They're golems!" She'd forgotten that.

The Demon Lord looked behind him at the massive stone soldiers. Even as they grew closer to him, he took no action other than turning to face them. The one on the left was slightly closer, so it brought up its sword in both hands. With a heavy swing, it brought the blade down.

The Demon Lord raised a hand and…caught the blade with it. His feet cracked the stone beneath them from the impact. His arm bent slightly, but he held firm. The second golem swung its sword horizontally. The Demon Lord raised his other hand, but he was knocked back, thrown to the side.

"Go, go!" Celia called, pulling Reina with her.

As they ran past, she could see the expression on the Demon Lord's face. It was impassive, as if this was nothing more than a nuisance to him.

"Father!" A woman's voice called out from above. Just as Reina passed through the gatehouse, she saw another winged person swoop down. A large sword was in her hands as she cut into the first golem's shoulder. With just that single strike, the arm fell off, leaving only one to grip the massive blade.

"There's…more…" Reina could hardly process it as they made their way through the courtyard and into the castle.

"This way!" Dalton yelled, leading them through the halls.

There was a flurry of activity all around them. Royal knights ran around, yelling orders to one another and forming groups to defend against assault. Servants frantically ran, looking for a place to hide.

"Down here!" Dalton directed them. "We'll find the prince below!"

"How do you know that?" Reina asked as she followed.

"There are secret passageways underneath the castle." Dalton explained. "They're used in case of emergencies. We'll surely find the prince there."

"How…" Reina didn't finish her question. Why did Dalton know that? He was an adventurer. It didn't seem like that was something just anyone would know. That would partially defeat the purpose of even having secret passageways.

Was Dalton a member of the knights? His level wasn't that big…from what he told her.

"And since when did Max know magic?" She asked herself. Sure, he knew how mages and priests were different, but this is his world and he was an adventurer. Of course he'd know the difference. Even Celia could use Prestidigitation, sending out sparks like she did, so Max probably could to. But being able to do other spells, that was something he never mentioned.

"Prince Johan!" Dalton's yell broke her out of her thoughts.

Just up ahead, the prince stood in the center of a three-way intersection. A dozen knights stood around him keeping watch with one running their hand along the wall.

The prince looked over at them. "Spirit Forger!" He called as they slowed to a stop in front of him. "Good. We'll be able to escape now."

With a click, the wall in front of the knight slowly moved up. It revealed a secret passage that led down. The path itself was dark, but a wave of the prince's hand accompanied by the glow of his ring changed that. Glowing orbs of light placed against the walls in regular intervals illuminated their path.

"Quickly, Prince Johan." One of the knights gestured as half of them filed into the hidden hall. There was enough room to stand side-by-side, and enough height for those wielding polearms.

"But what about the people?" Reina frantically asked.

"There's nothing we can do now." Johan said plainly. "If we don't escape, we'll share their fate."

"But—"

"What can you do, Spirit Forger?" He cut off her retort. "Can you defeat the Demon Lord as you are now? Can you even face him?"

His words shocked her, nothing like the tone he'd used with her in any of their previous meetings. It was angry and slightly panicked, and condescending. But he wasn't wrong. She couldn't fight the Demon Lord. Just the thought of seeing him again terrified her. But she was the hero! She had to do something, even if she was afraid.

"Then…we'll have to help the people ourselves! Let's go!" She called to her party and started to walk back. If the prince wouldn't help, then they would have to be enough. There must be other ways out of the castle than the main gatehouse. A hidden entrance or something, anything to avoid the Demon Lord. They would help as many people as they could before escaping themselves.

She took not even 10 steps before she stopped. When she turned around, she saw her party hadn't moved from their spots.

"You guys…" From the looks on their faces, she could already tell there was no convincing them.

"Sorry, Spirit Forger." Celia said, her head hung low. "We can't do that."

"We'll die if we go back out there." Dalton added, his face resolute.

"This is the way it has to be." Max said, his expression as easygoing as the situation allowed. "We're following the prince."

