Felicia took a look at the burning building she was walking away from, the sound of the wood cracking slowly becoming distant. She stumbled over pieces of debris on the road and sheepishly recovered. Maria walked beside her without a word, her cloak softly floating behind her. Felicia watched her move, trying to ascertain what she was feeling. Everything Maria did confused her even more; the person from the castle grounds was entirely different from the person she was walking behind now. The look in her eyes, the tone of her voice, it was disconcerting.

Ray and Kashire were leading the group ahead, with Floyd and Aldrich not far behind. Felicia warily glanced back once again before quickening her pace to stay close; it was dangerous here, the incidents that occurred earlier proved that. She shook at the memory that already seemed like so long ago. So much had happened within such a small time span, too much for her to properly reflect upon. Even so, they had to keep moving forwards, right? No time for distractions, no time to stop. They would help more people by facing the ones they were after, at least she hoped they would.

Felicia neared Ray and tried to make her steps as quiet as possible. He held his spear under his arm and kept his head on a swivel. Kashire casually walked alongside him, stretching his arms above his head. His armour was hidden underneath a ratty brown cloak, the same one he always wore. Felicia never asked about it, she never worked up the courage to talk about it. He slowed his pace, putting his hand to his temple. Ray looked at him, confused. “What is it?”

“It’s… Hm, I still don’t know. It’s coming from underground.”

Ray nodded and scanned the area. “We should look into it.”

Kashire folded his arms and turned his head downwards. “Perhaps, I believe there’s a stairway close by.”

“You believe?”

“Just a feeling.”

Ray shrugged and smirked a little. “Lead the way.”

Felicia walked closer, coming to Ray’s side. He glanced over at her as they followed Kashire. “You’re doing alright?”

She quickly looked up at him and then away. “Hm? Oh, yeah.”

He nodded and kept his glaive under his arm. Kashire rounded a corner into a thin alleyway. Sure enough, there was a staircase there. Its ceiling looked like it was on the verge of collapse, and it probably would’ve if someone jumped on it too hard. Kashire walked down it, quickly scanning around as he went. Everybody learned to trust Kashire’s instincts a while ago, he had uncovered traps and ambushed many times. However, trusting his instincts also meant satiating his curiosity, which had the tendency to bring them off track. This time he was more serious, more wary. Maybe it was the hostile and unknown environment, maybe it was something he felt nearby. All they could do was trust he knew what he was doing.

Felicia followed behind Ray, sticking close to him as they ventured downwards. There were little candles lighting the hallways, but not enough to feel comfortable in the dark. Felicia kept her head on a swivel as they continued to walk through the halls. Kashire had his bow out, an arrow loosely nocked on the string. His caution worried Felicia; he never was cautious. She kept her hand on the hilt of her sword, wrapping her fingers around the wound leather handle.

They progressed further down the dim hallway, dripping water filling the eerie silence. Felicia lost track of the turns they took, growing warrier with the more distance they travelled. Her breath caught in her throat as movement appeared beside her. She settled, realizing it was Maria who was crouching near the floor, running her hand along a corner. “There’s blood here.”

Felicia looked down, squinting her eyes. She couldn’t see anything, but upon further concentration, the smell of iron was prominent. Ray nodded and looked to Kashire. “How much longer do we have to go?”

Kashire paused and shook his head. “I.. Hm, this is odd.”

“What do you mean?”

“I sensed a large presence at first, but that’s gone now. There’s something else now, it’s more spread out.”

Felicia worries at what that might mean and pulled her arms close to herself. Even she knew this wasn’t a good situation, they were in an unknown environment with limited light. If that thing from before was a sign of what was down here, she didn’t want to find out what else was lurking in the dark. Even so, no matter the horrors, she was a soldier, and that meant facing whatever was out there.

She took a shaky breath and followed Ray as he went down a set of stairs after Kashire. They reached the bottom and their feet splashed into a thin layer of water. A smell hit Felicia’s nose, one of rot and blood. She gagged and covered her mouth, trying to find the source from the dark. Kashire let out a sputtering breath and shook his head, slowing his pace down. Felicia looked over to him as Ray put a hand on his shoulder, it must be terrible for him, with the heightened senses and all. Maria walked forwards, nudging her foot onto something in front of her. “Someone was through here recently.”

