[Last Time: Arash with his uncle, Adam, snuck into the tower of hope and encountered a monk possessed by a golden leech. Arash manages to kill the beast and they enter further into the tower. They sneak attack Maira and Dawood and restrained the golden leeches in their soul space]

Arash winced in pain as his hand covered his ears, trying to block the horrible screech. "Stop!" He hissed through his teeth as the silver net tightened around the golden leech. The leech grunted in pain but refused to quiet down. Arash turned towards the black snake; Najwah hissed in anger as he sharply twisted his scaled body, constricting the golden leech and screaming unintelligible words. Najwah looked towards him and they both knew what had to be done.

Black scales shimmered in front of Arash as Najwah ripped off the golden leech's head. Arash turned towards the one trapped inside the silver net and with just a thought; a silver scythe reaped the life of the other squalling leech. Arash drew a deep breath, his ears still ringing with the rasping sound.

"We have to get out!" Arash said grimly. Najwah nodded as he hatefully glanced at the unconscious man and women.

"You aren't going to reap your rewards," Najwah said as they whistled through the walls.

Arash turned back towards the couple. A promise of strength, his heart fluttered. But others have been warned and they must be rushing towards here. They had to get out! get out fast. He bitterly shook his head as they passed through the solid stone wall.

Adam stood nervously beside his body, his eyes wild with caution, while his leg trembled to a nervous rhythm. His heart nearly leaped out of his body when Arash placed his hand over his shoulder.

"Who sleeps while breaking into someone house," Adam said with a voice that would have sent his sons running. He was truly angry, but sense still lingered behind the hateful glare of his.

"I wasn't sleeping" Arash couldn't help but smile.

"Do you thin--"

"We have to leave now." Arash scrambled to his feet as he left his uncle seething in anger. Adam gritted his teeth with half a mind to not follow, but something in the voice of his nephew unnerved him. He turned towards the strange granite walls. It was no place to stay and he prayed to the blessed that this boy before him knew what he was doing.

Arash sailed through long twisting corridors, empty halls, and steep stairs. Basit's memories proved to quite useful in traversing through this confusing tower. Sometimes he would hear the sound of leather against the stone and would be forced to take a longer route. This tower was riddled with hidden doors and traps for the unwary. Basit knew the first two floors like the back of his hand. So, Arash had no problem in finding his way. But he had underestimated the fat monk's seniors. Instead of searching throughout the tower. They all had converged at the great oak gate, which was the only point of entrance and exit.

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"What do you plan to do?" Najwah laughed at the sight of almost 20 monks standing in front of the oak door. Arash stared at his uncle and for a moment thought of using him as a bait.

"I will scream on the top of my lungs if you decide to do something stupid." Adam leveled his gaze at Arash to make sure he understood before he turned towards the monk in grey robes. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "Too many! we can't fight them..." He looked at Arash, his eyes gleaming with expectation. "We can't...right?"

Arash didn't deign to reply. He turned towards the little snake, who looked more like a pig than a snake. "I don't suppose you can harvest any more memories?"

Najwah scoffed. "Not unless I run off to them, tell them to wait before I vomit out all the memories that I have consumed. Mind you the memories I reach out, return to their owners. So, No! I can't harvest anymore."

"Why don't you harvest only core memories?" Arash scrunched up his forehead as he remembered the vacant eyes of the men in the street.

"Do you think those damn slugs are going to sit tight and help me take their host's memories?"

Arash peered down at the monks, the web-like runes trembled in excitement at the sight of flesh and bones. He clenched his arms as blue veins popped over his forearm. Suddenly his heart stilled. He turned back, peering up the dark stairs. Stretching his ears to the limit. There it was again; the whisper of leather against a stone. Coming closer. "Someone's here!" He peered through his soul-eye and the darkness receded and

the stone stairs appeared before him. He turned back and he saw twenty golden leeches, brighter than a man's head, swimming in the soul-space of the monks.

"There are twenty of them here and by the sound of it. There are about five coming from above." His clenched his fist and felt the soft leather of his gloves. His eyes glued towards the sound scrapping, he could almost see heads at the top of the stairs. "Can't fight them, they will alert the ones below. What should I do?" Arash stared at the wall to his left, noticing for the first time the strange patterns...