Martin gave her a pleading look, but said nothing.

Reina stared at them. She wanted to yell, but deep down she knew they were right. They'd all die if they went up there, and so would she.

Reluctantly, Reina slowly walked back over to them. They funneled into the secret passage, the way in closing behind them.

"You should leave your shield here, Spirit Forger." Dalton pointed to the wall just inside the entrance. "We may need to run and it would weigh you down too much."

Reina didn't respond. She simply unfastened the shield from her arm and let it fall.

"Stay together." Prince Johan instructed. "The underground is a labyrinth, designed to confuse possible invaders. Once we reach the end, they'll be a single path out."

The underground halls were quiet as they walked down them. Unlike the halls in the castle proper, these were gray with a tinge of green from the glowing orbs. Johan's knights led the way, with some behind him, separating him from Reina and her party.

Her 'party'.

How much did she really know about them? Not that much. They didn't talk much about their pasts, and Reina didn't ask. No, she didn't think to ask. They talked more about this world, telling her about the monsters and magic, but not really themselves. Just like…NPCs telling the player what they needed to know.

That was it, wasn't it? She kept telling herself this world wasn't a game, but she didn't really act that way. When that supercharged doll attacked her, she thought she'd cemented that fact in her mind. But that wasn't the case at all.

"You guys…" Reina spoke up. She and her party continued to follow after the prince and his knights, but they looked toward her. "You all work for the prince, don't you?"

They weren't just adventurers who wanted to fight with a hero. They were hired to do just that.

"No." Dalton shook his head. "We're members of the nobility."

"Oh…" Reina responded. That made sense too. Back at the banquet, they were talking to the nobles present. She thought it was them trying to get close to her, the hero, through her party members. That wasn't the case either.

"Of course that's how it is." Reina sighed to herself. "Why would young adventurers want to team up with a hero to save the world like it was nothing? They're nobles. They probably have a lot to gain from working with me."

Everyone in her party was around her age. It was part of the reason she didn't even question things, like this is how it's supposed to be. She kept telling herself this world wasn't a game, but she accepted something like young adventurers teaming up with a hero to save the world like it was nothing.

"Well, a fallen noble in my case." Max gave a light shrug.

"From a house that squandered its wealth." Celia jabbed.

Max laughed lightly. "Mother does like her constructs. Too bad servants and guards are cheaper, if less loyal." He cast a gaze at Celia. "I only wish I was in your position, set to marry into a wealthy family."

"Pah!" Celia turned her head away. "I'm not some bauble to be bought!"

"Please, let's not bicker." Martin chimed in. "This isn't the time or place to—"

"And what would the sixth in line know?" Celia turned to him. "The man who was to inherit nothing turning to priesthood?"

Martin lowered his head, saying nothing in response.

"I really don't know anything about them." Reina glumly accepted. "Martin mentioned a cousin that looks like me, but that's really it."

Everything else she thought she knew about them was just speculation. She gained access to magic so easily, which upset Martin. It was implied that he took some time to do that, but she never asked him about it. The same was true about what mages were like, outside of what Celia said.

And the churches. Her 'party' said joining any of them was a bad idea, but was it really? How involved were they in politics? A good amount probably, given what she knew of her world's history, but things could be different here. She didn't know that, but that was just it. She didn't really ask either!

Reina wanted to blame it on her poor social skills. She wanted to say it was because she hadn't spent that long with them, so she didn't want to invade their private lives. That wasn't it at all. Deep down, she truly thought of this world as a game.

They kept moving down the corridors of the labyrinth that was the castle's underground. There were so many alternate paths and twists along the way. The prince was right. On her own, there was no hope she'd find her way out of here.

"This way will lead us down to the forest." The prince said as they rounded another corner and entered a wider area. They were quickly coming up to another hallway that curved down, steps visible.

Before they could reach it, the knights in front stopped, halting everyone else. They held their swords up and ready. Reina waited. She could hear footsteps. Past the knights, she could see someone coming up the steps. Stern, golden eyes peered at them through his dark brown hair.