Ray turned to her. “Bandits?”

“No, someone, or something rather, killing them.”

Felicia looked at the object Maria was standing over, realizing it was a body. Even through the dark she could tell the body wasn’t in one piece. Floyd and Aldrich moved forwards, readying their weapons. Felicia made out a large exit in front of them to another room. The group cautiously moved, their guards up. The darkness opened up to even more darkness. The air was still heavy, and the empty black void in front of them seemed to go on forever.

Felicia heard movement in front of them, then to their right, and then behind. Ray ignited his spear and moved to a defensive stance. The small amount of light illuminated bloodstained dirt and stone. The blood looked old, dried and browned.

“They’re here!”

A voice called from further in. Felicia gripped her sword and stood steady, trying to make sense of the dark. A hissing and metal clicks came from Floyd as he picked up a piece of wood. He ignited it, throwing it to the ground. Sudden shrieks echoed from all around, causing Felicia to shudder. Those screams weren’t human, they couldn’t be. A thoom echoed around them and rattling of rusty chains pierced the air. The screams became louder, closer. Felicia backed up as she realized all the sounds were coming from the walls. Kashire let out a curse and shook his head. “Dammit, should’ve known.”

Ray’s eyes darted around as he kept his glaive up. “It’s a trap?”

“It’s a trap.”

Scraping of claws and hisses became increasingly clearer. It was definitely monsters, and exactly which ones and how many Felicia didn’t know. Well, she would know in a second. Kashire loosed an arrow into the dark and nocked another one. A claw swiped forwards, which was quickly cut off by Ray. The monster screamed as its body ignited and flailed aimlessly, a ghoul by the look of it. More came from all sides and sounds of metal against flesh and bone rang in Felicia’s ears.

She swung into one, cleanly cutting through its chest. The group stayed in a circle, their backs protected by one another. She looked around, trying to find her next target. An arrow whizzed by her neck, flicking past her hair. It stopped midair, hitting something. A monster suddenly materialized in front of her, a cloak of air dissipating around them. It fell to the ground, long blades on its arms scraping the floor. A prowler, that was a problem. Felicia brought her sword back up, wiping the monster blood from her cheek. “T-thanks.”

Kashire swung a small knife across a ghouls throat, pushing it off and redrawing his bow. “Watch yourself.”

There were more, a lot more. A click and a sudden eruption of light burst from Floyd as he ignited a small group. The fire illuminated the rest of the room for a brief moment. Large open sewer grates were pulled up all around, and monsters swarmed from them, piling out one at a time. Felicia had no idea how this many were trapped in there, but they were all coming out now. At the end of the room there was a small group of men hiding behind cover. They were watching the fight, weapons ready.

The light dissipated and Felicia’s attention was pulled back to a ghoul in front of her. She backed away from a claw swipe and riposted with a stab. Spit flew into her face from the screaming monster on her sword. She pulled her blade out, looking around for more. Ray’s blade flashed through the air, its flames burning brightly in the dark. The light shimmered in front of Felicia, glistening slightly. She swung, her sword cleanly passing through a prowler’s thin and bony arm. The monster wildy swung at her with it’s remaining arm, the long bone blade whipping through the air which she then blocked and countered with a cut through it’s stomach, just like the training.

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There was less screeching now, and Felicia felt more reassured. Kashire pulled his knife from the side of a ghoul’s head and quickly moved on to the next one. Aldrich’s armour was splattered red, and countless parts of monster’s lay before him. He was further out from the group, swinging his greatsword in wide arcs. It was effective evidently, showcased by him cleaving through two ghouls at once. Felicia’s eyes flicked over as movement appeared on her right. She positioned her sword upwards, ready to strike. Her eyes widened as she realized it wasn’t a monster. The group of men had moved from their cover, charging towards them.

She hesitated as the one leading approached, moving to her left. Maria stepped forwards on her right, meeting one and quickly dealing with them in a single strike. Felicia turned, realizing the one she let by was now closing in on Ray. She frantically looked around and rushed forwards. Kashire was still busy shoving his knife into a prowler’s mouth, Aldrich and Floyd were cleaning up their side, and Maria was dealing with all of the other men.

The man raised his sword up, preparing to strike at Ray’s back. Felicia stepped forwards, quickly thrusting her sword. She flinched as she prepared for the impact, but the sword slid in smoothly under the man’s arm and into his chest. He quickly faltered, dropping his weapon and staggering downwards with a weak grunt.

Felicia felt the weight of his body slip off her blade as he laid motionless on the ground. She shuddered and looked at her sword, the blood from him and the ghouls were indistinguishable. It was so fast, so easy. She didn’t even know who he was, where he came from. Did he have a family? Someone to return to? Did he even want to fight? He wasn’t even properly equipped, and his form showed he lacked training.

She was snapped to attention by Ray’s glaive whipping past her and into a ghoul behind her. The ghoul burned briefly before collapsing as burnt flesh. He took a brief look down at the body and then around them. “Are you hurt?”

“N-no.”

“Good.” He turned and swung into another ghoul as the screams and shuffling lessened. There was no time to think right now. Maria had already dealt with most of the men, with four corpses on the ground and two hesitantly standing off against her. She quickly feinted a swing forwards into an quick cut which sliced across the man’s eyes. His throat was slit before he could even scream, his gurgles quietly echoing as he blindly stumbled to his knees.

Maria pointed her sword at the remaining man who backed away slowly. His hands trembled as he raised his own shortsword, the scar on his face twisting as his face contorted with fear. Maria stepped forwards calmly, keeping her sword poised steadily. Ray cut through a monster as the screams fell silent. “Maria, keep him alive.”

She nodded and quickly rushed forwards. The man tried to attack her, but was quickly disarmed with a quick cut to his wrist. He yelped in pain and fell back, catching himself on the ground. As he attempted to crawl away, Maria pressed her sword to his chest, the point placed lightly upon his clothing. He stopped moving, staying completely still. Felicia was pretty sure he stopped breathing as well. Ray walked over, pointing his spear to the ground, its fire still flickering. “You were our informant.”

Felicia took another look at the man. It really was him, she couldn’t tell through the fear which masked his face. The fear changed rapidly into anger as he sat up against Maria’s sword. Ray glared and spoke through grit teeth. “What did they pay you to betray us?”

“They didn’t pay me.”

Ray nodded and kept his gaze firm. “Where are they?” The man didn’t respond as Ray lifted his glaive. “Answer or I make it worse.”

Felicia suppressed her surprise at Ray’s anger; she had never seen him like this, he never got angry. The man glared back and spat out his words. “I don’t care, do what you will. You’ve taken everything already.”

“No, you threw away everything for a false promise of power.” The man tried to move upwards, only to be slammed back to the ground by Maria’s boot. She glanced up at Felicia and motioned her head to the side, signalling her to turn away. Felicia didn’t respond and kept watching as the man growled. “You think It’s about power? Is that all you think about? Do you like how everybody moves out of the way on the street? How nobody questions you?”

“You have one last chance to answer me.”

“Go to hell.”

Felicia shrank down as she looked at the man, the pure hatred in his eyes burning like an inferno. He tried to get up again only to be grabbed by Ray this time, who threw him onto his knees. Ray looked from him to Maria, who pulled her sword up. Felicia closed her eyes as Maria’s blade swung down, the sound of the man’s spine being cut ringing dully.

She looked over to Ray, seeing his stone cold expression. Maria wiped her blade on her arm as she walked past the now headless body. Felicia tried to speak only to realize she had nothing to say. That man was dead, just like that. Everything around them was lifeless, and it didn’t faze anybody. She shouldn’t be shaken either then, right? This was the right path, and they were doing good things here. Those men chose not to be saved, just as Ray said. Everybody knew what they were doing, and she was still learning; the best thing she could do right now was not be a burden. She calmed her hands and held onto her wrist, suppressing the urges to grab onto something, or somebody rather. Ray shouldn’t have to be distracted by her, he trained her for a reason. Wiping the blood off her sword, Felicia sheathed it, the steel glinting as brightly as before.