When he reached the top, she saw just how big he was. She was shorter than the prince and his knights, but this man was far taller than even them. He had his head lowered as he came out of the passageway, now standing at his full height with his wings spread out. Like the Demon Lord, this man had black scales running up his arms. Unlike the Demon Lord, his continued over his shirtless chest, reaching just above his stomach. His barrel-chested torso made them stand out even more. The scales ran up his neck, stopping at his jawline and disappearing behind the mess of hair on his head. Like the Demon Lord, a pair of large horns stuck out of his forehead.

"Giant…" The prince uttered, his own sword ready in his hand.

"Hahaha!" A high-pitched laugh came from behind them. Dalton and Max were the first to move, standing between Reina and this new arrival. "He thinks you're a giant? For a prince, he sure doesn't get out much!"

Reina saw a girl who wasn't much taller than her come from another close hallway. Unlike the taller one, her hair was either a light brown or dark blond, reaching down to her hips. Two sets of three knives lined the silvery plate armor covering her chest, with another set of three knives on both hips and a shortsword sheathed on her left side.

Just like the taller one and the Demon Lord, she had slitted, shining golden eyes. Her face was smaller, almost delicate. She might have even been cute if not for the wicked smile on her face. Her horns and reptilian wings also took away from that.

"Well, look at we found, Brother~." The girl practically sang out over the crowd.

"Hm." The man grunted, pulling something from his side. It looked like some sort of metal club or bat. Perhaps a mace of some kind?

"No, with how the nubs are in it…a kanabo?" Reina realized. After seeing so many weapons that looked to be out of Europe—or at least a fantasy-Europe—or more common weapons like bows and knives, it was almost surprising to see something that could be considered Japanese.

"Now, I wonder where the Spirit Forger could be~." The girl tapped her chin with a clawed hand. Reina flinched, and hoped beyond hope the girl didn't notice. "I thought she might be with the prince, but I can't quite remember what she looks like~. Whoever could—"

"Charge!" One of the lead knights called before dashing at the tall man.

They barely took three steps before they were flung to the side by the man's giant club. Half a dozen were knocked off their feet, with one getting pulled along with the weapon. He had the misfortune of slamming into the wall, his armor crushed behind the weight of the weapon. Blood spewed from his mouth with a horrified expression on his face as he remained stuck in place.

Most of the knights stopped their charge, but one was just a little too close. The tall man slammed the kanabo down hard, crushing the knight. Blood sprayed up and around, splattering on the not-giant and the closer knights. When he hefted his weapon back, it wasn't just covered in blood. Chunks of gray were stuck to the nubs.

Reina watched it all in horror.

"Well, that was rude!" Reina turned back to look at the girl, who had her claws on her hips. "You were supposed to let me finish, then refuse to tell us anything, then we'd threaten you. Don't you know that?"

The tall one, the brother, grunted before taking a few steps towards the group. The knights slowly backed up but kept their weapons raised. "You read too many books." He said, holding his kanabo to his side.

"Whatever." The girl flapped her hand. "Let's try this again. Where is the Spirit Forger, Prince Johan?"

Reina had no idea how they were going to get out of this. That man easily took care of those knights, knocking them out and probably breaking a few bones in the process, and killed two of them like they were nothing. There was no telling what this girl could do. By her weapons, she seemed to be the fast type. Throwing knives for short range and a sword for melee. That armor was likely strong but light, which would also let her use her wings.

If she wasn't so distracted during the walk, Reina could have forged her spirit again and maybe distracted the brother with it. It can move normally almost as fast as she could run. Maybe they could distract him long enough to beat the girl and run away, hoping he wouldn't be able to catch up. As things stood—

"She's right here!" Johan pointed at her.

Reina's breath got caught in her throat. She stared at the finger just a few feet from her. Shaking, she took a single step back from him.

"Just let me go and you can have her." The prince shouted again. His eyes were wide with fear.