~

Maria took a look around the room, noting the uncomfortable silence. She took a glance at Felicia watching her slowly move away, her eyes averted from the body. Kashire was pulling out his arrows from corpses while Floyd was tinkering with the device on his arm. The ghoul bodies were countless with a few prowlers scattered among them. While it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for the ghouls and prowlers to be in the same area, they never hunted with each other. Even so, what happened here was less of a hunt and more of a desperate rampage.

Maria walked over to Raynauld, tapping him on the shoulder and motioning for him to come with her. She glanced back, making sure Felicia was out of earshot. “She’s not ready for this.”

“Hm?”

Maria paused, flicking her eyes from Raynauld to Felicia. “Look at her, this isn’t where she belongs.”

Raynauld took a moment to glance over at Felicia who was leaning back against a wall, brushing the blood from her hair. “I can protect her.”

“From the monsters? Sure, but that’s not what she needs.”

“I don’t get what you mean.”

Maria shook her head and let out a brief sigh. “Send her back, she doesn’t need to be here.”

“That would take too long.”

“It would take a few minutes.”

He looked away from her and to Felicia. “She won’t agree to leave.”

Maria grimaced and crossed her arms. Well, he probably was right about that. “She would do anything for you.”

“I’ve agreed to take her here, and she wouldn’t want to leave.”

“So it’s a good idea to keep her here?”

Raynauld returned his gaze, his eyes firm. “I’m here with her for a reason, anyways, her involvement was approved by her father.”

Maria let out a huff and stood up straight. It always came down to some lord wanting something, didn’t it? “This is more than she can handle.”

“Maybe, but she has us.”

The dark of the room creeped around the bloodied floor, swirling around at their feet. She relented with a sigh. “Fine, I can’t force you, but you’re playing with her life right now.”

He narrowed his eyes and spoke quietly. “I’m not playing with her life. I’ll keep her safe.”

“Don’t try to do it all yourself, trust me.”

“Alright.”

She stopped him before he walked off. “If this gets out of hand, she needs to go back.”

Raynauld brushed his hair off his forehead, giving a quiet nod before returning to the group. Maria let out a long sigh, adjusting the mask on her face. No matter what, Raynauld had conviction. He really was exactly what the city wanted, the perfect soldier from when he was a child. It wasn’t often when someone initially from outside of the city rose through the ranks, especially not to this degree. Everything he did was to better himself as a soldier, and it obviously paid off. Maria had to admit, he really was incredible with his diligence.

She shook her head, examining the edges of her now slightly charred cloak. Despite all of Raynaud's perfections, he had his flaws as well. It was a mystery why he was specifically asked to look after Felicia, but she had grown incredibly attached to him. Even so, Raynauld didn’t seem to notice the extent of her affection, as obvious as it was; Felicia always had that wistful look in her eyes around him, and Maria could tell whenever she had recently been with him by the glow of her attitude that was visible even from a distance.

That girl, she was so hopeful, so normal. It didn’t make sense for her to be a soldier in the first place, but that wasn’t up to Maria to decide. Everything about her belonged within the city walls, far away from all of this. Looking at her now, with the blood splattered onto her clothes and hair, the absent gaze present on her face, it was just sad to watch. Maria stared at her, trying to find some piece of the optimism that she always had. Felicia almost jumped when Raynauld spoke to her, their conversation incoherent. While it wasn’t much, the look in her eyes softened when she spoke to him.

Maria cursed herself and looked away. This wasn’t her business, it never had been. Nothing good would come out of connecting herself to that girl, only more pain on both ends. Everything always ended in death, and she wouldn’t drag Felicia down with her. When she was dealt with, no one should have to mourn her, no one should have to cry over her. While she still had time, she needed to make sure the girl she saw in the gardens stayed alive. The girl she saw back then, the girl who marveled at the scars she didn’t have. Maria grimly shook her head as she looked over at Felicia once more, seeing her small frame and tainted clothing.

Hopefully it's not too late.

She pulled out her journal, glancing back at the girl as she flipped to the last page, ripping out the unused ones as she wrote on the worn paper. Finishing her note and putting the book back in her pocket, Maria grazed her hand over her hair, its length still a bit too long.