"He just…" Reina couldn't even form the thought. She couldn't believe what was happening. After the way he flirted with her at the banquet, after the reassuring words he gave her, even telling her about his dead brother. She even started to feel something for him.

He said she was needed to defeat the Demon Lord, and he just…

"Wow, you gave her up just like that?" The girl's voice brought her out of her thoughts, summing them up. Reina turned back to look at the girl, a clearly disappointed look on her face. In a low voice, she murmured, "Maybe I do read too many stories…"

"This works fine." The man said calmly.

"No it doesn't!" The girl complained. "Daddy doesn't like it when things are too easy, remember? Things have to be planned and—"

"Just get on with it, Sister." The brother interrupted.

The sister huffed and crossed her arms. "…Fine."

The whole while, Reina stood still. These…children of the Demon Lord came for her and they were arguing about…nothing; like her life meant nothing. In less than 10 minutes, everything Reina thought she was supposed to do came crashing down, from being told to flee to being offered up for the prince to save himself.

"Then…you'll let me go?" The despicable prince asked hopefully.

"Oh sure." The girls smiled at him. "My job was to find the Spirit Forger, not you. That said…" She looked up and over at her brother, her smile darkening.

"Finally." The brother slammed his kanabo down hard, killing another knight in an instant.

"What are you doing!?" Johan cried out.

There were only three knights left. One lunged forward with his spear, piercing the middle of the brother's stomach. He didn't react much, only grabbing the spear with one hand and crushing the knight with his weapon.

"I was supposed to find the Spirit Forger." The girl explained, pulling her shortsword from its scabbard. "You are Brother's job. Besides, I already knew who the Spirit Forger was."

"You talk too much." The man said, approaching the last two knights guarding the prince.

"Now then." The sister took a step forward. Max and Dalton tensed, Celia nocked an arrow, and Martin stood next to Reina. "How should we do this~?"

Dalton was the first to respond. He lunged forward with his spear aimed at her chest. The girl merely sidestepped it and angled her sword up and forward. Reina saw the blade come out the back of Dalton's neck. He swayed for a moment before he fell forward and crumpled on the ground. Reina could tell he was already dead.

Celia shot an arrow at the girl, only for her to deflect it with her sword. In a swift movement, she spun around and launched a pair of daggers at Celia.

"AAHH!" She cried out, dropping her bow and gripping her face. Reina could see it. The daggers were embedded in her eyes.

"Next." The girl gave a twirl of her sword, looking at Max.

"Flash!" The swordsman raised his free hand and cast his spell. The light was blinding like before. The girl had her hand raised as she slowly walked forward.

Instead of swinging his blade, Max turned on his heels. He grabbed Reina's arm and pulled her along. They were a good 10 feet away before another cry rang out, this one from Martin. Reina could barely watch over her shoulder as the girl pulled her sword from Martin's stomach. He fell to the ground, hands raised defensively as the girl plunged her blade into his throat. Another flourish and Celia met the same fate.

Then, the girl turned to them just as they were out of her sight.

"W-What are you doing?!" Reina tried to best to keep up with Max's pulling.

"I'm getting us out of here!" He called back.

"But why?" She regained her footing and ran behind him as he let go. "You said—"

"I'm doing this for me, okay?" He said. "Just cause I'm looking out for myself doesn't mean I want you to die!"

With everything going on, Reina should be more skeptical, but the fear of death pushed those thoughts aside for now. She had no way to figure out a path out of here, aside from maybe backtracking to the entrance they originally came through. The path they were going to take was still obstructed by the brother.

"Why is this happening!?" Reina bemoaned. "What did I do to deserve this? I went to school, did my chores, had a part-time job, and played with my friends. I was never in any trouble and kept my grades up. So why!?"

She continued to curse her fate as the pair ran down the stone path. There were so many twists and turns and different paths that Reina had no idea where they were under the castle, of if they even still were.

They took a turn down a narrow hall. The lights were still spaced out as they ran. Once they took the next corner, they found themselves at a dead end.

"Crap." Max uttered.

"I thought you knew where you were going!" Reina restrained her yell, trying to keep quiet.

"I've never been down here before!" Max returned in the same voice. "I'm just trying to get us out of here. Let's try—"

The moment they looked back around the corner, they saw the girl standing at the entrance of the narrow pass. Max raised his sword and Reina held her athame close to her. The girl had a smile on her face as she gazed at them. Then, she frowned. Her expression looked…worried.

"Quickly!" She said in a loud whisper, waving toward herself. "This way, before they find you!"

Max glanced at Reina for a moment before turning back.

"Quickly, quickly!" The girl gestured with her hand again, taking a single step back.

Slowly, Max walked forward with Reina right behind him. Twenty feet from the girl and she made no movement. Fifteen feet and still nothing. Then ten. Then five.

"That way, hurry!" She pointed to another hallway, different from where they came. Max kept Reina behind him as they kept facing the girl, slowing backing up. Once near the opening, they broke into a sprint.

Quick footsteps were heard behind them, along with a childish laugh.

"She's playing with us." Max hissed. "She doesn't think we can escape. Maybe we can't…"

"We have to try!" Reina urged, keeping pace with him. They got a lucky break earlier. She didn't want to waste it with "what ifs".

With the sound of their pursuer hot on their tails, Max and Reina ran as fast as they could. If this girl wanted to toy with them before finishing them off, maybe they could get lucky and find another exit. Back up to the castle, somewhere in the noble district or closer to the market, the sewers, or anywhere else. They could take their chances there rather than be stuck down here.

Once again, they came to a dead end. When they looked back, the girl was there once more, a claw on her hip. She curled her finger toward herself, and the pair slowly made their way back to her, cautious as the first time.

"You two are bad at mazes." She said as they neared the dead end's entrance. "If I wasn't here to help, you'd have been caught already!"

Reina didn't want to retort. Nothing was safe to say to this clearly unhinged girl. Just like before, they kept their weapons close as they went around the girl. They neared the path she designated before they turned to run.

"Gah!" Max cried out, falling to the ground. Reina looked behind her to see a knife sticking out of the back of his leg.

"Max!" She rushed to him, one knee on the ground. The knife was in deep, all the way to the small hilt of it.

"This looks bad." Reina flinched. She slowly turned her head up to see the girl leaning over them. Fake concern was plastered on her face. "He's not going to be able to run on that." She rubbed her chin with her claw, eyes slowly moving to look at Reina. Her frown slowly morphed into a grin. "So…what're you going to do~?"

Max spun on the ground and swung his sword at her. Without moving her head in the slightest, the girl caught the blade in her hand. She said nothing, but raised an eyebrow, waiting for Reina to respond.

She knew what to do. Or, rather, she knew what this girl wanted her to do. Did she even really have a choice? No. No she didn't.

Without saying another word, Reina leapt to her feet and dashed down the hall.

"Hahaha!" The girl laughed, right before gurgling and a slosh were heard.

Reina didn't need to look to know what just happened. All she could do was run.

"He lied to me. He turned his back on me first. He was only out for himself, he even admitted it. I didn't have a choice!" She gave reason after reason for why she ran. Of course it was the right choice. It was the only choice she could make if she wanted to survive.

It didn't matter that her party was dead. It didn't matter that the prince was doing whatever it was he planned to do. It didn't matter that tears were falling down her face for leaving someone to die.

She had to survive.

The game of cat and mouse continued. Reina ran as fast as she could, but the girl ran much closer behind her than before. She even added another element to the twisted game she was playing.

"Fire Bolt!" The demon girl called out. A small bolt of fire sped past Reina's right side, making her jump to the left. It went down the hall on the right, and Reina down the left.

"Fire Bolt!" Again, another spell was fired. It came on Reina's left, forcing her down the rightmost path that led up a short set of stairs.

"She's herding me!" Reina quickly realized.

Knowing that did little for her. All that meant was she was going wherever this demon girl wanted her to go. Maybe it was to another dead end after a long chase. Maybe it was to the Demon Lord himself. Maybe there was a spike pit hidden somewhere in here. Not that she'd seen any traps yet, but it was possible.

"Don't worry about it!" Reina ignored her concerns. She really didn't have any other choice.

It felt like hours had passed with her running, but she knew it couldn't have been that long. Her adrenaline kept her going, but she was nearing her limit. Sprinting, running, sprinting again, running again, and so on had taken its toll. She was in good shape, but she wasn't an athlete. Her body would give out soon, especially in the chainmail she wore. Dalton was right. The shield would have slowed her down and tired her out that much more than she already was.

Someone must have heard her silent prayers as she saw light up ahead. It wasn't the glow from the mounted-floating orbs of light on the walls, but that of moonlight piercing the darkness of night.

"Once I reach the end…" Reina didn't want to think of what would happen next.

Reina exited the tunnels and came to an abrupt stop. Her hand fell onto her knees, desperately trying to keep her standing as she took deep, heavy breaths. That was the hardest she'd run in her life. A few glances around her caught her attention.

She recognized the stonework, albeit not the finer details. It was the battlements she saw from the window in the banquet hall. Looking up and behind, she saw a few more rows above her. Down below, she found this was the lowest one before dropping straight down. Leaning over the edge, she noticed a river that was hidden from sight before. It was up close to the face of the plateau, making a natural moat. The river must have been at least 50 feet wide.

"Is this connected to the river we traveled along before?" She mused, thinking back to when she and her…party found the river dolls.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" The voice behind her filled Reina with dread. Her hands gripped the stonework as she willed herself to turn.

There she stood: the demon girl who chased her throughout the labyrinth. The one who killed her party, who didn't give her time to properly process anything that was revealed to her. Everything that happened to her.

The girl stretched out her arms and wings before placing a hand on her hip. "So, what's the plan now?"

Reina's eyes darted around her. To the side, she saw a set of stairs leading up to the higher battlements, fortifications in place in case invaders made it up there. Near the top, she even saw where the likely entry point was. As her eyes came back to the girl, she realized the entrance to the labyrinth was broken into. Carved stones were on either side of it, indicating force was used to enter. Either this was how the girl got in, or she came here earlier to clear a path. The answer didn't matter.

"Well~?" The winged girl sang out, taking a step forward. Reina had nowhere to retreat to. She was already against the edge of the battlement.

Cautiously, she glanced over the edge again.

The drop to the river must be over 200 feet. She could…possibly survive that. It wasn't impossible, but…

"W-What do you want from me?" Reina tried asking. If there was some other way out of this…

The girl smirked. "I have a better question." She pulled out her shortsword once more. In her other hand, a ball of fire sprang to life. "Sword, or fire?" Her grin widened. "Or flaming claw? Or regular claw?"

There was no other choice. Once again, she had no real choice in what to do. It was either jump and hope the river was deep enough, or die. This could very well be the last choice she ever made, and it was nothing more than an ultimatum.

Reina hopped up on the battlement, hands on the raised sections where arrow slits sat. The demon girl continued to smile evilly at her, waiting for her next move. In one quick motion, Reina turned and jumped from the battlement.

Time seemed to slow around her as the river came closer and closer. The large forest seemed so peaceful, especially after everything she went through today. There were sure to be many interesting things in there. Maybe she'd explore it tomorrow.

If she ever saw the sun again, that was.

She hit the water, diving deep. The pain was excruciating. She tried to weave her hands through the water, but her body gave out. The last thing she saw before the darkness took her was the moonlight through the water's surface.

Author's Notes:

I forgot to mention this last time, but I finished my other story last week. I'll be updating this one every Sunday from now on, unless I get some severe writer's block or something.

This one was also a little longer than I anticipated (did that quite a bit with my other story). This was like the end of the introductory arc, so there's that.